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Eleutherodactylus planirostris es una especie nativa de Cuba, Bahamas e Islas Caimán en el Mar Caribe que ha sido introducida accidentalmente a distintas partes del mundo, incluido el continente americano. Esta especie ha sido registrada en distintas localidades de Veracruz en el Golfo de México. Las tres nuevas localidades para esta especie reportadas en este estudio sugieren que podría estar distribuida ampliamente en la región.

Nature in Singapore, 15, 1

Nature in Singapore, 15, 1-2

We report for the first time the greenhouse frog Eleutherodactylus planirostris from San Andres, the largest Colombian Caribbean island. This record represents the second known frog species on the island, and the second invasive Eleutherodactylus species reported from Colombian territory. In addition, we describe and discuss the morphology and some aspects of the natural history of this newly documented and well-established population. Additional research about the ecological impacts of invasion of E. planirostris on natural ecosystems and native species of San Andres are required.

RESUMEN Eleutherodactylus planirostris es una especie nativa de Cuba, Bahamas e Islas Caimán en el Mar Caribe que ha sido introducida accidentalmente a distintas partes del mundo, incluido el continente americano. Esta especie ha sido registrada en distintas localidades de Veracruz en el Golfo de México. Las tres nuevas localidades para esta especie reportadas en este estudio sugieren que podría estar distribuida ampliamente en la región. ABSTRACT Eleutherodactylus planirostris is a native species from Cuba, Bahamas, and Cayman Islands in the Caribbean Sea that has been accidentally introduced in different parts of the world, including the American continent. This species has been recorded in different locations of Veracruz in the Gulf of Mexico. The three new localities for this species reported herein suggest that it could be widely distributed in the region.

We monitored cryptic herpetofauna at Savannas Preserve State Park, Florida, by combining artificial cover counts with a quantitative paradigm for constructing and calculating population indices. Weekly indices were calculated from two consecutive days of data collection each week for 7 months from mid-winter to mid-summer in three habitats. Seventeen species were observed at least once, and time trends using index values were followed for six species. Among these, abundance and seasonal pattern information were obtained for an exotic species (greenhouse frog) and a species identified by the Florida Committee on Rare and Endangered Plants and Animals as threatened (Florida scrub lizard). We identified winter as the optimal time in this area to monitor populations for conducting annual assessments. This combined observation and indexing approach could provide managers or researchers with an economical means to quantitatively index population trends for multiple cryptic herpetofauna species simultaneously. Using artificial cover to sample within a population indexing design can be generalized beyond monitoring herpetofauna. Other forms of artificial cover that can be used as observation stations include aquatic artificial substrates, artificial tree cavities, artificial reefs, and other artificial aquatic structures and artificial sea grass units, among many others, and a wide range of taxa are suitable for population monitoring using artificial cover as observation stations in the approach we present, including insects, soil invertebrates, micro and macro aquatic invertebrates, fish, crustaceans, and small mammals.

The Greenhouse Frog (Eleutherodactylus planirostris) is one of the most widespread frog species in the world. Because of its high population densities, widespread distribution, and consumption of native invertebrates in some invaded sites, understanding its impacts in Hawaii is important. We analyzed stomach contents of 397 frogs from 10 study sites in Maui. Results suggest Greenhouse Frogs are active, ant-specialist predators in the leaf litter. Ants (Formicidae) were the dominant prey found in stomachs in both number and volume. Furthermore, only ants were consumed in a higher proportion than they were sampled in the environment. Because ants dominated their diets, and because all ants are nonnative to Hawaii, this means Greenhouse Frogs consumed primarily nonnative invertebrates (>80%) in the areas sampled. Although results suggest that most native taxa are not at risk from Greenhouse Frog predation, the only locations where we could currently find Greenhouse Frogs were in human-dominated lowl...

Eleutherodactylus planirostris (Greenhouse Frog), originally from Cuba, the Bahamas, and the Florida Keys, has been introduced to mainland Florida and has spread across the southeastern US. We used automated recording devices to determine the distribution and activity patterns of Greenhouse Frogs at 15 headwater-slope wetlands in Baldwin County, AL, during 2011 and 2012. We detected this species at 5 widely distributed wetlands confirming that the Greenhouse Frog has spread since its initial introduction to Alabama.

The gonadal and fat body cycles and their relationship to environmental factors are described for the Antillean frog Eleutherodactylus planirostris during a seasonal cycle in Havana, Cuba. Reproduction was discontinuous in both sexes. Bimodal vitellogenesis was observed from April—October. The first vitellogenic wave occurred April—June. In August an ovarian weight downgrade was observed due to oviposition. The second wave was September—October. Spermatogenesis started in March, with a high spermatogenic activity during June and July, and ended in November. In both sexes, fat bodies varied seasonally and showed an inverse relationship to the gonadal cycle, which supports its possible role as an energetic reserve for reproduction. Temperature was the environmental factor that significantly influenced the vitellogenic activity. Photoperiod was inversely related to fat bodies of both sexes.

Ranaviruses and the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis are globally important agents of emerging infectious amphibian diseases. Amphibians on Oahu, the Hawaiian Island with the greatest potential for disease introduction through the movement of goods and people, have never been surveyed for ranaviruses or B. dendrobatidis. We surveyed all five species of frogs on Oahu, Hawaii, US for these pathogens. Of 325 individuals sampled from six sites, none were positive for ranavirus. However, we found B. dendrobatidis in a total of four individuals of three species, the cane toad (Bufo marinus), the American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana), and the greenhouse frog (Eleutherodactylus planirostris), but not in the green and black poison dart frog (Dendrobates auratus) or the Japanese wrinkled frog (Rana rugosa). The apparent lack of ranavirus and low prevalence of B. dendrobatidis are noteworthy given how widespread these pathogens are in terms of both global distribution and host range. Surveillance should continue to document any changes in B. dendrobatidis prevalence or the arrival of ranaviruses in Hawaii.

The greenhouse frog, Eleutherodactylus planirostris, is a direct-developing (i.e., no aquatic stage) frog native to Cuba and the Bahamas. It was introduced to Hawaii via nursery plants in the early 1990s and then subsequently from Hawaii to Guam in 2003. The greenhouse frog is now widespread on five Hawaiian Islands and Guam. Infestations are often overlooked due to the frog’s quiet calls, small size, and cryptic behavior, and this likely contributes to its spread. Because the greenhouse frog is an insectivore, introductions may reduce invertebrates. In Hawaii, the greenhouse frog primarily consumes ants, mites, and springtails, and obtains densities of up to 12,500 frogs ha-1. At this density, it is estimated that they can consume up to 129,000 invertebrates ha-1 night-1. They are a food source for the non-native brown tree snake in Guam and may be a food source for other non-native species. They may also compete with other insectivores for available prey. The greatest direct economic impacts of the invasions are to the nursery trade that must treat infested shipments. Although various control methods have been developed to control frogs in Hawaii, and citric acid, in particular, is effective in reducing greenhouse frogs, the frog’s inconspicuous nature often prevents populations from being identified and managed.

To determine the potential impacts of the Cuban terrestrial Greenhouse Frog, Eleutherodactylus planirostris, on native invertebrates in Hawaii, we conducted a stomach content analysis of 427 frogs from ten study sites on the island of Hawaii. At each site, we also collected invertebrates with two sampling methods, leaf litter collection and sticky traps, to determine if diets were representative of the available resources. Dominant prey items consisted of Hymenoptera: Formicidae (32.4% of total diets), Acari (19.2%), and Collembola (17.4%). Non-native invertebrate categories comprised 43.2% of their diet (Amphipoda, Isopoda, and Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Invertebrate orders that contain native species in Hawaii found most often in the stomachs included Acari (mites; 19.2%), Araneae (spiders; 3.1%), Collembola (springtails; 17.4%), and Psocoptera (booklice; 2.3%), although it is unknown whether native species of these groups were present in the stomach samples. Eleutherodactylus planirostris predominantly ...

Two nonnative Caribbean frogs, the Puerto Rican coqui and the Cuban greenhouse frog, recently invaded Hawaii. Because of its louder breeding call, management efforts have focused on the coqui, while little has been done to address the more cryptic greenhouse frog, even though it may be as widespread and have similar ecological impacts. The goal of this research was to determine the distribution and detec- tion probability of both species on the island of Hawaii. We conducted a breeding call presence/absence survey at 446 sites every 2 km along major road networks. We re-surveyed 125 sites twice to determine detection and occupancy probabilities. Greenhouse frog detection probabilities (0.24, 0.29, 0.48, for each of the three visits, respectively) were lower than coqui detection probabilities (0.58, 0.73, 0.50, respectively) and increased with visits while those of the coqui did not. Greenhouse frog detection probabilities were lower in the presence of coquis for the first two surveys (0.12, 0.14) than in sites with greenhouse frogs alone (0.41), while greenhouse frogs had no effect on the detection of coquis. Site occupancy estimates for the greenhouse and coqui frog were 0.35 and 0.31, respectively, suggesting the species are similarly widespread. Results suggest multiple visits to sites are required to detect the greenhouse frog. Furthermore, results sug- gest that accounting for detectability is essential when determining the extent of invasion of cryptic species.

Two of the earliest examples of successful invasive amphibians are the greenhouse frog ( Eleutherodactylus planirostris ) and the Cuban treefrog ( Osteopilus septentrionalis ) in Florida. Although both are generally assumed to be recent introductions, they are widespread on Caribbean islands and also have been proposed as natural colonizers. We obtained nucleotide sequence data for both species and their closest relatives in their native and introduced ranges. Phylogenetic analyses trace the origin of E. planirostris to a small area in western Cuba, while O. septentrionalis is derived from at least two Cuban sources, one probably a remote peninsula in western Cuba. The tropical-to-temperate invasion began with colonization of the Florida Keys followed by human-mediated dispersal within peninsular Florida. The subtropical Keys may have served as an adaptive stepping stone for the successful invasion of the North American continent.

The use of species distribution models (SDMs) to predict potential distributions of species is steadily increasing. A necessary assumption when projecting models throughout space or time is that climatic niches are conservative, but recent findings of niche shifts during biological invasion of particular plant and animal species have indicated that this assumption is not categorically valid. One reason for observed shifts may relate to variable selection for modelling. In this study, we assess differences in climatic niches in the native and invasive ranges of the Greenhouse frog (Eleutherodactylus planirostris). We analyze which variables are more 'conserved' in comparison to more 'relaxed' variables (i.e. subject to niche shift) and how they influence transferability of SDMs developed with Maxent on the basis of ten bioclimatic layers best describing the climatic requirements of the target species. We focus on degrees of niche similarity and conservatism using Schoener's index and Hellinger distance. Significance of results are tested with null models. Results indicate that the degrees of niche similarity and conservatism vary greatly among the predictive variables. Some shifts can be attributed to active habitat selection, whereas others apparently reflect variation in the availability of climate conditions or biotic interactions between the frogs' native and invasive ranges. Patterns suggesting active habitat selection also vary among variables. Our findings evoke considerable implications on the transferability of SDMs over space and time, which is strongly affected by the choice and number of predictors. The incorporation of 'relaxed' predictors not or only indirectly correlated with biologically meaningful predictors may lead to erroneous predictions when projecting SDMs. We recommend thorough assessments of invasive species' ecology for the identification biologically meaningful predictors facilitating transferability.

The greenhouse frog, Eleutherodactylus planirostris, native to Cuba and the Bahamas, was recently introduced to Hawaii. Studies from other invaded habitats suggest that it may impact Hawaiian ecosystems by consuming and potentially reducing endemic invertebrates. However, there have been no studies on the greenhouse frog in Hawaii. The first component of this study was to conduct a diet analysis. We conducted a stomach content analysis of 427 frogs from 10 study sites on the island of Hawaii. At each site, we also collected invertebrates using two different sampling methods: leaf litter collection and sticky traps to characterize available resources. Greenhouse frogs consumed predominantly leaf litter invertebrates. Dominant prey items consisted of Hymenoptera: Formicidae (32.4%), Acari (19.2%), and Collembola (17.4%). Greenhouse frogs consumed more Formicidae than was measured in the environment. At one study site, we estimated there were 12,500 frogs ha-1 using mark-recapture methods and greenhouse frogs consumed 129,000 invertebrates ha-1 night-1 at this site. The second component of this study was to determine the distribution of the greenhouse frog on the island of Hawaii, with a male breeding call presence/absence survey at 446 points along the major road network. The greenhouse frog was detected at 61 sites (14%), and found mostly in lowland areas, in habitats of native shrublands and forests, nonnative forests, agricultural lands, and pastures on the southwestern and eastern sides of the island. We determined detection probabilities of the greenhouse frog and the invasive coqui frog, E. coqui. Detection probability of the greenhouse frog was low on the first two surveys and improved by the third survey. Detection probability of the coqui was higher than the greenhouse frog, but overall site occupancy estimates were similar for both species. Because the greenhouse frog appears to be as widespread as the coqui, we recommend that research be conducted to investigate its impacts ecologically to determine whether control efforts should also be aimed at this species.