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| Ontogenetic transformation of color and pattern in Tandayapa Andean toad Andinophryne olallai from Río Manduriacu, Imbabura Province, Ecuador |
Abstract
We report the rediscovery of Andinophryne olallai, an endangered species only known from a single specimen, collected in 1970. At the type locality, Tandayapa, Pichincha Province, numerous follow-up surveys after 1970 failed to record the species suggesting that the population is extinct. The rediscovery of A. olallai took place in 2012 at Río Manduriacu, Imbabura Province, Ecuador. Two surveys suggest that a healthy population of A. olallai survives at the site, with observations of froglets, juveniles, and adults across numerous stream systems. However, the extent of known occupancy of the population is small (<1 sq.km.). . Further data are presented to update knowledge of the distribution, ontogeny, morphology, and conservation status of the species. The population at Río Manduriacu is surrounded by logging, mining, and hydroelectric developments that could compromise its future survival. There is an urgent need to establish a monitoring program and to protect its remaining population and habitat in the region.
Key words. Andinophryne olallai, rediscovery, Tandayapa Andean toad, Andinosapo de Olalla, Bufonidae, Endangered species, Ecuador
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| A baby Tandayapa Andean toad Andinophryne olallai , otherwise known as a toadlet. Biologists thought the species extinct until its recent rediscovery in a rain forest in Ecuador.
Photograph by Santiago Ron, FAUNAWEBECUADOR
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Ryan L. Lynch, Sebastian Kohn, Fernando Ayala-Varela, Paul S. Hamilton, and Santiago R. Ron. 2014. Rediscovery of Andinophryne olallai Hoogmoed, 1985 (Anura, Bufonidae), an enigmatic and endangered Andean toad. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. 8(1) [Special Section]: 1–7 (e75).
doi: dx.doi.org/10.1514/journal.arc.0000075
doi: dx.doi.org/10.1514/journal.arc.0000075
Biologists Find “Extinct” Andean Toad Alive and Well
