Áreas vulnerables a la invasión actual y futura de la rana toro (Lithobates catesbeianus: Ranidae) en Colombia: Estrategias propuestas para su manejo y control

The bullfrog is one of the most aggressive invasive species globally because of their wide dispersal ability, competence and their voracious eating habits. In Colombia, the species has been reported since the early 80's when entered the country as an economic alternative in the frog breeding and distribution has increased since then. This work has modeled potential distribution of the species in Colombia based upon the projection of the distribution in the native area in the northeastern United States. Likewise, the distribution was compared with the current potential future distribution of three global circulation models (CCCMA-CGCM31, CSIRO_MK30 and IPSL_CM4) and over two time horizons (2050 and 2080 yrs). It was determined that the Andes and the Caribbean Region in Colombia presents optimal areas for the establishment of the species present and the future. It is urgent to design and implement a management and control plan for Bullfrog populations in Colombia, to identify invaded areas and perform control of this species. This article provides some basis for the development of this plan in Colombia.