''Telmatobius'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of frogs native to the

Andean The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the List of mountain ranges#Mountain ranges by length, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range i ...

highlands in South America, where they are found in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, northwestern Argentina and northern Chile. It is the only genus in the family Telmatobiidae. Some sources recognize ''Batrachophrynus'' as a valid genus distinct from ''Telmatobius''.

Ecology and conservation

All ''Telmatobius'' species are closely associated with water and most species are semi-aquatic, while a few are entirely aquatic.Angulo, A. (2008). Conservation Needs of Batrachophrynus and Telmatobius Frogs of the Andes of Peru. Conservation & Society 6(4): 328-333. DOI: 10.4103/0972-4923.49196 They are found in and near lakes, rivers and wetlands in the

highlands at altitudes between . The genus includes two of the world's largest fully aquatic frogs, the

Lake Junin frog ''Telmatobius macrostomus'', also known as the Lake Junin (giant) frog or Andes smooth frog, is a very large and endangered species of frog in the family Telmatobiidae.Angulo, A. (2008). "Conservation needs of Batrachophrynus and Tel ...

(''T. macrostomus'') and

Titicaca water frog ''Telmatobius culeus'', commonly known as the Titicaca water frog, is a medium-large to very large and endangered species of frog in the family Telmatobiidae. It is entirely aquatic and only found in the Lake Titicaca basin, including rivers th ...

(''T. culeus''),Halliday, T. (2016). ''The Book of Frogs: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species from around the World.'' University Of Chicago Press. but the remaining are considerably smaller. ''Telmatobius'' contains more than 60 species; the vast majority seriously

threatened Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensat ...

, especially from

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

, pollution, diseases (

chytridiomycosis Chytridiomycosis ( ) is an infectious disease in amphibians, caused by the chytrid fungi ''Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis'' and ''Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans''. Chytridiomycosis has been linked to dramatic population declines or extincti ...

and

nematode infection A nematode infection is a type of helminthiasis caused by organisms in the nematode phylum. An example is enterobiasis. Several antinematodal agents are available. References External links Helminthiases Infection An infection is th ...

s), introduced

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...

, and capture for human consumption.Stuart, Hoffmann, Chanson, Cox, Berridge, Ramani and Young, editors (2008). ''Threatened Amphibians of the World.'' The three Ecuadorian species have not been seen for years and may already be extinct: '' T. cirrhacelis'' last seen in 1981, '' T. niger'' in 1994 and '' T. vellardi'' in 1987. Similarly, seven of the fifteen species in Bolivia have not been seen for years. However, some might still be rediscovered: the Bolivian '' T. yuracare'' had not been seen in the wild in a decade and there was only a single captive male. A few wild individuals were located in 2019, thus ending the captive male's informal status as an

endling An endling is the last known individual of a species or subspecies. Once the endling dies, the species becomes extinct. The word was coined in correspondence in the scientific journal ''Nature''. Alternative names put forth for the last individ ...

(last survivor of the species).

Species

There are currently 63 species recognized in the genus ''Telmatobius'', but the validity of some species is questionable and it is likely that

undescribed species In taxonomy, an undescribed taxon is a taxon (for example, a species) that has been discovered, but not yet formally described and named. The various Nomenclature Codes specify the requirements for a new taxon to be validly described and named. U ...

remain.Sáez, Fibla, Correa, Sallaberry, Salinas, Veloso, Mella, Iturra, and Méndez (2014). ''A new endemic lineage of the Andean frog genus Telmatobius (Anura, Telmatobiidae) from the western slopes of the central Andes.'' Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 171: 769–782.

References

External links

BBC News 4/29/05
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2702463 Amphibians of South America Amphibian genera Taxa named by Arend Friedrich August Wiegmann