The genotoxic effects of the imidacloprid-based insecticide formulation Glacoxan Imida on Montevideo tree frog Hypsiboas pulchellus tadpoles (Anura, Hylidae)

• IMI lethal and genotoxic properties were evaluated on Hypsiboas pulchellus.
• Determination of LC50 96 h was employed as lethal end point.
• IMI induced micronuclei and DNA single-strand breaks in circulating blood cells.
• First evidence of genotoxicity exerted by IMI on an Argentinean amphibian species.

The neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid (IMI) affects the insect central nervous system and is successfully applied to control pests for a variety of agricultural crops. In the current study, acute toxicity and genotoxicity of the IMI-containing commercial formulation insecticide Glacoxan Imida (35 percent IMI) was evaluated on Hypsiboas pulchellus (Anura: Hylidae) tadpoles exposed under laboratory conditions. A lethal effect was evaluated as the end point for lethality, whereas micronucleus (MN) frequency and DNA single-strand breaks evaluated by the single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay were employed as end points for genotoxicity. Sublethal end points were assayed within the 12.5–37.5 mg/L IMI concentration range. Experiments were performed on tadpoles at stage 36 (range, 35–37) according to the classification proposed by Gosner. Lethality studies revealed an LC50 96 h value of 52.622 mg/L IMI. Increased frequency of MNs was only observed when 25.0 mg/L was assayed for 96 h, whereas no other nuclear abnormalities were induced. Increase of the genetic damage index was observed at 48 h of treatment within the 12.5–37.5 mg/L concentration range, whereas an increased frequency of DNA damage was observed only in tadpoles treated with 37.5 mg/L IMI for 96 h. This study represents the first evidence of the acute lethal and genotoxic effects exerted by IMI on tadpoles of an amphibian species native to Argentina under laboratory conditions.