THE HERPETOLOGICAL BULLETIN The Herpetological Bulletin is a quarterly publication in English, without page charges to authors. It includes full-length papers, natural history notes, book reviews, and other items of general herpetological interest. Emphasis is placed on natural history and conservation as well as captive care that includes breeding, husbandry, veterinary, and behavioural aspects. The Bulletin is available for download from the British Herpetological Society (BHS) website to all the Society’s members and after 1 year is freely available to the general public. A printed version of The Herpetological Bulletin is also distributed to those BHS members who subscribe to hardcopy. The Editors are keen to ensure that The Bulletin is open to as wide a range of contributors as possible. If a potential author has concerns about compliance with submission guidelines (see below) or the suitability of a manuscript, then please contact a Scientific Editor for discussion. 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The Herpetological Bulletin 147, 2019: 1-3 RESEARCH ARTICLE https://doi.org/10.33256/hb147.13 Anomalous colour in a Cuban cave-dwelling frog: First record of piebaldism in Eleutherodactylus zeus (Anura: Eleutherodactylidae) L. YUSNAVIEL GARCÍA-PADRÓN1* & ROBERTO ALONSO BOSCH2 1 Museo de Historia Natural “Tranquilino Sandalio de Nodas”. Martí 202, esquina Comandante Pinares, Pinar del Río. CP. 20100, Cuba 2 Museo de Historia Natural “Felipe Poey”, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de La Habana, Calle 25 # 455 e/ J e I. Vedado. Plaza de la Revolución. CP10400. La Habana, Cuba *Corresponding author Email: [email protected] Abstract - Pigmentation anomalies may occur due to genetic or environmental factors and can affect restricted parts of the body or the entire surface. Eleutherodactylus zeus is frog endemic to western Cuba where it is adapted to life in caves, rock crevices, and other sheltered sites in limestone landscapes associated with forest habitats. We observed 43 frogs in Santo Tomás cave, in Viñales National Park, of which 26 % showed depigmented blotches, typical of piebaldism, along their bodies. No unusual behaviour was detected in any of these frogs. This is the first reported case of piebaldism in frogs of the West Indies and consequently of Cuba. Records of piebaldism in amphibians are very scarce in the literature, not necessarily as a consequence of its rarity in nature but possibly due to inconsistencies in the classification of pigmentation abnormalities. INTRODUCTION The normal colour pattern of live adults of E. zeus (Fig. 1) is an olive brown with a mottled black dorsum and darker n spite of their largely nocturnal habits, amphibians brown snout. The upper eyelids of most specimens are clear Iexhibit an impressive diversity and complexity in their green. Postscapular spots are yellowish, arms and thighs have colour patterns (Hoffman & Blouin, 2000). Amphibian lichenous greyish markings. Concealed surfaces of thighs are chromatophores are located in either the epidermis or dull brownish purple, dorsum of thighs mottled brown, tips dermis, and they contain pigment granules that vary of dorsal rugosities greenish or yellowish, giving a somewhat in chemical composition (e.g. carotenoids, pteridines) speckled and mottled appearance (Schwartz, 1958; Estrada et resulting in different colours and patterns (Bagnara et al., al., 1986). In this report we document piebaldism in E. zeus. 1968). However, chromatic disorders occur due to genetic or environmental factors, resulting in pigmentation anomalies METHODS that are restricted to a part, or the entire, body surface. Among the main recognised types of pigmentation anomaly As part of monitoring initiative of E. zeus, we visited Santo are albinism, axanthism, leucism and piebaldism (Bechtel, Tomás cave, El Moncada, Viñales, Pinar del Río (22.544496˚N, 1995; Lucati & López-Baucells, 2016). Piebaldism is defined 83.846895˚W, WGS 84, 230 m a.s.l.) in April and August of by Lucati & López-Baucells (2016) as “all-white fur/skin 2017. It is the only large Eleutherodactylus species present patches and eyes normally colored”. It differs from leucism in this area, and in recent years some natural history where the entire body is white but the eyes are normally observations on this frog have been collected by our team coloured or albinism where there is an unpigmented body (Alonso Bosch et al., 2007; García, 2012; Alonso Bosch et al., with reddish or pink eyes (Lucati & López-Baucells, 2016). 2015). The cave gallery we visited had a small entrance (2 m Eleutherodactylus (Syrrophus) zeus Schwartz, 1958 is a high and 4 m wide) that was shaded by the forest so that only frog endemic to western Cuba. It is a cave-dwelling species limited day light (visible to human eye) reached into the first 5 adapted to life in caves, rock crevices, and other sheltered m of the gallery. Observations were made from the entrance sites in limestone landscapes associated with forest habitats to 220 m inside the cave, during the day (11:00h-14:00h) of the Cordillera de Guaniguanico (Alonso Bosch & Rodríguez and night (20:30h-01:00h), using headlamps to locate active Gómez, 2003; Díaz & Cádiz, 2008; Henderson & Powell, 2009). animals. When an individual was sighted, it was collected and The species has been IUCN listed as endangered because it is marked with a unique combination of toe clips (Ferner, 2009) restricted to an area of less than 5000 km2, its distribution is to prevent duplicate counts and afterwards it was released severely fragmented, and there is continuing decline in the where captured. We paid attention to any unusual behaviour extent and quality of its habitat in western Cuba (Hedges & of the animals and their general body conditions. Photo Díaz, 2004). The Red Book of Cuban Vertebrates (Gonzalez et vouchers were deposited in the herpetological collections al., 2012) re-evaluated the conservation status of 61 species of the Museo de Historia Natural “Tranquilino Sandalio de of amphibians in Cuba and lists 27 threatened species but Noda” from Pinar del Río, and Museo de Historia Natural failed to include E. zeus. “Felipe Poey” from University of Havana, Cuba. Herpetological Bulletin 147 (2019) 1 L. Yusnaviel Garcia-Padrón & Roberto Alonso Bosch Figure 1. Colour variation in E. zeus from Santo Tomás cave, Cuba.