Abstract
Despite increased attention to the problem of alien amphibian invasions, systematic assessments of the actual invasion status and potential, required to estimate possible environmental and economic impacts of introduced species, are often missing. A prime example is Johnstone’s Whistling Frog (Eleutherodactylusjohnstonei), a Caribbean native that now occurs widely throughout the South American mainland, including Colombia. We conducted the first systematic and comprehensive countrywide assessment of the introduction status of the species in Colombia, combining both intensive field surveys, as well as a first population genetic analysis. The species was strictly confined to urban habitats with specific environmental conditions (plant nurseries and private gardens) and did not show any signs of dispersal into the extra-urban matrix. Genetic data support previously hypothesised independent introduction events in the Andes and along the Caribbean Coast and shed light on potential dispersal pathways. The results of this study challenge both the active spread, as well as the broad environmental tolerance hypothesis previously suggested, to explain the observed range extension. A critical reassessment of the categorisation of the species as highly invasive under IUCN-ISSG standards is required.
Highlights
Johnstone’s Whistling Frog, Eleutherodactylus johnstonei Barbour, 1914, a native of the Lesser Antilles, presumably St
We provide the first systematic and comprehensive countrywide assessment of the introduction status of E. johnstonei in Colombia
E. johnstonei exclusively occupied nurseries and urban private gardens in front of private houses, apartment complexes or hotels, while we never found populations in other urban areas such as public parks or gardens, even if these were located in the immediate vicinity of occupied sites
Summary
Johnstone’s Whistling Frog, Eleutherodactylus johnstonei Barbour, 1914, a native of the Lesser Antilles, presumably St. The species became established on other Caribbean Islands and on the Middle and South American mainland, with Sao Paolo, Brazil being the southernmost confirmed record to date (Melo et al 2014). It is one of the few tropical species that even managed to establish populations in the temperate zones of the palearctic of Europe. This introduction occurred under very peculiar circumstances and here, the species is restricted to non-natural environments, namely botanical gardens and greenhouses. At least 10 different greenhouse populations are known from zoological and botanical institutions in Germany and the Netherlands (this study)
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