# Links to downloadable journal articles



## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

This thread might get messy, but hopefully it is useful. 

I'd like this thread to be a place where anyone can supply a citation, link (hopefully a free download), and short description of relevant peer-reviewed journal articles that are relevant to dart frog keeping.

I'll start. This is the article that established the genus _Adelphobates_ and moved _D. galactonotus_ into _Adelphobates._

Grant, T., D. R. Frost, J. P. Caldwell, R. Gagliardo, C. F. B. Haddad, P. J. R. Kok, D. B. Means, B. P. Noonan, W. E. Schargel, and W. C. Wheeler. 2006. Phylogenetic systematics of dart-poison frogs and their relatives (Amphibia: Athesphatanura: Dendrobatidae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 299: 1–262

Free download here:


Phylogenetic systematics of dart-poison frogs and their relatives (Amphibia, Athesphatanura, Dendrobatidae). Bulletin of the AMNH ; no. 299


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## Androgynoid (Sep 3, 2020)

Thank you for starting this thread. I dont have anything to contribute but I will be eagerly following along.


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## Tijl (Feb 28, 2019)

Sustainable biocommerce :


http://justinyeager.org/papers/Biocommerce.pdf


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Here is one of my favorites -- a study of the perching behavior of _O. pumilio _as it relates to UVB and UVA exposure.

Kats LB, Bucciarelli GM, Schlais DE, Blaustein AR, Han BA. Ultraviolet radiation influences perch selection by a neotropical poison-dart frog. _PLoS One_. 2012;7(12):e51364. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0051364









Ultraviolet Radiation Influences Perch Selection by a Neotropical Poison-Dart Frog


Ambient ultraviolet-B radiation can harm amphibian eggs, larvae and adults. However, some amphibians avoid UV-B radiation when given the opportunity. The strawberry poison dart frog, Oophaga pumilio, is diurnal and males vocalize throughout the day in ...




www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov





Abstract:

Ambient ultraviolet-B radiation can harm amphibian eggs, larvae and adults. However, some amphibians avoid UV-B radiation when given the opportunity. The strawberry poison dart frog, _Oophaga pumilio_, is diurnal and males vocalize throughout the day in light gaps under forest canopies that expose them to solar radiation. Previous studies have demonstrated that males calling from high perches are more successful at mating than those at lower perches. We investigated whether frogs at higher perches receive more ultraviolet-B than those calling from lower perches. We also investigated whether frogs on perches receiving relatively low ultraviolet-B levels maintained their positions for longer compared to individuals calling from perches receiving higher levels of ultraviolet-B. Finally, since it has been hypothesized that some animals utilize levels of UV-A as a visual cue to avoid UV-B damage, we artificially elevated ultraviolet-A levels to examine whether males exposed to artificially elevated ultraviolet-A abandoned their perches sooner compared to males exposed to visible light. We found that frogs called from perches receiving low ultraviolet-B regardless of perch height, and that frogs maintain their positions longer on perches receiving low ultraviolet-B compared to perches receiving even slightly higher ultraviolet-B levels. Exposing the frogs to artificially elevated levels of ultraviolet-A radiation caused males to move off of their perches faster than when they were exposed to a control light source. These experiments suggest that ultraviolet radiation plays an important role in frog behavior related to perch selection, even in rainforests where much of the solar radiation is shielded by the forest canopy.

This article as been mentioned and discussed here before.


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## minorhero (Apr 24, 2020)

This is a great thread! Hopefully we can eventually compile all relevant information here for easy viewing. 

Here is my contribution, an article on the importance of carotenoids in feeder media.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

ASSORTATIVE MATING IN POISON‐DART FROGS BASED ON AN ECOLOGICALLY IMPORTANT TRAIT

R. Graham Reynolds, Benjamin M. Fitzpatrick

First published: 25 July 2007

Abstract
The origin of new species can be influenced by both deterministic and stochastic factors. Mate choice and natural selection may be important deterministic causes of speciation (as opposed to the essentially stochastic factors of geographic isolation and genetic drift). Theoretical models predict that speciation is more likely when mate choice depends on an ecologically important trait that is subject to divergent natural selection, although many authors have considered such mating/ecology pleiotropy, or “magic‐traits” to be unlikely. However, phenotypic signals are important in both mate choice and ecological processes such as avoiding predation. In chemically defended species, it may be that the phenotypic characteristics influencing mate choice are the same signals being used to transmit a warning to potential predators, although few studies have demonstrated this in wild populations. We tested for assortative mating between two color morphs of the Strawberry Poison‐Dart Frog, _Dendrobates pumilio_, a group with striking geographic variation in aposematic color patterns. We found that females significantly prefer individuals of their own morph under two different light treatments, indicating strong assortative mating based on multiple coloration cues that are also important ecological signals. This study provides a rare example of one phenotypic trait affecting both ecological viability and nonrandom mating, indicating that mating/ecology pleiotropy is plausible in wild populations, particularly for organisms that are aposematically colored and visually orienting.

My summary: _O. pumilio_ prefers to associate/mate with members of its own morph.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1558-5646.2007.00174.x


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## Tijl (Feb 28, 2019)

UV‐reflective pattern study on Oophaga Sylvatica.









Ultraviolet components offer minimal contrast enhancement to an aposematic signal


Many species can see colors beyond the human visible spectrum, and UV reflection has been found to play an important role in communication and sexual selection. However, the role of UV in aposematic ...




onlinelibrary.wiley.com


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## GakiShiga (Jun 26, 2020)

The relationship between spindly leg
syndrome incidence and water composition,
overfeeding, and diet in newly
metamorphosed harlequin frogs (Atelopus
spp.)










The relationship between spindly leg syndrome incidence and water composition, overfeeding, and diet in newly metamorphosed harlequin frogs (Atelopus spp.)


Spindly Leg Syndrome (SLS) is a persistent animal welfare issue associated with the rearing of amphibians in captivity. We conducted two experiments to investigate the effects of diet, water composition and overfeeding on prevalence of SLS in newly metamorphosed harlequin frogs (Atelopus spp.)...




journals.plos.org





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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Werner, Philine & Elle, Ortwin & Schulte, Lisa & Lötters, Stefan. (2011). Home range behaviour in male and female poison frogs in Amazonian Peru (Dendrobatidae: Ranitomeya reticulata). Journal of Natural History. 45. 15-27. 10.1080/00222933.2010.502257. 

Abstract: The poison frog Ranitomeya reticulata was studied for 3 months while mark–recapture surveys were performed. Ranitomeya species deposit terrestrial clutches and carry tadpoles to phytotelmata with few taxa performing biparental brood care including larval feeding. Home range size and spatial affinity to phytotelmata in the genus are linked to mating systems. In R. reticulata, individual home range size and overlap were similar in both sexes, indicating equal levels of site fidelity. Although territory defence was never observed, strong intrasexual intolerance within individuals' core areas was found. The large intersexual home range overlap for breeding pairs indicated that mate fidelity occurs. Individuals' home ranges were not overlapping, suggesting that R. reticulata lacks pair-bonding or strongly cooperative behaviour in parental duties. The number of ground bromeliads containing phytotelmata and home range size of males were positively correlated. Our findings suggest that females do not perform egg-feeding and male-only parental care is likely.

Download pdf:


https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233275679_Home_range_behaviour_in_male_and_female_poison_frogs_in_Amazonian_Peru_Dendrobatidae_Ranitomeya_reticulata/link/0912f50bdc5d360528000000/download


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

A study on the toxicity of BTi (_Bacillus thuringiensis_ var. _israelensis_) on frog tadpoles (_Leptodactylus latrans)._

Toxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis in aqueous suspension on the South American common frog Leptodactylus latrans (Anura: Leptodactylidae) tadpoles. Rafael C. Lajmanovich, et al. Environmental Research 136 (2015) 205–212









Toxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis in aqueous suspension on the South American common frog Leptodactylus latrans (Anura: Leptodactylidae) tadpoles. - PDF Download Free


The effects of commercial formulations of Bacillus thuringiensisvar.israelensis (Bti) on non-target organisms are still ...




docksci.com


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Rojas B, Pašukonis A. 2019. From habitat use to social behavior: natural history of a voiceless poison frog, _Dendrobates tinctorius_. PeerJ 7:e7648 From habitat use to social behavior: natural history of a voiceless poison frog, Dendrobates tinctorius

Abstract:

Descriptive studies of natural history have always been a source of knowledge on which experimental work and scientific progress rely. Poison frogs are a well-studied group of small Neotropical frogs with diverse parental behaviors, distinct calls, and bright colors that warn predators about their toxicity; and a showcase of advances in fundamental biology through natural history observations. The dyeing poison frog, _Dendrobates tinctorius_, is emblematic of the Guianas region, widespread in the pet trade, and increasingly popular in research. This species shows several unusual behaviors, such as the lack of advertisement calls and the aggregation around tree-fall gaps, which remain poorly described and understood. Here, we summarize our observations from a natural population of _D. tinctorius_ in French Guiana collected over various field trips between 2009 and 2017; our aim is to provide groundwork for future fundamental and applied research spanning parental care, animal dispersal, disease spread, habitat use in relation to color patterns, and intra-specific communication, to name a few. We report sex differences in habitat use and the striking invasion of tree-fall gaps; describe their courtship and aggressive behaviors; document egg development and tadpole transport; and discuss how the knowledge generated by this study could set the grounds for further research on the behavior, ecology, and conservation of this species.


First posted on DB by @Tijl here.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Many links to papers concerned with dart (and other families) toxin sequestration here:









Can dart frogs regain their poison?


Okay so I believe that, in the wild, a dart frog gets its poison from eating insects that ingest poisonous plants? In captivity, a dart frog will not carry those poisons because there are not those specific insects to get the poison from? I was at my LRS the other day talking about various frog...




www.dendroboard.com


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Paper on genetic recombination of chytrid caused by human mixing of non-sympatric species.

Multiple emergences of genetically diverse amphibian-infecting chytrids include a globalized hypervirulent recombinant lineage

Rhys A. Farrer, Lucy A. Weinert, Jon Bielby, Trenton W. J. Garner, Francois Balloux, Frances Clare, Jaime Bosch, Andrew A. Cunningham, Che Weldon, Louis H. du Preez, Lucy Anderson, Sergei L. Kosakovsky Pond, Revital Shahar-Golan, Daniel A. Henk, Matthew C. Fisher

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nov 2011, 108 (46) 18732-18736; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1111915108 

Link: Multiple emergences of genetically diverse amphibian-infecting chytrids include a globalized hypervirulent recombinant lineage (there is a free PDF download available there)

Abstract:
_Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis_ (_Bd_) is a globally ubiquitous fungal infection that has emerged to become a primary driver of amphibian biodiversity loss. Despite widespread effort to understand the emergence of this panzootic, the origins of the infection, its patterns of global spread, and principle mode of evolution remain largely unknown. Using comparative population genomics, we discovered three deeply diverged lineages of _Bd_ associated with amphibians. Two of these lineages were found in multiple continents and are associated with known introductions by the amphibian trade. We found that isolates belonging to one clade, the global panzootic lineage (_Bd_GPL) have emerged across at least five continents during the 20th century and are associated with the onset of epizootics in North America, Central America, the Caribbean, Australia, and Europe. The two newly identified divergent lineages, Cape lineage (_Bd_CAPE) and Swiss lineage (_Bd_CH), were found to differ in morphological traits when compared against one another and _Bd_GPL, and we show that _Bd_GPL is hypervirulent. _Bd_GPL uniquely bears the hallmarks of genomic recombination, manifested as extensive intergenomic phylogenetic conflict and patchily distributed heterozygosity. We postulate that contact between previously genetically isolated allopatric populations of _Bd_ may have allowed recombination to occur, resulting in the generation, spread, and invasion of the hypervirulent _Bd_GPL leading to contemporary disease-driven losses in amphibian biodiversity.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Manipulation of the calcium content of insectivore diets through supplementary dusting

Christopher J. Michaels, Rachael E. Antwis and Richard F. Preziosi

Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 2(3) 2014

Abstract:
Insects fed to captive insectivores are deficient in calcium with inverse calcium to phosphorous ratios (Ca), and supplementation is required to avoid nutritional metabolic bone disease (NMBD). One method of improving the nutritional value of feeder insects is by “dusting” with powdered supplements, although it is often suggested that these are rapidly shed from prey insects. Here we analysed the calcium content of hatchling, second, fourth and adult instars of black field crickets and silent crickets at increasing time intervals after dusting, as well as comparing three commercially available brands of supplement in fourth instar black field crickets. Our data show these brands do not differ from one another in terms of calcium delivery, despite differences in calcium content. We also show that dusting can be used to increase Ca ratios above 1:1 in crickets up to 5.5 hours after dusting, with the exception of adult black field crickets, and thus dusting is a useful method of calcium supplementation.





https://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/36715/1/Manipulation%20of%20calcium%20content%20of%20feeder%20insects.pdf


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## GakiShiga (Jun 26, 2020)

A captive breeding experiment reveals no evidence of reproductive isolation among lineages of a polytypicpoison frog.

Abstract
Reproductive isolation is central to the generation of biodiversity, yet a clear understanding of the contributions
of alternative reproductive barriers to this process remains elusive. Studies of young lineages that have diverged
in ecologically important traits can offer insights into the chronology and relative importance of various isolating
mechanisms during speciation. In poison frogs (Dendrobatidae), within-species lineages often differ dramatically
in coloration, a trait subject to natural and sexual selection. Coloration in the strawberry poison frog (Oophaga
pumilio) is particularly diverse and previous work suggests the potential for reproductive isolation. We used a
captive breeding experiment to assess the extent of reproductive isolation among three allopatric, genetically
distinct O. pumilio lineages that differ in coloration. We compared reproduction of within- and between-lineage
pairs, predicting that if lineages are isolated, within-lineage pairs would be most successful. We also examined
the fertility and productivity of F1 backcrosses of admixed offspring. We found no evidence suggesting
behavioural pre-zygotic or post-zygotic reproductive isolation, indicating that isolation would not be maintained
by intrinsic mechanisms in the event of secondary contact. Future work should address costs of between-lineage
matings exerted by extrinsic natural and/or sexual selection against admixed offspring. 









captive breeding experiment reveals no evidence of reproductive isolation among lineages of a polytypic poison frog


Abstract. Reproductive isolation is central to the generation of biodiversity, yet a clear understanding of the contributions of alternative reproductive barrie




academic.oup.com





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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

The significance of spatial memory for water finding in a tadpole-transporting frog.
Animal Behaviour
Volume 116, June 2016, Pages 89-98



Poison frogs shuttle their tadpoles to dispersed aquatic deposition sites.
•
We investigated if frogs rely on spatial memory to relocate known deposition sites.
•
We quantified movement in relation to removed deposition sites and olfactory cues.
•
Tadpole-carriers rely on spatial memory and return to removed pool sites.
•
High concentrations of conspecific tadpole odour attract frogs to novel sites.










The significance of spatial memory for water finding in a tadpole-transporting frog


The ability to associate environmental cues with valuable resources strongly increases the chances of finding them again, and thus memory often guides…




www.sciencedirect.com


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

Reproductive biology of Ameerega trivittata (Anura: Dndrobatidae) in an area of terra firme forest in eastern Amazonia
Ellen Cristina Serrão ACIOLI, Selvino NECKEL-OLIVEIRA


Reproductive biology Ameerega trivitata 

Of particular interest is the following observation from the study on where the frogs were (what they were on) when they were sighted.


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

A new species of Andean golden poison frog (Andinobates, Dendrobatidae) from the Eastern Andes of Colombia

(PDF) A new species of Andean golden poison frog (Andinobates, Dendrobatidae) from the Eastern Andes of Colombia


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## Eurydactylodes (Sep 7, 2021)

These are some good reads. I was going to offer the same paper on UV. 
-Oscar


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## Paluscape (Jul 25, 2021)

Feeding or avoiding? Facultative egg feeding in a Peruvian poison frog (Ranitomeya variabilis) - Lisa Maria Schulte

Link here.

A lot of this supported generally-circulated information about Ranitomeya Variabilis group and Vanzolinii group (incl. Imitator) breeding methods, but provided more detailed explanation and a few random findings for me. I think this would be great if someone who has experience breeding these animals were able to back up/challenge these findings here. Feel free to correct anything I might have got wrong.

Some of my most interesting takeaways:


Ranitomeya Variabilis males were responsible for parental care, and therefore are unable to feed unfertilised eggs. However, in some instances, males moved tadpoles to bromeliad axils that contain eggs. This suggested a move towards facultative egg-feeding, despite the female not being present in parental care.
Eggs are always laid under the water line in plant axils, suggesting the frogs know carnivorous tadpoles will eat eggs or smaller tadpoles in the same area.
Because the tadpoles are deposited into axils with already-laid eggs (and presumably fertilised), it increases the likelihood of more than 1 tadpole surviving, as opposed to the only one.
(By contrast Oophaga females are responsible for parental care, and can thus decide where to feed unfertilised eggs i.e. in plant axils that have their own tadpoles.)
R. Amazonica (part of Variabilis family) were observed to increase the amount of this facultative egg-feeding behaviour at the onset of the dry season, in order to increase the likelihood of the tadpoles spawning. _*This could suggest a breeding method for Ranitomeya Amazonica, and perhaps other Ranitomeya, that would decrease the necessary input from the keeper, by simulating a dry season, increasing the amount of tadpole care by the parents. *_
Ranitomeya Vanzolinii has dual-parental care. Eggs are laid in leaf litter or above the water line in plant axils, so they cannot be preyed upon by other tadpoles. Tadpoles are moved, and females will feed unfertilised eggs when necessary to tadpoles.
The Ranitomeya Variabilis preferred outright to lay in the artificially-placed bottles than plant axils. This is interesting because they all had a lot more capacity than the plant axils, which may be suggesting* that if we are to provide egg and tadpole deposition sites, they should be larger bodies of water than film canisters*. 
Cheers


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## Tijl (Feb 28, 2019)

Paluscape said:


> [*](By contrast Oophaga females are responsible for parental care, and can thus decide where to feed unfertilised eggs i.e. in plant axils that have their own tadpoles.)
> [*][/I][/B].
> [/LIST]
> Cheers


I have seen different male Oophaga transport tadpoles aswell, so it's not entirely correct to state in the genus Oophaga that females are (the ones) responsible for the parental care.

By the way, I caught this on camera once 😄








MALE o.p.bastimentos transports a tadpole while calling!


Normale the females transport the tadpoles. So cool!




youtube.com


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## Paluscape (Jul 25, 2021)

Tijl said:


> I have seen different male Oophaga transport tadpoles aswell, so it's not entirely correct to state in the genus Oophaga that females are (the ones) responsible for the parental care.
> 
> By the way, I caught this on camera once 😄
> 
> ...


Yeah that makes sense, to be clear I'm not making any personal comments but rather summarising the article. Only comments of mine are in bold.

That's a bizarre but intriguing bit of behaviour... I wonder what he was doing calling to the female then? Was it to do with that tadpole or any others that might have needed an egg? Presumably it isn't to lay more fertilised eggs if they are raising offspring. Very cool either way, and good to add to the knowledge base of the species. Wonder who has disliked that video as well?! It's v cool


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## Tijl (Feb 28, 2019)

Paluscape said:


> That's a bizarre but intriguing bit of behaviour... I wonder what he was doing calling to the female then? Was it to do with that tadpole or any others that might have needed an egg? Presumably it isn't to lay more fertilised eggs if they are raising offspring. Very cool either way, and good to add to the knowledge base of the species. Wonder who has disliked that video as well?! It's v cool


I'm quite sure he was communicating with the female in ordee follow him and therefore visialize where he'd drop of the tadpole, so she could return to feed it. 
In this case the female was also transporting tadpoles from the same clutch already a few hours later. He might have been helping her transport or the tadpole might have taken his first chance to a piggy back ride asap..

They were not raising any other tadpoles at the time.


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## Paluscape (Jul 25, 2021)

_The Power of the seasons: Rainfall triggers parental care in Poison Frogs__ (Ranitomeya Variabilis) - Lisa Maria Schulte_

Study looking at the effect of rainy season vs dry season rainfall on parental care in Ranitomeya Variabilis, referencing studies of R. Amazonica as well

Some interesting takeaways:

"While relatively high precipitation causes avoidance, less rainfall, i.e. the dry season, causes preference of conspecific tadpole cues." - *Keepers could theoretically induce more facultative tadpole-feeding (R. Variabilis) and facultative egg-feeding (R. Amazonica) by simulating the start of dry seasons, and vice versa.*

"We assume that male R. variabilis treat all tadpoles within their territories as their own offspring." -* Groups with multiple male R. Variabilis will tend for each others' tadpoles*

"While Poelman and Dicke (2007) found frequent mating with the same male in R. amazonica, R. variabilis is known to have a more promiscuous mating system with little mate fidelity"

"To our knowledge multiple patterns of parental care triggered by seasonal changes has not been shown for any other anuran genus"

"Poison frogs providing their larvae regularly with trophic eggs are seen as evolutionary most advanced"

Lots of interesting stuff


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

A highly invasive chimeric ranavirus can decimate tadpole populations rapidly through multiple transmission pathways, Ecological Modelling 410 (2019) 108777 


https://fwf.ag.utk.edu/mgray/Publications/Peaceetal2019.pdf



"This strain of ranavirus (RCV-Z2) was isolated from an American bullfrog (L. catesbeianus) farm in southern Georgia, USA (Miller et al., 2007), and it is chimeric (Claytor et al., 2017). The genome of RCV-Z2 is mostly FV3, the type species for Ranavirus; however, there have been at least seven recent recombination events with Common Midwife Toad Virus (CMTV, Claytor et al. (2017)), which is a strain of ranavirus that likely originated from Asia or Europe (Mavian et al., 2012). The CMTV-like ranaviruses have caused population declines of several amphibian species in Europe (Price et al., 2014) and mass die-offs of giant salamanders (Andrias davidianus) in China (Geng et al., 2011; Cunningham et al., 2016). The recombination events appear to be associated with immune evasion genes (Claytor et al., 2017), and have resulted in a mutated virus that is more pathogenic than native FV3-like strains in North America (Hoverman et al., 2011) and is capable of population declines (Earl and Gray, 2014; Earl et al., 2016)."

Tags: mixing, biosecurity, biosafety, quarantine, multispecies enclosures.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

The search bar finds 144 mentions of toe tapping in frogs; here are some empirical data on the phenomenon.

An investigation of toe-tapping behaviour in anurans by analysis of online video resources


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

Poison frogs traded and maintained by U.S. private breeders


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

A handful of articles regarding pathogens transmissible between captive species that are sometimes, and increasingly, inadvisably cohabitated.


First, one I've cited before but not in this thread IIRC. 

Christine L. Densmore, David Earl Green, Diseases of Amphibians, _ILAR Journal_, Volume 48, Issue 3, 2007, Pages 235–254, Diseases of Amphibians

From the abstract: "In this article, some of the more commonly reported infectious and noninfectious diseases as well as their etiological agents and causative factors are reviewed." Many mentions are made of pathogens transmissible between fish and amphibians.









Diseases of Amphibians


Abstract. The development and refinement of amphibian medicine comprise an ongoing science that reflects the unique life history of these animals and our growin




academic.oup.com






Brenes R, Gray MJ, Waltzek TB, Wilkes RP, Miller DL (2014) Transmission of Ranavirus between Ectothermic Vertebrate Hosts. PLOS ONE 9(3): e92476.

From the abstract: "Ranaviruses are known to infect different classes of lower vertebrates including amphibians, fishes and reptiles.[...] Our results showed that infected gray treefrog larvae were capable of transmitting ranavirus to naïve larval conspecifics and turtles (60% and 30% infection, respectively), but not to fish. Also, infected turtles and fish transmitted ranavirus to 50% and 10% of the naïve gray treefrog larvae, respectively. Nearly all infected amphibians experienced mortality, whereas infected turtles and fish did not die. Our results demonstrate that ranavirus can be transmitted through water among ectothermic vertebrate classes, which has not been reported previously. Moreover, fish and reptiles might serve as reservoirs for ranavirus given their ability to live with subclinical infections."

Transmission of Ranavirus between Ectothermic Vertebrate Hosts


Kilburn VL, Ibáñez R, Green DM (2011) Reptiles as potential vectors and hosts of the amphibian pathogen _Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis_ in Panama. Dis Aquat Org 97:127-134. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao02409 

Abstract: "Chytridiomycosis, the disease caused by _Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis_, is considered to be a disease exclusively of amphibians. However, _B. dendrobatidis_ may also be capable of persisting in the environment, and non-amphibian vectors or hosts may contribute to disease transmission. Reptiles living in close proximity to amphibians and sharing similar ecological traits could serve as vectors or reservoir hosts for _B. dendrobatidis_, harbouring the organism on their skin without succumbing to disease. We surveyed for the presence of _B. dendrobatidis_ DNA among 211 lizards and 8 snakes at 8 sites at varying elevations in Panama where the syntopic amphibians were at pre-epizootic, epizootic or post-epizootic stages of chytridiomycosis. Detection of _B. dendrobatidis_ DNA was done using qPCR analysis. Evidence of the amphibian pathogen was present at varying intensities in 29 of 79 examined _Anolis humilis_ lizards (32%) and 9 of 101 _A. lionotus_ lizards (9%), and in one individual each of the snakes _Pliocercus euryzonus, Imantodes cenchoa,_ and _Nothopsis rugosus_. In general, _B. dendrobatidis_ DNA prevalence among reptiles was positively correlated with the infection prevalence among co-occurring anuran amphibians at any particular site (r = 0.88, p = 0.004). These reptiles, therefore, may likely be vectors or reservoir hosts for _B. dendrobatidis_ and could serve as disease transmission agents. Although there is no evidence of _B. dendrobatidis_ disease-induced declines in reptiles, cases of coincidence of reptile and amphibian declines suggest this potentiality. Our study is the first to provide evidence of non-amphibian carriers for _B. dendrobatidis_ in a natural Neotropical environment. "


Wytamma Wirth, Lin Schwarzkopf, Lee F. Skerratt, Ellen Ariel, Ranaviruses and reptiles, Ranaviruses and reptiles

From the abstract: "Ranaviruses can infect many vertebrate classes including fish, amphibians and reptiles, but for the most part, research has been focused on non-reptilian hosts, amphibians in particular. More recently, reports of ranaviral infections of reptiles are increasing with over 12 families of reptiles currently susceptible to ranaviral infection. Reptiles are infected by ranaviruses that are genetically similar to, or the same as, the viruses that infect amphibians and fish"


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## tangled (May 13, 2019)

As a side note, I had not realized most public libraries have scholarly journals available online. I had thought you had to pay for access or still be enrolled in a university. So, if you have a library card, you probably have access to a number or scientific journals.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Research article on the spread of non-native invert species via dart frog vivaria.

Undesirable immigrants: hobbyist vivaria as a potential source of alien invertebrate species

"The aim of this study is to investigate the significance of private tropical terraria in Poland as a pathway for the introduction of alien invertebrate species and to undertake preliminary estimation of their taxonomic diversity."

Jaskuła R, Sulikowska-Drozd A, Jabłońska A, Banaś K, Rewicz T. 2019. Undesirable immigrants: hobbyist vivaria as a potential source of alien invertebrate species. PeerJ 7:e7617 Undesirable immigrants: hobbyist vivaria as a potential source of alien invertebrate species


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