A research team from the Senckenberg Natural History Collections in Dresden and the Zoological State Collection in Munich has studied the occurrence of the Italian barred grass snake in Bavaria. Based on over 1000 samples, they show that the snake, which was only recently discovered in Germany, Leer más.

The researchers determined that the invasive reptile occupies 49.31 percent of the island, and 43.04 percent of the lizards’ entire range area. Based on the data, the researchers believe the snakes will cover the entire island of Ibiza by 2027-2028. This very fast blanketing of Ibiza island is driving a very fast decline of P. pityusensis to the point of extirpation within the invaded range. Leer más.

Predation can affect prey behavior, demography, abundance, and distribution, particularly in lentic freshwater ecosystems. Fish are predators known to reduce the abundance of their prey and to restrict the distribution of species. Using time series which spanned 43 and 22 yr, respectively, we analyzed the effect of a change in the fish predator community on the dynamics of two pond-breeding amphibian populations (Rana temporaria and Rana dalmatina).  Leer más.

The guidelines cover the reasons for conducting amphibian translocations, pre-translocation planning and risk assessment, and also cover important topics such as disease, welfare, human social dimensions, post-release monitoring and reporting results. To provide real life examples, twenty-five amphibian case studies from the Global Reintroduction Perspectives series (2008 to 2021) have been included as references for recent and past projects.

Here, we report the presence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and ranavirus in 11% of tested individuals in legal amphibian trade fairs in Spain. Although none of the Bd infected animals in trade fairs presented disease symptoms, symptoms of ranavirosis were observed in some specimens which were nonetheless still offered for sale. None of the traders who were selling infected animals showed interest in engaging in collaboration to control infections when offered for free. In addition, a large private urodele collection confiscated by the police in Barcelona comprised a number of illegally wild-caught species. Many confiscated individuals presented signs of poor welfare and several were positive for Bd.  Leer más.