WASHINGTON — Scientists have identified a new problem for amphibians, which are already shrinking in numbers: a parasite infesting tadpoles worldwide.
The family of parasites related to those that attack oysters has been found in the livers of frogs and tadpoles on three continents, and in both temperate and tropical climates. Researchers linked it to a mass tadpole die-off in Georgia earlier this year.
“There have been numerous outbreaks with this parasite, what we presume to be the same parasite, all over the eastern part of the United States,” said University of Georgia wildlife ecology professor Michael Yabsley, co-author of a study published by the Proceedings of the National of Academy of Sciences. “It’s certainly going to be one of the things we are worried about.”
Co-author Thomas Richards said amphibian numbers are falling because of habitat loss, climate change, fungus and other diseases. This parasite, he said, is “just one more threat.”
