Tropical clawed frogs are considered to be invasive species and are now in some parts of southern Florida. It is also feared that it could adversely impact native species.
Scientifically known as Xenopus tropicalis, these invasive species have sharp claws that they use to shred and break apart their prey like insects and aquatic vertebras. "People need not fret over them," the scientists at the University of Florida told MailOnline. The small amphibian has protruding eyes and a flat body, and are mainly aquatic.
Although people should not be afraid of them, experts said that they could cause potential harm to native amphibians in Florida because they might spread diseases.
Tropical clawed frogs have been associated with the rainforests in sub-Saharan Africa. But how they found their way to the US remains a mystery to scientists.
Tropical Clawed Frogs in Florida
A resident of Riverview, outside of Tampa, reported in 2014 non-native frogs on her property. Fisheries and aquatic sciences professor Jeff Hill at UF/IFAS Tropical Culture Lab (TAL) surveyed the ponds near the place where the frogs were seen and found a breeding site at a small stormwater runoff pond.
Hill wrote his findings in a 2017 peer-reviewed paper wherein he described that the frogs found in that area were African clawed frogs. But the new research by scientists at UF/IFAS showed that the small amphibians were Tropical clawed frogs, also known as Western clawed frogs.
This discovery marks the first report of the invasive species outside of its home in the rainforests in sub-Saharan Africa, according to Naples Daily News.
"The Tropical clawed frog invasion represents yet another disturbance to Florida's aquatic ecosystems, particularly those in southern Florida, which are already vulnerable due to habitat destruction, pollution, invasive species, and disease," said UF wildlife ecology and conservation research associate professor Christina Romagosa.
In the study of UF scientists, entitled "A Case of Mistaken Identity: Genetic and Anatomical Evidence Reveals the Cryptic Invasion of Xenopus tropicalis in Central Florida " published in the Journal of Herpetology, the scientists sampled 43 water bodies and found frogs from 22 of them in Tampa Bay.
They were able to identify the true identity of the frogs from 2014 using a CT scan and DNA analysis. They discovered that the frogs were actually Tropical clawed frogs instead of African clawed frogs. Although they may look similar, the two species have a slight difference in body size.
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Controlling Invasive Frogs in Florida
It takes a lot of money to control invasive species as they could cost the country $120 billion a year in damage control, while Florida spends $45 million annually to manage them.
Tropical clawed frogs are invasive species that should be controlled otherwise they could spread throughout the state and may outcompete native frog species for food resources, Futurity reported.
Although they mainly eat invertebrates like insects, they are primarily generalist feeders who will often eat other frogs' eggs or tadpoles. This concerned many researchers as these small amphibians might adversely impact the ecosystem.
Moreover, they are concerned that Tropical clawed frogs might spread diseases to amphibians in the country. They emphasize that potential concerns with the invasive species for disease spread in Tampa Bay is currently unknown but they believe that it could happen.
They noted that accurate predictions about the frogs could create effective management of invasion and that the study plays a critical role in the management of this species.
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