The presence of Bd zoosporangia in skin samples of the dead individual coming from the eastern warm branch, which reach temperatures of up to 26°C, suggests the occurrence of a Bd strain adapted to higher temperatures (Bd does not grow well above 25°C: Piotrowsky et al. 2004). Since the two pairs of branches differ by almost 4°C, and knowing that temperature may influences patterns of Bd infection, future field-studies should assess the prevalence of the Bd infection in subpopulations of Valcheta Frog inhabiting at different environmental conditions along the stream.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Arellano, María Luz

Belasen, Anat M.

James, Timothy Y.

Kacoliris, Federico Pablo

Velasco, Melina Alicia

English

Servicio de Difusión de la Creación Intelectual

Herpetological Review 48(1), 201768     AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE DISEASESHerpetological Review, 2017, 48(1), 68–70.© 2017 by Society for the Study of Amphibians and ReptilesFirst Record of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis  in Pleurodema somuncurense, a Critically  Endangered Species from ArgentinaThe Valcheta Frog, Pleurodema somuncurense (Cei 1969), is an endemic species from the Somuncura Plateau (northern Patagonia, Argentina) with a high degree of habitat specialization and a very small distributional range. It is an almost wholly aquatic frog that inhabits permanent thermal springs and the warm headwaters of the Valcheta Stream, a watercourse located at the edge of the plateau. The Valcheta Frog is one of most endangered species of Argentina (Vaira et al. 2012) and one of the three amphibians in this country listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List (IUCN 2016) due to a restricted range and a combination of threats including exotic predatory fish species (Oncorhynchus mykiss and Salvelinus fontinalis), habitat fragmentation, and livestock encroachment (Velasco et al. 2016). The potential threat of disease to P. somuncurense, namely the emerging fungal disease chytridiomycosis caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is unknown. However, the pathogen was recently reported by Arellano et al. (2015) in Atelognathus reverberii, another endemic species from Somuncura Plateau that inhabits high altitude lagoons. Bd is widely distributed throughout Argentina, infecting several species (Herrera et al. 2005; Barrionuevo and Mangione 2006; Fox et al. 2006; Arellano et al. 2009; Ghirardi et al. 2009, 2014; Gutierrez et al. 2010; Delgado et al. 2012; Lescano et al. 2013). However, there are few Bd-related mortality records, with the exception of a case in Atelognathus patagonicus (Ghirardi et al. 2014).In February 2015 during a population study of the Valcheta Frog, we conducted visual encounter surveys covering the whole range of the species, which encompasses two pairs of stream branches that comprise the headwaters of Valcheta Stream (Fig. 1; Velasco et al. 2016). These branches are locally identified as the cold and warm branches, with temperatures ranging from 20.5 to 22.5°C and from 22 to 26°C, respectively (Ortubay et al. 1997). During surveys, we hand-captured 15 adult frogs (using latex rubber examination gloves) from the western cold branch (N = 7), eastern cold branch (N = 4), and western warm branch (N = 4). Individuals were gently but firmly swabbed 10 times using sterile fine-tipped rayon swabs with plastic shafts, on the ventral surface, hind limbs and interdigital membrane following the techniques of Hyatt et al. (2007). We also found two dead individuals at the eastern warm branch (Fig. 1). These individuals were fixed in formalin, and then we took samples of shed skin from hind limbs. These samples were observed with a light microscope at 400x magnification to search for the characteristic Bd zoosporangia. The swab samples were preserved in absolute ethanol. DNA extractions were performed using 40 μl of PrepMan Ultra (Applied Biosystems) using procedures as Boyle et al. (2004). The extracts were diluted to 1:10 with PCR grade water and stored at -20°C until they were analyzed in duplicate quantitative PCR following the methods of Kerby et al. (2013). PCR analyses were performed on a Quant Studio 3 Real-Time PCR System (Applied Biosystems). Samples were run twice in duplicate for a total of four reactions per sample, and showed two individuals to be consistently Bd-positive and another two urbAn, M. c., L. A. Lewis, K. fučiKová, And A. cordone. 2015. Population of origin and environment interact to determine oomycete infec-tions in spotted salamander populations. Oikos 124:274–284.WebsteR, J., and R. WebeR. 2007. Introduction to Fungi, 3rd Edition. Cambridge University Press, New York. 867 pp.M. L. ARELLANO*M. A. VELASCO F. P. KACOLIRIS Sección Herpetología, Departamento Zoología de Vertebrados, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Calle 122 y 60 s/n. La Plata (1900), ArgentinaANAT M. BELASENTIMOTHY Y. JAMESDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA*Corresponding author; e-mail: mluzarellano@gmail.comFig. 1. Map of Argentina showing location of Somuncura Plateau (A), the Valcheta Stream (B), and the branches that form the headwa-ters of Valcheta Stream (C): 1) Western cold branch; 2) Eastern cold branch; 3) Western warm branch; and 4) Eastern warm branch. Herpetological Review 48(1), 2017     AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE DISEASES     69borderline Bd-positive (samples with mean load > 1 ZE but not all replicates amplifying), all from the eastern cold branch (Fig. 1). Loads among the four positive individuals ranged from 1.2–29.3 zoospore equivalents (ZE) averaged across technical replicates. Moreover, one of both skin samples taken from dead individuals was Bd infected (Fig. 2), and although this infection load was not quantified by qPCR, qualitatively the density of zoosporangia observed was higher than in other tissues already analyzed (Arellano, unpubl. data).Although we have not found many mortality events in the field, a few individuals have been found dead (two adults during this study, and two larvae) in different field surveys. Even though few individuals were tested in this study, Bd prevalence (26.6%) is not insignificant compared with Bd prevalence in previous works (Vredenburg et al. 2013; Petersen et al. 2016). These values of prevalence and the existence of other threats, including exotic predators, trampling by livestock, and human-related disturbs on aquatic habitats (Velasco et al. 2016) might reinforce the species’ threat.We have no Bd information on the other two amphibian species sharing the stream (Rhinella arenarum and Odonthophrynus occidentalis), but the fungus was previously detected in Atelognathus reverberii (Arellano et al. 2015), an IUCN vulnerable species inhabiting volcanic lagoons scattered over the plateau.The presence of Bd zoosporangia in skin samples of the dead individual coming from the eastern warm branch, which reach temperatures of up to 26°C, suggests the occurrence of a Bd strain adapted to higher temperatures (Bd does not grow well above 25°C: Piotrowsky et al. 2004). Since the two pairs of branches differ by almost 4°C, and knowing that temperature may influences patterns of Bd infection (Kinney et al. 2011; Olson et al. 2013; Fernández-Beaskoetxea et al. 2015), future field-studies should assess the prevalence of the Bd infection in subpopulations of Valcheta Frog inhabiting at different environmental conditions along the stream. Considering the critically endangered status of the species, detailed monitoring of the stability of the population is warranted in order to elucidate the long-term consequences of the presence of this exotic disease. Acknowledgments.—We thank “Scouts de la Ciencia,” Park rang-ers (A. Lapa and V. Pazos), volunteers (M. Akmentins, C. Kass, H. Povedano, S. Quiroga, M. Tejerina, L. Albornoz), and J. Williams for their kind help and assistance during the fieldwork and beyond. Suggestions from the editor and anonymous reviewers helped im-prove this manuscript. This study was supported by Mohamed Bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, PIP-11220110100358 (CONICET), F14AP00749 - Wildlife Without Borders - Amphibians in Decline (US-FWS), and a grant from the University of Michigan Water Center. Sec-retaría de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable de Río Negro provided necessary permits to perform this work.liteRatuRe citedaRellano, M. l., d. P. FeRRaRo, M. M. stecioW, and e. o. laVilla. 2009. Infection by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the yellow belly frog (Elachistocleis bicolor) from Argentina. Her-petol. J. 19:217–220. ———, M. s. akMentins, M. a. Velasco, c. kass, and F. P. kacoliRis. 2015. First report of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Atelogna-thus reverberii, a Threatened Species in Argentina. Herpetol. Rev. 46:354–356.baRRionueVo, J. s., and s. Mangione. 2006. Chytridiomycosis in two spe-cies of Telmatobius (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from Argentina. Dis. Aquat. Org. 73:171–174.boyle, d. g., d. b. boyle, V. olsen, J. a. t. MoRgan, and a. d. hyatt. 2004. Rapid quantitative detection of chytridiomycosis (Batrachochytri-um dendrobatidis) in amphibian samples using real-time Taqman PCR assay. Dis. Aquat. Org. 60:141–148.cei, J. M. 1969. The Patagonian telmatobiid fauna of the volcanic So-muncura Plateau of Argentina. J. Herpetol. 3:1–18.delgado, c. s., g. s. natale, R. a. heRReRa, and d. a. baRRasso. 2012. First record of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Physalaemus fernan-dezae (Anura: Leiuperidae) for Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Herpetol. Rev. 43:84–85.fernández-beAsKoetxeA, s., L.M. cArrAscAL, A. fernández-LorAs, M. c. FisheR, and J. bosch. 2015. Short term minimum water tempera-tures determine levels of infection by the amphibian chytrid fun-gus in Alytes obstetricans tadpoles. PLoS ONE 10(3):e0120237. FoX, s. F., a. l. gReeR, R. toRRes–ceRVantes, and J. P. collins. 2006. First case of ranavirus associated morbidity and mortality in natural populations of the South American frog Atelognathus patagonicus. Dis. Aquat. Org. 72:87–92.ghiRaRdi, R., J. n. lescano, M. s. longo, g. Robledo, M. M. stecioW, and M. g. PeRotti. 2009. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Argentina: first record in Leptodatylus gracilis and another record in Lepto-dactylus ocellatus. Herpetol. Rev. 40:175–176.Fig. 2. Unstained wet shedding skin from Pleurodema somuncurense infected with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (A: 400x; B: 600x) in Argentina. Arrows (B) indicate zoosporangia with septum. Scale bars = 20 μm.Herpetological Review 48(1), 201770     AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE DISEASES Herpetological Review, 2017, 48(1), 70–74.© 2017 by Society for the Study of Amphibians and ReptilesDetection of High Prevalence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Amphibians from Southern  Oklahoma, USAOklahoma is home to 54 species of amphibians (31 species of frogs, 23 species of salamanders; Sievert and Sievert 2011), a group of vertebrates shown to be highly susceptible to infectious pathogens, such as the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd; Vredenburg et al. 2010; Cheng et al. 2011). Bd has been documented in all states bordering Oklahoma, but little is known about Bd within Oklahoma (Young et al. 2007; Rothermel et al. 2008; Steiner and Lehtinen 2008; Gaertner et al. 2009a,b; Rimer and Briggler 2010; Lannoo et al. 2011). Previous studies sampled for Bd in four isolated sites spread out over four counties, with Bd detected in three of these sites (Steiner and Lehtinen 2008; Lannoo et al. 2011; Bd-Maps 2015). Recent research on historical museum specimens indicated that Bd has been present in Oklahoma since at least 1926, but little is known about current prevalence rates (Watters et al. 2016). Our study addresses the paucity of data for Bd infection in Oklahoma amphibians, where there is a great need to increase sampling efforts so that conservation actions can be implemented to mitigate potential negative effects of the pathogen on native species. From March–May 2015, we conducted six sampling trips to southern Oklahoma to collect amphibians and sample for Bd; research during this time coincided with the breeding season of amphibians and avoided the seasonal drop in detection of and infection by Bd due to high temperatures during the summer ———, M. G. Levy, J. A. LóPez, v. corbALán, M. M. steciow, And M. G. PeRotti. 2014. Endangered amphibians infected with the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Austral temperate wet-lands from Argentina. Herpetol. J. 24:129–133.gutieRRez, R. F., M. l. aRellano, l. e. MoReno, and g. s. natale. 2010. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Argentina: first record of infec-tion in Hypsiboas cordobae and Odontophrynus occidentalis tad-poles, in San Luis province. Herpetol. Rev. 41:323–324.heRReRa, R. a., M. M. stecioW, and g. s. natale. 2005. Chytrid fungus parasitizing the wild amphibian Leptodactylus ocellatus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) in Argentina. Dis. Aquat. Org. 64:247–252.hyatt, a. d., d. g. boyle, V. olsen, d. b. boyle, l. beRgeR, d. obendoRF, a. dalton, k. kRigeR, M. heRo, h. hines, R. Phillott, R. caMPbell, g. MaRantelli, F. gleason, and a. colling. 2007. Diagnostic assays and sampling protocols for the detection of Batrachochytrium dendro-batidis. Dis. Aquat. Org. 73:175–192.iucn ssc aMPhibian sPecialist gRouP. 2016. Pleurodema somun-curense. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016 <www.iuc-nredlist.org>. Accessed on 27 October 2016.keRby, J. l., a. schieFFeR, J. R. bRoWn, and s. WhitField. 2013. Utilization of fast qPCR techniques to detect the amphibian chytrid fungus: a cheaper and more efficient alternative method. Ecol. Evol. 4:162–166.kinney, V. c., J. l. heeMeyeR, a. P. PessieR, and M. J. lannoo. 2011. Sea-sonal pattern of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection and mortality in Lithobates areolatus: affirmation of Vrendenburg’s “10,000 Zoospore Rule.” PLOS ONE 6:e16708. lescano, J. n., M. s. longo, and g. Robledo. 2013. Chytridiomycosis in endemic amphibians of the mountain tops of the Córdoba and San Luis ranges, Argentina. Dis. Aquat. Org. 102:249–254.olson, d. h., d. M. aanensen, k. l. RonnenbeRg, c. i. PoWell, s. F. Walk-eR, J. bielby, t. W. J. gaRneR, g. WeaVeR, the bd MaPPing gRouP, and M. c. FisheR. 2013. Mapping the global emergence of Batrachochytri-um dendrobatidis, the amphibian chytrid fungus. PLOS ONE 8:e56802. oRtubay, s. g., e. s. góMez, and V. e. cussac. 1997. Lethal temperatures of a Neotropical fish relic in Patagonia, the scale-less characinid Gymnocharacinus bergi. Environ. Biol. Fish. 49:341–350.PeteRsen, c. e., R. e. loVich, c. a. PhilliPs, M. J. dReslik, and M. J. lan-noo. 2016. Prevalence and seasonality of the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis along widely separated longitudes across the United States. EcoHealth 13:368–382. PiotRoWski, J. s., s. l. annis, and J. F. longcoRe. 2004. Physiology of Ba-trachochytrium dendrobatidis, a chytrid pathogen of amphibians. Mycologia 96(1):9–15.VaiRa, M., M. s. akMentins, a. M. attadeMo, d. baldo, et al. 2012. Cate-gorización del estado de conservación de los Anfibios de la Repú-blica Argentina. Cuad. Herpetol. 26:131–159.Velasco, M. a., F. P. kacoliRis, i. beRkunsky, s. quiRoga, and J. d. WilliaMs. 2016. Current distributional status of the Critically Endangered Valcheta Frog: implications for conservation. Neotrop. Biol. Con-serv. 11:110–113.VRedenbuRg, V. t., s. a. Felt, e. c. MoRgan, s. V. g. Mcnally, s. Wilson, and s. l. gReen. 2013. Prevalence of Batrachochytrium dendroba-tidis in Xenopus collected in Africa (1871–2000) and in California (2001–2010). PLOS ONE 8:e63791.  ELIZABETH C. MARHANKA JESSA L. WATTERS*NICHOLAS A. HURONSHELBY L. McMILLINCLAIRE C. WINFREYSam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, University of Oklahoma, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, Oklahoma 73072, USADANIEL J. CURTISDepartment of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, 770 Van Vleet Oval, George Lynn Cross Hall, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USADREW R. DAVISJILLIAN K. FARKASJACOB L. KERBYDepartment of Biology, University of South Dakota, 414 E. Clark St., Vermillion, South Dakota, 57069, USACAMERON D. SILERSam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, University of Oklahoma, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, Oklahoma 73072, USA; Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, 730 Van Vleet Oval, Room 314, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA*Corresponding author, e-mail: jwatters@ou.edu

First Record of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Pleurodema somuncurense, a Critically Endangered Species from Argentina

SEDICI - Repositorio de la UNLP

Herpetological Review 48(1), 2017
68     AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE DISEASES
Herpetological Review, 2017, 48(1), 68–70.
© 2017 by Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles
First Record of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis  
in Pleurodema somuncurense, a Critically  
Endangered Species from Argentina
The Valcheta Frog, Pleurodema somuncurense (Cei 1969), 
is an endemic species from the Somuncura Plateau (northern 
Patagonia, Argentina) with a high degree of habitat specialization 
and a very small distributional range. It is an almost wholly 
aquatic frog that inhabits permanent thermal springs and 
the warm headwaters of the Valcheta Stream, a watercourse 
located at the edge of the plateau. The Valcheta Frog is one of 
most endangered species of Argentina (Vaira et al. 2012) and 
one of the three amphibians in this country listed as Critically 
Endangered by the IUCN Red List (IUCN 2016) due to a restricted 
range and a combination of threats including exotic predatory 
fish species (Oncorhynchus mykiss and Salvelinus fontinalis), 
habitat fragmentation, and livestock encroachment (Velasco 
et al. 2016). The potential threat of disease to P. somuncurense, 
namely the emerging fungal disease chytridiomycosis caused by 
the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is unknown. 
However, the pathogen was recently reported by Arellano et al. 
(2015) in Atelognathus reverberii, another endemic species from 
Somuncura Plateau that inhabits high altitude lagoons. Bd is 
widely distributed throughout Argentina, infecting several species 
(Herrera et al. 2005; Barrionuevo and Mangione 2006; Fox et al. 
2006; Arellano et al. 2009; Ghirardi et al. 2009, 2014; Gutierrez et 
al. 2010; Delgado et al. 2012; Lescano et al. 2013). However, there 
are few Bd-related mortality records, with the exception of a case 
in Atelognathus patagonicus (Ghirardi et al. 2014).
In February 2015 during a population study of the Valcheta 
Frog, we conducted visual encounter surveys covering the whole 
range of the species, which encompasses two pairs of stream 
branches that comprise the headwaters of Valcheta Stream (Fig. 
1; Velasco et al. 2016). These branches are locally identified as 
the cold and warm branches, with temperatures ranging from 
20.5 to 22.5°C and from 22 to 26°C, respectively (Ortubay et al. 
1997). During surveys, we hand-captured 15 adult frogs (using 
latex rubber examination gloves) from the western cold branch 
(N = 7), eastern cold branch (N = 4), and western warm branch (N 
= 4). Individuals were gently but firmly swabbed 10 times using 
sterile fine-tipped rayon swabs with plastic shafts, on the ventral 
surface, hind limbs and interdigital membrane following the 
techniques of Hyatt et al. (2007). 
We also found two dead individuals at the eastern warm 
branch (Fig. 1). These individuals were fixed in formalin, and then 
we took samples of shed skin from hind limbs. These samples 
were observed with a light microscope at 400x magnification to 
search for the characteristic Bd zoosporangia. 
The swab samples were preserved in absolute ethanol. 
DNA extractions were performed using 40 μl of PrepMan Ultra 
(Applied Biosystems) using procedures as Boyle et al. (2004). The 
extracts were diluted to 1:10 with PCR grade water and stored 
at -20°C until they were analyzed in duplicate quantitative PCR 
following the methods of Kerby et al. (2013). 
PCR analyses were performed on a Quant Studio 3 Real-Time 
PCR System (Applied Biosystems). Samples were run twice in 
duplicate for a total of four reactions per sample, and showed 
two individuals to be consistently Bd-positive and another two 
urbAn, M. c., L. A. Lewis, K. fučiKová, And A. cordone. 2015. Population 
of origin and environment interact to determine oomycete infec-
tions in spotted salamander populations. Oikos 124:274–284.
WebsteR, J., and R. WebeR. 2007. Introduction to Fungi, 3rd Edition. 
Cambridge University Press, New York. 867 pp.
M. L. ARELLANO*
M. A. VELASCO 
F. P. KACOLIRIS 
Sección Herpetología, Departamento Zoología de Vertebrados, 
CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, 
Calle 122 y 60 s/n. La Plata (1900), Argentina
ANAT M. BELASEN
TIMOTHY Y. JAMES
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
*Corresponding author; e-mail: mluzarellano@gmail.com
Fig. 1. Map of Argentina showing location of Somuncura Plateau (A), 
the Valcheta Stream (B), and the branches that form the headwa-
ters of Valcheta Stream (C): 1) Western cold branch; 2) Eastern cold 
branch; 3) Western warm branch; and 4) Eastern warm branch. 
Herpetological Review 48(1), 2017
     AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE DISEASES     69
borderline Bd-positive (samples with mean load > 1 ZE but 
not all replicates amplifying), all from the eastern cold branch 
(Fig. 1). Loads among the four positive individuals ranged from 
1.2–29.3 zoospore equivalents (ZE) averaged across technical 
replicates. Moreover, one of both skin samples taken from dead 
individuals was Bd infected (Fig. 2), and although this infection 
load was not quantified by qPCR, qualitatively the density of 
zoosporangia observed was higher than in other tissues already 
analyzed (Arellano, unpubl. data).
Although we have not found many mortality events in the 
field, a few individuals have been found dead (two adults during 
this study, and two larvae) in different field surveys. Even though 
few individuals were tested in this study, Bd prevalence (26.6%) 
is not insignificant compared with Bd prevalence in previous 
works (Vredenburg et al. 2013; Petersen et al. 2016). These values 
of prevalence and the existence of other threats, including exotic 
predators, trampling by livestock, and human-related disturbs 
on aquatic habitats (Velasco et al. 2016) might reinforce the 
species’ threat.
We have no Bd information on the other two amphibian 
species sharing the stream (Rhinella arenarum and 
Odonthophrynus occidentalis), but the fungus was previously 
detected in Atelognathus reverberii (Arellano et al. 2015), an IUCN 
vulnerable species inhabiting volcanic lagoons scattered over the 
plateau.
The presence of Bd zoosporangia in skin samples of the dead 
individual coming from the eastern warm branch, which reach 
temperatures of up to 26°C, suggests the occurrence of a Bd strain 
adapted to higher temperatures (Bd does not grow well above 
25°C: Piotrowsky et al. 2004). Since the two pairs of branches differ 
by almost 4°C, and knowing that temperature may influences 
patterns of Bd infection (Kinney et al. 2011; Olson et al. 2013; 
Fernández-Beaskoetxea et al. 2015), future field-studies should 
assess the prevalence of the Bd infection in subpopulations of 
Valcheta Frog inhabiting at different environmental conditions 
along the stream. Considering the critically endangered status of 
the species, detailed monitoring of the stability of the population 
is warranted in order to elucidate the long-term consequences of 
the presence of this exotic disease. 
Acknowledgments.—We thank “Scouts de la Ciencia,” Park rang-
ers (A. Lapa and V. Pazos), volunteers (M. Akmentins, C. Kass, H. 
Povedano, S. Quiroga, M. Tejerina, L. Albornoz), and J. Williams for 
their kind help and assistance during the fieldwork and beyond. 
Suggestions from the editor and anonymous reviewers helped im-
prove this manuscript. This study was supported by Mohamed Bin 
Zayed Species Conservation Fund, PIP-11220110100358 (CONICET), 
F14AP00749 - Wildlife Without Borders - Amphibians in Decline (US-
FWS), and a grant from the University of Michigan Water Center. Sec-
retaría de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable de Río Negro provided 
necessary permits to perform this work.
liteRatuRe cited
aRellano, M. l., d. P. FeRRaRo, M. M. stecioW, and e. o. laVilla. 2009. 
Infection by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in 
the yellow belly frog (Elachistocleis bicolor) from Argentina. Her-
petol. J. 19:217–220.
 ———, M. s. akMentins, M. a. Velasco, c. kass, and F. P. kacoliRis. 
2015. First report of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Atelogna-
thus reverberii, a Threatened Species in Argentina. Herpetol. Rev. 
46:354–356.
baRRionueVo, J. s., and s. Mangione. 2006. Chytridiomycosis in two spe-
cies of Telmatobius (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from Argentina. Dis. 
Aquat. Org. 73:171–174.
boyle, d. g., d. b. boyle, V. olsen, J. a. t. MoRgan, and a. d. hyatt. 2004. 
Rapid quantitative detection of chytridiomycosis (Batrachochytri-
um dendrobatidis) in amphibian samples using real-time Taqman 
PCR assay. Dis. Aquat. Org. 60:141–148.
cei, J. M. 1969. The Patagonian telmatobiid fauna of the volcanic So-
muncura Plateau of Argentina. J. Herpetol. 3:1–18.
delgado, c. s., g. s. natale, R. a. heRReRa, and d. a. baRRasso. 2012. First 
record of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Physalaemus fernan-
dezae (Anura: Leiuperidae) for Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. 
Herpetol. Rev. 43:84–85.
fernández-beAsKoetxeA, s., L.M. cArrAscAL, A. fernández-LorAs, M. c. 
FisheR, and J. bosch. 2015. Short term minimum water tempera-
tures determine levels of infection by the amphibian chytrid fun-
gus in Alytes obstetricans tadpoles. PLoS ONE 10(3):e0120237. 
FoX, s. F., a. l. gReeR, R. toRRes–ceRVantes, and J. P. collins. 2006. First 
case of ranavirus associated morbidity and mortality in natural 
populations of the South American frog Atelognathus patagonicus. 
Dis. Aquat. Org. 72:87–92.
ghiRaRdi, R., J. n. lescano, M. s. longo, g. Robledo, M. M. stecioW, and 
M. g. PeRotti. 2009. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Argentina: 
first record in Leptodatylus gracilis and another record in Lepto-
dactylus ocellatus. Herpetol. Rev. 40:175–176.
Fig. 2. Unstained wet shedding skin from Pleurodema somuncurense infected with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (A: 400x; B: 600x) in 
Argentina. Arrows (B) indicate zoosporangia with septum. Scale bars = 20 μm.
Herpetological Review 48(1), 2017
70     AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE DISEASES
 Herpetological Review, 2017, 48(1), 70–74.
© 2017 by Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles
Detection of High Prevalence of Batrachochytrium 
dendrobatidis in Amphibians from Southern  
Oklahoma, USA
Oklahoma is home to 54 species of amphibians (31 species 
of frogs, 23 species of salamanders; Sievert and Sievert 2011), a 
group of vertebrates shown to be highly susceptible to infectious 
pathogens, such as the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis 
(Bd; Vredenburg et al. 2010; Cheng et al. 2011). Bd has been 
documented in all states bordering Oklahoma, but little is known 
about Bd within Oklahoma (Young et al. 2007; Rothermel et al. 
2008; Steiner and Lehtinen 2008; Gaertner et al. 2009a,b; Rimer 
and Briggler 2010; Lannoo et al. 2011). Previous studies sampled 
for Bd in four isolated sites spread out over four counties, with Bd 
detected in three of these sites (Steiner and Lehtinen 2008; Lannoo 
et al. 2011; Bd-Maps 2015). Recent research on historical museum 
specimens indicated that Bd has been present in Oklahoma since 
at least 1926, but little is known about current prevalence rates 
(Watters et al. 2016). Our study addresses the paucity of data for 
Bd infection in Oklahoma amphibians, where there is a great 
need to increase sampling efforts so that conservation actions 
can be implemented to mitigate potential negative effects of the 
pathogen on native species. 
From March–May 2015, we conducted six sampling trips to 
southern Oklahoma to collect amphibians and sample for Bd; 
research during this time coincided with the breeding season of 
amphibians and avoided the seasonal drop in detection of and 
infection by Bd due to high temperatures during the summer 
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ELIZABETH C. MARHANKA 
JESSA L. WATTERS*
NICHOLAS A. HURON
SHELBY L. McMILLIN
CLAIRE C. WINFREY
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 
University of Oklahoma, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., 
Norman, Oklahoma 73072, USA
DANIEL J. CURTIS
Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, 
University of Oklahoma, 770 Van Vleet Oval, 
George Lynn Cross Hall, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA
DREW R. DAVIS
JILLIAN K. FARKAS
JACOB L. KERBY
Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, 
414 E. Clark St., Vermillion, South Dakota, 57069, USA
CAMERON D. SILER
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 
University of Oklahoma, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., 
Norman, Oklahoma 73072, USA; Department of Biology, 
University of Oklahoma, 730 Van Vleet Oval, Room 314, 
Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA
*Corresponding author, e-mail: jwatters@ou.edu


http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/bitstream/handle/10915/95545/11336_74618_5_CONICET_Digital_Nro.3fed0ea8-248a-496c-b057-622c2c8acf17_D.pdf-PDFA.pdf.pdf?sequence=1

First Record of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Pleurodema somuncurense, a Critically Endangered Species from Argentina

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