Cases of albinism and leucism in amphibians in Italy: new reports

Abstract

-Findings of abnormally pigmented amphibian individuals provide interesting insights on intraspecific phenotypic variability as well as on variation among populations inhabiting different habitats. Amphibian coloration is determined by chromatophores (specific epidermal cells), and a variety of abnormalities related to them have been reported. In this study we reported cases of albinism and leucism in six species of Italian amphibians, including some endemic species. For some taxa, like Hydromantes sarrabusensis, H. flavus, H. supramontis and Bufo viridis, we describe the first observations of albinism and leucism.Key words: Speleomantes, Rana, newt, Salamandra, chromatophores, tadpoles.Riassunto -Casi di albinismo e leucismo negli anfibi in Italia: nuove osservazioni.Studi sulla pigmentazione anomala degli anfibi forniscono spunti interessanti sulla loro variabilità fenotipica intraspecifica e sulla variazione tra popolazioni che abitano diversi habitat. La colorazione degli anfibi è determinata dai cromatofori (specifiche cellule epidermiche) e in letteratura vengono segnalate diverse anomalie relative a queste specifiche cellule. In questo studio abbiamo descritto casi di albinismo e leucismo in sei specie italiane di anfibi, tra cui alcune endemiche. Per alcuni taxa, come Hydromantes sarrabusensis, H. flavus, H. supramontis e Bufo viridis, descriviamo per la prima volta osservazioni di albinismo e leucismo.

Partial albinism in a Malaysian Painted Frog, Kaloula pulchra Gray 1831, from Mizoram, northeast India

“…Multiple limbs, missing limbs, and facial abnormalities are the main malformations seen among amphibians (Hall and Henry 1992;Lunde and Johnson 2012;Ashaharraza and Mahapatra 2020;Regmi et al 2021;Siammawii et al 2021aSiammawii et al , 2021bSiammawii et al , 2021cLalremsanga 2022). Albinism is quite rare as compared to other anomalies with only a few reported cases (e.g., Lessona 1880; Capanna 1969;Capanna and Foresti 1974;Corsini et al 2002;Spadola and Insacco 2010;Modesti et al 2011;Dyrkacz 1981;Lunghi et al 2017). Albinism usually results from gene mutations which affect the development and distribution of chromatophores and/or skin pigment production (Duellman and Trueb 1994;Bechtel 1995).…”

“…F inding abnormally pigmented amphibians in a population provides interesting insights on intraspecific phenotypic erraticism as well as on variation among populations inhabiting different habitats (Lunghi et al 2017). A number of reports have cited albinism and leucism as the most common forms of peculiar coloration among wild amphibians.…”

Photographic database of the European cave salamanders, genus Hydromantes

“…There is a growing demand for publication of standardised dataset [32][33][34] , and those relating to endangered or not yet assessed species have a particular value 35,36 ; however, special care should be taken when publishing data on sensitive species 37 . This dataset represents a snapshot of multiple Hydromantes populations, providing information on the minimum population size 38 , the age of individuals and morphometry 39,40 , and the variability of dorsal colouration [41][42][43] . Digitisation is a practice adopted to make manuscripts stored in various collections easily accessible to the public [44][45][46] .…”

First report of partial leucism in the poison frog Epipedobates anthonyi (Anura: Dendrobatidae) in El Oro, Ecuador

“…Several types of coloration abnormalities have been reported in amphibians worldwide, which are caused by alterations in pigment cells [1][2][3][4][5]. The most common coloration abnormalities are: leucism, known as the lack of pigmentation in the whole body (only eyes retain normal coloration); and albinism, which is the lack of pigmentation, including the whole body and the eyes [6,7].…”