Status, Distribution, and Ecology of an Endangered Semi-Aquatic Frog (Atelognathus patagonicus) of Northwestern Patagonia, Argentina

Atelognathus patagonicus is a Leptodactylid frog endemic to Patagonia with a very restricted range in and around Laguna Blanca National Park, Neuquén, Argentina. We conducted surveys of A. patagonicus in 15 lakes in and around the park from December 2000 through April 2001 (late austral spring throu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Copeia 2005-12, Vol.2005 (4), p.921-929
Main Authors: Fox, Stanley F, Yoshioka, Joy H, Cuello, Maria Elena, Úbeda, Carmen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amphibians
Animal diseases
Animal populations
Animals
Aquatic habitats
Freshwater fishes
Frogs
Lakes
Lakeshores
National parks
Ponds
Reptiles & amphibians
Shorelines
SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS
Tadpoles
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Summary:Atelognathus patagonicus is a Leptodactylid frog endemic to Patagonia with a very restricted range in and around Laguna Blanca National Park, Neuquén, Argentina. We conducted surveys of A. patagonicus in 15 lakes in and around the park from December 2000 through April 2001 (late austral spring through early fall) and January–February 2002. We found the species in all the lakes except the largest, Laguna Blanca, and conclude that A. patagonicus is gone from that lake, probably related to the introduction of an invasive fish species there. We used transects and quadrats to sample animals near the shoreline of the lakes and found impressive densities of A. patagonicus, up to 1.15 individuals/m2 in one transect at one lake and an overall average highest density per lake of 0.58 individuals/m2. Densities were highest in late summer (March). Captures were higher in aquatic than terrestrial habitat, although postmetamorphs on land were not uncommon. Littoral and aquatic postmetamorphic forms have been described for this species; most animals we found were the aquatic form (96.8%). Tadpoles were found in January–March. In most populations, we found many dead and moribund tadpoles and frogs, all of which showed clinical signs of an unknown disease. Frequency of affected animals was greater than 40% in eight of the 11 lakes sampled systematically and reached 91.3% in one lake in February 2002. Percent animals encountered dead was usually less than 12%, except for 33% registered in one lake in January 2001. Clinical signs occurred mostly in metamorphosing tadpoles and recent metamorphs, with a peak in February (47%). Populations were mostly asymptomatic (prevalence of 1.4%) by early fall (April) and showed roughly equivalent high densities of animals the next year, as well as high levels of sick animals once again. Atelognathus patagonicus es una rana Leptodactilida endémica de la Patagonia con una distribución restringida a un área dentro y cerca del Parque Nacional Laguna Blanca, Neuquén, Argentina. Llevamos a cabo muestreos de A. patagonicus en 15 lagos dentro y cerca del parque de diciembre del 2000 a abril del 2001 (finales de la primavera a principios del otoño austral) y en enero–febrero de 2002. Encontramos la especie en todos los lagos excepto en el más grande, Laguna Blanca, y concluimos que A. patagonicus ha desaparecido de ese lago, probablemente en relación a la introducción de una especie invasiva de pez en ese ambiente. Usamos transectas y cuadrados pa
ISSN:0045-8511
2766-1512
1938-5110
2766-1520
DOI:10.1643/0045-8511(2005)005[0921:SDAEOA]2.0.CO;2