|
|
|
|
|1 |2 |3 |4 |5 |6 |7 |8 |9 |10 |11 |12 |13 |14 |15 |16 |17 |18 |19 |20 |21 |22 |23 |24 |25 |26 |27 |
 |
The same Litoria caerulea as in the previous slide but viewed from above.
Note the abducted hind limbs with the legs held away from the body. This posture
is typical of frogs with chytridiomycosis. A more subtle sign is minute skin tags
on the digits. Look at the right fore foot of this frog. There is a very small
skin tag on the tip of the toe that is at the top. Very small! There is also another on
the tip of the largest toe on the right hind foot. Even smaller!
Often skin changes can't be seen with the naked eye and are only detected by examining the frog with a magnifying glass or dissecting microscope. The only accurate confirmatory test currently available is histological sections stained with haematoxylin and eosin and examined using the compound light microscope. Isolation of the fungus in culture is not as sensitive. |