Atelopus arsyecue

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Bibliography

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AMPHIBIA	ANURA	BUFONIDAE

Scientific Name:	Atelopus arsyecue
Species Authority:	Rueda-Almonacid, 1994

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Critically Endangered A3ce ver 3.1
Year Published:	2004
Assessor/s:	Jose Vicente Rueda, Andrés Acosta-Galvis, Martha Patricia Ramírez Pinilla, Mariela Osorno-Muñoz, Adolfo Amézquita, María Cristina Ardila-Robayo
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.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is known only from the type locality: Parque Nacional Natural Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in the department of Cesar, Colombia. It has been recorded between 2000 and 3500 m asl. It might occur a little more widely on the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
Countries:	Native: Colombia
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Only six specimens of this species are known, and there have been no records since 1991. It is not yet clear whether or not this reflects lack of survey effort, or a genuine rarity or decline.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It occurs in sub-Andean and Andean forests, sub-páramo and páramo. Egg chains are placed in fast-flowing water, and the tadpoles develop in the water.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The major threat is likely to be chytridiomycosis, leading to a catastrophic population decline, as has occurred in many other montane species of Atelopus. Habitat loss caused by agricultural expansion and logging is also a major threat, as is pollution resulting from the fumigation of crops.

Major Threat(s):

The major threat is likely to be chytridiomycosis, leading to a catastrophic population decline, as has occurred in many other montane species of Atelopus. Habitat loss caused by agricultural expansion and logging is also a major threat, as is pollution resulting from the fumigation of crops.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Its range includes Parque Nacional Natural Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Further survey work is required to determine the population status of this species, especially in light of the recent drastic declines observed in other montane Atelopus species. Given the likely threat of chytridiomycosis, disease management and captive-breeding programmes might be required.

Conservation Actions:

Its range includes Parque Nacional Natural Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Further survey work is required to determine the population status of this species, especially in light of the recent drastic declines observed in other montane Atelopus species. Given the likely threat of chytridiomycosis, disease management and captive-breeding programmes might be required.

Bibliography [top]

	Acosta-Galvis, A.R. 2000. Ranas, Salamandras y Caecilias (Tetrapoda: Amphibia) de Colombia. Biota Colombiana: 289-319. IUCN. 2004. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 23 November 2004. La Marca, E., Lips, K.R., Lötters, S., Puschendorf, R., Ibáñez, R., Rueda-Almonacid, J.V., Schulte, R., Marty, C., Castro, F., Manzanilla-Puppo, J., Garcia-Perez, J.E., Toral, E., Bolaños, F., Chaves, G., Pounds, J.A. and Young, B. 2005. Catastrophic population declines and extinctions in Neotropical harlequin frogs (Bufonidae: Atelopus). Biotropica: 190-201. Lötters, S. 1996. The Neotropical Toad Genus Atelopus. Checklist - Biology - Distribution. Vences, M. and Glaw, F. Verlags GbR, Köln, Germany. Pounds, J.A., Bustamante, M.R., Coloma, L.A., Consuegra, J.A., Fogden, M.P.L., Foster, P.N., La Marca, E., Masters, K.L., Merino-Viteri, A., Puschendorf, R., Ron, S.R., Sánchez-Azofeifa, G.A., Still, C.J. and Young, B.E. 2006. Widespread amphibian extinctions from epidemic disease driven by global warming. Nature: 161-167. Rueda-Almonacid, J.V. 1994. Una nueva especie de Atelopus A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron 1841 (Amphibia: Anura: Bufonidae) para la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Trianea (Acta Científica y Tecnológica INDERENA): 101-108. Ruiz-Carranza, P.M., Ardila-Robayo, M.C. and Lynch, J.D. 1996. Lista actualizada de la fauna de Amphibia de Colombia. Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales: 365-415.

Acosta-Galvis, A.R. 2000. Ranas, Salamandras y Caecilias (Tetrapoda: Amphibia) de Colombia. Biota Colombiana: 289-319.

IUCN. 2004. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 23 November 2004.

La Marca, E., Lips, K.R., Lötters, S., Puschendorf, R., Ibáñez, R., Rueda-Almonacid, J.V., Schulte, R., Marty, C., Castro, F., Manzanilla-Puppo, J., Garcia-Perez, J.E., Toral, E., Bolaños, F., Chaves, G., Pounds, J.A. and Young, B. 2005. Catastrophic population declines and extinctions in Neotropical harlequin frogs (Bufonidae: Atelopus). Biotropica: 190-201.

Lötters, S. 1996. The Neotropical Toad Genus Atelopus. Checklist - Biology - Distribution. Vences, M. and Glaw, F. Verlags GbR, Köln, Germany.

Pounds, J.A., Bustamante, M.R., Coloma, L.A., Consuegra, J.A., Fogden, M.P.L., Foster, P.N., La Marca, E., Masters, K.L., Merino-Viteri, A., Puschendorf, R., Ron, S.R., Sánchez-Azofeifa, G.A., Still, C.J. and Young, B.E. 2006. Widespread amphibian extinctions from epidemic disease driven by global warming. Nature: 161-167.

Rueda-Almonacid, J.V. 1994. Una nueva especie de Atelopus A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron 1841 (Amphibia: Anura: Bufonidae) para la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Trianea (Acta Científica y Tecnológica INDERENA): 101-108.

Ruiz-Carranza, P.M., Ardila-Robayo, M.C. and Lynch, J.D. 1996. Lista actualizada de la fauna de Amphibia de Colombia. Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales: 365-415.

Citation:	Jose Vicente Rueda, Andrés Acosta-Galvis, Martha Patricia Ramírez Pinilla, Mariela Osorno-Muñoz, Adolfo Amézquita, María Cristina Ardila-Robayo 2004. Atelopus arsyecue. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 20 June 2013.
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