Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a fungus recognised as one of the causes of global amphibian population declines. To assess its occurrence, we conducted PCR diagnostic assays of 147 swab samples, from 13 species of frogs from Mount Gede Pangrango National Park, Indonesia. Four swab samples, from Rhacophorus javanus, Rana chalconota, Leptobrachium hasseltii and Limnonectes microdiscus, were positive for Bd and had low to moderate levels of infection. The sample from L. hasseltii was from a tadpole with mouthpart deformities and infection was confirmed by histology and immunohistochemistry. An additional sample from Leptophryne cruentata showed a very low level of infection (≤1 zoospore equivalent). This is the first record of Bd in Indonesia and in Southeast Asia, dramatically extending the global distribution of Bd, with important consequences for international amphibian disease control, conservation and trade. Consistent with declines in amphibian populations caused by Bd in other parts of the world, evidence exists for the decline and possible extirpation of amphibian populations at high elevations and some decline with recovery of populations at lower elevations on this mountain. Therefore, it is essential to manage Bd in Indonesia where it is likely to be threatening amphibian populations. This will require a national strategy to mitigate the spread of Bd in Indonesia and neighboring countries as well as the impact of that spread. It is also important to collect information on the extent of the impact of Bd on frog populations in Indonesia. KEY WORDS: Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis · Chytridiomycosis · Indonesia · Southeast Asia · Emerging infectious disease Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherDis Aquat Org 82: [187][188][189][190][191][192][193][194] 2008 between 13.5 to 28°C diurnally, and the relative humidity of 63 to 100% (Kusrini et al. 2007a), are suitable for Bd which grows best at 17 to 23°C and requires moist conditions (Piotrowski et al. 2004). The introduction of bullfrogs Rana catesbeiana to Indonesia in 1982 as part of a government program to increase frog leg exports (Susanto 1989) could have been a potential route for introducing Bd into Indonesia. R. catesbeiana is considered a likely carrier of Bd because populations may have high infection rates and individuals neither show obvious clinical signs nor die from the infection (Daszak et al. 2004, Hanselmann et al. 2004). These factors make Indonesia, and West Java in particular, an important location for the conduct of a systematic survey of Bd in the Asian region.A previous survey for Bd in Indonesia used histological analysis to assess samples of toe clips from 3 edible frogs (Fejervarya limnocharis-iskandari complex, F. cancrivora and Limnonectes macrodon) taken mostly from rice fields and adjacent areas in West Java during 2001(Kusrini 2005. As expected, Bd was not detected in any of these samples considering the climate and management of rice fields and the susceptibility of B...

No abstract

It has been 10 years since a seminal paper in the journal Conservation Biology called for stronger leadership from the conservation community in countering the growing inappropriate use of Trap‐Neuter‐Return (TNR) as a method to control feral cat, Felis catus, populations. The practice is rapidly spreading to areas of wildlife and conservation significance, and the need to counter this development is extremely urgent. So far, the promulgation of TNR has been based on a narrow, single‐species approach to animal welfare. However, a new, yet little‐noticed, species‐inclusive perspective on animal welfare includes the consideration of collateral animal suffering for a more equitable assessment of TNR. Each setting, depending on the level of conservation required, may call for different methods for the management of free‐roaming cats. TNR is just one such method and its appropriateness depends on the specific wildlife conservation needs for each area specified.

We describe a new species of water snake genus Hypsiscopus that was formerly placed in the genus Enhydris from Towuti Lake, South Sulawesi, based on six specimens collected in 2003 and a specimen collected in 2019. The new species has several significant differences from other species in the genus Hypsiscopus (H. matannensis, H. plumbea, and H. murphyi) in possessing laterally compressed tail, higher number of scale rows in mid body, higher number of ventral scales, lower number of subcaudal scales, and distinct color pattern. The new species is likely distributed only in the Towuti Lake, and has higher level endemicity compared to H. matannensis. Further studies on the population and distribution are needed to evaluate its conservation status.