SREL Reprint #3750

Morphological abnormalities in the Gopher Frog (Lithobates capito) during a headstarting event

Adam J. McFall1,2, Kiersten N. Nelson1,2, E. Tucker Stonecypher1,2, Christian S. Swartzbaugh1,2,
Matthew C. Allender3, Caitlin E. Burrell4,5,6, Michael J. Yabsley6,7, and Stacey L. Lance2

1Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, 140 E. Green Street, Athens, GA 30602, USA
2Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, P.O. Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA
3Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory, University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine,
2001 S. Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, IL 61802, USA
4Zoo and Exotic Animal Pathology Service, Infectious Diseases Laboratory,
University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
5Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine,
Athens, GA 30605, USA
6Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine,
501 D.W. Brooks Drive, Athens, GA 30602, USA
7Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia,
180 E. Green Street, Athens, GA 30602, USA

Abstract: Conservation plans to protect Gopher Frog (Lithobates capito) populations commonly include headstarting to improve recruitment to the juvenile stage. Headstarting is being used across multiple federal, state, non-government, and academic organizations to augment and/or reintroduce Gopher Frog populations. In 2021, 99% of the 332 Gopher Frogs headstarted during the egg and larval stage at the University of Georgia Savannah River Ecology Laboratory in South Carolina displayed morphological abnormalities at metamorphosis. These included skin, eye, gill, and jaw abnormalities plus edema and redness of the skin. Skin abnormalities were the most prevalent, affecting 99.1% of frogs. Using a quantitative scoring system, we scored a subset of 92 frogs at metamorphosis and between 8–26 d after metamorphosis; all except eye abnormalities either partially or fully recovered. Based on photographs of early-stage tadpoles taken for a separate experiment, 79% of tadpoles had eye abnormalities as early as 16 d post-hatch. Except for gills and bloating, we found that models including mesocosm as a predictor had greater Akaike Information Criterion weights than those that did not have mesocosm as a predictor, suggesting the cause may be related to mesocosm-specific conditions. Since 2017, abnormalities in either Gopher Frogs or federally listed Dusky Gopher Frogs (L. sevosus) have been reported from at least six other headstarting facilities. It is unclear whether these abnormalities are related to captive conditions or are occurring in wild populations as well. Collection of additional data on rearing conditions will aid in determining relationships between headstarting environments and health of metamorphs.

Keywords: conservation; Lithobates sevosus; malformation; mesocosm; metamorph; Rana capito

SREL Reprint #3750

McFall, A. J., K. N. Nelson, E. T. Stonecypher, C. S. Swartzbaugh, M. C. Allender, C. E. Burrell, M. J. Yabsley, and S. L. Lance. 2023. Morphological abnormalities in the Gopher Frog (Lithobates capito) during a headstarting event. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 18(3): 436-449.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).