A Striped Newt Population at the Southern Extent of its Range in Osceola County, Florida

We discovered Notophthalmus perstriatus (Striped Newt) in 9 wetlands on Triple N Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Osceola County, FL, 57 km south of the nearest known breeding pond. Predominant habitats within 300 m of breeding ponds are mesic flatwoods (44%), dry prairie (24%), scrubby flatwoods (11%), and wet prairie (10%). One pond is 425 m from the nearest patch of xeric habitat (scrub or scrubby flatwoods), and 4 xeric upland patches closest to breeding ponds are 2 ha or smaller, suggesting that some newts may reside in surrounding atypical mesic habitats. Five breeding ponds are relatively large (>0.8 ha), and 7 ponds contained 3 or 4 fish species. Existing prescribed fire practices are apparently favorable for survival of 3 possible metapopulations.