Scientist Creates One-of-a-Kind Frog

[Frog News]

Livescience.com (Utah, USA) March 8th, 2011 10:17 AM: Scientist Creates One-of-a-Kind Frog

A newly bred hybrid frog – the offspring of two species of tropical leaf frogs – is one of a kind and even rarer than its endangered parents.

A scientist at The Manchester Museum in England allowed the two species of endangered Central American leaf frogs housed within the same chamber to interbreed to better understand how closely these parents are related. Understanding the genetic relationships between, and even within, species is important when trying to protect them.

This was a match made in lab heaven. The parents, Agalychnis annae and Agalychnis moreletii, wouldn't cross paths on their own, since they occupy different regions in Central America. In the past 30 years, populations of endangered leaf frogs have completely disappeared, particularly at cooler, high elevations. The amphibian-devastating chytrid fungus is implicated.

Frogs that have adapted to less fungus-friendly habitats are likely to be less at risk, making it important to identify the differences between populations, writes Andrew Gray, the museum's curator of herpetology, in a study that appeared in February in arXiv, an open archive maintained by Cornell University.

"There is also real concern that certain populations may disappear before their distinctiveness has even been established," Gray writes.

The parents look very much alike – in fact their skulls are nearly indistinguishable – but they have different coloration. Their love child resembles both, but is also distinct. It has dark red irises like the papa frog A. moreletii, and the purple-to-blue coloration along its flanks and thighs, like most A. annae, the mama frog. However, its hands and feet are more intense orange than seen in either parent.

Hybridization experiments like this are helpful in better understanding the inheritance of genes in amphibians, including those determining color patterns, the researchers write.

Full Article

[Leefrogs]

Aaaaahhh, so hybrids are accepted in the frog world!!!

[Tony]

Aaaaahhh, so hybrids are accepted in the frog world!!!

In the case of a controlled study by a reputable institution for a clearly defined purpose and with responsible disposition of the hybrid offspring, yes. For those interested the original report from Manchester, including a link to a PDF file of the published results, is available on their Frog Blog. It is a worthwhile read and underscores the importance of population level conservation over species level in non-Dendrobatid frogs.

[John]

Aaaaahhh, so hybrids are accepted in the frog world!!!

Aside from Tony's good points, since these will never make it into the frog hobby or to zoos, there's no reason to fear them.

[poison beauties]

Aside from Tony's good points, since these will never make it into the frog hobby or to zoos, there's no reason to fear them.

Im not so sure. Many people have both Annae and Blackeyed tree frogs. It is a shame too as this will give many ideas when both species really do need to be bred andmanaged as they are both critically endangered.

Michael

[John]

It is a shame too as this will give many ideas when both species really do need to be bred and managed as they are both critically endangered.

Let's face it, hobbyists, even tree walkers int., are not a part of any real management program and are very unlikely to ever be. I know TWI has aspirations of playing a real role in conservation but frankly that's a pipe dream. The only useful role they play, so far, is sending money to serious organizations that need it.

[poison beauties]

What many do not understand is our hobby is just a huge group of small business's. If we want to change anything its got to be the hobby first. We need to start with unneeded imports and better quality care from the herp shops and better management of whats here.

As for the release of that bit of info it will further promote ideas of what can be bred to what. Give it till the end of the year there will be full clutches of them for sale.

Michael

[Tony]

As for the release of that bit of info it will further promote ideas of what can be bred to what. Give it till the end of the year there will be full clutches of them for sale.

I doubt that. It has been no secret that A. annae and A. moreletii are very closely related, A. annae wasn't even described as a distinct species until 1963. If someone wanted to do this cross for commercial purposes it could have been done without this study. I only know of one person who is currently breeding both species and I doubt he will be making hybrids of them.

[poison beauties]

Lets hope that is the truth. There are plenty of hobbyists though who are raising both species. All the annae are at breeding age now.

Michael

[John]

No one has talked about whether or not the hybrids are fertile. I doubt they are.

[Tony]

No one has talked about whether or not the hybrids are fertile. I doubt they are.

Why do you think that? Being so closely related that they may actually just be one polymorphic species I would expect the opposite. I'm curious to know if they plan to continue with sibling and back crosses to test fertility.

[michael]

I read the paper. Yes, it had been already suggested by others (Duellman, for instance) that these two species were possibly closely related. I am not sure the relevance of this paper other than reproduction in order to produce a paper (damn the prevailing ‘publish or perish’ attitude in the scientific community!). There are many allopatric species that will, given the chance, cross reproduce. Just look at the hobby.

Okay, both species are threatened by chytrid. Both species seem to holding their own in altered habitat (coffee plantations: A. annae near San Jose, A. moreletti in El Salvador). But what relevance does this paper have on addressing Bd or conservation?

I admire the Manchester Museum’s captive breeding program via the internet. But I’m not sure that a paper describing a hybrid warrants publication or attention…….just a thought.

[Dendro Dave]

Darts have been crossbred by scientists also for similar purposes.

[vince]

Guys take a look at the European Green Frog Complex the Edible frog is a hybrid of the marsh frog and pool frogs. Bombinas' ie Orientalis, the yellow bellied toad and european firebellied toads all cross or hybridize where their ranges overlap with fertile offspring in nature. But if by doing this the husbandry off the tree-frogs is better understood, and it leads to better captive breeding and survival of endangered animals then it should be applauded.

[Namio]

A scientist at The Manchester Museum in England allowed the two species of endangered Central American leaf frogs housed within the same chamber to interbreed to better understand how closely these parents are related. Understanding the genetic relationships between, and even within, species is important when trying to protect them.

The ability to interbreed does not necessarily reflect the phylogenetic relationship between two species.