Report a Malformation

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More on Malformations

What are common amphibian malformations? Where have malformations been reported? To answer these questions and more about amphibian malformations, visit the NBII Amphibian Project malformations page. There you can see common malformations and a field guide to malformations, download data on reported malformations, and learn about the causes of malformations.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Abnormal Amphibian Surveys

[Image: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Division of Environmental Quality is actively involved in studying amphibian declines and abnormalities. To better study amphibians and the concerns facing them, the Fish and Wildlife Service has developed standard operating procedures (SOPs) for abnormal amphibian surveys on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wildlife refuges. The Fish and Wildlife Service's Amphibian Declines and Deformities Web page provides more information about how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works to conserve threatened and endangered amphibians.

Report a Malformation

Thanks for your interest in submitting a report to the North American Reporting Center for Amphibian Malformations (NARCAM). Reports provide an important baseline of data on the health and fitness of existing amphibian populations; patterns of reported malformation occurrences can help direct further research and study of these phenomena, in order to determine causes.

NARCAM seeks data limited to malformed amphibians; however, we maintain the option to submit data regarding the total number of unaffected amphibians observed where malformed amphibians are found. Obtaining both types of data provides a more accurate picture of current conditions in a particular locale.

All reports submitted to NARCAM are reviewed and verified by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Lab (SREL), a research unit with significant experience and expertise in herpetology; SREL is the lead agency for all NARCAM efforts. Once you submit your report, a herpetologist at SREL will review and validate it for completeness, accuracy in species identification, and other factors. Once a report has been validated by SREL, it will be become part of the publicly searchable database.

You may have questions about NARCAM's need to require a limited amount of personal information about you in the report. This information is required in the event that an SREL herpetologist needs to follow up with you regarding a question about your report or observations. NARCAM strives to obtain the most accurate reports possible from its user community; sometimes that requires us to get clarification on some aspect of your report. Please note that any personally identifying information from your report - names, street addresses, email addresses, phone numbers - are removed from the record before it is made publicly viewable and searchable on the NARCAM site. No user of the NARCAM database will ever be able to view your personal information in association with a specific report. Further, all personal information remains confidential; it will never be accessed by or shared with any other party.

NARCAM Data Submission Form is available on this page. Scroll down to enter your data.

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT statement: The information collected will be used by scientists and agencies to identify areas where malformed amphibians occur, and the rates of occurrence. Correlating this information with other data about hypothesized causes of malformations may lead to better analyses of those features. Participation in this data collection effort is voluntary. An agency may not conduct or sponsor collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The currently valid OMB control number of this survey is 1028-0056; the expiration date is 2011-03-31.

Burden Estimate Statement : Public burden for reporting information requested for this form is estimated to average 20 minutes per respondent. Comments regarding this collection of information may be directed by mail to the USGS Information Clearance Office, 12201 Sunrise Valley Dr., MS 807, Reston, VA 20192.

Founded and developed by the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, NARCAM is managed by the Southern Appalachian Information Node of the USGS NBII in partnership with the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Lab.

OMB Control Number 1028-0056

NARCAM: Data Submission Form

Please note:

Fields denoted with a red asterisk * are mandatory.
Do not use the web browser Back button.
To move on to next data entry screen, click "Continue" button.
Please complete all data screens and click the "Submit Final Report" button
on the Review Report screen which allows you to correct any data
before they are added into the database.

I. Information About the Reporter

* Reporter's Name:
* Email address:
Phone number with area code:
Country:
State/Province:
Your Street Address:
City:
Zip/Postal Code:

* Are you a

List your position/title and institution, if applicable :

* May we follow up with you if we have additional questions about your report?

Is this report being submitted in conjunction with

Report Approval Process for Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance for Malformations Reports

How amphibian malformation reports are approved:

Reports of amphibian malformations submitted by users to the NARCAM system are subjected to further review before approval for inclusion in the complete searchable database. Currently, the NBII is partnered with scientists from the Savannah River Ecology Lab who review amphibian malformation reports for NARCAM and confirm or reject each report. Click the "more" link below for more details about the NARCAM report review process.

more...

The NBII Program is administered by the Biological Informatics Office of the U.S. Geological Survey

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