anchor worm

[amphib]

They are susceptible to parasites. But i cant say whether you have anchor worm or what it may be with out a picture.

[JBRJBR]

They are susceptible to parasites. But i cant say whether you have anchor worm or what it may be with out a picture.

I may have a problem here!

Last year we had goldfish which were wiped out by anchor worms.
Consequently, we completely emptied our pond of water and plant life, cleaned the liner, and refilled with clean water. Any existing frogs had left of their own volition whilst we were doing this (as I believe they would do anyway at that time of year - presumably returning to the pond only to breed).

The pond was left completely empty (apart from the water) throughout the winter in the belief that any existing anchor worms would die and any of their eggs, after hatching, would have nothing on which to live and would also die.

My question is, could any frogs overwintering outside of the pond have been infected by anchor worms and have brought them back to the pond?

Incidentally, a large amount of frogspawn appeared a couple of weeks ago. This has now disappeared (though I haven't seen any tadpoles as yet), but more worryingly, I recently found two dead adult frogs on the bottom of the pond, which I removed. I didn't see any anchor worms attached, but is it possible that anchor worms (or their eggs) are still living somewhere in the pond?

Thanks for reading all of this(!), but I thought it necessary to explain everything thoroughly.

[Geoff]

This forum is dedicated to aquatic frogs (from Africa and South America) whose limbs have not evolved to support them on land and I doubt that anyone here has the information that you're seeking. I think it would probably be best to direct your enquiry to the UK-based organisations below, which are devoted to amphibian conservation and therefore probably best qualified to advise you:

• https://www.froglife.org/
• https://www.arc-trust.org/

[JBRJBR]

Thank you. I was unaware of those limitations.

[John]

No need, I can answer this for you. Anchor worm will persist in the pond - they won't disappear completely just because of a mild English winter. The pond would have to be treated with an anti-parasitic or completely dried out for several months. Rana temporaria shouldn't really have issues with anchor worm so I wouldn't blame the anchor worms for that. Did you experience a cold snap (freezing?) recently? That can kill the occasional common frog.

[JBRJBR]

Thank you for your help, John.
No, we haven't experienced anything other than brief excursions once or twice a degree or so below freezing, and there has never been any ice on the pond. Perhaps the two frogs died of natural causes - old age? Like me!
We can see a large number of tiny tadpoles all over the bottom of the pond, so at least some are surviving.
Perhaps I'll look into anti-parasitics, just in case.
Thanks again,
John