United States amphibian imports pose a disease risk to salamanders despite Lacey Act regulations

Abstract

Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) is a fungal pathogen that has devastated salamander populations in Europe and poses a major threat to North America’s exceptionally diverse salamander fauna. In 2016, the U.S. restricted trade in 20 salamander genera under the Lacey Act to reduce the risk of Bsal introduction via the pet trade. Using import records from 1999–2021, we show that the rule successfully reduced legal trade in the listed taxa. However, additional amphibian genera and species subsequently found to carry or be susceptible to Bsal continue to be imported into the U.S. in large quantities, meaning meaningful disease introduction risk persists despite the existing regulation.