Behavioral interactions between salamanders and centipedes: competition in divergent taxa

Cari-Ann M. Hickerson, Carl D. Anthony and Jill A. Wicknick

Behavioral Ecology, 2004, vol. 15, issue 4, 679-686

Abstract: Red-backed salamanders, Plethodon cinereus, use territorial advertisement in the form of agonistic displays and pheromonal scent marking as a mechanism for intraspecific interference competition. Although ecological and behavioral interactions among species of salamanders have been well studied, little is known about the interactions between territorial P. cinereus and other ecologically similar species, such as large predatory invertebrates. Our field data indicate that P. cinereus and a large syntopic centipede, Scolopocryptops sexspinosus, exhibit negative spatial associations in natural habitats, possibly indicating interspecific territoriality. Only seven instances of salamander/centipede co-occurrence were recorded from a field sample of 247 occupied cover objects. Cover object size was positively correlated with salamander SVL (tip of the snout to the anterior end of the cloaca), but there was no correlation of cover object size to centipede length. Data on the ability of P. cinereus to differentiate among chemicals on the substrate suggest that visual cues are not necessary to elicit a territorial response from intruding salamanders. Although in laboratory trials salamanders behaved similarly toward intruders of both species, biting was directed only toward centipedes. Salamanders spent significantly more time approaching centipedes than they did approaching other salamanders. Approach behavior was often associated with nose tapping and may be an investigative, rather than aggressive, behavior. We suggest that territorial P. cinereus respond similarly to intruding salamanders and centipedes, but that they escalate more readily to biting centipedes because S. sexspinosus is sightless and thus unable to respond to visual signals. Copyright 2004.

Keywords: aggression; centipede; Plethodon cinereus; salamander; Scolopocryptops sexspinosus; spatial distribution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2004
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/beheco/arh064 (application/pdf)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oup:beheco:v:15:y:2004:i:4:p:679-686

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://academic.oup.com/journals

Access Statistics for this article

Behavioral Ecology is currently edited by Louise Barrett

More articles in Behavioral Ecology from International Society for Behavioral Ecology Oxford University Press, Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, UK.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Oxford University Press ().