The Sacramento Mountains Salamander, Aneides hardii (Taylor),is a plethodontid of relict distribution in the spruce-fir vegetationalformation from 8500 to 9600 feet elevation in Otero andLincoln counties, New Mexico. The salamanders on which mostof this report is based were collected three, four, and six milesnortheast of Cloudcroft in the Sacramento Mountains. Additionalindividuals were collected on the eastern slope of Sierra Blanca,1.5 miles southwest of Monjeau Lookout, at about 9000 feet, LincolnCounty, and in the vicinity of Summit Springs and KoprianSprings, 9300 feet, Capitan Mountains, Lincoln County. Certaindetails concerning the populations in Lincoln County will be reportedelsewhere (Schad, Stewart, and Harrington, Canadian Jour.Zool., in press).
We would like to thank Mmes. Donna Schad and Lora LeeJohnston, Messrs. Robert Stewart, Frederick Harrington and RalphRaitt, and Dr. Robert Selander for assistance in the field, Dr.W. Frank Blair and Dr. Marlowe Anderson for the use of specimensin their care, and Dr. A. Byron Leonard for the identificationof the molluscan food items.
In the summer rainy season A. hardii lives in and under downedtimber and under talus accumulations. Occurrence, however,seems to be partly subterranean and always local; seemingly goodhabitat frequently appears to lack the animals. Our observationsand collections were made in July, August, and September in 1956,1957, and 1958. Two hundred seventy-seven individuals weretaken; these were measured, sexed and examined for breedingstatus. The food and parasite content of the guts of a few individualswas determined. Thirteen salamanders were kept for varyinglengths of time in captivity. The specimens are now storedin collections at New Mexico State University, University of Texas,Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, and the Museum of Natural History,University of Kansas.
The primary study and collecting sites were four and six milesnortheast of Cloudcroft, Otero County, at 8600 to 8800 feet in elevation.[Pg 576]Vege