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Dendrobates azureus
– Vulnerable
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
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ANIMALIA
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Phylum:
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CHORDATA
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Class:
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AMPHIBIA
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Order:
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ANURA
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Family:
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DENDROBATIDAE
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Scientific Name:
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Dendrobates azureus
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Species Authority:
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Hoogmoed, 1969
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Common Name/s:
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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VU D2 ver 3.1 (2001)
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Year Assessed:
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2004
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Assessor/s:
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Reynolds, R., Hoogmoed, M., MacCulloch, R. & Gaucher, P.
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Evaluator/s:
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Stuart, S., Chanson, J., Cox, N. & Young, B. (Global Amphibian Assessment Coordinating Team)
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Justification:
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Listed as Vulnerable as it is known from the vicinity of only one locality and it occurs only in forest fragments that are threatened by forest fire. There is also some illegal collection of the species for the pet trade.
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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This species is known only from the vicinity of the type locality: "Sipaliwini, forest-island on western slope Vier Gebroeders Mountain, 2°N; 55° 58'W, Surinam." The type locality is at around 350 m asl.
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Range Map:
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 (click for detailed map)
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Countries:
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Native:
Suriname
Uncertain presence and origin:
Brazil
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Population
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Population:
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It is a common species.
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Population Trend:
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Habitat and Ecology
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Habitat and Ecology:
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It is usually seen on rocks along streams in naturally occurring primary forest fragments (forest/savannah mosaic). Males call from leaves on trees or from the ground. A clutch of 2-6 eggs are laid in leaf-litter and attended to by the male, but also sometimes by the female. Males carry the tadpoles on their back to streams where they develop further.
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System:
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Terrestrial; Freshwater
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List of Habitats:
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| 1.6 | Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland |
| 5.1 | Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) |
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Threats
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Threats:
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It is not significantly threatened in its tiny range, but fire probably has an impact on its forest habitat (though rumours from European dart frog collectors that a fire had rendered the wild populations extinct in 1992 were proved to be unfounded). Illegal collection of the species for the international pet trade probably is no longer a significant threat, since the species is extensively bred in captivity.
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List of Threats:
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| 3.5.3 | Harvesting (hunting/gathering) - Cultural/scientific/leisure activities - Regional/international trade (past) |
| 7.4 | Natural disasters - Wildfire (ongoing) |
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Conservation Actions
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Conservation Actions:
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The range of the species is wholly within Sipaliwini Protected Area. In 1997 the National Aquarium in Baltimore, in the USA, initiated a captive-breeding program, which has been very successful and now involves more than 20 other institutions.
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List of Conservation Actions:
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| 3.2 | Research actions - Population numbers and range (needed) |
| 3.3 | Research actions - Biology and Ecology (needed) |
| 3.4 | Research actions - Habitat status (needed) |
| 3.5 | Research actions - Threats (needed) |
| 3.6 | Research actions - Uses and harvest levels (needed) |
| 3.8 | Research actions - Conservation measures (needed) |
| 3.9 | Research actions - Trends/Monitoring (needed) |
| 4.4.2 | Habitat and site-based actions - Protected areas - Establishment (in place) |
| 4.4.3 | Habitat and site-based actions - Protected areas - Management (needed) |
| 5.7.1 | Species-based actions - Ex situ conservation actions - Captive breeding/Artificial propagation (in place) |
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Bibliography
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Bibliography:
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Amphibian Data. For additional documentation about utilization and CITES status, click on the Global Amphibian Assessment (GAA) link above to see the GAA account for this species or alternatively follow this link to the search function on the Global Amphibian Assessment web site and run your own search. Hoogmoed, M.S. 1969. Notes on the herpetofauna of Surinam III. - A new species of Dendrobates (Amphibia, Salientia, Dendrobatidae) from Surinam. Zoologische Mededelingen, Leiden 44(9): 133-141. Zippel, K. 2005. Zoos play a vital role in amphibian conservation. See: http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/aw/declines/zoo/index.html 26 July 2005.
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