Leucistic Tadpole? Looking for information

[Shana's_mom]

Hello from the Japanese countryside! I'm new to the forum, this is my first post. I'm hoping someone here can help. My 4th grade daughter and future herpetologist found a white tadpole swimming with many brown ones in a rice paddy near our house (while she was snake hunting ). It is completely white with "normal" black eyes. Is it leucistic? Could pollutants have caused this? It is healthy and thriving and will hopefully morph soon. My daughter is planning on doing her "summer research" for school on this white tadpole, but we can't find any information about white tadpoles anywhere. (Kids in Japan have only one month of summer vacation and must do a research study of their choosing.) Can someone on this forum help us?

[BrucenBruce]

Konbanwa, Shana's Mom! (And Shana, too!!)

I've never heard about a leucistic tadpole either, among frogs. There are leucistic morphs of the Axolotl, a Mexican salamander, which is endangered in the wild, but breeds well in captivity. Your daughter's tadpole looks very much like the young leucistic Axolotl in color.

There are albino American bullfrogs, Argentine horned frogs and others, and I have seen an axanthic (blue!) bullfrog in the wild - but those have little to do with the leucistic mutation.

I doubt that the mutation is caused by pollution, but I suppose it's possible. Most of the amphibian mutations I've heard being tied to pollution were deformities of the limbs.

In any case, that's a totemo sugoi discovery! I hope your Shana's frog does well, and that her Summer Research project is well received too. Perhaps she can reproduce this rare amphibian!?

Ja mata!

~Bruce

[muddoc]

I wish I had as much knowledge as Bruce, but I do not. I did want to compliment you on that beautiful tadpole, and wish your daughter much luck on her project and future herp addiction. Please post some updated pictures once it starts to morph.

[ADEE]

I dont have much information regarding them either but where we live (south florida, USA) we have lots of those type of tadpoles, regular black/brown ones and even some spotted and striped ones... they have been there for as long as i can remember (new life cycles obviously) Ive never seen one morph into a white frog though.. perhaps they die before morphing into adult frogs or we just missed seeing them evolve. I cant imagine though that over the course of 20 years (we started tadpole hunting when i was about 3-4yrs) that there would be an increase or decrease in pollution causing the white tadpoles, they have been there all along, perhaps its just a type of species...perhaps because your half a world away it could be something totally different?

Good luck with it! I cant wait to see what it looks like as it grows. Congrats to your daughter on a neat find They sure are cool.

[Shana's_mom]

Thanks everyone for your help. My daughter, Shana, and I have searched the rice paddy everyday since and have not found another white tadpole or frog. There seems to be two species of frogs in this paddy (Rana (Pelophylax) nigromaculata and Hyla japonica). All the tadpoles and frogs we have found and released show no abnormalities. (At least 100) Can anyone offer any information to help Shana with this research? She is only in the 4th grade, with very little knowledge of genetics. How do you explain mutations and cell dynamics to a 9 year old? How rare of a find is this? Does anyone know if there has ever been a leucistic frog? I appreciate all of your advice.

Lisa