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A chytrid-killed frog Chytridiomycosis in Atelopus varius—two sporangia containing numerous zoospores are visible.. Chytridiomycosis (/ k aɪ ˌ t r ɪ d i ə m aɪ ˈ k oʊ s ɪ s / ky-TRID-ee-ə-my-KOH-sis) is an infectious disease in amphibians, caused by the chytrid fungi Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans.
Perhaps the greatest, and least understood, threat to the mountain chicken frog today is the deadly fungal disease chytridiomycosis. [2] This disease, which has wiped out many amphibian populations across the globe, established on Dominica in 2002, and in just 1½ year the population on the island declined to near-extinction.
It is also known as the pixie frog due to its scientific name. It is found in Angola , Botswana , Kenya , Malawi , Mozambique , Namibia , South Africa , Tanzania , Uganda , Zambia , Zimbabwe , and possibly the Democratic Republic of the Congo .
The world's largest frog is the goliath frog of West Africa—it can grow to 15 inches (38 centimeters) and weigh up to 7 pounds (3.2 kilograms). One of the smallest is the Cuban tree toad, which ...
More than 30 endangered froglets have been born at London Zoo after a dramatic 7,000-mile rescue mission saw their parents extracted from their fungus-threatened native habitat.
The fungus grows on amphibian skin and produces aquatic zoospores. [17] It is widespread and ranges from lowland forests to cold mountain tops. It is sometimes a non-lethal parasite and possibly a saprophyte. The fungus is associated with host mortality in highlands or during winter, and becomes more pathogenic at lower temperatures. [18]
Frog populations have declined significantly since the 1950s. More than one third of species are considered to be threatened with extinction and over 120 are believed to have become extinct since the 1980s. The number of malformations among frogs is on the rise and an emerging fungal disease, chytridiomycosis, has spread around the world.
The fungus has been classified as a major factor in the decline in amphibian populations worldwide, but in Chile has been reported recently, in 2009. Other causes cited are competition that occurs between African clawed frog and helmeted water toad, introduced for sale in the market for frog legs.