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Instructions for contributors to Natural History Notes appear in Volume. 39, Number 1 (March .... on other amphibians in northern Arkansas (McAllister et al. 1995.
NATURAL HISTORY NOTES Instructions for contributors to Natural History Notes appear in Volume 39, Number 1 (March 2008).

CAUDATA — SALAMANDERS LISSOTRITON VULGARIS (Smooth Newt). PREY. Lissotriton vulgaris is a widespread species in Europe and western Asia. Because of their nectonic lifestyle (Dolmen 1983. J. Herpetol. 17:23–31), adult L. vulgaris feed primarily on planktonic Crustacea (Dolmen and Koksvik 1983. Amph.-Rept. 6:133–136). The following observations were made on 5 May 2007 between 1500 and 1545 h at an artificial pond in northern Hesse, Germany (51.2069444°N, 9.0722222°E; elev. 330 m). An adult female L. vulgaris (ca. 95 mm TL) was observed to capture a large dragonfly nymph (total length about 50 mm, family Aeshnidae). The nymph, which was sitting on a floating leaf, had recently moulted and the chitin armor appeared to be soft. The newt approached the leaf from beneath and captured the insect with a quick bite into its anterior portion. Another female L. vulgaris appeared and snapped several times at the legs of the nymph. The intruder took the prey from the other female and disappeared into deeper water, holding the nymph between its jaws. Whether the newt succeeded in swallowing its prey remains unknown. Because of their size and usually protective exoskeleton such large dragonfly nymphs may not form a regular part of the diet of L. vulgaris (Avery 1986. Oikos 19:408–412). Submitted by ANDREAS HERTZ, Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; e-mail: [email protected].

NECTURUS MACULOSUS (Red River Mudpuppy). HOST. Several species of leeches have been known to prey upon amphibian species (Briggler et al. 2001. J. Freshwater Ecol. 16:105–111; Moser et al. 2005. J. North Carolina Acad. Sci. 121:36–40; Sawyer 1972. Illinois Biol. Monogr. 46:1–46). The leech, Placobdella cryptobranchii (Ozark Hellbender Leech) was described in 1977 (Johnson and Klemm 1977. Trans. Amer. Micros. Soc. 96:327– 331). To date, the only known host for P. cryptobranchii is the Ozark Hellbender, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi (Moser et al. 2006. J. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 60:84–95). Herein, we provide information on the first report of P. cryptobranchii on Necturus maculosus. On 1 Sept 2005, four juvenile P. cryptobranchii were found attached to a N. maculosus captured on the Eleven Point River, Oregon County, Missouri, USA. The N. maculosus appeared healthy (mass 105 g; SVL 16.5 cm; TL 25.5 cm). While attached to the N. maculosus, all four leeches exhibited a reddish colored crop area that indicated blood feeding upon the host. Two leeches were collected and deposited at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC (USNM 1100749) where blood-feeding was further confirmed by full crops in each leech (WEM, pers. obs.). This account is the first report of P. cryptobranchii feeding on N. maculosus, and the second known host for P. cryptobranchii. More information should be collected

on P. cryptobranchii to determine if its presence on N. maculosus is a common occurrence or an isolated event. Since 2005, surveyors have captured 6 N. maculosus from the Eleven Point River in Missouri and this is the only instance when P. cryptobranchii was observed. With the continued decline of the main host, C. a. bishopi, this leech may need to rely increasingly upon N. maculosus. We extend our thanks to M. Allen, G. Cravens, G. Smith, R. Rimer, and P. Veatch for assistance in the field. Submitted by JEFFREY T. BRIGGLER, Missouri Department of Conservation, 2901 W. Truman Blvd, Jefferson City, Missouri 65109, USA (e-mail: [email protected]); and WILLIAM E. MOSER, Department Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA (e-mail: [email protected]).

NOTOPHTHALMUS VIRIDESCENS LOUISIANENSIS (Central Newt). LEECH INFESTATION. Glossiphoniid leeches (Placobdella picta) have previously been reported to infest Redspotted Newts, Notophthalmus v. viridescens in Maryland (Mock 1987. J. Parasitol. 73:730–737), New York (Barrow 1953. Trans. Amer. Microsc. Soc. 72:197–216; Pough 1971. Science 174:1144– 1146), Pennsylvania (Raffel et al. 2006. J. Parasitol. 92:1256– 1264), and Virginia (Gill 1978. Ecol. Monogr. 48:145–166). To our knowledge, P. picta has not been reported from N. v. louisianensis. On 22 March 2007, D.J. visited a fishless pond with rooted aquatic vegetation situated in an oak-hickory forest of mountainous terrain, 1 km W St. Hwy. 23, Carroll County, Arkansas. Sixtythree N. v. louisianensis were collected and examined for leeches; 18 (29%) had P. picta firmly attached to their integument, the majority under their lip, while others had leeches attached to the tail and lower abdomen. On several occasions, newts were observed trying to physically remove leeches by biting at their tails and shaking their heads vigorously, unusual behavior previously reported in N. v. viridescens by Gill (op. cit.). The same site was revisited about 2 months later on 19 May 2007 and 49 N. v. louisianensis were examined; only three (6%) possessed leeches. This observation further supports the understanding that P. picta is a temporary ectoparasite on amphibians and may be an important regulator of certain populations (Brockleman 1969. Ecology 50:632–644; Berven and Boltz 2001. Copeia 2001:907–915). We document herein the first report of P. picta infesting N. v. louisianensis. Interestingly, this leech has previously been reported on other amphibians in northern Arkansas (McAllister et al. 1995. J. Helminthol. Soc. Washington 62:143–149; Briggler et al. 2001. J. Freshwater Ecol. 16:105–111; Turbeville and Briggler. 2003. J. Freshwater Ecol. 18:155–159; Moser et al. 2006. J. Arkansas Acad. Sci. 60:84–95). Voucher specimens of P. picta are deposited in the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH 5427); a voucher of N. v. louisianensis is deposited in the Arkansas State University Museum of Zoology, Herpetological Collection (ASUMZ 30705). We thank the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for Scientific Collecting Permits 032920062 and 042320071 issued to C.T. McAllister. We also thank S.E. Trauth (ASUMZ) and S.C. Watson (AMNH) for curatorial assistance.

Herpetological Review 39(2), 2008

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