Sehuencas water frog

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Sehuencas water frog
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Telmatobiidae
Genus: Telmatobius
Species:
T. yuracare
Binomial name
Telmatobius yuracare
De la Riva  [ fr ], 1994

The Sehuencas water frog (Telmatobius yuracare) is a species of frog in the family Telmatobiidae. It is endemic to Bolivia. [1] [2] Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, rivers, and freshwater marshes. It is threatened by habitat loss. [1] No individuals were encountered in the wild between 2008 and 2019. [3]

Contents

Conservation work

Conservation of the Sehuencas water frog has been a focus of the K'ayra Center, run by herpetologist Teresa Camacho Badani at the Museo de Historia Natural Alcide d'Orbigny (MHNC) in Cochabamba.

A single male Sehuencas water frog, nicknamed "Romeo," was collected from the wild in 2009 and housed at the K'ayra Center at the Museo de Historia Natural Alcide d'Orbigny (MHNC). [4] There were fears that Romeo was the last of his kind, an endling. Bolivian conservationists had long been looking for other Sehuencas water frog individuals, particularly females, in hopes of creating a captive breeding program. To raise awareness and money about the plight of the Sehuencas water frog, conservationists from Global Wildlife Conservation [4] and the Bolivian Amphibian Initiative created a profile for Romeo on Match.com, an online dating website. [5] In January 2019, an expedition headed by Badani in a Bolivian cloud forest led to the discovery of five more individuals: three males and two females. [6] The re-discovered frogs will be treated against chytridiomycosis, a fungal disease causing widespread decline of amphibians. [7] After treatment, Romeo will be introduced to a female called Juliet. Despite this, there are concerns that there are too few frogs left in the wild for a sustainable long-term population, and thus captive breeding is considered the best way to restore the species.

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<i>Telmatobius</i> Genus of amphibians

Telmatobius is a genus of frogs native to the Andean highlands in South America, where they are found in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, northwestern Argentina and northern Chile. It is the only genus in the family Telmatobiidae. Some sources recognize Batrachophrynus as a valid genus distinct from Telmatobius.

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<i>Telmatobius macrostomus</i> Species of amphibian


Telmatobius macrostomus, also known as the Lake Junin (giant) frog or Andes smooth frog, is a very large and endangered species of frog in the family Telmatobiidae. This completely aquatic frog is endemic to lakes and associated waters at altitudes of 4,000–4,600 m (13,100–15,100 ft) in the Andes of Junín and Pasco in central Peru. It has been introduced to slow-moving parts of the upper Mantaro River, although it is unclear if this population still persists.

Telmatobius bolivianus is a species of frog in the family Telmatobiidae. It is endemic to the Eastern Andes of Bolivia. It was formerly the most common and widespread Telmatobius of Bolivia, but has had a drastic population decline since the mid-2000s. It is an aquatic frog occurring in fast-flowing rivers and streams in cloud forest and Yungas forest. It is threatened by chytridomycosis as well as habitat loss caused by logging and agricultural expansion. Water pollution and aquaculture are also threats.

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Telmatobius marmoratus, the marbled water frog, is a vulnerable species of frog in the family Telmatobiidae. The most widespread species in the genus, it is found in the Andean highlands of Bolivia, northern Chile and southern Peru. It may also occur in northwestern Argentina, but the taxonomic position of this population is unclear. This semiaquatic frog is found in and near streams, rivers, waterfalls, lakes and ponds.

Telmatobius niger is a species of frog in the family Telmatobiidae. It is endemic to the Andes of Ecuador, with records from both Amazonian and Pacific versants. Last seen in 1994, it is feared that this species may be extinct. Common name black water frog has been coined for it.

Telmatobius pefauri is a species of frog in the family Telmatobiidae. It is endemic to extreme northern Chile. It was already feared that this species is extinct, but recent research has suggested that the species is extant at several localities in the Arica y Parinacota Region, albeit at low numbers. Furthermore, morphological and genetic data suggest that Telmatobius zapahuirensis is a synonym of Telmatobius pefauri. Common name Arico water frog has been coined for this species.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teresa Camacho Badani</span> Bolivian biologist

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References

  1. 1 2 3 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2020). "Telmatobius yuracare". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T57369A154335458. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T57369A154335458.en . Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  2. Frost, Darrel R. (2022). "Telmatobius yuracare De la Riva, 1994". Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Reference. Version 6.1. American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.vz.0001 . Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  3. Burrowes, P. A.; De la Riva, I. (2017). "Unraveling the historical prevalence of the invasive chytrid fungus in the Bolivian Andes: implications in recent amphibian declines". Biological Invasions. 19 (6): 1781–1794. doi:10.1007/s10530-017-1390-8. S2CID   254291006.
  4. 1 2 "Finding a Mate for the World's Loneliest Frog". Global Wildlife Conservation. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
  5. "Bolivia's lonely frog: Scientists race to find mate for Romeo". BBC. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  6. Briggs, Helen (15 January 2019). "World's 'loneliest' frog gets a date". BBC news. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  7. Waller, Robert W.; Fischman, Debra L.; Rodrigues, Ana S. L.; Young, Bruce E.; Cox, Neil A.; Chanson, Janice S.; Stuart, Simon N. (3 December 2004). "Status and Trends of Amphibian Declines and Extinctions Worldwide". Science. 306 (5702): 1783–1786. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.225.9620 . doi:10.1126/science.1103538. PMID   15486254. S2CID   86238651.