The fate of a population of the endemic frogLeiopelma pakeka(Anura: Leiopelmatidae) translocated to restored habitat on Maud Island, New Zealand

Abstract

We assess the fate of 100 Leiopelma pakeka transferred in two batches from remnant forest on Maud Island to a new site at Boat Bay, 0.5 km away, in 1984-85. Seventy of the original 100 individual frogs were recaptured, plus 35 young recruits into the population. The 43 frogs released in 1984 settled closer to the release site than did the 57 released a year later, suggesting that many of the later arrivals avoided sites already occupied by frogs. Boat Bay frogs became heavier than frogs in the source population, presumably a reflection of lower population density and greater per capita food supply. Numbers declined initially, but the frog population remained relatively stable after losses of founder individuals began to be offset by local recruitment. The mean annual survival rate after initial settlement was high (97%), indicating an average life expectancy of 33 years.

Understanding Publication Bias in Reintroduction Biology by Assessing Translocations of New Zealand's Herpetofauna

“…Management priorities and political limitations may reduce the ability of managers to publish the results of translocations carried out by their agencies. It is unclear whether unpublished translocations are analyzed in the same way as published translocations (e.g., home range establishment during successive releases, Bell et al 2004). In either event, academic collaboration may help to increase the duration and intensity of monitoring, strengthen the analysis of monitoring results, and lead to publication of translocation events and outcomes.…”

Conservation status of New Zealand frogs, 2009

“…The population has not undergone any major decline in numbers over the period 1983Á2008 (Bell et al 2004a;Bell & Pledger 2009). One hundred frogs were translocated from the main population on Maud Island to restored habitat at a second site on the island (Boat Bay) in 1984Á1985 (Bell et al 2004b Island populations, this species was assessed as 'Nationally Vulnerable', rather than 'Nationally Endangered'. Its total population has been variously estimated from 19,000 to 34,000 frogs (Bell & Bell 1994;Le Roux & Bell 2007;Bell & Pledger 2009).…”

Tracking a small cryptic amphibian with fluorescent powders

“…To date, studies of L. pakeka have focused on describing patterns of spatial distribution within small long-term study plots (12 × 12 m plots studied since 1983), relying heavily on markrecapture techniques (e.g. Newman 1990;Bell 1994;Bell et al 2004;Webster 2004;Germano 2006;Bell & Pledger 2010). However, the information obtained at an individual level is often limited by a single nightly record of capture locations over a limited capture period.…”

“…It is one of the largest extant Leiopelma species, with snout-vent length of females greater than 40 mm and 34-40 mm in males or young females (Bell 1978;Newman 1990;Bell et al 2004). Adults are highly sedentary with individuals occupying discrete home ranges of 26.7 ± 2.2 m 2 (Bell 1994;Bell et al 2004;Webster 2004) over a period of decades (Bell & Moore 2015). The species is considered to be 'vulnerable' both at a national and international level (Newman et al 2013;IUCN 2015).…”