Atelopus longirostris

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Atelopus longirostris
Atelopus longirostris female.jpg
Female Atelopus longirostris from Junín, Ecuador
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Bufonidae
Genus: Atelopus
Species:
A. longirostris
Binomial name
Atelopus longirostris
Cope, 1868
Synonyms [2]

Phryniscus longirostris(Cope, 1868)
Phryniscus boussingaultiThominot, 1889
Atelopus longirostris marmorataWerner, 1901

Contents

Atelopus longirostris is a species of harlequin frog, a member of the family of true toads (Bufonidae). It has been recorded only in northern Ecuador. Records from Colombia probably represent different species. [2] Once listed as extinct by the IUCN, [3] it was rediscovered in 2016 after more than two decade with no sightings.

Names

The scientific name of this species means "long-snout" and the species has been named in Spanish as the jambato hocicudo (long-snouted jambato). [4] Common names longnose stubfoot toad, scrawny stubfoot-toad, and longnose sharlequin frog have been coined for it. [2] [5]

Taxonomy and systematics

Atelopus longirostris was described by Edward Drinker Cope in 1868 based on a specimen collected by James Orton and which now appears to be lost. The type locality was stated as "Valley of Quito", but this is presumed to be erroneous. [6] [2]

Arteaga and colleagues (2013) state that populations from Carchi and Esmeraldas Provinces need taxonomic revision and exclude them from the range of this species. [7] [5]

Description

Adult males measure 30–35 mm (1.2–1.4 in) and females 41–47 mm (1.6–1.9 in) in snout–vent length. However, Tapia and colleagues report two smaller adult females, measuring 37 and 39 mm (1.5 and 1.5 in) SVL. Atelopus longirostris has a slender body with long limbs. The snout is pronounced and has a comparatively sharp point. The fingers are fleshy and have some basal webbing; the toes are more heavily webbed. The dorsum is brown with yellow or cream rounded spots. The flanks are dark brown or black. The venter is whitish with some brown suffusion in the throat and chest.

Status and rediscovery

Previously, the species has been classified as extinct, due to huge declines probably related to the disease chytridiomycosis, climate change and habitat loss. [3] The species was not recorded between 1989 and 2016, despite some searching in historical localities. It was rediscovered in March 2016 when four adults (two males and two females) were located in Imbabura in two small forest patches in an area heavily modified for agriculture and livestock. These individuals tested negative for chytridiomycosis and were brought to the Jambatu Research and Conservation Center in the hope of establishing a captive breeding population. [5]

Distribution and habitat

Male Atelopus longirostris from Junin, Ecuador Atelopus longirostris male.jpg
Male Atelopus longirostris from Junín, Ecuador

Atelopus longirostris is historically known from the western slopes of the northern Ecuadorian Andes in the provinces of Esmeraldas, Imbabura, Pichincha, and Cotopaxi, at elevations between 200–2,500 m (660–8,200 ft) above sea level. [3] [4] Tapia and colleagues give a slightly different historic range that includes Imbabura, Cotopaxi, Pichincha, and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas Provinces and a narrower altitudinal range, 900–1,925 m (2,953–6,316 ft). [5]

Atelopus longirostris inhabits lowland (but see above) and montane tropical rainforests. Breeding takes place in streams. [3] Populations discovered in 2016 were in isolated, small patches of native forest within a heavily modified landscape. They were all found at night, perched on leaves about half a metre above the ground, some distance away from the nearest rivers. [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Atelopus</i> Genus of amphibians

Atelopus is a large genus of Bufonidae, commonly known as harlequin frogs or toads, from Central and South America, ranging as far north as Costa Rica and as far south as Bolivia. Atelopus species are small, generally brightly colored, and diurnal. Most species are associated with mid-to-high elevation streams.

<i>Atelopus arthuri</i> Species of amphibian

Atelopus arthuri, Arthur's stubfoot toad, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, subtropical or tropical high-altitude grasslands, and rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss. It has not been seen since the nineteen eighties and is considered probably extinct.

<i>Atelopus balios</i> Species of amphibian

Atelopus balios, the Rio Pescado stubfoot toad, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to southwestern Ecuador, with records from Pacific lowlands in Azuay, Cañar, and Guayas Provinces. It is a rare species that was already suspected to be extinct, but a single specimen was discovered in 2011 by a team from Conservation International during a hunt for missing amphibians. The decline in amphibian populations is well documented. The Atelopus balios is Critically Endangered as a result of the widespread amphibian Chytridiomycosis fungus that has decimated other amphibian populations. There are only 10 known findings of the tadpole, Atelopus balios.

<i>Atelopus bomolochos</i> Species of amphibian

Atelopus bomolochos, the Azuay stubfoot toad or Cuenca jambato frog, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to southern Ecuador and known from Cordillera Oriental in the Azuay, Cañar, and Loja Provinces.

Atelopus boulengeri, Boulenger's stubfoot toad, is a small species of toad in the family Bufonidae endemic to humid montane forest in southern Ecuador. It has not been seen since 1984, but some of the known sites have not been well surveyed, so it may still survive. The threats are habitat loss and the disease chytridiomycosis.

<i>Atelopus chiriquiensis</i> Extinct species of amphibian

Atelopus chiriquiensis, the Chiriqui harlequin frog or Lewis' stubfoot toad, is an extinct species of toad in the family Bufonidae that was found in the Cordillera de Talamanca in Costa Rica and western Panama. Its natural habitats were stream margins in lower montane wet forests and rainforests. Its elevational range was 1,400–2,500 m (4,600–8,200 ft) asl.

<i>Atelopus coynei</i> Species of amphibian

Atelopus coynei, the Rio Faisanes stubfoot toad, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elegant stubfoot toad</span> Species of amphibian

The elegant stubfoot toad or Pacific jambato frog is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae found in lowlands and Andean slopes of northwest Ecuador to 1,140 m (3,740 ft) asl and on the Gorgona Island, off southwest coast of Colombia. It was described by George Albert Boulenger in 1882 based on a specimen collected by Edward Whymper. It is known in Spanish as rana jambato del Pacífico or simply jambato del Pacífico.

<i>Atelopus ignescens</i> Species of amphibian

Atelopus ignescens, the Jambato toad or Quito stubfoot toad or Jambato harlequin frog, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to the northern Andes of Ecuador. This once abundant species was believed to be extinct until its rediscovery in 2016. The specific name ignescens means "to catch fire," presumably in reference to the orange ventral color of this species.

Atelopus lynchi, also known as Lynch's stubfoot toad or Lynch's harlequin frog, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It occurs in northern Ecuador (Carchi) and in southern Colombia. It occurs on the Pacific slope of the Cordillera Occidental, as the westernmost ranges of the Andes are known in both Colombia and in Ecuador. Prior to its description, it was confused with Atelopus longirostris.

The Mindo stubfoot toad or Mindo harlequin-toad is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Ecuador in Pichincha, Santo Domingo and Cotopaxi Provinces. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and rivers. It has a unique appearance and color pattern, being green and red with white speckles, and due to this it was once considered an emblematic species of the Mindo Valley.

Atelopus pachydermus is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is found in the Andes of northern Peru and southern Ecuador. Records from Colombia reflect the vagueness of the stated type locality, "Neu-Granada", encompassing territory part of several present-day countries. Other records outside the current range refer to other species. The most recent record of this very rare and possibly extinct species is from around 1995. However, there is a need to reassess the status of this species because of confusion with Atelopus podocarpus.

<i>Atelopus palmatus</i> Species of amphibian

Atelopus palmatus is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to the Cordillera Oriental of eastern Ecuador and is known from the Napo and Pastaza Provinces at elevations of 1,150–1,740 m (3,770–5,710 ft) above sea level. Its type locality is "Rio Pastaza".

Atelopus planispina is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to the eastern slopes of the Andes of Ecuador. According to the IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, it is restricted to the Napo Province, although other sources suggest somewhat wider range. It has not been seen since 1985 and might already be extinct. Common names Planispina's harlequin frog, Napo stubfoot toad, and flat-spined atelopus have been coined for it.

<i>Atelopus spurrelli</i> Species of amphibian

Atelopus spurrelli is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Colombia and occurs in the Pacific lowlands and foothills of the Cordillera Occidental. The specific name spurrelli honors Herbert George Flaxman Spurrell, a British physician and zoologist. Common name Condoto stubfoot toad has been coined for this species.

Blomberg's toad, also known as the Colombian giant toad, is a very large species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is found in rainforests at altitudes between 200 and 650 metres in western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. It has been recorded in Florida in 1963, apparently because of pet escape or release, but did not get established.

<i>Rhaebo caeruleostictus</i> Species of amphibian

Rhaebo caeruleostictus is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Ecuador and occurs along the lower western slope of the Cordillera Occidental at elevations of 40–2,000 m (130–6,560 ft) asl. The specific name caeruleostictus, from Latin caeruleus (=blue) and Greek stiktos (spotted), refers to the bluish colour pattern of this species. Accordingly, common name blue-spotted toad has been coined for it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imbabura tree frog</span> Species of amphibian

The Imbabura tree frog is a species of frog in the family Hylidae found in the Pacific lowlands of western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador from the sea level to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) asl.

<i>Atelopus petersi</i> Species of amphibian

Atelopus petersi is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Ecuador and is known from the Cordillera Oriental in the Napo Province and more provisionally, in the Chimborazo Province. The specific name petersi honors James A. Peters, an American zoologist who collected the first specimens of this species in 1962 and provided a description under the name Atelopus pachydermus. Common names Peters' stubfoot toad and Peters' jambato toad have been coined for it.

Atelopus onorei is a small species of bright yellow and green toads in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Ecuador and is only known from the vicinity of its type locality on the western slope of the Cordillera Occidental in the Azuay Province. It has not been seen since 1990 and may now be extinct, but it is possible that overlooked populations remain.

References

  1. ↑ IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. 2022. Atelopus longirostris. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T54522A98641996. Accessed on 21 July 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Frost, Darrel R. (2017). "Atelopus longirostris Cope, 1868". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Martín R. Bustamante, Wilmar Bolívar, Luis A. Coloma, Santiago Ron, Diego Cisneros-Heredia, Fernando Castro, Jose Vicente Rueda, Stefan Lötters, Andrés Acosta-Galvis (2004). "Atelopus longirostris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2004: e.T54522A11158637. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T54522A11158637.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. 1 2 Galvis, P.A.; Cisneros-Heredia, D.F. (2005). "Atelopus longirostris". In Rueda-Almonacid, J.V.; et al. (eds.). Ranas Arlequines. Libretas de Campo. Conservación Internacional. p. 53. ISBN   958-97690-4-7.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Tapia, Elicio Eladio; Coloma, Luis Aurelio; Pazmiño-Otamendi, Gustavo & Peñafiel, Nicolás (25 May 2017). "Rediscovery of the nearly extinct longnose harlequin frog Atelopus longirostris (Bufonidae) in Junín, Imbabura, Ecuador". Neotropical Biodiversity. 3 (1): 157–167. doi: 10.1080/23766808.2017.1327000 .
  6. ↑ Peters, James Arthur (1973). "The frog genus Atelopus in Ecuador (Anura: Bufonidae)". Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology (145): 1–49. doi:10.5479/si.00810282.145.
  7. ↑ Arteaga, Alejandro; Bustamante, Lucas M. & Guayasamin, Juan M. (2013). The Amphibians and Reptiles of Mindo: Life in the Cloudforest. Quito, Ecuador: Imprenta Mariscal. ISBN   978-9942-13-496-7.
  8. Coloma, L. A.; et al. (2018). Ron, S. R.; Merino-Viteri, A. & Ortiz, D. A. (eds.). "Atelopus longirostris". Anfibios del Ecuador. Version 2018.0. Museo de Zoología, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (QCAZ). Retrieved 30 October 2018.
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