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''Atelopus limosus'', the limosa harlequin frog ( es, sapo limoso) is an endangered species of
''Atelopus limosus'' has two color forms. A lowland color form is brown with a yellow nose and fingertips, while the upland color form is green with black chevron markings on its back. Males and females of both color forms are sexually dimorphic. Males are smaller with white bellies speckled with black spots, while females tend to have red or orange bellies.
Little is known of their diet in the wild, but it is presumably similar to that of other ''Atelopus'' species that forage on beetles, ants, flies, and mites. In captivity, the frogs readily accept large fruit flies, small meal-worm larvae, and small crickets.
''A. limosus'' is threatened by
Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project
targeted ''A. limosus'' as a priority rescue species to be taken into captivity as an assurance colony at the Summit Municipal Park in Panama City. When the rescue team arrived at one of the last known upland sites at Cerro Brewster, they found many of the frogs were already infected with chytridiomycosis. The captive-breeding program has been successful. While the upland region seems to have been hard-hit by chytrid fungus, the fate of lowland populations of this species is uncertain, as chytridiomycosis appears to have more pronounced effects at upland sites.
toad
Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands.
A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scient ...
in the family Bufonidae {{Cat main, Toad
This category contains both species commonly called toads, and the true toads from the family Bufonidae {{Cat main, Toad
This category
Category, plural categories, may refer to:
Philosophy and general uses
*Categorization, cat ...
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
. Its natural habitats are stream banks in tropical moist lowland forests and rivers of the Chagres
Chagres (), once the chief Atlantic port on the isthmus of Panama, is now an abandoned village at the historical site of Fort San Lorenzo ( es, Fuerte de San Lorenzo). The fort's ruins and the village site are located about west of Colón, on ...
watershed in central Panama.
Description
''Atelopus limosus'' has two color forms. A lowland color form is brown with a yellow nose and fingertips, while the upland color form is green with black chevron markings on its back. Males and females of both color forms are sexually dimorphic. Males are smaller with white bellies speckled with black spots, while females tend to have red or orange bellies.
Little is known of their diet in the wild, but it is presumably similar to that of other ''Atelopus'' species that forage on beetles, ants, flies, and mites. In captivity, the frogs readily accept large fruit flies, small meal-worm larvae, and small crickets.
Conservation
''A. limosus'' is threatened by 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 extinc ...
and 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 ...
. Species have been rapidly declining throughout their range. About 75% of all known species from highland sites above 1000 m have disappeared, while 58% of lowland species have declined and 38% have disappeared. Worried about the effects of chytridiomycosis on this endemic Panamanian frog, thPanama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project
targeted ''A. limosus'' as a priority rescue species to be taken into captivity as an assurance colony at the Summit Municipal Park in Panama City. When the rescue team arrived at one of the last known upland sites at Cerro Brewster, they found many of the frogs were already infected with chytridiomycosis. The captive-breeding program has been successful. While the upland region seems to have been hard-hit by chytrid fungus, the fate of lowland populations of this species is uncertain, as chytridiomycosis appears to have more pronounced effects at upland sites.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2701339 limosus Amphibians of Panama Amphibians described in 1995 Endemic fauna of Panama Taxonomy articles created by Polbot