Updated distribution of an alien frog species, Lithobates catesbeianus (Shaw, 1802), in Ecuador: new records of Bullfrog in the semideciduous lowland forest of western Ecuador

We report the occurrence of Lithobates catesbeianus (Shaw, 1802), Bullfrog, in a protected semidecidu-ous forest in the city of Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador and in a nearby wildlife management center. Bosqueira Pro-tected Forest is an isolated spot of diversity surrounded by urbanization, quarries, an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Check list (Luís Felipe Toledo) 2023-01, Vol.19 (4), p.533-539
Main Authors: Narváez, Andrea E., Barreno, Marissa, Cuadrado, Stefania, Vera, Katherine, Molina-Moreira, Natalia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biodiversity
citize
Environmental conditions
Forest protection
Forests
Geographical distribution
Guayas
Highways
Invasive species
Juveniles
Lithobates catesbeianus
New records
Population status
Predation
protected forest
Urbanization
Wildlife management
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Summary:We report the occurrence of Lithobates catesbeianus (Shaw, 1802), Bullfrog, in a protected semidecidu-ous forest in the city of Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador and in a nearby wildlife management center. Bosqueira Pro-tected Forest is an isolated spot of diversity surrounded by urbanization, quarries, and highways. We found a juvenile Bullfrog in a water canal on the edge of the protected forest, near a private housing complex, and several tadpoles in an artificial pond in a wildlife management center located near the reserve. This is the first sighting of the invasive L. catesbeianus in a native ecosystem in Guayaquil. We also report the this species from, three other provinces of Ecuador, based on observations in iNaturalist. These records reinforce the ability of L. catesbeianus to adapt easily to varied environmental conditions and to disturbed areas. The invasion of L. catesbeianus towards semideciduous forest represents a new threat to biodiversity, particularly the endemic fauna, due to predation or competition. In future studies, it will be important to fully evaluate the Bullfrog diet and population status to esti-mate its impact on remnant forests of Guayaquil.
ISSN:1809-127X
1809-127X
DOI:10.15560/19.4.533