Atelopus varius
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| ( Lichtenstein & von Martens , 1856) |
Atelopus varius is an endangered Central American amphibian species from the toad family(Bufonidae).
features
The body of Atelopus varius is slender and up to 52 millimeters long. The skin is completely smooth. The top of the body is colored black with red, yellow or green markings. This usually consists of irregular, rarely symmetrical spots as well as cross and lengthways bands. Some animals have a gray back with yellow, black-edged bandages, there is also a brownish olive-colored variant with dark speckles and dots. The underside is yellow or pink and has black, more or less numerous spots.
The head is as long as it is wide. The body of the males is 2 to 2 1/3 times as long as the head, of the females 2 1/2 to 2 2/3 times. The front of the head protrudes, is a little pointed and drops vertically to the side. The nostril is much closer to the front end of the head than to the eye. The diameter of the nostril corresponds to the distance between the eye and the nostril. In the females the interorbital space is significantly wider than the upper eyelid, in the males it is only slightly or not wider. The front legs are as long as the trunk or a little longer. Although the first finger is short, it is still clearly visible. The other fingers are excessively long and, like the short toes webbed almost completely interconnected. Subarticular bumps are absent on the fingers and toes. The metacarpal cusps are extremely indistinct and metatarsal cusps are completely absent.
Occurrence
The distribution area of Atelopus varius includes Costa Rica and western Panama . The species occurs on both the Pacific and the Atlantic side of the Cordilleras up to an altitude of 2000 meters. In a few places in the flatlands it also descends on remote ridges and hills up to 16 meters above the sea. Atelopus varius does not occur in the plains of the Pacific Northwest , and reports from Colombia are also incorrect. Due to the collapse of the population, the species is currently only found in a single location in Fila Chonta near the city of Quepos from Costa Rica .
Habitat and way of life
The terrestrial species lives mainly in humid lowland and mountain forests. Specimens found in the lowland rainforest were all found in mountainous areas with rocky and steeply sloping rivers. The typical habitat for Atelopus varius are slow-flowing rivers where the species was often found sitting along the banks and on rocks in the water.
The animals sleep in crevices or low vegetation at night. The eggs are placed in the water and possibly pinned to rocks.
Population and Vulnerability
Previously, Atelopus varius in Costa Rica very common and over 100 populations known. From 1988 onwards, the population began to decline dramatically until it was considered extinct in Costa Rica in 1996. In 2003, a single population was discovered in the area of the Pacific coast near the city of Quepos; a further investigation in 2005 found more individuals there than in 2003. In Panama, however, some populations remained stable while others declined. Overall, the populations of the species have declined sharply across the range. Probably the main cause is chytridiomycosis , which also collapsed the populations of other Atelopus species. The cause of this disease, the chytrid fungus ( Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ), was detected in specimens of Atelopus varius from museums and from the last population in Costa Rica. Further threats are the loss of habitat due to the destruction of natural forests and the stalking of trout introduced. In the 1970s, thousands of the animals were sold to Germany as pets. The location of the population in Costa Rica is also endangered due to a possible landslide that could destroy the entire area in which the species was detected.
Atelopus varius is classified in the IUCN Red List as " Critically Endangered " due to the extreme population decline .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Fritz Nieden: Anura II . In: FE Schulze, W. Kükenthal, K. Heider (eds.): Das Tierreich , Walter de Gruyter & Co., Berlin and Leipzig 1926, page 85.
- ↑ a b c d e Atelopus varius in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2009 , accessed on March 5, 2010
Web links
- Atelopus varius in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2009 Posted by: Alan Pounds, Robert Puschendorf, Federico Bolaños, Gerardo Chaves, Martha Crump, Frank Solís, Roberto Ibáñez, Jay Savage, César Jaramillo, Querube Fuenmayor, Karen Lips., 2008 Retrieved March 5, 2010.