Threatened Amphibians of the World

151 Pages·2013·25.74 MB·English

THREATENED AMPHIBIANS OF THE WORLD

S.N. Stuart, M. Hoffmann, J.S. Chanson, N.A. Cox, R.J. Berridge, P. Ramani, and B.E. Young (eds.)
THREATENED AMPHIBIANS OF THE WORLD
Cover: Hylomantis lemur, Endangered. © Joel Sartore / www.joelsartore.com
Back cover: Agalychnis callidryas, Least Concern. © Kenji Nishida
Page 1: Ichthyophis kohtaoensis, Least Concern. © Danté Fenolio
Page 135: Atelopus ignescens, Extinct. © Michael and Patricia Fogden
Page 145: Leptopelis vermiculatus, Vulnerable. © Maik Dobiey
Page 609: Epipedobates bassleri, Near Threatened © Maik Dobiey
Recommended citation:
Stuart, S.N., Hoffmann, M., Chanson, J.S., Cox, N.A., Berridge, R.J., Ramani, P., and Young, B.E. (eds.) (2008). Threatened Amphibians of the World. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain;
IUCN, Gland, Switzerland; and Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, USA.
Published as a partnership between IUCN, Conservation International and Lynx Edicions.
First edition: July 2008
© Lynx Edicions – Montseny 8, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona (Spain)
© Texts: introductory matter: authors / IUCN and Conservation International; species accounts: IUCN, Conservation International and NatureServe
© Photographs: credited photographers
Printed by Ingoprint S.A.
DL: B-32.689-2008
ISBN: 978-84-96553-41-5
All rights reserved. No form of reproduction, distribution, public communication or transformation of this work may be carried out without the authorization of its copyrights holders, except that foreseen by the law. Those
needing to photocopy or electronically scan any part of this work should contact Lynx Edicions.
Threatened Amphibians of the World is dedicated to
The 500 herpetologists from around the world
who devoted their knowledge, intellect and time
to the Global Amphibian Assessment, and without
whom this book could not have been written
and especially to
George Rabb for his visionary leadership
and commitment to confronting the
amphibian extinction crisis, which gives us
hope in an otherwise bleak situation.
Dendrobates azureus, Vulnerable. © Albert Popalis

CONTENTS
FOREWORDS IX
PREFACES XI
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS XIII
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTERS 1
Chapter 1. An Introduction to the Amphibians 2
Chapter 2. Why Save Amphibians? 23
Chapter 3. The Global Amphibian Assessment (GAA): History, Objectives and Methodology 30
Chapter 4. The State of the World’s Amphibians 33
Chapter 5. Amphibians of the Afrotropical Realm 53
Chapter 6. Amphibians of the Australasian Realm 65
Chapter 7. Amphibians of the Indomalayan Realm 74
Chapter 8. Amphibians of the Nearctic Realm 85
Chapter 9. Amphibians of the Neotropical Realm 92
Chapter 10. Amphibians of the Palaearctic Realm 106
Chapter 11. Amphibian Conservation – Responding to the Global Decline of Amphibians 114
EXTINCT AND EXTINCT IN THE WILD AMPHIBIAN SPECIES 135
GLOBALLY THREATENED AMPHIBIAN SPECIES 145
NEAR THREATENED AMPHIBIAN SPECIES 609
BIBLIOGRAPHY 645
APPENDICES 693
Appendix Ia. The IUCN Red List Categories (IUCN 2001) 693
Appendix Ib. Summary of the fi ve criteria (A-E) used to evaluate if a species belongs
in a Category of Threat (Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable) 693
Appendix II. Defi nitions for the initial data collection regions 694
Appendix III. A summary of IUCN Red List status by genus 694
Appendix IV. List of rapidly declining species 696
Appendix V. Species listed by territory 699
Appendix VI. Amphibian Conservation Summit Declaration:
an Amphibian Conservation Action Plan 702
Appendix VIIa. The scale of conservation required for globally threatened amphibians 703
Appendix VIIb. The nature of the ecological process for which
landscape-scale conservation action is required 723
Appendix VIII. List of Critically Endangered and Endangered species for which
captive breeding is an immediately necessary ex-situ conservation action 725
Appendix IX. Amphibians listed as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct)
on the 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 727
Appendix X. Amphibians listed as Vulnerable D2 on the 2007 IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species 728
Appendix XI. List of Least Concern species listed on the 2007 IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species, with country of occurrence 729
Appendix XII. List of Data Defi cient species, with country of occurrence 739
Appendix XIII. The differences in IUCN Red List Status for some Brazilian species 744
Appendix XIV. Glossary of some key terms used 745
Appendix XV. Websites and amphibian-related resources 745
INDEX OF EXTINCT, THREATENED AND NEAR THREATENED
SPECIES ACCOUNTS 747

IX
FOREWORDS
The fi rst signs of trouble for amphibians arose around three decades ago. IUCN, Conservation International and “Round up the usual suspects,” as Captain Renault famously said in the fi lm Casablanca, did not seem to apply. Some-
NatureServe made great efforts to understand what was happening, and in 2004, the Global Amphibian Assessment thing appeared to be going on with amphibians that could not be wholly explained by the standard litany of ecological
was produced with this shocking result: one-third of amphibian species are threatened with extinction. In addition, threats, such as habitat degradation and loss. The declines that were fi rst noticed in earnest in the late 1980s and
we were lacking data on many species which are potentially threatened. New studies show that many of the species early 1990s raised the possibility that something was seriously amiss: a crisis that might start with environmentally
that are listed as ‘Data Defi cient’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ are indeed threatened. One-third of sensitive creatures such as amphibians, but ultimately affect other strands of life, including humans.
an entire distinct group of species at risk of extinction is not a trivial fi gure. NatureServe is a non-profi t organization dedicated to providing the scientifi c basis for effective conservation
This book is another step in our attempt to alert the world about the extinction crisis that toads, frogs, salamanders action, with a deep appreciation for the role that research plays in addressing environmental challenges. We were
and caecilians are currently facing. It is a landmark book comprising all what needs to be known about amphibian pleased to join with IUCN and Conservation International in carrying out the Global Amphibian Assessment (GAA) as
conservation, and as such I am very happy to see its publication and to write this foreword. I would, however, be a way to document and draw attention to the amphibian declines now underway.
even happier if the amphibian extinction crisis was not taking place. I am concerned that the size of this book is a NatureServe scientists began seriously delving into the plight of amphibians through our coordination of RANA
refl ection of the number of threatened species that it comprises. When reading it one should not forget that only (Research and Analysis Network for Neotropical Amphibians), a U.S. National Science Foundation-funded effort.
threatened amphibians are included in the species accounts that occupy the bulk of its length. Through RANA, researchers with an interest in understanding amphibian declines in Latin America came together to
Many of us probably do not give much attention to amphibians and will probably be surprised to see how diverse, share information, approaches, and results, and to train a new generation of Latin American herpetology students.
unique, colourful, and fascinating they are. Many species have developed very specifi c evolutionary characteristics The project has also helped to document some of the causes that appear to be behind these declines, including fungal
and adaptations. We might think that they all lay eggs in water, but some give birth to live young, some do not need diseases and shifts in climate. Building on our work with RANA, as well as our long history of assessing conservation
water, some species carry their eggs, others carry their young. Two Australian frogs incubated their eggs in their status for North American and Latin American species, I am pleased that NatureServe was able to contribute to the
stomachs and both are already Extinct. As a result, an entire evolutionary lineage has been lost, along with up to GAA by coordinating the Western Hemisphere portion of the initiative, and creating a website for disseminating the
164 other species. These reproductive traits are the results of millions of years of evolution. Who knows if such project’s data and results to the broader community (www.globalampihibians.org).
adaptations would not have been key to the survival of species in response to climate change? The GAA partnership has succeeded admirably in bringing the dire condition of the world’s amphibian species into
Amphibians are sending us a very strong signal that something is seriously wrong with the way we take care of focus, and in motivating the scientifi c and conservation communities to take action. The present volume provides an
our environment. They have been considered as the ‘canaries in the coal mine’; their permeable skin makes them important summary of what is known about amphibians around the world, and what will be required to ensure their
sensitive to many forms of pollution; they are also extremely sensitive to climate change and diseases. The sharp future. While the work to do so will be diffi cult, and success is not assured, only by committing to the approaches
decline in amphibian populations could prefi gure, if we are not careful, what other groups of species might undergo outlined in the recent Amphibian Conservation Action Plan will we have a hope for preserving the many and varied
in the future. Amphibians provide us with a critical challenge if we are to meet the target that all countries agreed faces of this ancient lineage.
upon: a signifi cant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.
Amphibians are a key part of ecosystems and the food chain; they control the number of many invertebrates, and Mary L. Klein
are prey for many species of birds or mammals. Some species are also a source of revenue for human communities President and CEO, NatureServe
who eat them, use them as medicines, or supply them to the international pet trade. The skins of certain species
contain molecules that are very promising in terms of developing new medicines for people. Who knows, a little frog
hiding in the understorey of a tropical rainforest might bring the solution to the AIDS pandemic?
After reading this book and contemplating all these pictures, no one will look at amphibians with the same eyes
again.
Julia Marton-Lefèvre Amphibians, be they frogs, toads, salamanders or caecilians, are thought to be amongst the most sensitive ecologi-
Director General cal indicators, warning us of unsafe environmental conditions that are not only impacting our health, but that of
IUCN, the World Conservation Union the global ecosystem. With at least 32% of the described amphibian species threatened with extinction, and 500
species probably beyond the point of no return, the global amphibian extinction crisis represents one of the greatest
conservation challenges of our times.
A direct result of mankind’s insatiable appetite for natural resources, the rapid decline in amphibian numbers
demonstrates the sensitivity of not only species, but of entire ecosystems. The current crisis exemplifi es how, if
unmanaged, actions of every-day human consumption and waste can compound to form ripple-like reactions resulting
in entire populations disappearing, and all within our lifetime. In 2004, a global collaboration of work from 500 of the
Eight years ago, I was invited to write a foreword to BirdLife International’s landmark publication Threatened Birds world’s most respected amphibian specialists from over 60 nations was released: the Global Amphibian Assessment.
of the World. At the time, I commented how encouraging it was that at least one organization had managed to hone Citing the possible loss of 122 species since 1980 alone, this unprecedented collaborative research effort highlighted
its focus down to the level of sites and species across the planet. Writing this foreword for what is, in essence, the the pace of modern amphibian declines. Since the fi rst release of the Global Amphibian Assessment, there has been
sister publication to BirdLife’s earlier work, I am struck by our progress since then. constant updating of information, including the addition of 160 new species to the IUCN Red List of Threatened
In 2003, at the Fifth World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa, the results of a global analysis revealed the SpeciesTM nine of which are Critically Endangered, 17 Endangered, and 12 Vulnerable. However, a large percentage
tremendous gaps in coverage of the existing protected areas network. While not all threats to biodiversity can be of species remain in the Data Defi cient category, emphasizing the need for more amphibian assessment work.
mitigated via habitat protection, habitat loss remains the overwhelming threat to our planet’s unique life forms. It is At present, little is known of the deadly fungal disease that is wiping out some amphibians faster than can be
encouraging, then, to see the expansion of the Important Bird Areas concept, pioneered by BirdLife International, to recorded. With fears that this could worsen with global climate change, there is no better time than the present to
all taxa under the umbrella of the Key Biodiversity Areas approach, which aims to identify globally important sites act with the knowledge we have, improve shortcomings in our knowledge, and continue work with our current and
for the conservation of biodiversity. Such initiatives, aided by the efforts of the Alliance for Zero Extinction, which future collaborative efforts to raise the awareness for amphibian conservation. The recent release of the Amphibian
prioritizes that subset of sites known to hold the last remaining population of a highly threatened species, provide Conservation Action Plan by IUCN/SSC’s Amphibian Specialist Group and the publication of this book, are tributes to
conservation planners, funders and practitioners with a valuable lens on where, and what form of, conservation action the enormous efforts dedicated teams are undertaking to tackle the global loss of species. Onwards to 2008, aptly
is most appropriate in order to avoid the loss of global biodiversity. named “the Year of the Frog”.
Such fi ne-scale resolution would be impossible without the foundation provided by the data in the IUCN Red List,
the recognized authority for the conservation status of global biodiversity. Before the launch of the Global Amphibian Holly T. Dublin
Assessment in September 2004, only a few hundred hand-picked frogs, toads and salamanders appeared on the Chair, IUCN Species Survival Commission
IUCN Red List. Today, we have detailed, up-to-date information on the distribution, population status, threats, and
conservation status of nearly 6,000 amphibians.
Threatened Amphibians of the World is a visual exploration of the results of the Global Amphibian Assessment
– a compelling synthesis of herpetological knowledge and a yardstick for amphibian conservation. In tandem with the
Amphibian Conservation Action Plan, produced by the IUCN/SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, it puts the amphibian
agenda center-stage. And it does so with tremendous visual impact, presenting us with a face on an unfolding crisis
like nothing that has gone before.
The plight of the world’s amphibians is not just theirs, but ours as well. We should care that one-third of amphibians
stand a high risk of extinction in the wild – and probably many more – because the threats that imperil them are those
that stem from our actions and will be no less detrimental to our own livelihoods: pollutants, invasive species and
disease, global climate change, and rampant habitat loss. Responding to these threats must be a societal concern.
Let us hope that a second edition of this book does not require two volumes…
Russell A. Mittermeier
President, Conservation International
Steering Committee member, IUCN Species Survival Commission
IUCN Council member 2004-2008, IUCN – World Conservation Union