Dendropsophus meridensis

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	HYLIDAE

Scientific Name:

Dendropsophus meridensis

Species Authority:

(Rivero, 1961)

Common Name/s:

Spanish

–

Ranita Meridena

Synonym/s:

Hyla vilsoniana Rivero, 1961 subspecies meridensis

Taxonomic Notes:

This species was previously included in the genus Hyla but has recently been moved to the resurrected genus Dendropsophus (Faivovich et al. 2005).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Endangered B1ab(iii,v) ver 3.1
Year Published:	2004
Assessor/s:	Enrique La Marca
Reviewer/s:	Global Amphibian Assessment Coordinating Team (Simon Stuart, Janice Chanson, Neil Cox and Bruce Young)
Contributor/s:
Justification: Listed as Endangered because its Extent of Occurrence is less than 5,000 km2, its distribution is severely fragmented, and there is continuing decline in the extent and quality of its habitat in the Venezuelan Andes.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is known from the Andes of Mérida State, in Venezuela. It has been recorded from 1,200-2,400m asl. Records from the Sierra del Turimiquire, in Sucre and Monagas States, are misidentifications.
Countries:	Native: Venezuela
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	This is an uncommon species that is estimated to have undergone a significant decline over the past ten years.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It is an inhabitant of small ponds in cloud forests. It lays its eggs directly in water, where the larvae also develop.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The main threats are agriculture, involving both crops and livestock, as well as agricultural pollution. The recent introduction of Rana catesbeiana has probably been at least parly responsible for the decline in populations of this frog.

Major Threat(s):

The main threats are agriculture, involving both crops and livestock, as well as agricultural pollution. The recent introduction of Rana catesbeiana has probably been at least parly responsible for the decline in populations of this frog.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Although most of the species' range is outside protected areas, it may occur in Parque Nacional La Culata and/or Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada. Remaining cloud forest habitats in the Venezuelan Andes are in urgent need of protection.

Conservation Actions:

Although most of the species' range is outside protected areas, it may occur in Parque Nacional La Culata and/or Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada. Remaining cloud forest habitats in the Venezuelan Andes are in urgent need of protection.

Citation:	Enrique La Marca 2004. Dendropsophus meridensis. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 20 June 2013.
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