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Geographic trend in sexual size dimorphism and body size of Osteopilus septentrionalis (Cuban treefrog): implications for invasion of the southeastern United States

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Abstract

We collected Osteopilus septentrionalis from Central Florida for analysis of sexual size dimorphism and compared our data to published information from populations across the native and introduced range of the species. We found significant sexual size dimorphism (females larger), with the degree of dimorphism decreasing with increasing degrees north latitude, a trend largely driven by a pronounced decrease in female mean snout to vent length. Potential explanations for this trend include reduced growth rates, increased time to maturity, and reduced life expectancy, all of which may be tied to climatic variation. A trend of decreasing female mean size toward the northernmost extent of the current introduced range of this species may be indicative of diminished impacts and invasive success. Geographical variation in morphology and its associated implications should be evaluated when considering the potential impacts of invasive species.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the AmeriCorps volunteers and the staff at Wekiwa Springs State Park (especially G. Walker, R. Owen, and P. Lammardo) for their assistance, and the Florida Integrated Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey (especially W.J. Barichivich) for providing PVC pipes. We thank K. Hoffmann, Hillsborough Community College, Lakeland Town Center, and Plant Adoption Landscapes, Inc. for facilitating frog specimen collection and K. Krysko (FLMNH) for providing access to museum specimens. We thank C.K. Dodd for providing comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. Specimen collection was permitted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP 06130613) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (ESC 06–07a). These capture and euthanasia methods are approved by the Animal Care and Use Committees of the University of Florida and the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 1200 N. Park Rd., Plant City, FL, 33563, USA

    Monica E. McGarrity & Steve A. Johnson

  2. Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, PO Box 110430, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Steve A. Johnson

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  1. Monica E. McGarrity
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  2. Steve A. Johnson
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Correspondence to Monica E. McGarrity.

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McGarrity, M.E., Johnson, S.A. Geographic trend in sexual size dimorphism and body size of Osteopilus septentrionalis (Cuban treefrog): implications for invasion of the southeastern United States. Biol Invasions 11, 1411–1420 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-008-9349-4

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