Atelopus sonsonensis

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 sonsonensis
Species Authority:	Vélez-Rodríguez and Ruíz-Carranza, 1997

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Critically Endangered A3ce ver 3.1

Year Published:

2010

Assessor/s:

Wilmar Bolívar, Fernando Castro

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 projected population decline, estimated to be more than 80% over the next ten years, inferred from declines in other high altitude Atelopus species in the same region, probably due to chytridiomycosis.

History:

2004

–

Critically Endangered

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is known only from the type locality: Mesopotamia, near Páramo de Sonsón, in the municipality of Sonsón, Vereda Caunzal, on the eastern side of the Cordillera Central, about 15km to the east of the municipality of Argelia, in Colombia. It was recorded at 1,500m asl, and might occur more widely.
Countries:	Native: Colombia
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	The population status is unknown. This is a relatively newly described species which had not been recorded since its discovery in 1996, until its recent (2008) rediscovery (Fundación ProAves 2008).
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It occurs on the ground in the under-storey of forest along streams; it has not been recorded from disturbed habitats. Breeding and larval development take place in streams.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The major threat is likely to be chytridiomycosis, a factor implicated in catastrophic population declines in many montane species of Atelopus. Habitat loss due to smallholder farming activities and the planting of illegal crops, and water pollution from agriculture, are major threats to the species.

Major Threat(s):

The major threat is likely to be chytridiomycosis, a factor implicated in catastrophic population declines in many montane species of Atelopus. Habitat loss due to smallholder farming activities and the planting of illegal crops, and water pollution from agriculture, are major threats to the species.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	This species is not known from any protected areas. Research into the species' population status is currently underway (Fundación ProAves 2008). In view of the threat of chytridiomycosis, ex-situ populations might need to be established.

Conservation Actions:

This species is not known from any protected areas. Research into the species' population status is currently underway (Fundación ProAves 2008). In view of the threat of chytridiomycosis, ex-situ populations might need to be established.

Citation:	Wilmar Bolívar, Fernando Castro 2010. Atelopus sonsonensis. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 20 May 2013.
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