Gigantism in tadpoles and color anomalies in European green toad Bufotes viridis from Poland

Abstract

Some new cases of anomalies in wild Bufotes viridis from Western Poland are presented together with a discussion of their potential causes and a comparison with similar cases from the literature. The anomalies in question are color aberrations (pre- and postmetamorphic) and developmental pathologies (pre-metamorphic). The color anomalies include an ochre patch in a juvenile, leucism and albinism in both tadpoles and juvenile individuals. Developmental pathologies described in this paper include gigantism, edema, curvature of tail, and asymmetric bodies.