Telmatobius pefauri

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Arico Water Frog
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Telmatobiidae
Genus: Telmatobius
Species:
T. pefauri
Binomial name
Telmatobius pefauri
Veloso and Trueb  [ fr ], 1976 [2]
Synonyms [3]

Telmatobius zapahuirensisVeloso, Sallaberry-Ayerza, Navarro, Iturra-Constant, Valencia, Penna, and Diaz, 1982

Contents

Telmatobius pefauri is a species of frog in the family Telmatobiidae. It is endemic to extreme northern Chile. [3] [4] It was already feared that this species is extinct, [1] 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. [4] Common name Arico water frog has been coined for this species. [3]

Relief Map of Chile.jpg
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The type locality of Telmatobius pefauri is the village of Murmuntani in northern Chile. Other records are from the same area.

Etymology

The specific name pefauri honours Jaime Eduardo Péfaur Vega, a Chilean ecologist and herpetologist [5] and colleague of the authors who described the species. [2]

Description

The holotype, an adult female, measured 75 mm (3.0 in) in snout–vent length. The head is large and the body is robust. The eyes are relatively large, positioned far forward on the head, and oriented forward. The tympanum is not visible. The fingers are long and have lateral fringes but no webbing. The hind limbs are long, with long and moderately webbed toes. The dorsal skin is smooth apart from few, scattered tubercles. However, the flanks have many small tubercles. Dorsal coloration is olive-brown with distinct, darker brown spots and mottling; the ventral surfaces are grayish white, while the anterior surfaces of thighs yellow-orange. [2]

Recent specimens show variation in color pattern both between and within localities. Most specimens are olive-brown to light brown. Darker mottling is often present, as are small cream or light grey spots. However, one specimen had a golden brown dorsum without mottling. All newly collected specimens have also been smaller than the holotype, with two females measuring 48 and 57 mm (1.9 and 2.2 in) and one male 47 mm (1.9 in) in snout–vent length. [4]

Habitat and conservation

The type locality is a small high-altitude (3,200 m (10,500 ft) above sea level) stream without vegetation. The species is fully aquatic; [1] [2] the holotype was found at night underwater in a half-meter deep stream pool. [2]

In 2015, Telmatobius pefauri was assessed as "critically endangered, possibly extinct", [1] and Telmatobius zapahuirensis as"critically endangered". [6] Telmatobius pefauri is threatened by habitat loss extraction of water from streams for cattle ranching and human use. Cattle might also impact the streams. [1] While the understanding on the distribution of Telmatobius pefauri has changed since the assessment, the number of known localities is low, local population densities are generally low, and water extraction for agricultural use remains a threat. [4]

Related Research Articles

<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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Craugastor adamastus is a species of frog in the family Craugastoridae. It is endemic to Guatemala and only known from its type locality near Aldea Vista Hermosa, on the northern slopes of the eastern portion of the Sierra de las Minas, where the type series was collected in 1980–1981.

Craugastor myllomyllon is an extinct species of frog in the family Craugastoridae. It was endemic to Guatemala and only known from its type locality, Finca Volcan, in the Sierra de Xucaneb, Alta Verapaz Department. Only a single specimen is known.

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<i>Pristimantis veletis</i> Species of amphibian

Pristimantis veletis is a species of frogs in the family Craugastoridae. It is endemic to Colombia and is only known from the vicinity of its type locality in Samaná and Pensilvania municipalities in the Caldas Department, on the eastern slope of the Cordillera Central. The specific name veletis is Latin from "skirmisher". It alludes to the resemblance of the color pattern of this frog to the camouflage clothing of the guerillas that were present in the area of the type locality, as well as to the chin pattern that loosely resembles the chevrons in some military uniforms.

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Telmatobius gigas is a critically endangered species of frog in the family Telmatobiidae. It is endemic to the Huayllamarca River at an altitude of about 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) in the Carangas Province in Bolivia. Its tiny range makes it highly vulnerable to pollution, and it may also be threatened by over-harvesting for medicinal use and the disease chytridiomycosis. As suggested by its scientific name, this is a very large species of frog with a snout-vent length of up to 10.9 centimetres (4.3 in) in females. In the genus Telmatobius, only two other threatened species, the Titicaca water frog and Lake Junin frog, are larger. T. gigas is very closely related to the smaller and more widespread T. marmoratus, and they might be conspecific.

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Telmatobius vilamensis is a species of frog in the family Telmatobiidae. It is endemic to northern Chile and only known from its type locality, Río Vilama near San Pedro de Atacama. The specific name vilamensis refers to the type locality.

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

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<i>Leptobrachella bondangensis</i> Species of frog

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2015). "Telmatobius pefauri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T21583A79809777. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T21583A79809777.en . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Veloso, Alberto M. & Trueb, Linda (1976). "Description of a new species of telmatobiine frog, Telmatobius (Amphibia: Leptodactylidae), from the Andes of northern Chile". Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas. 62: 1–10.
  3. 1 2 3 Frost, Darrel R. (2018). "Telmatobius pefauri Veloso and Trueb, 1976". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Fibla, P.; Sáez, P. A.; Salinas, H.; Araya, C.; Sallaberry, M. & Méndez, M. A. (2017). "The taxonomic status of two Telmatobius frog species (Anura: Telmatobiidae) from the western Andean slopes of northernmost Chile". Zootaxa. 4250 (4): 301–314. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4250.4.1. PMID   28610007.
  5. ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael & Grayson, Michael (22 April 2013). The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians. Pelagic Publishing. p. 262. ISBN   978-1-907807-42-8.
  6. ↑ IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2015). "Telmatobius zapahuirensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T21585A79809916. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T21585A79809916.en .
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