Translocation of wildlife is a valuable tool for managers to alleviate impacts of human/wildlife conflicts, habitat fragmentation, and small population sizes. Pelecanus occidentalis (Brown Pelican) were previously successfully translocated into Louisiana in 1960–1980s and had rebounded significantly prior to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in April 2010. The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill had a dramatic impact on southeastern Louisiana, including the people, wildlife, and coastal habitats of the region. We translocated 182 oil-rehabilitated Brown Pelicans from southeastern Louisiana to an area non-impacted by the oil spill in southwestern Louisiana (Rabbit Island, Cameron Parish). Daily surveys were conducted at the island for six weeks and documented mortality, movements, integration with local pelican flocks, persistence of pelicans at the island, and the role of supplemental feeding. We documented no mortality of rehabilitated birds and found that translocated Brown Pelicans readily integrated with local pelican flocks. Supplemental feeding likely contributed to the persistence of pelicans at Rabbit Island from weeks 1 to 4. By weeks 4 to 6, many local and translocated pelicans moved away from the island, likely due to a combination of natural and human-induced factors. After the initial stages of the translocation, we tentatively suggest that the program was a success and propose recommendations for future translocation attempts with Brown Pelicans.

Use of traditional small-mammal sampling techniques is challenging in coastal salt marshes and forests. Various conditions particular to this type of environment affect the efficacy of sampling efforts. We compared various indirect (no physical capture) and direct (physical capture) techniques coupled with different baits to determine an effective method for sampling small mammals. In 1440 trap-nights, Sherman live traps caught significantly more rodents than Fitch traps (112 versus 16 respectively, Fisher's exact test: P = 0.0103), but the relationship between bait types, which included oats, scratch feed, sunflower seeds and suet, was not as apparent. However, for practical reasons, scratch feed and sunflower seeds were best used in marsh conditions due to their water resistance and ease in clean-up. Both track and scat plates were unsuccessful due to water damage and destruction by nontarget animals. Cameras yielded limited success. Target small mammals were photographed 436 times, but of those, only 26 could be positively identified to species. However, with adjustments including improved lens quality and adjustable focus distance, this could become a useful tool for small-mammal sampling. Such improved remote cameras could offer a viable alternative when permits cannot be issued, field access is limited, or there are concerns about mortality of the target species.

We describe the diet composition of Tursiops truncatus (Bottlenose Dolphin) from South Carolina waters. Stomach contents of 136 dolphins stranded dead between 2000 and 2006 were examined. Eighty-two dolphin stomachs contained food items and formed the basis for this study. The emphasis of this study was to compare the stomach contents of dolphins that bore evidence of human interaction but were otherwise healthy with those that appeared to die of natural causes. Forty-two prey species representing 24 families were identified. Dolphins fed predominantly on smaller-sized benthic and demersal fish species. Diets were primarily comprised of members of the family Sciaenidae, with Stellifer lanceolatus (Star Drum) being the most abundant species quantitatively. Lolliguncula brevis (Brief Squid) was the most frequently observed prey item. Overall, dolphins that appeared to have died from natural causes consumed similar species of fish and squid to those that exhibited signs of human interaction. This study represents the first quantitative analysis of prey species comprising the diet of Bottlenose Dolphins found in South Carolina waters.

From January to May 2008, the first historical strandings of Peponocephala electra Gray (Melon-headed Whale) and Lagenorhynchus acutus Gray (Atlantic White-sided Dolphin) were recorded in South Carolina. A mass stranding of three Melon-headed Whales (2 males, 1 female) was recorded on 11 January 2008 along the Horry County coast in the cities of Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach. Three additional Melon-headed Whales (1 male, 1 female, and 1 unknown sex) stranded as single individuals over the next two months at locations along the South Carolina coast. Lengths of the animals ranged from 161 to 250 cm, and the ages ranged from 1 to 24 years. On 4 May 2008, a single 263cm, 17-year-old, male Atlantic White-sided Dolphin stranded in Horry County. The most striking commonalities observed during the Melon-headed Whale and Atlantic White-sided Dolphin necropsies were severe pulmonary distress and reactive lymphadenopathy. The strandings reported herein are the first records of Melon-headed Whales and Atlantic White-sided Dolphins in South Carolina.

Dactylogyrus is a holarctic genus of monogene flatworms that infects the gills of cyprinid fishes. Dactylogyrus species are usually highly host specific, and little is known about their life history in North America. The purpose of this study was twofold: to determine 1) whether Dactylogyrus exhibits seasonality in its life cycle, and 2) if there is any potential effect upon reproductive effort of the host as a result of Dactylogyrus infection. Over a 12-month period, 967 Dactylogyrus were found on the gills of 383 Notropis telescopus (Telescope Shiner), a cyprinid fish collected in the upper Paint Rock River system in northeastern Alabama. A significant positive relationship was found between prevalence of infection and host somatic weight and gonadosomatic index (GSI). The assumptions that parasite presence is evenly distributed among individual host fish and within each month were rejected by chi square tests, with the months of March through July as a peak for the extent of Dactylogyrus infection. These months are the time of gonadal development and reproduction in Telescope Shiners.

Burrowing crayfish are typically sampled by excavation, which results in habitat destruction. Several less destructive trapping methods have been devised, though their results have been inconsistent in our experience. To conduct studies of growth and longevity, a more efficient method was needed to sample burrowing crayfish while leaving their burrows intact. We describe a new trap design based on a reversed pitfall trap. This trap was tested using a population of burrowing crayfish, Cambarus Lacunicambarus diogenes (Devil Crayfish), in Alabama. The weekly trapping success rate (n = 18 traps) over a 4-week period ranged from 6% to 33%, with an average success rate of 17%. We feel that the implementation of our design will enhance studies requiring nondestructive sampling.

Aquatic funnel traps are a non-destructive means of surveying amphibians in lentic habitats, particularly as compared to dip-net surveys that disturb aquatic vegetation and the substrate, and affect the water column through increased turbidity. The objective of this study was to examine the utility of glow stick-baited aquatic funnel traps for larval amphibians, with a particular emphasis on ambystomatid larvae. We sampled 12 isolated ponds in the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain of South Carolina between April and June 2010 and used detection/non-detection capture data to model the probability of capturing larval amphibians in baited and un-baited funnel traps. Further, we used count data (captures per trap) to examine whether glow stick-baited traps captured more amphibian larvae than un-baited traps. We captured four Ambystoma species (A. mabeei, A. opacum, A. talpoideum, and A. tigrinum) and tadpoles from the families Bufonidae, Ranidae, and Hylidae in light-baited funnel traps. Captures of both Ambystoma larvae and tadpoles were positively associated with light-baited traps, and we were 8.8 times more likely to capture Ambystoma larvae and 5.7 times more likely to capture tadpoles in glow stick-baited traps as compared to un-baited traps. Our results indicate that glow sticks can greatly improve capture success of larval amphibians in funnel traps, and we recommend their use as an active sampling method that is unbiased by surveyor experience and skill-level.

Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis (Eastern North American Hellbender) were collected from the Little River of the Great Smoky National Park (n = 22) and the Hiwassee River of the Cherokee National Forest (n = 30), TN. The cloaca of each animal was swabbed for Salmonella culture and identification. No Salmonella was identified from any of the samples. The prevalence of Salmonella in Hellbenders may be higher than reported here since feces were not collected and animals were only sampled once. Park visitors should still take precautions to protect themselves from water-borne zoonotic pathogens.

The southeastern United States contains a rich diversity of vertebrate species. Despite this, the Piedmont province of the southeastern US has received less attention than the more biologically diverse Coastal Plain and Mountain regions. Yet, the Piedmont region experiences the greatest anthropogenic impact and should be the focus of conservation efforts. In an attempt to obtain diversity information for this under-studied region, we surveyed amphibian, reptile, and non-volant mammal communities for one year at two sites in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Our survey methodologies included drift fences, artificial cover objects, camera traps, and visual encounter surveys. We captured or obtained evidence of a total of 49 species across both sites (mammals = 20, amphibians = 15, reptiles = 14), and over 2000 animals were captured or detected. We calculated measures of species richness, abundance, diversity, and evenness for each study site, and calculated similarity between sites. Diversity and evenness measures varied, but were generally highest for amphibians or reptiles and lowest for mammals. Measures of similarity between study sites indicated high similarity. The species we observed were comparable to those reported by past inventory projects in the Piedmont of North Carolina, although such projects have been sparse. Our results provide much-needed information on vertebrate communities in this under-studied region.

The number of Myotis grisescens (Gray Bat) observed at hibernacula has increased across most of the species' range in recent years as more roost caves have been protected from humans. In Florida, most Gray Bats have been found to hibernate in one primary cave, where the number of hibernating individuals decreased from several thousand in the 1950s to zero in 1975 due to disturbance by humans and improper gating of the cave. After removal of the gate in 1982, the number of hibernating Gray Bats increased, averaging 166 bats during 1990–1998. The number then declined again, and <10 Gray Bats per year were counted during 2002–2011. The cause of this recent decline is uncertain. Temperatures in the cave remain suitably cold, visitation by humans is restricted, and no mortality from floods or disease has been observed. Most of the Gray Bats may have moved to larger and more suitable hibernacula in northern Alabama and Tennessee.

Use of traditional small-mammal sampling techniques is challenging in coastal salt marshes and forests. Various conditions particular to this type of environment affect the efficacy of sampling efforts. We compared various indirect (no physical capture) and direct (physical capture) techniques coupled with different baits to determine an effective method for sampling small mammals. In 1440 trap-nights, Sherman live traps caught significantly more rodents than Fitch traps (112 versus 16 respectively, Fisher's exact test: P = 0.0103), but the relationship between bait types, which included oats, scratch feed, sunflower seeds and suet, was not as apparent. However, for practical reasons, scratch feed and sunflower seeds were best used in marsh conditions due to their water resistance and ease in clean-up. Both track and scat plates were unsuccessful due to water damage and destruction by nontarget animals. Cameras yielded limited success. Target small mammals were photographed 436 times, but of those, only 26 could be positively identified to species. However, with adjustments including improved lens quality and adjustable focus distance, this could become a useful tool for small-mammal sampling. Such improved remote cameras could offer a viable alternative when permits cannot be issued, field access is limited, or there are concerns about mortality of the target species.

Staging areas along the coasts provide reliable food resources, and shorebirds may use the same stopover locations every year. However, shorebirds use sites opportunistically in the interior of North America because of the transient nature of many habitats. Little is known, however, about the use of wetlands by migrating shorebirds in many areas of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV), including Kentucky. During 2004 and 2005, we examined the phenology of migration by shorebirds using stopover habitats in Kentucky. From March to October, we surveyed shorebirds in each moist soil unit as well as at other natural and man-made wetlands at each wildlife management area. Species abundance was recorded a minimum of once every 10-day period. We observed 25 species and 12,307 individual shorebirds during our study, with Charadrius vociferous (Killdeer; n = 4134), Calidris melanotos (Pectoral Sandpiper; n = 2912), Calidris minutilla (Least Sandpiper; n = 1138), Tringa melanoleuca (Gmelin) (Greater Yellowlegs; n = 942), and Tringa flavipes (Lesser Yellowlegs; n = 911) being most abundant. We observed nearly 75% more shorebirds during fall migration than during spring migration, possibly because less suitable habitat is available in the fall and shorebirds concentrate in those areas. In addition, shorebird migration extended over a longer period in the fall than in the spring, a pattern that likely results because adults migrate earlier in the fall and juveniles migrate later. Our results provide additional evidence that the MAV provides important stopover habitat for many species of shorebirds during both spring and fall migration.

With as little as 3% of southeastern Coastal Plain pitcher plant bogs remaining, it is important to understand the life-history aspects of the endemic organisms that comprise this community. In this study, we elucidate aspects of the life history of Exyra semicrocea (Pitcher Plant Moth) by incorporating unpublished portions of a thesis from 1978–1979 with recent field and lab observations in 2010. We give morphological descriptions of both larvae and adults, as well as behavioral descriptions and mortality measures. In addition, population estimates of E. semicrocea were conducted from east Texas through North Carolina. Our surveys identified four isolated pitcher plant sites where E. semicrocea may have been extirpated. This information has important conservation implications for E. semicrocea and is applicable to other pitcher plant-endemic arthropod species.

Scale insects belong to the superfamily Coccoidea, which includes serious plant pests such as soft scales, armored scales, and mealybugs. In 2009, in a natural habitat surrounded by urban development in Naples, FL, pestiferous scale insects (Coccidae) and mealybugs (Pseudococcidae) were discovered on inflorescences of Dendrophylax lindenii (Ghost Orchid). The next year, a follow-up survey was initiated to also include plants in two orchid-rich habitats within the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. There, exotic scales were found on six different epiphytic orchid taxa. Of the scales encountered, Coccus hesperidum (Brown Soft Scale) and Diaspis boisduvalii (Boisduval Scale) are both well-known and serious pests of cultivated plants. Of particular concern is the possibility that these invasive insects have thoroughly infiltrated isolated, natural habitats of rare native orchids.

Understanding the habitat requirements of organisms associated with dead wood is important in order to conserve them in managed forests. Unfortunately, many of the less diverse saproxylic taxa, including Hemiptera, remain largely unstudied. An effort to rear insects from dead wood taken from two forest types (an upland pine-dominated and a bottomland mixed hardwood), three tree species (Liquidambar styraciflua [Sweetgum], Pinus taeda [Loblolly Pine], and Quercus nigra [Water Oak]), and two wood postures (standing snags and fallen logs) in South Carolina produced 435 Hemiptera belonging to eight families and 14 species. The most common (>25 individuals) species were Lyctocoris stalii, Systelloderes inusitatus, Lasiochilus fusculus, Mezira granulata, Calisius contubernalis (a new state record), and Catonia sp. Lyctocoris stalii and Systelloderes inusitatus were almost exclusively captured in the upland and bottomland forest, respectively. Systelloderes inusitatus and Mezira granulata were recovered only from logs. Catonia sp. only emerged from P. taeda logs. Among the less common species, all but two of the 21 specimens of Peritropis saldaeformis were collected from snags. Similarly, all four specimens of Calliodis temnostethoides collected emerged from the crowns of snags. These findings strongly indicate that saproxylic Hemiptera are unevenly distributed among forests, tree species, and wood postures in the southeastern United States. A wide variety of dead wood is clearly necessary to maintain this fauna.

Floral visitors of the homoploid hybrid species, Iris nelsonii (Abbeville Red Iris), were observed and identified in order to determine whether Abbeville Red Iris flowers are visited by similar floral visitors as its progenitor Iris species. The most common floral visitors to Abbeville Red Iris flowers were Archilochus colubris (Ruby-throated Hummingbird), which were also largely successful in transferring a pollen dye-analogue between Abbeville Red Iris flowers. Other floral visitors included butterflies, wasps, and bee species. The pollinators of the Abbeville Red Iris have not been previously documented. These results suggest that pollinator isolation may be important in preventing hybridization between the Abbeville Red Iris and its geographically closest progenitor species, I. hexagona (Dixie Iris).

We report on the first records of Acantharchus pomotis (Mud Sunfish) from Alabama. Three specimens were collected over a ten-year period from Beaver Dam Creek of the Tombigbee River drainage in Washington County, near Chatom, AL. These records represent the most western distribution and the only known population from the Mobile Basin for the Mud Sunfish.

Estrus behavior by females for reasons other than reproduction (pseudo-estrus) has been reported in species of primates and felids, and alternative hypotheses have been put forth to explain its evolution and function. We observed 3 separate cases of pseudo-estrus behavior by 2 Puma concolor coryi (Florida Panther) females while they were nursing young (<1 month old) kittens. We used VHF and GPS telemetry data, genetic pedigree analysis, and visual observations to provide insight into the evolutionary and practical implications of this behavior for Panthers. We suggest that female Panthers likely consort with males while nursing kittens to maintain amicable relations with these males to prevent infanticide. For studies monitoring Puma dens with radio-telemetry, pseudo-estrus events may be confused with litter abandonment, and thus our observations are useful to field biologists who may consider removing kittens from the wild following presumed abandonment events to prevent kitten mortality.