Dig for Britain: householders urged to build ponds to help frogs, newts and hedgehogs

Sightings of frogs have slumped in recent years 

 Sarah Knapton, science editor

12 MARCH 2019 • 6:00AM

Householders are being urged to dig ponds in their gardens, or fill washing up bowls with water, to help stem the decline in frogs, newts and hedgehogs.

The Wildlife Trusts and Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) are concerned that the disappearance of ponds is damaging wildlife.

Recent figures from the RSPB showed frog sightings have fallen by 15 per cent while toads have declined 28 per cent since 2014.

Ponds are a vital habitats and water sources for amphibians and small mammals but housebuilders now rarely include them in garden designs, and the number of municipal ponds has halved from one million to 500,000 in the past 150 years.

Health and safety fears has led to many ponds being filled in in recent years following calls from the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Rospa).

Continued

Breakthrough in 'amphibian plague': Deadly fungus genes identified

March 27, 2017 by Caroline Brogan

Scientists have identified the genes of a deadly fungus that is decimating salamander and newt populations in Northern Europe.

Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), dubbed the 'amphibian plague', is a highly infectious chytrid fungus that affects many species of salamanders and newts, literally digesting their skin, which quickly leads to death. Since its discovery in 2013, very little has been found about how the fungus causes disease.

Now, researchers from Imperial College London, Ghent University, and the Broad Institute, have sequenced and identified the genes responsible for Bsal from an infected salamander. The authors say the findings, published last week in the journal Nature Communications, could ultimately help conservation efforts and provide drug targets in the future to help curb the disease.

Dr Rhys Farrer, co-author from Imperial's School of Public Health, said: "Until now, no one knew the exact mechanisms Bsal uses to cause disease. Our findings mean that policy makers and conservationists are now equipped with more knowledge on how best to curb this amphibian plague."

Dr Rhys Farrer and co-author Professor An Martel from Ghent University sequenced the genes from a salamander that had died from Bsal, and compared the genes with those of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a closely related deadly fungus that affects not just salamanders and newts, but all amphibians. Bd has caused more extinction events than any other infectious disease known to science.

Read more at:

Saving north america's salamanders, newts

Date: May 30, 2016

Source: University of Saskatchewan

The fate of the world's richest biodiversity of salamanders and newts is in the hands of pet owners across North America, said Natacha Hogan, an environmental toxicologist specializing in amphibians at the University of Saskatchewan.

At issue is salamander chytrid disease, caused by a fungus that infects both salamanders and newts with near total lethality. The fungus, known as B.sal, infects the skin, causing wart-like lesions. As the disease progresses, the animal stops eating, becomes lethargic, loses control of its body movements and eventually dies.

Originally from Asia, the disease has completely wiped out wild populations where it has appeared in Europe and the UK, said Hogan.

"It's basically the pet trade," she said. "It's when you start moving salamanders; this is what this spread has been attributed to. There have been millions of salamanders imported -- how many kids own fire belly newts from a pet store?"

While the fungus has not yet been spotted in Canada, she said the U.S. has already instituted strict regulations on trade in salamanders and newts.

The Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC) is leading efforts to raise the alarm, urging immediate action. The group compares the threat to a similar invasive fungal disease that all but wiped out entire species of frogs in South and Central America, and white nose disease, which has killed entire colonies of bats -- millions of animals -- across North America, including Canada.

While Canada has only two species of newt -- both in Ontario -- salamanders are wide spread, Hogan said, with about 15 species across the country. Some of these have a small geographic range, but others, such as the two species of tiger salamander found in Saskatchewan, can be found right across the Prairie Provinces.

The rest of North America is even more richly endowed.

"The U.S. has among the greatest biodiversity of amphibians in the world, so this is also true of salamanders and newts," Hogan said.

continued ...

Fatal skin-eating fungus reaches UK

Presented by

Melissa Hogenboom

Containing a lethal pathogen is extremely difficult. So when scientists discovered recently that a deadly skin-eating fungus, which kills salamanders and newts, had somehow been imported into the UK, they were understandably concerned.

The pathogen came into the UK through the captive salamander trade, possibly from Asia. It has since killed off several zoo-kept salamanders.

The traders had noticed other salamanders in their care had been dying off so they immediately notified the UK zoo, which also saw a similar pattern.

Scientists were then called to test the salamanders who attributed their cause of death to the fungus, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans.

This has the potential to be a devastating infection so we should try hard not to allow it to get into the wild

They acted extremely quickly. A group led by researchers from the Zoological Society of London have now published a brief report in the journal Veterinary Record with the hope it will prevent any future outbreaks.

The fungus has been threatening populations of European salamanders for a number of years in the Netherlands and Belgium, where the fire salamander populations were reduced to little over a handful. These were then taken into captivity in a bid to save them.

Continued ...

Odd location for wildlife - More newts in a dog bowl Again

At the beginning of October, we spotted 4 newts have moved into the dog's water bowl.

Smooth and palmate newts appear in a dog bowl!

October 2013. The Wildlife Extra office is near a large pond, and there is plenty of wildlife in and around that pond, but we were taken aback in August when two small, immature newts appeared in the dog's water bowl that sits outside our front door. We relocated the newts to the edge of the pond, but 2 months later, we now have 4 small newts in the dog bowl, apparently 3 palmate newts and a smooth newt. 

Newts actually spend much of their year on dry land, so it isn't unusual to see them away from the pond, but how and why they ended up in the dog's water bowl is a mystery. 

Even more surprising, it appears that they are two different types of newt; a smooth newt and a palmate newt! Once we had taken a couple of pictures, we released the newts back into the wild (before a dog could drink them.). 

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/bowl-newts.html

Odd location for wildlife - Newts in a dog bowl

Smooth and palmate newts appear in a dog bowl!

August 2013. The Wildlife Extra office is near a large pond, and there is plenty of wildlife in and around that pond, but we were taken aback last week when two small, immature newts appeared in the dog's water bowl that sits outside our front door. Newts actually spend much of their year on dry land, so it isn't unusual to see them away from the pond, but how and why they ended up in the dog's water bowl is a mystery. 

Even more surprising, it appears that they are two different types of newt; a smooth newt and a palmate newt! Once we had taken a couple of pictures, we released the newts back into the wild (before a dog could drink them.). 

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/bowl-newts.html

HerpDigest Volume # 10 Issue #9 2/23/09 Bibliographies Major Herp Publications

HerpDigest.org: The Only Free Weekly Electronic Newsletter That Reports on The Latest News on Herpetological Conservation, Husbandry and Science
Volume # 10 Issue #9 2/23/09 - Bibliographies Major Herp Publications
Publisher/Editor- Allen Salzberg
__________________________________________________________________.
Table of Contents

1) Herpetological Monographs, Vol. 23, Issue 1, Dec 2009 (Bibliography)
2) Herpetologica Vol. 65, Issue 4, Dec 2009 (Bibliography
3) Journal of Herpetology Vol. 44, Issue 1, Mar 2010 (Bibliography

______________________________________________________
1) Herpetological Monographs (Bibliography
Vol. 23, Issue 1, Dec 2009

Articles
Philippine Frogs of the Genus Leptobrachium (Anura; Megophryidae): Phylogeny-based Species Delimitation, Taxonomic Review, and Descriptions of Three New Species
Rafe M. Brown, Cameron D. Siler, Arvin C. Diesmos, and Angel C. Alcala
Pages: 1-44

The Spatial and Reproductive Ecology of the Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) at the Northeastern Extreme of Its Range
Charles F. Smith, Gordon W. Schuett, Ryan L. Earley, and Kurt Schwenk
Pages: 45-73.

Reproductive Biology of Agkistrodon piscivorus Lacépède (Squamata, Serpentes, Viperidae, Crotalinae)
Dustin S. Siegel, David M. Sever, Justin L. Rheubert, and Kevin M. Gribbins
Pages: 74-107.

Selected Body Temperature and Thermoregulatory Behavior in the Sit-and-Wait Foraging Lizard Pseudocordylus melanotus melanotus
Suzanne McConnachie, Graham J. Alexander, and Martin J. Whiting
Pages: 108-122.

Two New Species of Cnemidophorus (Squamata: Teiidae) from Islands of the Northeastern Coast of Venezuela
Gabriel N. Ugueto, Michael B. Harvey, and Gilson A. Rivas
Page: 123-155
_______________________________________________________________________
2) Herpetologica (Bibliography
Vol. 65, Issue 4, Dec 2009

Articles

Sexual Dimorphism in Leposternon microcephalum and L. wuchereri (Squamata: Amphisbaenidae) from Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil
Renato Filogonio, Conrado A. B. Galdino, Daniel P. R. Cabral, Alexandre F. Righi, Marcelo F. Lopes, and Luciana B. Nascimento

Effects of Radio Transmitter Burdening on Locomotor Ability and Survival of Iguana Hatchlings
Charles R. Knapp and Juan G. Abarca

Age, Size and Growth in Two Populations of the Southern Crested Newt, Triturus karelinii (Strauch 1870) from Different Altitudes
Nazan Üzüm and Kurtuluþ Olgun

Testing Species Boundaries within theAtractus occipitoalbus Complex (Serpentes: Dipsadidae)
Paulo Passos, Altagratia Chiesse, Omar Torres-Carvajal, and Jay M. Savage

A New species of Coniophanes (Squamata: Colubridae), from the Coast of Michoacán, Mexico
Oscar Flores-Villela and Eric N. Smith

A New species of Microcaecilia (Amphibia: Gymnophona: Caeciliidae) from Suriname
Mark Wilkinson, Ronald Nussbaum, and Marinus Hoogmoed

A Revision of the Fish Scale Geckos, Genus Geckolepis Grandidier (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from Madagascar and the Comoros
Gunther Köhler, Hans-Helmut Diethert, Ronald A. Nussbaum, and Christopher J. Raxworthy

A New Species of Mesobaena Mertens, 1925 (Squamata: Amphisbaenidae) from Brazilian Guiana, with a Key to the Amphisbaenidae of the Guianan Region
Marinus S. Hoogmoed, Roberta R. Pinto, Wáldima Alves da Rocha, and Emiliane G. Pereira

A New Limb-Reduced, Loam-Swimming Skink (Squamata: Scincidae: Brachymeles) from Central Luzon Island, Philippines
Cameron D. Siler, Edmond L. Rico, Mariano R. Duya, and Rafe M. Brown

New Species of Toxicocalamus (Squamata: Elapidae) from Papua New Guinea
fred Kraus

A New Species of the Scinax catharinae Species Group (Anura: Hylidae) from Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil
Ana Carolina Calijorne Lourenço, Luciana Barreto Nascimento, and Maria Rita Silvério
3) Journal of Herpetology (Bibliography)
Vol. 44, Issue 1, Mar 2010

Ecology
Sexual Size and Shape Dimorphism Variation in Caesar's Lizard (Gallotia caesaris, Lacertidae) from Different Habitats
M. Molina-Borja, M. A. Rodríguez-Domínguez, C. González-Ortega, and M. L. Bohórquez-Alonso
Pages. 1-12.

Morphology
Macroscopic Recognition of Nontraumatic Osseous Pathology in the Postcranial Skeletons of Crocodilians and Lizards
Bruce Rothschild
Pages. 13-20.

Ecology
Density-Dependent Processes during the Juvenile Stage in the Lizard Sceloporus virgatus
V. Mark Manteuffel and Martin Eiblmaier
Pages. 21-27.

Systematics
New Species of Cnemaspis Strauch 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Southwestern ambodia
Jesse L. Grismer, L. Lee Grismer, and Thou Chav
Pages. 28-36.

New Forest Gecko (Squamata; Gekkonidae; Genus Luperosaurus) from Mt. Mantalingajan, Southern Palawan Island, Philippines
Rafe M. Brown, Arvin C. Diesmos, Melizar V. Duya, Harvey J. D. Garcia, and Edmund Leo B. Rico
Pages 37-48.

New Loam-Swimming Skink, Genus Brachymeles (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae) from Luzon and Catanduanes Islands, Philippines
Cameron D. Siler, Arvin C. Diesmos, and Rafe M. Brown
Pages 49-60.

Conservation
Anuran Calling Survey Optimization: Developing and Testing Predictive Models of Anuran Calling Activity
Charlotte K. Steelman and Michael E. Dorcas
Pages 61-68.

Interaction of an Aquatic Herbicide and Predatory Salamander Density on Wetland Communities
Robert Brodman, W. Dan Newman, Kristin Laurie, Sarah Osterfeld, and Nicole Lenzo
Pages. 69-82.

Ecology
Seasonal Patterns of Body Condition, Hydration State, and Activity of Gila Monsters (Heloderma suspectum) at a Sonoran Desert Site
Jon R. Davis and Dale F. DeNardo
Pages. 83-93.

Abundance and Sexual Size Dimorphism of the Giant Gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) in the Sacramento Valley of California
Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. Casazza, Christopher J. Gregory, and Brian J. Halstead
Pages 94-103.

Behavior
Vagility of Aquatic Salamanders: Implications for Wetland Connectivity
Christopher M. Schalk and Thomas M. Luhring
Pages 104-109.

Multiscale Influences of Landscape Composition and Configuration on the Spatial Ecology of Eastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnakes (Crotalus adamanteus)
Shannon K. Hoss, Craig Guyer, Lora L. Smith, and Gordon W. Schuett
Pages110-123.

Ecology
Seasonal and Site Variation in Angulate Tortoise Diet and Activity
Quinton I. Joshua, Margaretha D. Hofmeyr, and Brian T. Henen
Pages 124-134.

Physiology
Nutritional Quality of Natural Foods of Juvenile and Adult Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii): Calcium, Phosphorus, and Magnesium Digestibility
Lisa C. Hazard, Danielle R. Shemanski, and Kenneth A. Nagy
Page 135-147.

Ecology
Diet and Reproductive Ecology of the Desert Nightsnake (Hypsiglena chlorophaea) in Central Washington State
Robert E. Weaver
Pages 148-152.

Systematics
Karyotypes of a Cryptic Diploid Form of the Unisexual Leposoma percarinatum (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae) and the Bisexual Leposoma ferreirai from the Lower Rio Negro, Amazonian Brazil
Marcia M. Laguna, Miguel T. Rodrigues, Rodrigo M. L. dos Santos, Yatiyo Yonenaga-Yassuda, Teresa C. S. Ávila-Pires, Marinus S. Hoogmoed, and Katia C. M. Pellegrino
Pages 153-157.

Ecology
Altitude and Rock Cover Explain the Distribution and Abundance of a Mediterranean Alpine Lizard
Camila Monasterio, Alfredo Salvador, and José A. Díaz
Pages 158-163.

Conservation
Seasonal Variation in Survivorship and Mortality of Desert Tortoises in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona
J. Daren Riedle, Roy C. Averill-Murray, and David D. Grandmaison
Page 164-167.

Ecology
Population Structure and Growth of Immature Green Turtles at Mantanani, Sabah, Malaysia
Nicolas Pilcher
Page 168-171.

Age and Growth of a Subtropical High-Elevation Torrent Frog, Amolops mantzorum, in Western China
Wen Bo Liao and Xin Lu
Pages 172-176.

Morphology
Ventral Colored Patches in Tropidurus semitaeniatus (Squamata, Tropiduridae): Sexual Dimorphism and Association with Reproductive Cycle
Leonardo B. Ribeiro, Miguel F. Kolodiuk, and Eliza M. X. Freire
Pages 177-182.

Reviewers
List of Reviewers for the Journal of Herpetology, 2009
Pages 183-184.
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Still available:

THE ECOLOGY, EXPLOITATION AND CONSERVATION OF RIVER TURTLES
by Don Moll and Edward O. Moll. Considered by turtle scientists, and conservationists as one of the best books on turtle conservation. 420 pages; 90 halftones & 3 line illus.; 6-1/8 x 9-1/4; List price $80, now $30.00 plus $7.50 S&H.

AMPHIBIAN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION: A HANDBOOK OF TECHNIQUES (TECHNIQUES IN ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION) (Paperback) by C. Kenneth Dodd Jr. (Editor) 556 pages, USA, Oxford Univ. Press. Available. $59.95 plus $7.50 S&H LIMITED NUMBER AUTOGRAPHED COPIES, By editor Kenneth Dodd
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Lizard Species Projects Ribs Outwards for Defense

By Tudor Vieru, Science Editor
21st of August 2009, 10:45 GMT

The tactic is impractical, but it works.

Amphibians are not renowned for their ability to defend themselves. Some of them are quite poor at it, in fact, and naturally end up being eaten by predators. But one species of lizards had the courage of saying “enough” and the best way it could figure of protecting itself was to learn to project its ribs through its skin at incoming foes. Naturally, this required a bit of tweaking to its spine and ribs, but eventually it managed to perfect this defense mechanism, over millions of years of evolution.

While other lizard species have developed the ability to run fast, use disguise, or shed body parts when attacked, the Spanish ribbed newt decided to take on a more drastic approach. When confronted with perils, the amphibian projects its ribs outwards at high speeds, piercing through its skin and opposing a row of poisonous barbs to its predator. According to experts who have studied the animal, the newt has to puncture its own skin every time it is attacked, the BBC News reports.

However, since this peculiar defense mechanism was first observed in the newt species, back in 1879, no ill effects have been observed to come to the lizard due to its behavior. Still, researchers have little clues as to how exactly it manages to do something that would otherwise probably kill other vertebrates. By using modern photographic and X-ray imaging methods, scientists and naturalists were finally able to decipher the complex mechanisms behind this amazing ability.

Whenever the Spanish ribbed newt feels threatened, it pushes its ribs forward, until they make a 50-degree angle or higher with the spine. At the same time, it keeps the rest of its body still. The extended ribs push the skin upwards, and apply so much strain on it, that they eventually puncture it and exit the body. “When teased or attacked by a predator, [it] secretes a poisonous milky substance onto the body surface. The combination of the poisonous secretion and the ribs as 'stinging' tools is highly effective,” University of Vienna zoologist Egon Heiss explains.Details of the study appear in the latest issue of the Journal of Zoology.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Lizard-Species-Projects-Ribs-Outwards-for-Defense-119775.shtml

See also: Bizarre newt uses ribs as weapons (BBC News)

'Stock-take' of garden creatures

By Sarah Mukherjee
BBC environment correspondent

Whether it is frogs in your ferns, or toads in your tulips, a coalition of wildlife charities is asking for volunteers to carry out a national "stock-take" of the reptiles and amphibians in the UK's gardens.

Called Reptiles and Amphibians in your Garden, the project is being undertaken by The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Froglife and the Herpetological Conservation Trust (HCT).

Conservationists say they hope the survey will bring together an army of amateur wildlife watchers including birdwatchers, gardeners, hands-on conservation volunteers and the general public.

Wildlife experts say the results will contribute to knowledge of where frogs, toads, newts, snakes and lizards are found nationally and allow scientists a better insight to how important gardens are for their conservation.

The results will also be used to understand how amphibian and reptile populations may be responding to a variety of threats, including habitat loss, disease and garden chemicals.

"Amphibians and reptiles aren't like birds - there's not the same level of public support," said Jules Howard from Froglife.

"All we know about reptiles is based on a few scientific studies and some surveys - but basically we haven't a clue about what's going on in people's gardens.

"We need to know what's happening so we can direct resources to the right areas in the future."

Naturalists say that although people may think of amphibians and reptiles as creatures that occur only in the countryside, the 13 species native to Britain can all, to differing degrees, inhabit gardens.

They say some gardens can harbour hundreds of common frogs, and others can house large populations of slow-worms (a legless lizard).

Grass snakes can also be prevalent in some urban areas, where they dip in and out of ponds looking for amphibian prey.

"The good thing about this is that we're using such a wide number of people so we're getting information that we never would have done in the past. We're hoping to get over 20,000 people getting involved," said Jules Howard.

Volunteers are need to complete a simple recording form, marking off species they have seen and answering straightforward questions about their gardens, such as whether they have a pond, whether they use pesticides or whether or not they have a compost heap.

"This is the largest survey of these species focused on gardens in Britain and has been designed to complement other studies that are tracking the fate of amphibians and reptiles in the British countryside," said John Baker from the HCT.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7977971.stm