Whistling invaders: Status and distribution of Johnstone’s Whistling frog (Eleutherodactylus johnstonei Barbour, 1914), 25 years after its introduction to Colombia

Abstract

Despite increased attention to the problem of alien amphibian invasions, systematic assessments of the actual invasion status and potential, required to estimate possible environmental and economic impacts of introduced species, are often missing. A prime example is Johnstone’s Whistling Frog (Eleutherodactylusjohnstonei), a Caribbean native that now occurs widely throughout the South American mainland, including Colombia. We conducted the first systematic and comprehensive countrywide assessment of the introduction status of the species in Colombia, combining both intensive field surveys, as well as a first population genetic analysis. The species was strictly confined to urban habitats with specific environmental conditions (plant nurseries and private gardens) and did not show any signs of dispersal into the extra-urban matrix. Genetic data support previously hypothesised independent introduction events in the Andes and along the Caribbean Coast and shed light on potential dispersal pathways. The results of this study challenge both the active spread, as well as the broad environmental tolerance hypothesis previously suggested, to explain the observed range extension. A critical reassessment of the categorisation of the species as highly invasive under IUCN-ISSG standards is required.

Spring 2021

“…Subsequently, the species was reported towards the south of the country through vouchered or non-vouchered records from the departments of Santander (Bucaramanga), Valle del Cauca (Cali), Bolívar (Cartagena), Tolima (Mariquita, Ibagué) and Cundinamarca (Chinauta-Fusagasugá) (Ortega et al, 2001;Kaiser et al, 2002;Montes & Bernal, 2012;Gómez-Martínez et al, 2016). About 25 years after the first introduction, Leonhardt et al (2019) provided the first systematic and comprehensive countrywide assessment of e. johnstonei in Colombia, confirming all previous records and adding records from the departments of Antioquia (Medellín) and Magdalena (Santa Marta). Here we report the presence of this species in two additional departments in south-western Colombia (Fig.…”

“…there is no free living tadpole. The species is native to some islands of the Lesser Antilles (Kaiser, 1997) but it has a long history of being introduced into several Caribbean islands, Bermuda, some countries in Central America, South America and even Europe (Kaiser et al, 2002;Savage, 2002;Leonhardt et al, 2019;Moravec et al, 2020). Introductions typically occur through the ornamental plant trade, with or without the deliberate help of humans (Kaiser et al, 2002;Leonhardt et al, 2019).…”

“…The species is native to some islands of the Lesser Antilles (Kaiser, 1997) but it has a long history of being introduced into several Caribbean islands, Bermuda, some countries in Central America, South America and even Europe (Kaiser et al, 2002;Savage, 2002;Leonhardt et al, 2019;Moravec et al, 2020). Introductions typically occur through the ornamental plant trade, with or without the deliberate help of humans (Kaiser et al, 2002;Leonhardt et al, 2019). Compared to other countries, Colombia has a long history of e. johnstonei introductions and consequently the species is well established there with a large number of reported populations, so that it is deserving of special attention (Leonhardt et al, 2019).…”

“…Introductions typically occur through the ornamental plant trade, with or without the deliberate help of humans (Kaiser et al, 2002;Leonhardt et al, 2019). Compared to other countries, Colombia has a long history of e. johnstonei introductions and consequently the species is well established there with a large number of reported populations, so that it is deserving of special attention (Leonhardt et al, 2019).…”

Living in isolation for almost 40 years: molecular divergence of the 28S rDNA and COI sequences between French and Polish populations of the cave beetle Speonomus normandi hydrophilus (Jeannel, 1907)

“…There was no variation in 12S rRNA and three haplotypes in the D-loop marker were detected. Interestingly, the two recorded haplotypes diverged by one and two mutations from the most common haplotype (Leonhardt et al 2019).…”