New records of malformations of anuran limbs from Paraguay
Keywords:
Amphibians, Abnormalities, South AmericaAbstract
Morphological abnormalities in anuran amphibians have been documented throughout South America. Here, we report on six individual anuran morphological abnormalities in five species (Rhinella dorbignyi, Pseudis platensis, Chacophrys pierottii, Elachistocleis bicolor, and Physalaemus cuvieri) from two Paraguayan departments (Ñeembucú and Boquerón). We briefly discuss potential implications of malformation of the limbs and associated causes, identifying avenues of future research on this topic in Paraguay.
References
Agostini, M.G.; Kacoliris, F.; Demetrio, P.; Natale, G.S.; Bonetto, C. & Ronco, A.E. 2013. Abnormalities in amphibian populations inhabiting agroecosystems in northeastern Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms. 104: 163-171
Alford, R.A. & Richards, S.J. 1999. Global amphibian declines: a problem in applied ecology. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics. 30: 133-165
Ascoli-Morrete, T.; Signor, E.; Santos-Pereira, M. & Zanella, N. 2019. Morphological abnormalities in anurans from southern Brazil. Austral Ecology. 44: 1025-1029
Attademo, A.M.; Peltzer, P.M. & Lajmanovich, R.C. 2005. Amphibians occurring in soybean and implications for biological control in Argentina. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environments. 106: 389-394
Ballengée, B. & Sessions, S.K. 2009. Explanations for missing limbs in deformed amphibians. Journal of Experimental Zoology (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 312: 1-10
Barrio-Amorós, C.L.; Rivas, G.A.; Molina, C.; Santos, J.C.; Kaiser, H. 2010. Intraspecific variation in the endangered frog Mannophryne riveroi (Anura, Dendrobatidae, Aromobatinae), with comments on coloration and natural history. Herpetological Notes 3: 151-160.
Blaustein, A.R. & Johnson, P.T. 2003. The complexity of deformed amphibians. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 1: 87-94
Brouard, JP. & Smith, P. 2014. Elachistocleis bicolor (Amphibia: Anura: Microhylidae) and Eupemphix nattereri (Amphibia: Anura: Leuiperidae): Morphological abnormalities from Reserva Natural Laguna Blanca, Paraguay. Herpetología Brasileira. 3: 85-87
Carmo, L.F.; Guimarães, S.O.; Miguel, I.R.; Pinna, P.H.; Fernandes, D.S. & Woitovicz-Cardoso, M. 2021. High prevalence of anomalies in Nyctimantis brunoi (Anura: Hylidae) from a restinga protected area in southeastern Brazil. Phyllomedusa. 20: 165-179
Diaz-Ricuarte, J.C.; Vieira-Alencar, J.P.S.; Golnich, M.P.; Navarro-Morales, A. & Martins, M. 2025. Frogs with faulty feet: hindlimb anomalies in the Lesser Escuerzo Toad, Odontophrynus reigi (Rosset et al. 2021), and the Muller’s Termite Frog, Dermatonotus muelleri (Boettger, 1885), in the Brazilian Cerrado. Herpetology Notes. 18: 93-98
Figueroa-Coronel, E.; Tietge, M. & Peñaherrera-R, P. 2025.
First Report of Limb Abnormalities in the Mashpi Stream Frog, Hyloscirtus mashpi (Anura: Hylidae). Reptiles and Amphibians. 32: e23093.
Gardiner, D.; Ndayibagira, A.; Grün, F. & Blumberg, B. 2003. Deformed frogs and environmental retinoids. Pure and Applied Chemistry. 75: 2263-2273
Gobel, N.; Laufer, G.; Kacevas, N.; Carabio, M.; Merni, R.; Rosano, A.; Mendieta, F.; Pineda, G. & Bergós, F. 2022. Morphological abnormalities in amphibians in and adjacent to Esteros de Farrapos e Islas del Río Uruguay National Park, Uruguay. Herpetological Conservation and Biology. 17: 573-581
Guerra, C. & Aráoz, E. 2016. Amphibian malformations and body condition across an agricultural landscape of northwest Argentina. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms. 121: 105-116
Henle, K.; Dubois, A. & Vershinin, V. 2017. A review of anomalies in natural populations of amphibians and their potential causes. Mertensiella. 25: 57-164
Johnson, P.T.J.; Lunde, K.B.; Ritchie, E.G. & Launer, A.E. 1999. The effect of trematode infection on amphibian limb development and survivorship. Science. 284: 802-804
Jorgewich-Cohen, G.; Cavalcanti, I.R.S. & André, Kanasiro. 2019. Abnormalities in hylid frogs: a case study of schizodactyly in the striped snouted tree frog, Scinax squalirostris (Lutz, 1925) (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae). Herpetology Notes. 12: 1015-1018
Loeffler, K.; Stocum, D.L.; Fallon, J.F. & Meteyer, C.U. 2001. Leaping lopsided: a review of the current hypotheses regarding etiologies of limb malformations in frogs. The Anatomical Record. 265: 228-245
Meteyer, C.U. 2000. Field guide to malformations of frogs and toads with radiographic interpretations. U.S. Geological Survey BSR 2000-0005, 20p, https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/ publication/53882
Molina-Betancourt, K.J.; Serna-Botero, V. & Marín-Martínez, M. 2022. New records of limb malformations in the endemic Palm Rocket Frog, Rheobates palmatus (Anura: Aromobatidae), from Colombia. 2022. Herpetology Notes. 15: 229-232
Pavetti, A. & Saito, O. 2012. Changes in land use and ecosystem services in Paraguay. Proceedings of Annual Meeting of Environmental Systems Research. 40: 331-337
Pedroso-Santos, F.; Sanches, P.; de Sousa, J. & Costa-Campos, E. 2017. Morphological abnormality in Leptodactylus podicipinus (Cope, 1862) (Anura: Leptodactylidae) in an urban area of north Brazil, Eastern Amazon. Boletín Asociación Herpetológica Española 28: 70-72
Peltzer, P.; Lajmanovich, R.; Sanchez, L.; Attademo, A.; Junges, C.; Bionda, C.; Martino, A.L. & Basso, A. 2011. Morphological abnormalities in amphibian populations from the mid- eastern region of Argentina. Herpetológica Conservation and Biology. 6: 432-442
Pett, B.L.; Sarvary, J.; Davis, H-P.; Smith, P. & Atkinson, K. 2019. Records of morphological abnormalities of Anuran limbs from Paraguay. Cuaderno de Herpetologia. 33: 79-82
Ramírez-Jaramillo, S.M. 2019. First report on the presence of malformations in seven species of frogs (Amphibia, Anura) of tropical rainforest in Ecuador. Latin American Journal of Herpetology 2: 34-40
Reeves, M.K.; Jensen, P; Dolph, C.L.; Holyoak, M. & Trust, K.A. 2010. Multiple stressors and the cause of amphibian abnormalities. Ecological Monographs. 80: 423-440
Silva-Soares, T. & Mônico, A. 2017. Hind Limb malformation in the tree frog Corythomantis greeningi (Anura: Hylidae). Phyllomedusa: Journal of Herpetology 16: 117-120
Simmons, J.E. 2002. Herpetological collecting and collections management. Revised Edition. Herpetological Circulars. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Spolyarich, N.; Hyne, R.V.; Wilson, S.P.; Palmer, C.G. & Byrne, M. 2011. Morphological abnormalities in frogs from a rice-growing region in NSW, Australia, with investigations into pesticide exposure. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 172: 397-407
Zuluaga-Isaza, J.C.; Marín-Martínez, M.; Díaz-Ayala, R.F.; Rojas- Morales, J.A. & Ramírez-Castaño, V.A. 2017. First records of limb malformations in a cane toad, Rhinella marina (Anura: Bufonidae), and a Palm Rocket Frog, Rheobates palmatus (Anura: Aromobatidae), from Colombia. IRCF Reptiles & Amphibians. 24: 132-134.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Olivia Atlas Flores, Matthew Thomas Owen, Wendy Yael Kobrinsky, Melissa Morrisson, Paul Smith

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
You are free to:
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material
The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
-
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
-
NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.