Plectrohyla ephemera

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:	Plectrohyla ephemera
Species Authority:	(Meik, Canseco-Márquez, Smith and Campbell, 2005)
Taxonomic Notes:	This species was previously included in the genus Hyla but has recently been moved to the genus Plectrohyla (Faivovich et al. 2005).

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Critically Endangered A4e ver 3.1
Year Published:	2006
Assessor/s:	Joseph Mendelson III
Reviewer/s:	Global Amphibian Assessment Coordinating Team (Simon Stuart, Janice Chanson, Neil Cox and Bruce Young)
Contributor/s:
Justification: Listed as Critically Endangered since it is likely to have a very small range, and the known population is believed to be infected with chytridiomycosis, which is likely to be devastating the population to the extent that it may well decline by at least 80% in the next three generations.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is known from 1,100-1,220m asl on Cerro Las Flores, a semi-isolated uplifted area that is part of the fragmented Sierra Mixe, in south-central Oaxaca, Mexico. Many hylids in this region have been found to be localized endemics.
Countries:	Possibly extinct: Mexico
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	No information is currently available on the species' population status, but it is possible that is has undergone a serious decline due to chytridiomycosis, and the only known population might already be extinct.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	This species is recorded from cloud forest. One individual was found on vegetation 1.8m above a small stream. Tadpoles were found in pools in this stream, which contained little flowing water at the time, and coursed through large boulders at the bottom of a deep ravine. Tadpoles were found in several similar streams nearby.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The primary threat to the species is habitat loss, and large expanses of forest are being cleared in this region. In addition, many of the tadpoles found at Cerro Las Flores possessed deformed or missing mouthparts, which might indicate infection with chytridiomycosis. Indeed, the specific name of this species is derived from the Greek ephemeros, meaning shortlived, referring to the ominous observation that chytridiomycosis might be present.

Major Threat(s):

The primary threat to the species is habitat loss, and large expanses of forest are being cleared in this region. In addition, many of the tadpoles found at Cerro Las Flores possessed deformed or missing mouthparts, which might indicate infection with chytridiomycosis. Indeed, the specific name of this species is derived from the Greek ephemeros, meaning shortlived, referring to the ominous observation that chytridiomycosis might be present.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	The species is not known from any protected areas, and protection and maintenance of remaining habitat in the region is urgently required. It is a very high priority to conduct surveys to relocate this species and determine its current population status and whether or not it is still extant; in view of the threat of chytridiomycosis, any surviving individuals would need to form the basis for a captive-breeding programme.

Conservation Actions:

The species is not known from any protected areas, and protection and maintenance of remaining habitat in the region is urgently required. It is a very high priority to conduct surveys to relocate this species and determine its current population status and whether or not it is still extant; in view of the threat of chytridiomycosis, any surviving individuals would need to form the basis for a captive-breeding programme.

Citation:	Joseph Mendelson III 2006. Plectrohyla ephemera. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 22 May 2013.
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