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Rhinoderma rufum

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
ANIMALIA CHORDATA AMPHIBIA ANURA CYCLORAMPHIDAE

Scientific Name: Rhinoderma rufum
Species Authority: (Philippi, 1902)

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria: Critically Endangered   A2ace   ver 3.1
Year Assessed: 2010
Assessor/s: Alberto Veloso, Herman Núñez, Helen Díaz-Paéz, Ramón Formas
Reviewer/s: Global Amphibian Assessment Coordinating Team (Simon Stuart, Janice Chanson, Neil Cox and Bruce Young)
Justification:
Listed as Critically Endangered because of an observed population decline, estimated to be more than 80% over the last ten years, based on the apparent disappearance of most or all of the population for reasons that are not understood.
History:
2004 Critically Endangered
1996 Data Deficient
1994 Endangered (Groombridge 1994)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description: This species occurs in Chile from 33° 30'S to 37° 50'S from Curico (Curico Province) to Ramadillas (Arauco Province) at elevations of 0-500m asl.
Countries:
Possibly extinct:
Chile
Range Map: Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population: It formerly occurred in small, isolated populations, and was fairly regularly seen until around 1978. However, since then, there have been no confirmed reports despite several attempts to relocate the species, giving rise to fears that it might be extinct.
Population Trend: Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology: It has been recorded in leaf-litter in temperate mixed forests, and also in bogs surrounded by forests. Females lay their eggs in the leaf-litter. When the larvae inside the eggs begin to move, adult males ingest the eggs and incubate them in their vocal sacs, where the larvae develop until they are regurgitated into streams where metamorphosis takes place.
Systems: Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s): The destruction of the native vegetation through the planting of pine plantations and for the building of second homes probably had some impact on this species. However, this is unlikely to explain fully its disappearance, the causes of which are not understood. Declines that have taken place within suitable habitat might be the result of threats such as climate change or disease (possibly chytridiomycosis, although this has not previously been reported from Chile).

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions: It is not known from any protected areas. The species might well be extinct, but further survey work is urgently required to determine whether or not this is indeed the case. In view of the possible risk of disease, any surviving individuals might need to form the basis for the establishment of an ex-situ population.

Bibliography [top]

Díaz-Páez, H. and Ortiz, J.C. 2003. Evaluación del estado de conservación de los anfibios en Chile. Assessment of the conservation status of amphibians in Chile. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 76: 509-525.

Formas, J.R. 1995. Anfibios. In: Simonetti, J.M., Arroyo, T.K., Spotorno, A. and Loz, E. (eds), Diversidad Biológica de Chile, Comisión nacional de ciencia y tecnología (CONICYT), Santiago-Chile.

Formas, J.R., Pugin, E. and Jorquera, B. 1975. La identidad del batracio chileno Heminectes rufus Philippi 1902. Physis (Argentina): 147-157.

Glade, A. 1993. Red List of Chilean Terrestrial vertebrates. Corporación nacional forestal (CONAF), Santiago-Chile.

IUCN. 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2010.2). Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 29 June 2010).

Servicio Agrícola Ganadero. 1998. Cartilla de caza. Imp. I. Flores, Santiago de Chile.

Veloso, A. and Navarro, J. 1988. Lista Sistemática y distribución geográfica de anfibios y reptiles de Chile. Bollettino del Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali - Torino: 481-539.

Citation: Alberto Veloso, Herman Núñez, Helen Díaz-Paéz, Ramón Formas 2010. Rhinoderma rufum. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 10 February 2012.
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