Near Threatened Amphibian Species - Amphibian Specialist Group

612Threatened Amphibians of the WorldBufo sternosignatus Gunther, 1859 (“1858”)Pedostibes rugosus Inger, 1958This species is known from the Venezuelan states of Aragua, Carabobo, Cojedes, Falcón, Lara, Miranda, Portuguesa,Yaracuy, and the Andean piedmont of Barinas State. It has also recently been reported from Colombia on the CordilleraCentral and Cordillera Oriental. It is a mid-altitude species, occurring up to 1,800m asl. It is a common species. Thisis a nocturnal and crepuscular frog living on the floor of semi-deciduous (seasonal) forest in mountain regions of theVenezuelan coastal mountain range and the northernmost portion of the Venezuelan Andes. It is often associatedwith slow-flowing stream pools where it congregates in large numbers in the breeding season. Habitat degradationis a major threat since most of the species’ habitat is being converted for coffee and cacao plantations. Some populationsare within national parks in the Venezuelan Coastal range, and the Sierra de Portuguesa (Portuguesa and LaraStates). Lower montane forests in the Venezuelan Andes are in need of protection, especially the semi-deciduousforests that have been used for coffee and cacao plantations for centuries.Bibliography: Barrio Amorós, C.L. (2004), Cordero, G. (1987), Duellman, W.E. and Schülte, R. (1992), Frost, D.R. (1985), Gines, H. (1959),La Marca, E. (1992), La Marca, E. and Manzanilla, J. (1997), La Marca, E. and Mijares, A. (1996), Lutz, A. (1927), Rivas, G. and Manzanilla,J. (1999), Rivero, J.A. (1961), Yustiz, E. (1996)Data Providers: Enrique La Marca, Jesús Manzanilla, Abraham Mijares, César Luis Barrio AmorósBufo togoensis Ahl, 1924This species ranges from eastern Sierra Leone through Liberia, southern Guinea, southern Côte d’Ivoire and southernGhana to western Togo. Records from central Africa refer to Bufo latifrons. It is usually uncommon, but can be extremelyabundant locally. It lives only in primary forest, usually in close association with the streams in which it breeds, andis usually found on stones in shallow water, or among vegetation next to the streams. It breeds in the slow-fl owingsections of the streams and the eggs are glued underwater with mud. This species is affected by ongoing deforestationthroughout its range, due to logging, agricultural expansion, and human settlements. It is more threatened in the eastof its range, where recent information on its status is very limited. It occurs in several protected areas.Bibliography: Joger, U. (1981), Rödel, M.-O. (2000b), Rödel, M.-O. and Agyei, A.C. (2003), Rödel, M.-O. and Bangoura, M.A. (2004),Rödel, M.-O. and Branch, W.R. (2002), Tandy, M. and Keith, R. (1972)Data Providers: Mark-Oliver Rödel, Mills TandyBufo tuberculatus Zarevsky, 1926This species is restricted to Sichuan (Batang, Xiangcheng), Yunnan (Deqin), and the eastern tip of Xizang AutonomousRegion, in China, from 2,600-2,700m asl. It probably occurs a little more widely than current records suggest. It is quitecommon in parts of its range. It inhabits pools, marshes and the surrounding habitats in valleys, and breeds in pools andponds. Records have also come from agricultural areas. The major threat to this species is habitat loss and degradationdue to agriculture. Its range includes Mangkangjingshihou, Zulongba and Baimaxueshan Nature Reserves.Bibliography: Fei, L. et al. (1999), MacKinnon, J. et al. (1996)Data Providers: Fei Liang, Ye ChangyuanMelanophryniscus cupreuscapularis Cespedez and Alvarez, 2000 (1999)This species is known only from north-western Corrientes Province, Argentina, between 50 and 70m asl. It is knownfrom only a few localities but it is common and its population is stable in suitable habitats. It occurs in seasonallyinundated grasslands where it also reproduces. When breeding areas dry up it usually occurs underground. Its toleranceto habitat disturbance is unknown. Loss of habitat due to the expansion of human settlements is a threat to thisspecies, most notably the growth of the city of Corrientes. It is not known to occur in any protected areas.Bibliography: Alvarez, B.B. et al. (2003), Céspedez, J.A. and Alvarez, B.B. (1999)Data Providers: Jorge Céspedez, Jose LangoneMelanophryniscus moreirae (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1920)This species is known from Parque Nacional do Itatiaia in Serra da Mantiqueira on the border of Rio de Janeiro andMinas Gerais States, in southern Brazil, from 1,800-2,400m asl, and possibly also from Castanhal Grande, Óbidos,Pará State, Brazil. This is a very common species within its small range, but it appears to have declined recently(Eterovick et al. 2005). This diurnal species occurs in swamp areas along rivers with limpid and cold waters. It depositsits eggs in temporary puddles formed by the rain. It is not known whether or not it is able to adapt to habitatdisturbance. Threats to this species include tourism and recreation. The known range of the species is restricted toParque Nacional do Itatiaia. More research is needed to confirm its extent of occurrence and whether or not it is arestricted range species. Conservation and maintenance of its habitat is also required, and population monitoring isneeded to investigate an apparent decline.Taxonomy: A strangely disjunct population from Óbidos, Pará State, Brazil, was described as a subspecies by Cochran (1948). Bokermann(1967) doubted the correctness of this locality and assumed that the specimens came from Itatiaia.Bibliography: Bernardes, A.T. (1998), Bokermann, W.C.A. (1967), Cochran, D.M. (1955), Eterovick, P.C. et al. (2005), Guix, J.C. et al. (1998)Data Providers: Débora Silvano, Ulisses Caramaschi, Miguel Trefaut RodriguesMelanophryniscus sanmartini Klappenbach, 1968This species has a fragmented distribution, and is found in Lavalleja, Maldonado, Rocha, Florida and Ribera Departmentsin Uruguay. It occurs below 500m asl, but its exact altitudinal range is unknown. It is commonly found duringreproductive bouts and has a population that appears to be stable at present. It lives in grasslands and rocky outcropsand reproduces in small streams. It probably does not tolerate much habitat disturbance. Exotic tree plantations area threat to this species. It does not occur in any protected areas.Bibliography: Langone, J.A. (1994), Langone, J.A. (2003), Maneyro, R. and Langone, J.A. (2001)Data Providers: Esteban Lavilla, Jose LangoneOsornophryne bufoniformis (Peracca, 1904)This species ranges from Ecuador (Parque Nacional Llanganates in Tungurahua Province), north to southern Valle delCauca Department on the eastern and western flanks of the Cordillera Central in Colombia, between 2,800 and 4,700masl. It might occur a little more widely. It is rare, localized, and uncommon where found. It lives on fallen leaves andon the ground in montane forest, bush land and páramo. Some populations live in terrestrial bromeliads, leaf-litter,and on vegetation up to 50cm above the ground. Other populations are fossorial. It breeds by direct development andhas only been found in undisturbed habitats. The major threats are deforestation, due to agricultural development,cultivation of illegal crops, fire, logging, and human settlement, and pollution resulting from the spraying of illegalcrops. It occurs in several protected areas.Taxonomy: Although this appears to be a relatively widespread species, it apears to be composed of multiple species with restricteddistributions, with considerable variation in ecological requirements (T. Grant and D. Cisneros-Heredia pers. comm.).Bibliography: Ortiz, A. and Morales, M. (2000), Peracca, M.G. (1904), Peters, J.A. (1973), Ruiz-Carranza, P.M. and Hernández-Camacho,J.A. (1976b), Ruiz-Carranza, P.M., Ardila-Robayo, M.C. and Lynch, J.D. (1996)Data Providers: Wilmar Bolívar, Luis A. Coloma, Santiago Ron, Diego Cisneros-Heredia, Taran GrantThis species is known only from the forests of northern Borneo in Sabah and Sarawak (Malaysia), Kalimantan (Indonesia)and Brunei Darussalam. It is likely to occur more widely than currently recorded. It is generally a lowland speciesoccurring between 150 and 1,050m asl. The population status of this species is unknown. It has been recorded fromhilly lowland, and submontane, tropical primary moist forest. It is an arboreal species that breeds in small, clear, rockystreams. It might possibly occur in areas that have previously been used for shifting cultivation, but it cannot adapt tosignificantly modified habitats. The major threat to this species is habitat loss and fragmentation due to deforestation.It is present in a number of protected areas including Batu Apoi (Brunei), and Lanjak Anteroi and the Crocker Range(both in Sabah). The protection of lowland forests in Sabah and parts of Sarawak now provide stable habitat for thisspecies, but expansion of this protection to hilly lowland forests in Kalimantan is needed.Bibliography: Inger, R.F. and Stuebing, R.B. (1997)Data Providers: Robert Inger, Indraneil Das, Robert Stuebing, Maklarin Lakim, Paul YambunPelophryne signata (Boulenger, 1894)This species occurs in Borneo (Brunei and Sarawak) below 1,000m asl. It is assumed to occur across the border intoKalimantan although there are no records from there yet. Its population status is unknown. It has been recorded onlyfrom lowland tropical moist forest. Breeding is presumed to take place in small forest pools. The major threat tothis species is habitat loss and fragmentation due to deforestation. The presence of this species in protected areasrequires further investigation. Some areas of habitat are protected in Sarawak.Taxonomy: Specimens from the Malay Peninsula and the Natura Islands previously included in Pelophryne signata are now assignedto P. brevipes.Bibliography: Inger, R.F. and Stuebing, R.B. (1997)Data Providers: Robert Inger, Peter Paul van Dijk, Robert Stuebing, Indraneil DasRhamphophryne festae (Peracca, 1904)This species occurs at moderate and low altitudes (from 200-1,700m asl) on the eastern Andean slopes and in theupper Amazon Basin of Ecuador, and in the Cordillera de Cutucú and Cordillera del Condór, in Ecuador and Peru. It isuncommon where it occurs. It is usually found in leaf-litter, and sometimes on low vegetation, in tropical rainforest,and premontane humid forest. There is no information known about breeding habits, although it presumably breedsby direct development like other species in the genus. It does not adapt well to anthropogenic disturbance, and is notknown from secondary forest. The major threats to the species’ habitat are agricultural development, involving bothcultivation of crops and livestock grazing, and logging. Its range includes a few protected areas. Taxonomic researchis needed to resolve the status of highland populations that might represent a different species.Taxonomy: Juveniles of this species can be confused with juveniles of the Bufo margaritifer complex, and hence its distribution is poorlyknown. This might be a species complex (D. Cisneros-Heredia pers. comm.).Bibliography: Almendariz, A. (1991), Cisneros-Heredia, D.F. (2003), Peracca, M.G. (1904), Trueb, L. (1971)Data Providers: Ana Almandáriz, Diego Cisneros-Heredia, Karl-Heinz Jungfer, Luis A. Coloma, Santiago RonCENTROLENIDAECentrolene antioquiense (Noble, 1920)This species is known from Antioquia and Caldas Departments, on the western fl ank of the central Andes in Colombiafrom 1,850-2,450m asl, and might occur a little more widely. It is a common species. Its habitat is vegetation alongsidestreams in sub-Andean forests. Eggs are laid on leaves overhanging the water and when hatched the larvae drop intothe water below where they develop further. The species requires gallery forest cover over the streams to allow itto reproduce. Water pollution from agriculture is a major threat. Deforestation is only a localized threat at present,although desiccation and loss of overhanging leaves for breeding are potential problems in the future. The range ofthe species is not within any protected areas.Bibliography: Noble, G.K. (1920), Ruiz-Carranza, P.M. and Lynch, J.D. (1991c), Ruiz-Carranza, P.M., Ardila-Robayo, M.C. and Lynch,J.D. (1996)Data Providers: Wilmar Bolívar, John LynchCentrolene buckleyi (Boulenger, 1882)This species occurs in the Andes, including in the inter-Andean valleys from Colombia through to Ecuador, toHuacambamba in Piura Department in northern Peru, from 2,100-3,100m asl. All records of this species fromVenezuela are now assigned to Centrolene venezuelense. In many places this species is generally uncommon,but it is still easily found in Colombia. In Ecuador it was previously abundant in many localities, but has declinedcatastrophically, though there are recent records, including from 2003, but it is currently known only from twolocalities in this country. In Peru it is known only from two recent specimens. It lives in montane forests, in páramobushland and grassland, and in terrestrial bromeliads in inter-Andean valleys. It is sometimes arboreal, and laysits eggs on leaves, larvae then developing in streams. It appears not to be affected by habitat loss, survivingin areas with heavy human impact. The serious decline in Ecuador is probably due to chytrid fungus. There aremany protected areas where it occurs although in view of the severe risk posed by chytridiomycosis, an ex situpopulation should be established.Taxonomy: This species might be a complex of species, hence its apparently varying conservation status in the different countries inits range (J.V. Rueda pers. comm.).Bibliography: Bolivar-G, W., Grant, T. and Osorio, L.A. (1999), Boulenger, G.A. (1882c), Duellman, W.E. and Wild, E.R. (1993), Goin, C.J.(1961), La Marca, E. (1996a), Lynch, J.D. (2001), Lynch, J.D. and Duellman, W.E. (1973), Rodríguez, L.O., Cordova, J.H. and Icochea, J.(1993), Ruiz-Carranza, P.M. and Lynch, J.D. (1991a), Ruiz-Carranza, P.M., Ardila-Robayo, M.C. and Lynch, J.D. (1996)Data Providers: Luis A. Coloma, Santiago Ron, Lily Rodríguez, Jorge Luis Martinez, Martha Patricia Ramírez Pinilla, María CristinaArdila-Robayo, Adolfo Amézquita, Jose Vicente Rueda, Juan Elías García-PérezCochranella ignota (Lynch, 1990)This species is known from Choco, Antioquia, Valle de Cauca and Risaralda Departments, on the western flank of thewestern Andes, Colombia. Its altitudinal range is currently recorded as 1,900-1,960m asl but is presumably broaderthan this. It is very common. It occurs on vegetation next to streams in primary sub-Andean forests. Eggs are laid onthe upper surface of leaves and when hatched the larvae fall into the water below where they then develop further.There are few threats at present to this very common species, because most of its range is in protected areas.Populations of this species occur in Parque Nacional Natural Farallones de Cali, Parque Nacional Natural Tatamá,and Parque Nacional de Las Orquídeas.Bibliography: Acosta-Galvis, A.R. (2000), Lynch, J.D. (1990b), Restrepo, J.H. and Naranjo, L.G. (1999), Ruiz-Carranza, P.M. and Lynch,J.D. (1991a), Ruiz-Carranza, P.M., Ardila-Robayo, M.C. and Lynch, J.D. (1996)Data Providers: Fernando Castro, John Lynch, Erik Wild