Vol. 19 No. 1 (2024)
Short Note

The lateral stripe – a reliable way for software assisted individual identification for Hyla arborea

PDF
  • Simeon Lukanov,
  • Andrey Kolev,
  • Angel Dyugmedzhiev,
  • Miroslav Slavchev
Simeon Lukanov
Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Tzar Osvoboditel 1, Sofia
Andrey Kolev
Faculty of Biology, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Dragan Tzankov 8, Sofia
Angel Dyugmedzhiev
Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Tzar Osvoboditel 1, Sofia
Miroslav Slavchev
Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Tzar Osvoboditel 1, Sofia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/a_h-15519

Published 2024-06-21

Keywords

  • colouration,
  • Common tree frog,
  • recognition,
  • variation

How to Cite

Lukanov, S., Kolev, A., Dyugmedzhiev, A., & Slavchev, M. (2024). The lateral stripe – a reliable way for software assisted individual identification for Hyla arborea. Acta Herpetologica, 19(1), 69–73. https://doi.org/10.36253/a_h-15519

Copyright (c) 2024 Simeon Lukanov, Andrey Kolev, Angel Dyugmedzhiev, Miroslav Slavchev

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Funding data

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

Abstract

Traditional mark-recapture methods for amphibians and reptiles involve the application of invasive physical markers, such as toe clipping. Photographic identification methods are non-invasive alternative that use natural colouration of individuals for inexpensive, reliable identification. The relatively small species of the Hylidae family are susceptible to toe clipping – so dorsal, ventral, or leg patterns have been used in studies on different hylid species. The present study aims to test the usefulness of the lateral stripe in the Common tree frog Hyla arborea in software-assisted image recognition, which would allow for a reliable and time-efficient individual identification. A total of 258 adult tree frogs from a pond near the village of Oshtava, SW Bulgaria, were captured by hand in twelve sessions throughout the spring (April-May) of 2022 and 2023. The right and left side of each frog was photographed and the animals were released at the site of capture. Images were loaded into Hotspotter – free software for image recognition that has been demonstrated to work very well for several amphibian species. Results revealed 108 recaptures of 46 individual tree frogs (including 11 tree frogs captured more than twice and three recaptures between years). Only 12% of all frogs had similar right and left lateral stripes, with the others displaying significant variations. This study highlights both the applicability of the lateral stripe for individual recognition in this species and the need for consistency in image processing.

PDF

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

  1. Antwis, R.E., Purcell, R., Walker, S.L., Fidgett, A.L., Preziosi, R.F. (2014): Effects of visible implanted elastomer marking on physiological traits of frogs. Conserv. Physiol. 2: cou042.
  2. Bendik, N.F., Morrison, T.A., Gluesenkamp, A.G., Sanders, M.S., O’Donnell, L.J. (2013): Computer-assisted photo identification outperforms visible implant elastomers in an endangered salamander, Eurycea tonkawae. PloS ONE 8: e59424.
  3. Burgstaller, S., Gollmann, G., Landler, L. (2021): The Green toad example: a comparison of pattern recognition software. North-west. J. Zool. 17: 96-99.
  4. Bolger, D.T., Morrison, Т.А., Vance, B., Lee, D., Farid H. (2012): A computer assisted system for photographic mark–recapture analysis. Methods Ecol. Evol. 3: 813-822.
  5. Clarke, R.D. (1972): The effect of toe clipping on survival in Fowler’s toad (Bufo woodhousei fowleri). Copeia 1972: 182-185.
  6. Crall, J., Stewart, C., Berger-Wolf, T., Rubenstein, D., Sundaresan S. (2013): Hotspotter - patterned species instance recognition; pp. 230-237. In: Proceedings of the 2013 IEEE Workshop on applications of Computer Vision (WaCV 2013), January 15-17, 2013, Clearwater Beach. WWW internet resource and software available at http://cs.rpi.edu/hotspotter/
  7. Dufresnes, C., Brelsford, A., Crnobrnja-Isailovic, J., Tzankov, N., Lymberakis, P., Perrin, N. (2015): Timeframe of speciation inferred from secondary contact zones in the European tree frog radiation (Hyla arborea group). BMC Evol. Biol. 15: 155.
  8. Dunbar, S.G., Anger, E.C., Parham, J.R., Kingen, C., Wright, M.K., Hayes, C.T., Safi, S., Holmberg, J., Salinas, L., Baumbach D.S. (2021): HotSpotter: using a computer-driven photo-id application to identify sea turtles. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 535: 151490.
  9. Elgue, E., Pereira, G., Achaval-Coppes, F., Maneyro R. (2014): Validity of photo-identification technique to analyze natural markings in Melanophryniscus montevidensis (Anura: Bufonidae). Phyllomedusa 13: 59-66.
  10. Ferner, J.W. (2007): A review of marking and individual recognition techniques for amphibians and reptiles. Herpetological circular No35, Society for the study of amphibians and reptiles, Salt Lake City.
  11. Guimaraes, M., Correa, D.T., Filho, S.S., Oliveira, T.A., Doherty, P.F., Sawaya R.J. (2014): One step forward: contrasting the effects of toe clipping and PIT tagging on frog survival and recapture probability. Ecol. Evol. 4: 1480-1490.
  12. Kenyon, N., Phillott, A.D., Alford, R.A. (2009): Evaluation of the photographic identification method (PIM) as a tool to identify adult Litoria genimaculata (Anura: Hylidae). Herpetol. Conserv. Biol. 4: 403-410.
  13. Kim, M.Y., Borzée, A., Kim, J.Y., Jang, Y. (2017): Treefrog lateral line as a mean of individual identification through visual and software assisted methodologies. J. Ecol. Environ. 41: 42.
  14. Le Chevalier, H., Calvez, O., Martínez-Silvestre, A., Picard, D., Guérin, S., Isselin-Nondedeu, F., Ribéron, A., Trochet, A. (2017): Marking techniques in the Marbled Newt (Triturus marmoratus): PIT-Tag and tracking device implant protocols. Acta Herpetol. 12: 79-88.
  15. Lukanov, S. (2022): Inter-pond migration during the aquatic phase by male Triturus ivanbureschi. Russ. J. Herpetol. 29: 373-376.
  16. Lunghi, E., Bruni, G. (2018): Long-term reliability of Visual Implant Elastomers in the Italian cave salamander (Hydromantes italicus). Salamandra 54: 283.
  17. Matthé, M. (2018): AmphIdent. Available from: http://www.amphident.de
  18. Naumov, B., Lukanov, S. (2018): Notes on age-related changes in body size and colorpattern in captive Triturus dobrogicus (Kiritzescu, 1903). Herpetozoa 30: 159-168.
  19. Patel, N.G., Das, A. (2020): Shot the spots: A reliable field method for individual identification of Amolops formosus (Anura, Ranidae). Herpetozoa 33: 7-15.
  20. Pittman, S.E., Jendrek, A.L., Price, S.J., Dorcas, M.E. (2008): Habitat selection and site fidelity of Cope’s gray treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis) at the aquatic-terrestrial ecotone. J. Herpetol. 42: 378-385.
  21. Renet, J., Leprêtre, L., Champagnon, J., Lambret, P. (2019): Monitoring amphibian species with complex chromatophore patterns: a non-invasive approach with an evaluation of software effectiveness and reliability. Herpetol. J. 29: 13-22.
  22. Sannolo, M., Gatti, F., Mangiacotti, M., Scali, S., Sacchi, R. (2016): Photo-identification in amphibian studies: a test of I3S Pattern. Acta Herpetol. 11: 63-68.
  23. Schoen, A., Boenke, M., & Green, D. M. (2015): Tracking toads using photo identification and image-recognition software. Herpetol. Rev. 46: 188-192.
  24. Speed, C.W., Meekan, M.G., Bradshaw, C.J. (2007): Spot the match – wildlife photo-identification using information theory. Front. Zool. 4: 2.
  25. Waddle, J.H., Rice, K.G., Mazzotti, F.J., Percival, H.F. (2008): Modeling the effect of toe clipping on treefrog survival: beyond the return rate. J. Herpetol. 42: 467-473.