Atelopus chiriquiensis explained

Atelopus chiriquiensis, the Chiriqui harlequin frog[1] 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 (Province and Bocas del Toro Provinces).[2] Its natural habitats were stream margins in lower montane wet forests and rainforests. Its elevational range was 1400m-2500mm (4,600feet-8,200feetm) asl.

Description

Atelopus chiriquiensis was a moderately sized toad: males measure 28mm34mm in snout–vent length and females 36mm49mm. Colouring was highly variable and usually different between males and females. They had weakly developed and relatively inconspicuous poison glands scattered over the head and dorsum; nevertheless, they produced tetrodotoxin and aminoacid analog chiriquitoxin, a potent neurotoxin.[1]

Anatomy

[3] [4] [5]

Conservation status

This once locally abundant species has not been seen in Costa Rica since 1996 and is considered extinct in the country. It is also thought to have disappeared from Panama as there are no records since late 1990s. The decline was probably linked to chytridiomycosis. Habitat loss and introduced trout were also threats. The IUCN Red List now considers Atelopus chiriquiensis extinct.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Atelopus chiriquiensis . 2014 . AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application] . Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb . 24 November 2014.
  2. Web site: Atelopus chiriquiensis Shreve, 1936 . Frost, Darrel R. . 2014 . Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0 . American Museum of Natural History . 24 November 2014.
  3. Jaslow . Alan P. . 1979 . Vocalization and Aggression in Atelopus chiriquiensis (Amphibia, Anura, Bufonidae) . Journal of Herpetology . 13 . 2 . 141–145 . 10.2307/1563919 . 1563919 . 0022-1511.
  4. Jaslow . Alan P. . Lombard . R. Eric . 1996 . Hearing in the Neotropical Frog, Atelopus chiriquiensis . Copeia . 1996 . 2 . 428–432 . 10.2307/1446859 . 1446859 . 0045-8511.
  5. Lindquist . E. D. . Hetherington . T. E. . Volman . S. F. . 1998-07-01 . Biomechanical and neurophysiological studies on audition in eared and earless harlequin frogs (Atelopus) . Journal of Comparative Physiology A . en . 183 . 2 . 265–271 . 10.1007/s003590050254 . 9693994 . 22011712 . 1432-1351.
  6. Web site: Ssc). IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (IUCN. 2019-09-10. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Atelopus chiriquiensis. 2020-12-10. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

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