INTERGENERIC AGGRESSION AMONG SALAMANDERS

Many plethodontid salamanders establish feeding territories. We studie d interactions of two species in different genera to investigate the r oles of species identity, residency, and relative body size in gaining or maintaining control of a cover object. Species identity had the la rgest effect, with Desmognathus ochrophaeus proving more successful th an Plethodon cinereus as a resident and as an intruder. Residency also influenced the outcome of trials: residents were more likely to maint ain control of their cover objects than to be displaced. The relative body size of the salamanders in a trial had a small, marginally nonsig nificant effect on the outcome. Species identity may be important in d etermining spatial relations of salamanders in the field.