Comparison of herpetofaunal species composition and response to edge on the Camp Dawson Collective Training Area, Preston County, West Virginia

Herpetofaunal species composition, abundance, and diversity were evaluated on the Camp Dawson Collective Training Area, Preston County, West Virginia, as a requirement of the Sikes Act (16 USC 670a et seq.), Army Regulation 200-3, and Department of Defense Instruction 4715.3. Herpetofauna were sampled using pitfall traps with drift fences and double-ended funnel traps, and also from area searches. Redback salamander (Plethodon cinereus), red-spotted newt (Notophthalmus v. viridescens ), eastern American toad (Bufo a. americanus), and wood frog (Rana sylvatica) were most common in pitfall arrays; mountain dusky salamander (Desmognathus ochrophaeus), Appalachian seal salamander (Desmognathus m. monticola), and redback salamander were most common from searches. Northern red salamander ( Pseudotriton r. ruber), a West Virginia rare species, was documented on all 3 study sites. Species distributions varied among habitat (upland or riparian) and treatment (edge or interior) conditions; habitat characteristics and herpetofaunal size and biomass also varied between habitat and treatment conditions.