What is it about?
Although there are no native reptiles in Hawaii, over the past 100 years or so more than 40 have been released, and around 30 have become established. Some of these have expanded their original low elevation ranges up into the native forests which tend to start around 600 meters in elevation. One such invasive species is the Japanese Wrinkled Frog. In order to prioritize which of the invasive herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians) to focus our efforts on, we made a short list of those that comprise a subset that have moved into sensitive native habitats as these forest ecosystems house concentration of the remaining native biodiversity. to date only three of the more than two dozen predatory species of invasive herpetofauna have been investigated in terms of diet and potential direct impact on Hawaii's native fauna, the Jackson's chameleon, the coqui frog and now the wrinkled frog.
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Why is it important?
This is important because although we know without any doubt that biodiversity on islands is decreasing, we need information that will allow us to prioritize control and management efforts of invasive predators. This study is the first step in allowing us to more accurately gauge negative impacts of this widespread and expanding invasive frog.
Perspectives
Personally I have witnessed the range expansion of this species over the past dozen years, and it now occurs in otherwise pristine forests, and although other colleagues had certainly noticed it along trails and watersheds, no one knew what it is feeding on.
Dr Brenden Stephen Holland
Hawaii Pacific University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Gut Check: Predatory Ecology of the Invasive Wrinkled Frog (Glandirana rugosa) in Hawai‘i, Pacific Science, April 2018, Pacific Science,
DOI: 10.2984/72.2.2.
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