TABLE 1. Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica) larval infection rates in relationto amount of agricultural and urban habitat surrounding ponds in southeasternMichigan, USA.Percent Agricultural/Urban Land CoverNumber Infected/Sample Size6.18 0/68.73 0/614.61 0/615.35 0/617.06 0/617.09 0/618.09 0/625.42 0/635.28 0/654.07 0/655.49 0/657.57 0/659.24 0/662.82 0/665.39 (1–3)/678.55 0/6bance in this study (Table 1). However, the low level of infectionwe found prevents us from testing our hypotheses statistically.Future research on the effects of habitat quality and seasonality onBd infection prevalence remains a priority.Two hypotheses may explain the low infection levels detectedin this study, given the high prevalence of Bd both worldwide andin other areas of the Wood Frog’s range. First, the more terrestriallife-history of R. sylvatica may help prevent infection in this species(Longcore et al. 2007). Rana sylvatica is an explosive breederthat breeds in early spring. Larvae develop and metamorphose inapproximately 6 weeks, and juveniles then move into the terrestrialhabitat for foraging (Regosin et al. 2003). In comparison toother co-occurring species, wood frogs are in the ponds for a shorteramount of time. These results are consistent with Lips et al. (2003)hypothesis that the probability of decline as a result of Bd infectionis positively related to the amount of time the species spendsin aquatic habitats. However, while rates of infection in R. sylvaticaare typically lower than in other co-occurring species (Longcoreet al. 2007; Ouellet et al. 2005), the levels of infection in R. sylvaticaseen in this study are much lower than in other studies, suggestingthat other factors may have contributed to the low prevalence ofBd across southeastern Michigan.Second, it is possible that habitat differences between southeasternMichigan and other parts of R. sylvatica’s range could accountfor the low infection prevalence seen in our study, as comparedwith other studies. Differences in climate, for instance, intemperature or the amount of rainfall, are associated with differencesin infection rates (Kriger and Hero 2007), and thus maydictate the range over which Bd is viable. However, this seemsunlikely, because projections from an ecological niche model (Ron2005) suggest that the habitat of southeastern Michigan is moreclimatically suitable for Bd than other areas where Bd prevalencein wood frogs has been found to be higher (Longcore et al. 2007).Similarly, differences in the structure of the landscape separatingpopulations may contribute to the variation in infection prevalenceacross R. sylvatica’s range. A fragmented landscape, resulting inreduced connectivity among amphibian populations, may hinderthe spread of Bd and thus keep regional infection rates low. Furtherresearch at a broader geographic scale will be necessary forevaluating whether such habitat differences contribute to the observedpatterns of infection in R. sylvatica.Acknowledgments.—We thank Jess Middlemis Maher, Jeff Yeo, andWendy Luo for their assistance in collecting the data, as well as DeannaOlson and an anonymous reviewer for providing useful comments thathelped improve the manuscript. In conducting this research, we have compliedwith all applicable institutional Animal Care guidelines and obtainedall required permits. This research was funded by the University ofMichigan’s Helen Olsen Brower Scholarship to AJZ.LITERATURE CITEDBERGER, L., R. SPEARE, P. DASZAK, D. E. GREEN, A. A. CUNNINGHAM, C. L.GOGGIN, R. SLOCOMBE, M. A. RAGAN, A. D. HYATT, K. R. MCDONALD,H. B. HINES, K. R. LIPS, G. MARANTELLI, AND H. PARKES. 1998.Chytridiomycosis causes amphibian mortality associated with populationdeclines in the rain forests of Australia and Central America.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 95:9031–9036.––––––, ––––––, H. B. HINES, G. MARANTELLI, A. D. HYATT, K. R.MCDONALD, L. F. SKERRATT, V. OLSEN, J. M. CLARKE, G. GILLESPIE, M.MAHONY, N. SHEPPARD, C. WILLIAMS, AND M. J. TYLER. 2004. Effect ofseason and temperature on mortality in amphibians due tochytridiomycosis. Aust. Vet. J. 82:434–439.BERVEN, K. A., AND T. A. GRUDZIEN. 1990. Dispersal in the wood frog(Rana sylvatica)—implications for genetic population structure. Evolution44:2047–2056.BOYLE, D. G., D. B. BOYLE, V. OLSEN, J. A. T. MORGAN, AND A. D. HYATT.2004. Rapid quantitative detection of chytridiomycosis(Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) in amphibian samples using realtimeTaqman PCR assay. Dis. Aquat. Org. 60:141–148.CAREY, C., AND C. J. BRYANT. 1995. Possible interrelations among environmentaltoxicants, amphibian development, and decline of amphibianpopulations. Environ. Health Persp. 103:13–17.HOMER, C., C. Q. HUANG, L. M. YANG, B. WYLIE, AND M. COAN. 2004.Development of a 2001 National Land-Cover Database for the UnitedStates. Photogramm. Eng. Rem. Sens. 70:829–840.HYATT, A. D., D. G. BOYLE, V. OLSEN, D. B. BOYLE, L. BERGER, D. OBENDORF,A. DALTON, K. KRIGER, M. HERO, H. HINES, R. PHILLOTT, R. CAMPBELL,G. MARANTELLI, F. GLEASON, AND A. COLLING. 2007. Diagnostic assaysand sampling protocols for the detection of Bd. Dis. Aquat. Org.73:175–192.KRIGER, K. M., AND J. M. HERO. 2006. Survivorship in wild frogs infectedwith chytridiomycosis. EcoHealth 3:171–177.––––––, AND ––––––. 2007. Large-scale seasonal variation in the prevalenceand severity of chytridiomycosis. J. Zool. 271:352–359.LIPS, K. R., F. BREM, R. BRENES, J. D. REEVE, R. A. ALFORD, J. VOYLES, C.CAREY, L. LIVO, A. P. PESSIER, AND J. P. COLLINS. 2006. Emerging infectiousdisease and the loss of biodiversity in a Neotropical amphibiancommunity. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 103:3165–3170.––––––, J. D. REEVE, AND L. R. WITTERS. 2003. Ecological traits predictingamphibian population declines in Central America. Conserv. Biol.17:1078–1088.LONGCORE, J. R., J. E. LONGCORE, A. P. PESSIER, AND W. A. HALTEMAN.2007. Chytridiomycosis widespread in anurans of northeastern UnitedStates. J. Wildlife Manage. 71:435–444.198 <strong>Herpetological</strong> <strong>Review</strong> 39(2), 2008
OUELLET, M., I. MIKAELIAN, B. D. PAULI, J. RODRIGUE, AND D. M. GREEN.2005. Historical evidence of widespread chytrid infection in NorthAmerican amphibian populations. Conserv. Biol. 19:1431–1440.PIOTROWSKI, J. S., S. L. ANNIS, AND J. E. LONGCORE. 2004. Physiology ofBd, a chytrid pathogen of amphibians. Mycologia 96:9–15.REGOSIN, J. V., B. S. WINDMILLER, AND J. M. REED. 2003. Terrestrial habitatuse and winter densities of the wood frog (Rana sylvatica). J. Herpetol.37:390–394.RELYEA, R. A. 2005. The lethal impact of roundup on aquatic and terrestrialamphibians. Ecol. Appl. 15:1118–1124.RETALLICK, R. W. R., H. MCCALLUM, AND R. SPEARE. 2004. Endemic infectionof the amphibian chytrid fungus in a frog community post-decline.Plos Biol. 2:1965–1971.RON, S. R. 2005. Predicting the distribution of the amphibian pathogenBatrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the New World. Biotropica 37:209–221.SANZO, D., AND S. J. HECNAR. 2006. Effects of road de-icing salt (NaCl) onlarval wood frogs (Rana sylvatica). Environ. Pollut. 140:247–256.SKERRATT, L. F., L. BERGER, R. SPEARE, S. CASHINS, K. R. MCDONALD, A.D. PHILLOTT, H. B. HINES, AND N. KENYON. 2007. Spread ofchytridiomycosis has caused the rapid global decline and extinction offrogs. EcoHealth 4:125–134.WOODHAMS, D. C., AND R. A. ALFORD. 2005. Ecology of chytridiomycosisin rainforest stream frog assemblages of tropical Queensland. Conserv.Biol. 19:1449–1459.––––––, ––––––, AND G. MARANTELLI. 2003. Emerging disease of amphibianscured by elevated body temperature. Dis. Aquat. Org. 55:65–67.<strong>Herpetological</strong> <strong>Review</strong>, 2008, 39(2), 199–200.© 2008 by Society for the Study of Amphibians and ReptilesOccurrence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis inAmphibian Populations in Denmark(pers. comm. to R. Scalera, 2007). Here, we report the results ofsurveys carried out at four sites in Denmark (Fig. 1) on two nativeamphibians: Rana temporaria and Rana kl. esculenta.In summer 2007, we hand captured individual amphibians andsampled them for B. dendrobatidis by rubbing a cotton-tipped swabover the body of each individual. Frogs were held separately priorto swabbing and technicians wore a new pair of gloves for eachindividual handled. The sampling is harmless and was carried outin-situ so as to release the sampled animals within just a few minutesat the location where they were captured. As the frog wasrestrained, the swab was firmly rubbed back and forth 25–30 times,targeting the drink patch, the mouth, and the webbing betweeneach toe. The swab was immediately inserted, cotton side down,into a 2 ml screw-cap tube containing 1 ml of 70% ethanol andstored upright. Vials were shipped to the laboratory for analysis,and each swab was analyzed individually for the presence of B.dendrobatidis. Swabs were qualitatively analyzed using a PCRassay (45 amplification cycles). Presence of B. dendrobatidis wasdetermined by presence of PCR product visualized on agarose gels(30–90 minute electrophoresis) containing positive controls. Fragmentswere sized using a molecular weight marker (Pisces MolecularLLC, Boulder, Colorado, USA (Annis et al. 2004; J. Wood,pers. comm.). All field gear was cleaned with a brush and waterand then sterilized using a dilute bleach solution between eachsampling location.Two of the 13 amphibians we swabbed were positive for B.dendrobatidis (Table 1). We found B. dendrobatidis on individualsfrom both species and at 2 of the 4 study areas we examined.One of the positive results was for an adult of Rana kl. esculentacaptured in Vestamager. The other positive result was for a juvenileof Rana temporaria captured in Egense. We did not find anyfrogs that were dead or that appeared to be sick.RICCARDO SCALERA*Via Torcegno 49 V1 A2, Rome 00124, ItalyMICHAEL J. ADAMSandSTEPHANIE K. GALVANU. S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA*Corresponding author: Riccardo.Scalera@alice.itAmphibian decline is a global phenomenon with multiple causes(Stuart et al. 2004). Some declines have been attributed to thedisease chytridiomycosis that affects the skin of amphibians(Skerratt et al. 2007). The agent responsible for chytridiomycosisis the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Berger et al. 1998).There is evidence that the spread of B. dendrobatidis around theworld occurred in the last half century (Ouellet et al. 2005), andthere is a need for detailed information on its current spatial extent.In Europe, B. dendrobatidis has been reported in several amphibianspecies in multiple countries, such as Spain, Portugal, Italy,Switzerland, France, Germany and the UK (Cunningham et al.2005; Garner et al. 2005, 2006; Mutschmann et al. 2000; Simoncelliet al. 2005; Stagni et al. 2004). No comprehensive surveys haveoccurred in Denmark but a single record of B. dendrobatidis forRana kl. esculenta on the island of Bornholm is reported(www.spatialepidemiology.net) and confirmed by Trent GarnerFIG. 1. Locations of study areas in Denmark where amphibians weresampled for the presence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in 2007.Circles are filled at locations where we found B. dendrobatidis. The squaresymbol indicates the location of the positive record reported by TrentGarner (see text). Vestamager is located on the island of Zealand, close toCopenhagen, Egense is on Fyn Island, and both Amtoft and Klosterhedenare on the Jutland Peninsula.<strong>Herpetological</strong> <strong>Review</strong> 39(2), 2008 199
- Page 1 and 2:
HerpetologicalReviewVolume 39, Numb
- Page 3 and 4:
About Our Cover: Zonosaurus maramai
- Page 5 and 6:
Prey-specific Predatory Behavior in
- Page 7 and 8:
acid water treatment than in the co
- Page 10 and 11:
TABLE 1. Time-line history of croco
- Page 12 and 13:
The Reptile House at the Bronx Zoo
- Page 14 and 15:
FIG. 6. A 3.9 m (12' 11 1 / 2") Ame
- Page 16 and 17:
One of the earliest studies of croc
- Page 18 and 19:
TABLE 2. Dimensions and water depth
- Page 20 and 21:
we call it, is in flux.Forty years
- Page 22 and 23: Feb. 20-25. abstract.------. 1979.
- Page 24 and 25: yond current practices (Clarke 1972
- Page 26 and 27: poles (Pond 1 > 10,000, Pond 2 4,87
- Page 28 and 29: ------, R. MATHEWS, AND R. KINGSING
- Page 30 and 31: Herpetological Review, 2008, 39(2),
- Page 32 and 33: TABLE 2. Summary of running (includ
- Page 34 and 35: FIG. 2. Responses of adult Regal Ho
- Page 36 and 37: PIANKA, E. R., AND W. S. PARKER. 19
- Page 38 and 39: BUSTAMANTE, M. R. 2005. La cecilia
- Page 40 and 41: Fig. 3. Mean clutch size (number of
- Page 42 and 43: facilitated work in Thailand. I tha
- Page 44 and 45: preocular are not fused. The specim
- Page 46 and 47: FIG. 2A) Side view photo of Aechmea
- Page 48 and 49: 364.DUELLMAN, W. E. 1978. The biolo
- Page 50 and 51: incision, and placed one drop of Ba
- Page 52 and 53: 13 cm deep (e.g., Spea hammondii; M
- Page 54 and 55: FIG. 1. Medicine dropper (60 ml) wi
- Page 56 and 57: esearchers and Hellbenders, especia
- Page 58 and 59: FIG. 3. Relative success of traps p
- Page 60 and 61: data on Hellbender population struc
- Page 62 and 63: aits sometimes resulted in differen
- Page 64 and 65: trapping system seems to be a relat
- Page 66 and 67: AMPHIBIAN CHYTRIDIOMYCOSISGEOGRAPHI
- Page 68 and 69: TABLE 1. Prevalence of B. dendrobat
- Page 70 and 71: Conservation Status of United State
- Page 74 and 75: TABLE 1. Anurans that tested positi
- Page 76 and 77: is, on average, exposed to slightly
- Page 78 and 79: (10%) were dead but not obviously m
- Page 80 and 81: Submitted by CHRIS T. McALLISTER, D
- Page 82 and 83: FIG. 1. Oscillogram, spectrogram, a
- Page 84 and 85: FIG. 1. Adult Physalaemus cuvieri r
- Page 86 and 87: Répteis, Instituto Nacional de Pes
- Page 88 and 89: discovered 145 live hatchlings and
- Page 90 and 91: GRAPTEMYS GIBBONSI (Pascagoula Map
- Page 92 and 93: College, and the Joseph Moore Museu
- Page 94 and 95: FIG. 1. Common Ground Lizard (Ameiv
- Page 96 and 97: havior unavailable elsewhere. Here
- Page 98 and 99: 15% of predator mass, is typical fo
- Page 100 and 101: side the third burrow and began a f
- Page 102 and 103: We thank Arlington James and the st
- Page 104 and 105: mm) S. viridicornis in its mouth in
- Page 106 and 107: NECTURUS MACULOSUS (Common Mudpuppy
- Page 108 and 109: LITHOBATES CATESBEIANUS (American B
- Page 110 and 111: Research and Collections Center, 13
- Page 112 and 113: BRONCHOCELA VIETNAMENSIS (Vietnam L
- Page 114 and 115: Oficina Regional Guaymas, Guaymas,
- Page 116 and 117: MICRURUS TENER (Texas Coralsnake).
- Page 118 and 119: declining in this recently discover
- Page 120 and 121: 80.7372°W). 02 November 2005. Stev
- Page 122 and 123:
this effort, 7% of the 10 × 10 km
- Page 124 and 125:
the knowledge of the group. The aut
- Page 126 and 127:
which is listed under “Rhodin, A.
- Page 128 and 129:
noting that Sphenomorphus bignelli
- Page 130 and 131:
256 Herpetological Review 39(2), 20
- Page 132:
ISSN 0018-084XThe Official News-Jou