A Herpetofaunal Inventory Study of two National Wildlife Refuges in the Mississippi Delta and Associated Evaluation of Trapping Efficacy

The objectives of this project were to record the diversity and distribution of amphibian and reptile species present at Panther Swamp and Hillside National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) and to quantify trapping efficacy as a result of various methodologies under different habitat variables. The primary methods employed were two varieties of drift fence trap arrays consisting of 100-foot sections of silt fencing with buried 2.5-gallon buckets as pitfall traps and box traps placed at the end of each fence to capture larger organisms. When conditions permitted, aquatic trapping was also employed across the Refuges. A total of 55 species were documented, yielding a total of 27 county records for the three counties making up the two Refuges, as well as 16 records for Panther Swamp and 17 records for Hillside NWRs. Four response variables (Total Captures, Species Richness, Family Richness, and CPUE) were used to evaluate the two predictor variables, Fence Shape and Trap Type. At an array level, the doubled number of traps and silt fencing used in X-shaped fences appears to lead to an increase in all four response variables, and, while bucket traps had a higher number of captures, box traps captured a greater variety of species. Using statistical modeling to compare individual traps, a marginally significant increase in captures was seen in traps on X-shaped fences. Determining effective strategies for conducting inventory projects on reptile and amphibian species is critical to properly sample the target species, efficiently utilize time and material resources, and inform habitat management actions.