Atelopus mindoensis

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AMPHIBIA	ANURA	BUFONIDAE

Scientific Name:	Atelopus mindoensis
Species Authority:	Peters, 1973

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Critically Endangered A2e ver 3.1
Year Published:	2004
Assessor/s:	Luis A. Coloma, Santiago Ron, Martín R. Bustamante, Mario Yánez-Muñoz, Diego Cisneros-Heredia, Ana Almendáriz
Reviewer/s:	Global Amphibian Assessment Coordinating Team (Simon Stuart, Janice Chanson, Neil Cox and Bruce Young)
Contributor/s:
Justification: Listed as Critically Endangered because of a drastic population decline, estimated to be more than 80% over the last three generations, inferred from the apparent disappearance of most of the population, probably due to chytridiomycosis.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is known from Pichinca and Esmeraldas provinces, in the north-western versant of the Andes of Ecuador, between 700 and 2,200m asl. It is known from more than ten localities.
Countries:	Possibly extinct: Ecuador
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	There is no current information on the population status of this species; it was last recorded in 1989, despite survey efforts, suggesting a serious population decrease.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	This species is an inhabitant of lowland rainforest and humid montane forest. Eggs are laid in strings in streams, and tadpoles attach themselves to rocks.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The major threat is likely to be a catastrophic decline, due to chytridiomycosis, as has occurred in many other species of Atelopus. Agriculture, both crops and livestock, as well as logging, are also major threats to the species’ habitat, and very little suitable habitat remains.

Major Threat(s):

The major threat is likely to be a catastrophic decline, due to chytridiomycosis, as has occurred in many other species of Atelopus. Agriculture, both crops and livestock, as well as logging, are also major threats to the species’ habitat, and very little suitable habitat remains.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	The range of this species overlaps Reserva Ecológica Cotacachi-Cayapas and just reaches the northern limit of Reserva Ecológica Los Illinizas. Additional survey work is urgently needed to determine whether or not this species still persists. In view of the severe risk of chytridiomycosis, surviving individuals might need to form the basis for the establishment of an ex-situ population.

Conservation Actions:

The range of this species overlaps Reserva Ecológica Cotacachi-Cayapas and just reaches the northern limit of Reserva Ecológica Los Illinizas. Additional survey work is urgently needed to determine whether or not this species still persists. In view of the severe risk of chytridiomycosis, surviving individuals might need to form the basis for the establishment of an ex-situ population.

Citation:	Luis A. Coloma, Santiago Ron, Martín R. Bustamante, Mario Yánez-Muñoz, Diego Cisneros-Heredia, Ana Almendáriz 2004. Atelopus mindoensis. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 23 May 2013.
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