Rediscovery of Armoured Mist Frog kicks off National Frog Week

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Two months ago Robert Puschendorf, a doctoral student at James Cook University was surprised to find what appeared to be several Armoured Mistfrogs in a creek in a remote  corner of Northeast Australia.  The Mistfrog had not been seen by scientists in 1991, and was believed to be extinct. DNA tests were run on the little guys, and they have been positively ID’ed as authentic mistfrogs.  Springer and Povich, eat your hearts out.

The Armoured Mist Frog is light brown, with dark brown spots, and prefers areas with fast-flowing water. Most scientists assumed the Mistfrog, along with 6 other species, had been wiped out by a devastating fungus called Batrochochytrium dendrobatidis, more commonly known as the chytrid fungus.  The discovery has given frog researchers renewed hope that the other missing species may be found in or near the same area.

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So far, about 40 Mistfrogs have been found.  And even though most of them are infected with the fungus, the disease does not appear to be making them sick.  This is of course great news. A research team on threatened frogs at the James Cook University, lead by Professor Ross Alford, plans to do an in depth study on the creatures.  As part of their efforts to save frog species from Chytrid and other catastrophic diseases, they want to determine how this select group of frogs has managed to live with the fungus.

Frogs play a vital role in reducing insect populations and they are an important part of the food chain within their ecosystems. But they are especially important because, due to the characteristics of their thin skin, they are extremely sensitive to subtle changes in the environment. When pollution starts to wreak havoc in an area, frogs are often among the first species to be affected.  Inthis way, frogs are an “early warning system” for problems that should be examined and corrected.

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2008 is the Year of the Frog for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Somebody else has commandeered April as National Frog Month.   A guy named Chuck Powell has had dibbs on American Frog Day since 1995.  Appropriately, it is a floating holiday.

However, the United States does not appear to have a an official frog week.  With equal parts seriousness and long sticky tongue in cheek, Paulano therefore declares September 12th through September 18th, 2008 as National Frog Week for the entire United States. Henceforth, National Frog week will always start on the second Friday of September.  I’m starting small this year, and holding only a few modest parties and events.  Please contact me if you want to be grand marshal.   If you celebrate it too, be sure to share what you did and send comments to this blog. My hope is to promote frog health and welfare, disseminate knowledge about frogs, and raise awareness for frog issues. So please, be responsible about how and where you dump your household toxics, and be sure to keep our lakes, ponds and streams free of garbage.

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