SOUTHEASTERN NATURALIST 2012 11(1):49–58 Light Bait Improves Capture Success of Aquatic Funnel-Trap Sampling for Larval Amphibians Stephen H. Bennett 1,* , Jayme L. Waldron 2 , and Shane M. Welch 2 Abstract - 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 objec- tive 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 experi- ence and skill-level. Introduction Surveys for new populations of protected Ambystoma species, as well as effective monitoring of known populations and their breeding habitats, are critically important conservation needs (Bevelheimer et al. 2008, Curtis and Pa- ton 2010, Dodd and Dorazio 2004, Pechmann et al. 1991). The fossorial habits of adult Ambystoma make both surveying and monitoring of adult populations difficult (Bevelheimer et al. 2008, Palis 1997a ). Standard ambystomatid survey and monitoring techniques for terrestrial habitats include visual searches, drift fences with pitfall traps, and cover-board arrays; however, these methods are only effective at capturing adults or newly metamorphosed salamanders dur- ing migrations (Palis 1997a, Shaffer et al. 1994, Skelly and Richardson 2010). Drift fences with pitfall traps can be costly to construct and require constant monitoring to avoid salamander mortality (Bishop et al. 2006, Palis 1997b). Cover-board arrays do not require constant monitoring, but are typically not as effective at capturing ambystomatids (Houze and Chandler 2002) as other meth- ods. These techniques tend to be better suited for use in long-term monitoring 1 South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, 100 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29201. 2 Biological Sciences, 706 Coker Life Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208 * Corresponding author - bennetts@dnr.sc.gov.