Silverstoneia nubicola

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Bibliography

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AMPHIBIA	ANURA	DENDROBATIDAE

Scientific Name:	Silverstoneia nubicola
Species Authority:	(Dunn, 1924)
Synonym/s:	Colostethus nubicola (Dunn, 1924)
Taxonomic Notes:	At present, Silverstoneia nubicola is considered to be a complex of several taxa. It is currently undergoing taxonomic revision (Taran Grant pers. comm.).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Near Threatened ver 3.1
Year Published:	2004
Assessor/s:	Federico Bolaños, Roberto Ibáñez, Gerardo Chaves, Jay Savage, César Jaramillo, Querube Fuenmayor, Taran Grant, Stefan Lötters, Karen Lips
Reviewer/s:	Global Amphibian Assessment Coordinating Team (Simon Stuart, Janice Chanson, Neil Cox and Bruce Young)
Justification: Listed as Near Threatened, because this species is in significant decline in the western parts of its range, but has probably globally declined at a rate of less than 30% over ten years (largely associated with the disease chytridiomycosis), thus making the species close to qualifying for Vulnerable. It seems probable that population declines in this species will continue into the east of the species range, whereby it may meet the Red List Criteria for Vulnerable or possibly Endangered during the next global assessment.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species ranges from southwestern Costa Rica (a single locality) and adjacent western Panama (1,050-1,600m), through eastern Panama in lowland and premontane zones (200-860m) to the Pacific coast of western Colombia, south to Valle de Cauca Department (up to 800m in Colombia).
Countries:	Native: Colombia; Costa Rica; Panama
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	It remains widespread in the Choco of Colombia (Taran Grant pers. comm. 2007). It was formerly recorded at a single Costa Rica locality, Las Cruces (observed in 2002), but and has recently been found in the San Vito area (Federico Bolaños pers. comm. 2007). It was formerly common in Panama, and while it is still present in Cerro Campana and eastern Panama (Roberto Ibáñez pers. comm. 2007) it has significantly declined in western Panama and is now absent from Fortuna, Santa Fe and El Cope (Karen Lips pers. comm.).
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Population:

It remains widespread in the Choco of Colombia (Taran Grant pers. comm. 2007). It was formerly recorded at a single Costa Rica locality, Las Cruces (observed in 2002), but and has recently been found in the San Vito area (Federico Bolaños pers. comm. 2007). It was formerly common in Panama, and while it is still present in Cerro Campana and eastern Panama (Roberto Ibáñez pers. comm. 2007) it has significantly declined in western Panama and is now absent from Fortuna, Santa Fe and El Cope (Karen Lips pers. comm.).

Population Trend:

Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It is a terrestrial and diurnal species of humid lowland, premontane and montane forest. Adults may be encountered along rocky sections of forest streams. It can occur in secondary forest and plantation forests, and occurs in degraded habitats in Colombia. The eggs are deposited in the leaf-litter and the males transport hatching tadpoles to forest streams to complete metamorphosis.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Declines in this species within the western part of the range are associated with the disease chytridiomycosis. Lips et al. (2006) report that 48 dead Colostethus nubicola (infected with the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) were recorded at El Cope in 2004. It is probably also affected by general habitat loss in Panama through deforestation. It is not generally considered to be threatened in Colombia at present.

Major Threat(s):

Declines in this species within the western part of the range are associated with the disease chytridiomycosis. Lips et al. (2006) report that 48 dead Colostethus nubicola (infected with the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) were recorded at El Cope in 2004. It is probably also affected by general habitat loss in Panama through deforestation. It is not generally considered to be threatened in Colombia at present.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	It is present in several protected areas in Colombia, and in more than twelve protected areas in Panama, as well as in a single protected area in Costa Rica. There is an urgent need to complete the taxonomic revision of the Colostethus nubicola species complex. Following a clarification of the taxonomic status of this group, it may be necessary to develop ex-situ insurance colonies for remaining western populations.

Conservation Actions:

It is present in several protected areas in Colombia, and in more than twelve protected areas in Panama, as well as in a single protected area in Costa Rica. There is an urgent need to complete the taxonomic revision of the Colostethus nubicola species complex. Following a clarification of the taxonomic status of this group, it may be necessary to develop ex-situ insurance colonies for remaining western populations.

Bibliography [top]

	Gerhardt, H.C. and Rheinlaender, J. 1980. Accuracy of sound localization in a miniature dendrobatid frog. Naturwissenschaften: 362-363. Haas, A. 1995. Cranial features of dendrobatid larvae (Amphibia: Anura: Dendrobatidae). Journal of Morphology: 241-264. Ibáñez, R. and Smith, E.M. 1995. Systematic status of Colostethus flotator and C. nubicola (Anura: Dendrobatidae) in Panama. Copeia: 446-456. Ibáñez, R., Solís, F., Jaramillo, C. and Rand, S. 2000. An overwiew of the herpetology of Panama. In: Johnson, J.D., Webb, R.G. and Flores-Villela, O.A. (eds), Mesoamerican Herpetology: Systematics, Zoogeography and Conservation, pp. 159-170. The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas. IUCN. 2004. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 23 November 2004. Jaslow, A.P. 1982. Factors affecting the distribution and abundance of tadpoles in a lowland tropical stream. Dissertation Abstracts International B Sciences and Engineering: 1722-1723. Lips, K.R., Brem, F., Brenes, R., Reeve, J.D., Alford, R.A., Voyles, J., Carey, C., Livo, L., Pessier, A.P. and Collins, J.P. 2006. Emerging infectious disease and the loss of biodiversity in a Neotropical amphibian community. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103(9): 3165-3170. Pough, F.H. and Taigen, T.L. 1990. Metabolic correlates of the foraging and social behaviour of dart-poison frogs. Animal Behaviour: 145-155. Ruiz-Carranza, P.M., Ardila-Robayo, M.C. and Lynch, J.D. 1996. Lista actualizada de la fauna de Amphibia de Colombia. Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales: 365-415. Savage, J.M. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica: A Herpetofauna between two Continents, between two Seas. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Summers, K. 2000. Mating and aggressive behaviour in dendrobatid frogs from Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica: a comparative study. Behaviour: 7-24. Young, B., Sedaghatkish, G., Roca, E. and Fuenmayor, Q. 1999. El Estatus de la Conservación de la Herpetofauna de Panamá: Resumen del Primer Taller Internacional sobre la Herpetofauna de Panamá. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia.

Gerhardt, H.C. and Rheinlaender, J. 1980. Accuracy of sound localization in a miniature dendrobatid frog. Naturwissenschaften: 362-363.

Haas, A. 1995. Cranial features of dendrobatid larvae (Amphibia: Anura: Dendrobatidae). Journal of Morphology: 241-264.

Ibáñez, R. and Smith, E.M. 1995. Systematic status of Colostethus flotator and C. nubicola (Anura: Dendrobatidae) in Panama. Copeia: 446-456.

Ibáñez, R., Solís, F., Jaramillo, C. and Rand, S. 2000. An overwiew of the herpetology of Panama. In: Johnson, J.D., Webb, R.G. and Flores-Villela, O.A. (eds), Mesoamerican Herpetology: Systematics, Zoogeography and Conservation, pp. 159-170. The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas.

IUCN. 2004. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 23 November 2004.

Jaslow, A.P. 1982. Factors affecting the distribution and abundance of tadpoles in a lowland tropical stream. Dissertation Abstracts International B Sciences and Engineering: 1722-1723.

Lips, K.R., Brem, F., Brenes, R., Reeve, J.D., Alford, R.A., Voyles, J., Carey, C., Livo, L., Pessier, A.P. and Collins, J.P. 2006. Emerging infectious disease and the loss of biodiversity in a Neotropical amphibian community. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103(9): 3165-3170.

Pough, F.H. and Taigen, T.L. 1990. Metabolic correlates of the foraging and social behaviour of dart-poison frogs. Animal Behaviour: 145-155.

Ruiz-Carranza, P.M., Ardila-Robayo, M.C. and Lynch, J.D. 1996. Lista actualizada de la fauna de Amphibia de Colombia. Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales: 365-415.

Savage, J.M. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica: A Herpetofauna between two Continents, between two Seas. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Summers, K. 2000. Mating and aggressive behaviour in dendrobatid frogs from Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica: a comparative study. Behaviour: 7-24.

Young, B., Sedaghatkish, G., Roca, E. and Fuenmayor, Q. 1999. El Estatus de la Conservación de la Herpetofauna de Panamá: Resumen del Primer Taller Internacional sobre la Herpetofauna de Panamá. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia.

Citation:	Federico Bolaños, Roberto Ibáñez, Gerardo Chaves, Jay Savage, César Jaramillo, Querube Fuenmayor, Taran Grant, Stefan Lötters, Karen Lips 2004. Silverstoneia nubicola. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 May 2012.
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