AMPHIBIAN ARK SEED GRANT APPLICATION
CAPTIVE BREEDING OF THE CANASÍ FROG (ELEUTHERODACTYLUS BLAIRHEDGESI) FROM CUBA, WITH IN SITU RESEARCH AND MONITORING ACTIONS.
Luis M. Díaz1
1Ph.D., Curator of Herpetology. Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Cuba. Obispo #61, Esquina Oficios, Plaza de Armas, Habana Vieja, CP 10100. E-mail: [email protected]
EXECUTIVE SUMARY The recent Amphibian Conservation Needs Assessments for Cuba (27–30 April 2011) by AArk in Dominican Republic concludes that Eleutherodactylus blairhedgesi (Fig. 1) is the Cuban species with the highest priority for ex situ conservation actions. The species is listed as critically endangered (CR) by the IUCN (Hedges and Díaz, 2004, 2010), and threats are not expected to be reversed in time to avoid extinction. This frog is a local endemic to the north coast of Havana (Fig. 1), and is currently affected by increasing impacts of crude oil mining and the development of tourism. This AArk Seed Grant application is requested for the following purposes: 1) to develop a facility for ex situ conservation of E. blairhedgesi; and 2) to monitor wild populations of this species to gather basic information on its biology and threats. This project is expected to develop the first action plan to protect the species through a combination of ex situ and in situ strategies. This project will facilitate the publication of several aspects of the species’ natural history and new protocols for ex situ conservation.
Figure 1. Eleutherodactylus blairhedgesi, a critically endangered (CR) species with high priority for ex situ rescue, following the recent conservation needs assessment by AArk.
INTRODUCTION Eleutherodactylus blairhedgesi is a rock/cave dweller that, as far as known, only occurs in two localities along the north, rocky coast of Havana. The species is moderately common in suitable habitats yet its habitat is not legally protected and no management program exists. This is the only Cuban species of frog that lives nearby the sea. It can tolerate high levels of salt. The human impact on this anuran (crude oil mining and tourism) is rapidly increasing and an ex situ program is strongly recommended to prevent the species’ decline and extinction. The natural history of this frog is almost completely unknown. A small amount
1 of ecological data including advertisement call descriptions and call recordings are available in Díaz and Cádiz (2008) and Henderson and Powell (2009). There is no previous experience with the captive breeding of this species. Eleutherodactylus blairhedgesi is one of the 95 species within the subgenus Euhyas, a phylogenetic lineage endemic to the West Indies (Hedges et. al., 2008).
EXPECTED OUTCOMES o Facility for the ex situ breeding of Eleutherodactylus blairhedgesi. o Document the species’ natural history, both in the field and in captivity. o Publication of experiences. o Sharing of experiences with colleagues at zoos, universities, museums, aquariums, personnel in protected areas, different authorities, schools, and others.
METHODOLOGY Captive breeding: Standard husbandry techniques will follow Gagliardo and Pramuk (2008). Frogs will be kept in glass terraria (60 x 30 x 40 cm, L x W x H) with a rocky habitat. About two frog pairs will be kept per terrarium, for a total number of approximately 40 founder individuals. A false bottom in the terraria will be made of plastic egg crate covered with a fiberglass screen and gravel. The vivarium bottom will be drilled out to drain water through a valve and a 3/4'' PVC plumbing system. A small water pump will be used to filter water and to create gradients of humidity. Illumination and artificial misting will be controlled automatically. Dry and wet periods will be recreated as occurs in nature to stimulate breeding. Artificial rain will be adjusted to barometric pressure decreases during the natural rainy season (mostly from May–June to October). Food will include reared crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus) and cockroaches (Blatta orientalis) for adult frogs, as well as springtails, acari, and aphids for smaller frogs, if needed. Insects will be gut loaded and dusted with calcium. Small frogs will be kept in plastic illuminated containers with proper substrate, and regularly misted.
Field work: Four expeditions of seven days each will cover the rainy season for two consecutive years (2011–2012), when frogs are active. Frogs will be examined for the presence of chytrid fungus by taking samples using standard procedures (Brem et al., 2007). Population estimates will follow Heyer et al. (1994), Thomas et al., (2002), Funk et al. (2003) and Veith et al. (2004). We will first estimate the sizes of the populations at the two known localities where the species occurs before collecting individuals for the ex situ project. Observations will include patterns of activity during different visits. We will identify individuals by photographing dorsal pattern of blotches, which vary (personal observation). Ecological parameters will be permanently monitored in situ (humidity, temperature, and rainfall) by using instruments and the data will be correlated with aspects of the frogs’ biology. Food composition will be qualitatively estimated by sampling feces. Parasites will be stored in 70% ethanol. Biosecurity standards (Speare et al., 2004) will be carefully followed. Calling males will be recorded with a Marantz PMD 222 and Senheisser Microphone. Photographs will be taken with a Nikon D300 digital camera and AF-S Micro
2 Nikkor 105 mm lens. Live specimens will be collected in the wild with pertinent permits and transferred to the lab to start ex situ management. Specimen transportation will follow recommendations by Gagliardo and Pramuk (2008).
TIMELINE OF WORK June. Oct. Jan. Apr. Jul. Oct. Jan. Apr. Jul. to to to to to to to to to Sept. Dec. Mar. Jun. Sept. Dec. Mar. Jun. Sept. Activities 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012 2012 2013 2013 2013 Creation of the captive breeding facility at Museo Nacional de X X Historia Natural Field work X X X X Sample analyses for chytrid detection and other diseases (with collaboration of the X X X X X Hospital Hermanos Ameijeiras in Havana and the Zoological Garden of Havana) Amphibian captive X X X X X X X X management and observations Ecological data analyses X Processing data from captivity X Manuscript writing X X Paper submission X
TEAM: Luis M. Díaz, project leader; Antonio Cádiz (Department of Biology, University of Havana), field work and general research; Ariatna Linares, amphibian captive management and insect rearing; Alejandro Silva (Office of the Management of Knowledge and Technology, GECYT, Havana), chytrid testing; Agustín Chong (Department of Anatomical Pathology, Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital, Havana), chytrid testing; Raúl Campos (Havana Zoo), other diseases testing.
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BUDGET Category Item/Amount Only from AARK Field work Field vehicle rental: $60/day, $1800 30 days in total Diesel $200 Food 30 days, 3 persons $300 Data loggers iButton $440 (termohygrometer DS 1923), $60/unit, 7 units Accessories: + receptor DS 1402D-DR8, $5/unit, 1 unit + adapter DS 9490R USB to 1-Wire RJ11) $15/unit, 1 units Battery charger, ~$20/ unit, 1 $20 unit Bd testing supplies $5/swab, $500 $20/test, 20 samples Ex situ facility Glass aquaria, $30 each, 10 $300 units Water pumps, $30 each, 8 $240 units Plastic plumbing $60 10 liters plastic containers $10 $200 each, 20 units Misting unit, 1 unit $150 Nozzles, ~$10 each, 12 units $120 Humidity controller (Lucky $120 Reptile), $60/unit, 2 units Fluorescent full spectrum $360 lamps, $18 each, 20 units Installation for electricity $40 Plastic egg crates, ~$10 $150 each, 15 units TOTAL: $5000
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Literature Cited Brem, F., J. R. Mendelson III, and K. R. Lips. 2007. Field-Sampling Protocol for Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis from Living Amphibians, using Alcohol Preserved Swabs. Version 1.0 (18 July 2007). Electronic document accessible at http://www.amphibians.org Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, USA. Díaz, L.M., and A. Cádiz. 2008. Guía taxonómica de los anfibios de Cuba. Abc Taxa 4: 1-294 (+CD). Funk, C., Almeida-Reynoso, D., Nogales-Sornosa, F., Bustamante, M. R. 2003. Monitoring Population Trends of Eleutherodactylus Frogs. J. Herpetol. 37 (2) : 245–256. Gagliardo, R. and J. Pramuk,. 2008. General Amphibian Husbandry. In: Poole, V. & Grow, S (eds.): Amphibian Husbandry Resource Guide, AZA. pp. 4-52. Hedges, B. and L. M. Díaz. 2004. In: IUCN 2004. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
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