Craugastor taurus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

View Printer Friendly

Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AMPHIBIA	ANURA	CRAUGASTORIDAE

Scientific Name:	Craugastor taurus
Species Authority:	(Taylor, 1958)
Taxonomic Notes:	This species was previously included in the genus Eleutherodactylus (Crawford and Smith 2005).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Critically Endangered A2ace ver 3.1
Year Published:	2004
Assessor/s:	Frank Solís, Roberto Ibáñez, Gerardo Chaves, Jay Savage, Federico Bolaños, César Jaramillo, Querube Fuenmayor, Brain Kubiki
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 observed decline in number of mature individuals, habitat decline and effects of pathogens.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is known from south-western Costa Rica and extreme south-western Panama, at elevations of 25-525m asl (Savage 2002).
Countries:	Native: Costa Rica; Panama
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	This is a large species, unlikely to be overlooked, that was formerly very abundant. Since 2000, extensive field work within distribution has revealed only a single individual (photographed in 2001 in Esquinas, Osa Peninsula) (Gerardo Chaves and Brain Kubicki pers. comm. 2007).
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	A nocturnal species associated with rocky areas of streams in humid lowland forest. It breeds via direct development.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	A number of other species of the genus Craugastor have suffered serious recent declines, perhaps due to chytridiomycosis. It was suggested during an earlier version of the GAA (2004) that as this species occurs at lower elevations than some of these affected congeners, it might have been at lower risk of infection. However, recent surveys have now located only a single individiual, and it appears as though chytridiomycosis, or a similar disease or event, has resulting in the drastic decline of the population. Outside protected areas, the main threat is habitat loss due to logging.

Major Threat(s):

A number of other species of the genus Craugastor have suffered serious recent declines, perhaps due to chytridiomycosis. It was suggested during an earlier version of the GAA (2004) that as this species occurs at lower elevations than some of these affected congeners, it might have been at lower risk of infection. However, recent surveys have now located only a single individiual, and it appears as though chytridiomycosis, or a similar disease or event, has resulting in the drastic decline of the population. Outside protected areas, the main threat is habitat loss due to logging.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Within Costa Rica this species has been recorded from Parque Nacional Corcovado and the Reserva Biólogica el Naranjal; it is not recorded from any protected areas in Panama. Studies are needed to determine the reasons behind the drastic decline, possibly through the disease chytridiomycosis, in this species. Further field studies are urgently needed to locate any remaining individuals.

Conservation Actions:

Within Costa Rica this species has been recorded from Parque Nacional Corcovado and the Reserva Biólogica el Naranjal; it is not recorded from any protected areas in Panama. Studies are needed to determine the reasons behind the drastic decline, possibly through the disease chytridiomycosis, in this species. Further field studies are urgently needed to locate any remaining individuals.

Citation:	Frank Solís, Roberto Ibáñez, Gerardo Chaves, Jay Savage, Federico Bolaños, César Jaramillo, Querube Fuenmayor, Brain Kubiki 2004. Craugastor taurus. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 26 May 2013.
Disclaimer:	To make use of this information, please check the <Terms of Use>.
Feedback:	If you see any errors or have any questions or suggestions on what is shown on this page, please fill in the feedback form so that we can correct or extend the information provided