• Host resistance to the chytrid fungus of amphibians

    Amphibians in Panama have experienced declines for over a decade due to the disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium...
    AmphibiaWeb


  • Diversity within diversity: parasite species richness in poison frogs

    Poison frogs use toxins against vertebrate predators, bacteria and mosquitoes. Effectiveness of these toxins against endoparasites (e.g., trypanosomes) is unknown...
    Molecular Phylogenetics..


  • Poor dispersal ability of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans

    In the race to prevent the spread of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (or Bsal), a fungal pathogen deadly to salamanders, scientists have been investigating its ecology and...
    AmphibiaWeb


  • Wound-healing polypeptides

    Cathelicidins are a family polypeptides, known for their antimicrobial properties, that are found in immune and skin cells. About 30 cationic peptides have been isolated in various vertebrates...
    AmphibiaWeb


  • eDNA surveying for early detection of chytrid fungus

    The high elevation, relatively pristine lakes of the southern Sierra Nevada (California, USA) has been the scene of massive frog die-offs from chytridiomycosis caused by the...
    AmphibiaWeb


  • Species limits within the Amazonian treefrog Dendropsophus parviceps

    The genus Dendropsophus is one of the most speciose among Neotropical anurans and its number of described species is increasing. Herein, molecular, morphological, and...
    Zookeys


  • Limb regeneration in plethodontid salamanders

    Among vertebrates, adult salamanders are unique in their ability to regenerate complex tissues, such as limbs. The model organisms for limb regeneration are the...
    AmphibiaWeb


  • Human use is an important part of biodiversity survey work

    Biodiversity survey work is a critical step to assess and monitor the state of amphibians in any given area, even protected ones. A herpetology survey conducted by Shrestha and Shah...
    AmphibiaWeb


  • Peptides in frog poisons are a molecular toxin against predators

    Frogs have evolved mechanisms that enable systemic delivery of toxic antimicrobial peptides (secreted in their skin), which are sufficiently fast-acting to evade predation. A new...
    AmphibiaWeb


  • The fossorial tadpoles of Micrixalidae from India

    Until 2016, the tadpoles of the frog family Micrixalidae had not been described. In their study, Senevirathne et al. (2016) provide the first in-depth description of...
    AmphibiaWeb


  • Adiós a una de las pioneras en el estudio de las ranas en Colombia

    La bióloga María Cristina Ardila, quien formó a varias generaciones de estudiosos de los anfibios y los reptiles, falleció la semana pasada. El 2018 iba a ser un año especial para...
    El Espectador


  • 26 new species from Madagascar

    New species of amphibians continue to be described at a rate of about 2.9 species per week! Many of the newly discovered species lay eggs that develop directly without tadpoles and they typically have small to...
    AmphibiaWeb


  • Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans and the risk of a second amphibian pandemic

    Chytridiomycosis, an emerging infectious disease (EID) caused by two fungal pathogens, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis...
    AmphibiaWeb


  • Natural history and conservation of the rediscovered Hula painted frog

    The Hula Painted frog, Latonia nigriventer, was the first frog to be declared extinct by the IUCN in 1996. First discovered in 1940 in the Hula Valley, presently in northern Israel
    AmphibiaWeb


  • Cryptic species vs populations of the same species

    Genomic sequencing technology has allowed us to detect genetic structure at an unprecedented resolution. With such levels of detail comes the difficulty of...
    AmphibiaWeb


  • El jambato ‘resucita’ en las manos de Luis Coloma

    Desde hace 30 años no se tenía registros del anfibio y se la creía extinta. Tras un hallazgo en Cotopaxi, el biólogo y su equipo del Centro Jambatu han logrado reproducir...
    Diario La Hora


  • Hormonal variation in response to pond drying

    Spadefoot toads (Scaphiopodidae, Pelobatidae) are noteworthy for their divergent larval periods and responsiveness to pond drying. A study by Kulkarnie et al. (2017)...
    AmphibiaWeb


  • Jackson’s Climbing Salamander rediscovered

    One of the most iconic salamanders, Jackson’s Climbing Salamander, has been rediscovered in the recently established Finca San Isidro Amphibian Reserve (also known...
    AmphibiaWeb


  • The genetic change behind self resistance to Epibatidine

    Although many animals avoid toxic prey, some use the toxins of their prey to ward off predators. However, toxic animals risk self-poisoning unless they can resist their own...
    AmphibiaWeb


  • Parental care and the evolution of sex-roles in glass frogs

    Parental care in frogs is a fascinating, yet understudied facet of amphibian behavioral ecology. This behavior is rare, in fact, only 10-20% of anurans. Delia et al. (2017) recently.
    AmphibiaWeb


  • Evolución de la rana diablito en Ecuador

    Some South American poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) are chemically defended and usebright aposematic colors to warn potential predators of their unpalatability.
    Ecology and Evolution


  • Los sapos de la Amazonía

    La mitología del país le debe mucho a los pueblos amazónicos. El otorongo o jaguar está presente tanto en los mitos caranquis como más al sur; el amaru, la serpiente, es común en las prácticas de los curanderos andinos...
    El Telégrafo


  • Complex life cycle constraints on salamander body form diversification

    Ancestral salamanders likely had a biphasic life cycle. Hypothesizing that adaptations at one stage might limit adaptations at the other. Bonett and Blair (2017)...
    AmphibiaWeb


  • Earless toads sense low frequencies but miss the high notes

    Sensory losses or reductions are frequently attributed to relaxed selection. However, anuran species have lost tympanic middle ears many times, despite anurans’ use of...
    Proceedings Royal Society


  • Microhabitat and climatic niche change explain diversification in frog families

    Net diversification rates (NDRs) are defined by speciation rates minus extinction rates through time. Species richness variability is owed...
    AmphibiaWeb


  • Hyla versicolor canopy use to new heights

    Hyla versicolor has long been known to use tree canopies. However, Laughlin et al. (2017) recently discovered that the treefrogs use natural habitats much higher...
    AmphibiaWeb


  • Epibatidine resistance: Hallazgo para el desarrollo de medicinas contra el dolor y adicciones

    Científico Ecuatoriano Juan Carlos Santos entre los coautores. Animals that wield toxins face self-intoxication. Poison frogs have a...
    Science


  • Can This Controversial Practice Save Ecuador’s Wild Frogs?

    Ecuador is home to over 500 frog species and many face risks from the illegal pet trade. One company thinks it knows how to stop it. Conservationists in Ecuador have...
    National Geographic


  • Species richness, beta diversity, and reproductive traits of amphibians in Ecuador

    The region of the western Amazon and foothill of the Andes is home to the highest anuran biodiversity, and understanding how its...
    AmphibiaWeb


  • A new custom Bd genotyping assay using skin swabs

    The chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), affects hundreds of amphibian species around the world, yet many hundreds of species become infected yet are not...
    AmphibiaWeb