Herpetological Review 52(4), 2021 NATURAL HISTORY NOTES 817 MAYRA L. MALDONADO, Proyectos Educativos Regionales de Au- toayuda, Departamento de Investigación y Desarrollo, 6ª avenida 8-25, zona 2, Guatemala, Guatemala (e-mail: mmaldonado1975@yahoo.com); MICHAEL W. DIX, Centro de Estudios Atitlán, Campus Altiplano, km 137, caserío Xolbé, cantón El Tablón, Sololá, Guatemala; XIMENA C. L. LEIVA. CRYPTOBRANCHUS ALLEGANIENSIS ALLEGANIENSIS (East- ern Hellbender). LARVAL PREDATION. Salmonids have been identified as dominant predators of larval amphibians, par- ticularly salamander larvae (Barr and Babbitt 2007. Freshw. Biol. 52:1239–1248). The presence of trout in lakes has been linked to lower survival in Gyrinophilus porphyriticus (Spring Salamander; Resetarits 1995. Oikos 73:188–198) and reduced larval salamander densities for Ambystoma macrodactylum (Long-toed Salamander; Tyler et al. 1998. Conserv. Biol. 12:94–105). In some extreme cases, the presence of Oncorhynchus mykiss (Rainbow Trout) led to near- ly zero survival of larval A. macrodactylum (Pearson 2009. Can. J. Zool. 87:948–955). Larval salamanders such as Salamandra sala- mandra (Fire Salamander) may increase their use of refuge habi- tat in the presence of Salmo trutta (Brown Trout; Bylak 2018. Can. J. Zool. 96:213–219). Indeed, larval Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi (Ozark Hellbender) can actively retreat into interstitial spaces when disturbed (Pitt et al. 2016. Herpetol. Bull. 138:36–37). However, they may show altered, weak anti-predatory behavioral responses to introduced non-native or naturalized predators such as O. mykiss (Gall 2009. Ethology 116:47–58). On 8 April 2020, angler Austin Hall discovered a partially digested, gilled larval C. a. alleganiensis, inside the stomach contents of an O. mykiss (ca. 30 cm total length) he had caught on private property in Hatchery Supported Trout Waters of the South Toe River, Yancey County, North Carolina, USA (794 m elev.; specific GPS point is withheld but is on file with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, NCWRC). The NCWRC, as well as private groups, routinely stock trout in this system at numerous bridge and roadside access points throughout the year, and self-sustaining populations of both O. mykiss and S. trutta occupy the river. The NCWRC’s most recent stocking event in the South Toe River prior to the date of capture was on 26 March 2020, when an estimated 520 O. mykiss were released along with 10 S. trutta and 1,970 Salvelinus fontinalis (Brook Trout). The closest known upstream and downstream stocking points to this capture are ca. 4.3 and 1.6 km linear stream distance away, respectively. A recent study in western North Carolina found that 71% of radio tagged, stocked trout remained within 1.6 km of stocking locations, whereas 6% migrated 9.7 km or more (Flowers et al. 2019. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 148:3–20). Upon discovery of the recently digested larval salamander, it was carefully examined, photographed, and later identified as a larval C. a. alleganiensis by the overall size, dark color pattern, and overall body morphology (Fig. 1). This record is the first reported evidence for predation of O. mykiss on larval C. a. alleganiensis. We expect predation on hellbender larvae has the potential to be most prevalent in spring (similar to this observation) when they are emerging from adult shelters and trout are often stocked in high numbers. In North Carolina, opening day of Hatchery Supported Trout Waters is always the first Saturday in April, and in 2020, opening day fell on 4 April, just prior to this capture. Typically, stocked trout are harvested quickly with short periods of residency; however, early spring provides a unique situation as fish released in March (when Hatchery Supported Trout Waters are closed) may have longer residency times until they are harvested compared to stocking events other times of the year. A recent study in western North Carolina comparing stomach contents of stocked versus wild trout (harvested September through May) revealed that wild trout ate more often and were more selective of prey items such as fish, insects, and gastropods, while stocked trout ate less often, if at all, and were less selective; no amphibians were reported among stomach contents (Fischer et al. 2019. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 148:771–784). We recommend further examination of this potential, and significantly understudied, source of predation as well as potential behavioral responses (predator avoidance) of larval and juvenile C. a. alleganiensis in the presence of salmonids. We thank Austin Hall for sharing his observation and photos. SHEM D. UNGER, Biology Department, Wingate University, Wingate, North Carolina 28174, USA (e-mail: s.unger@wingate.edu); LORI A. WIL- LIAMS, JACOB RASH, LUKE ETCHISON, DYLAN OWENSBY, North Caro- lina Wildlife Resources Commission, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1702, USA; JOHN D. GROVES, North Carolina Zoological Park, Asheboro, North Carolina 27205, USA. DESMOGNATHUS FUSCUS (Northern Dusky Salamander). LAR- VAL PARASITISM. The larval stage of trombiculid mites, or chig- gers, of the genus Hannemania are known to parasitize numerous species of amphibians, including plethodontid salamanders (An- thony et al. 1994. Am. Midl. Nat. 132:302–307). Larval trombicu- lid mites produce saliva that destroys the host’s epidermal cells; connective tissue is then deposited as a capsule around the mite, resulting in concentrated redness, inflammation, necrosis, and raised abscesses in the dermis known as trombiculidiasis (Sladky et al. 2000. J. Zoo Wildl. Med. 31:570–575). However, parasitism by Hannemania sp. has only been reported on adult amphibians. On 7 April 2017, I captured a gilled, larval Desmognathus fuscus (25.11 mm TL) with two mites (Hannemania sp.) on the venter of the tail in a first order, second-growth stream at the University of Kentucky’s Experimental research station, Robinson Forest, Breathitt County, Kentucky, USA. Then on 14 April 2017, at an adjacent stream, I captured a second larval D. fuscus (25.07 mm TL) with a single mite on the venter of the tail. To my knowledge, these are the first observations of Hannemania sp. parasitizing larval salamanders. JACOB M. HUTTON, Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Il- linois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, USA; e-mail: jakemhutton1@ gmail.com. Fig. 1. A) Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis larva found in the stomach of an Oncorhynchus mykiss (in background); B) view showing presence of compressed dark colored gills. PHOTOS BY AUSTIN HALL