Ex situ program progress

Ex situ program progress


Species		Anaxyrus houstonensis
Region where the program is based		North America
The country or countries where this program is based		USA
The authority that recommended this species for an ex situ program		Mandate by national conservation authority
Has a genetic analysis been performed on wild populations to define the target taxon, i.e., verify that single, viable Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESU's) that are managed as separate populations, are not confounded by cryptic species or polymorphisms?		Yes
If the answer to ESU is No, then there should be an entry for the needs in the Conservation Projects list. This is a link to the project.
Name of the institution(s) managing the ex situ population		Houston Zoo
The year that the program started		2007
Is at least some portion of the captive population maintained in range country?		Yes
Are sufficient resources available to manage the ex situ population?		Yes
If additional financial resources are required then then there should be an entry for the needs in the Conservation Projects list. This is a link to the project.
Are adequate numbers of skilled staff available with the appropriate ex situ amphibian experience?		Yes
If additional staff training/expertise is required then then there should be an entry for the needs in the Conservation Projects list. This is a link to the project.
Is sufficient space available for the required population size?		Yes
If additional facilities are required then then there should be an entry for the needs in the Conservation Projects list. This is a link to the project.
Has a Taxon Management Coordinator for the ex situ population been appointed?		Yes
Name of the Taxon Management Coordinator		Paul Crump
Taxon Management Coordinator’s institution		Houston Zoo
Taxon Management Coordinator’s email address		pcrump@houstonzoo.org
Has a Taxon Management Group or Recovery Team been established?		Yes
Names and institutions of Taxon Management Group members		Federal Recovery Team
Has a Taxon Management Plan, Recovery Plan or Species Action Statement been written?		No
Web link to Taxon Management Plan
Have Husbandry Guidelines been written?		In preparation
Web link to Husbandry Management Guidelines
Have any knowledge gaps in the species biology or in their interaction with potential threats been identified that could benefit from research using the ex-situ population?		Yes
List of any knowledge gaps		There are some gaps in knowledge about the dietary/nutritional requirements of the species (and how that influences environmental carrying capacity in different forest types), about the interactions between the number of calling males and the hormone response of females (are there physiological thresholds?).
Have founder needs been calculated using the AArk Amphibian Population Management Guidelines?		No
Have sufficient potential founders been collected?		No
If sufficient founds have not been collected, is there an ongoing search for additional founders?		Yes
The number of potential founders that were collected (males, females and unsexed).		We have collected 31 partial egg strands for head starting and retained individuals from 15 of them for the captive assurance colony. However, this must be split between management units.
Is the ex situ population managed by nationals from the range country?		Yes
What tools are used to maximize retention of gene diversity?		None
Has the population produced viable offspring?		No
Have the first generation captive-bred animals bred successfully?		No
Is the ex situ population housed in permanent isolation from other populations occurring outside its range?		Yes
Is work being supported to study and mitigate threats to the species in the wild, either by the institution or by a regional wildlife agency?		Yes
Have captive-bred or captive-reared animals been released into the wild?		Yes
If releases were undertaken, have disease screening protocols or veterinary health checks been conducted prior to releases to the wild?		Yes
Is follow-up work being carried out to monitor progress of the released animals?		Yes
Is the taxon again secure in the wild, even if it might still require some ongoing in situ management? i.e., has the need for a captive assurance population been obviated such that we can call this a successfully terminated captive rescue program?		No
Comments		Genetic analysis has been performed and there are some differences between northern and southern sand bands (as many as nine "management units" were identified (McHenry and Fostner, 2009 Report to TPWD for Sec. 6 funding), for ex situ purposes we have defined 2 management units, north and south sand bands.