Assessment Results
Question # | Short Name | Question Text | Response | Comments |
1 | Extinction risk | Current IUCN Red List category. [Data obtained from the IUCN Red List.] | Critically Endangered (CR) | Not evaluated globally, but listed as Critically Endangered in the national Red List. |
2 | Possibly extinct | Is there a strong possibility that this species might be extinct in the wild? | No / unlikely | |
3 | Phylogenetic significance | The taxon’s Evolutionary Distinctiveness (ED) score, as generated by the ZSL EDGE program. (These data are not editable by Assessors). | ||
4 | Protected habitat | Is a population of at least 50% of the individuals of the taxon included within a well-managed or reliably protected area or areas? | No / unlikely | This species occurs only in a private area, at the municipality of Água Doce (Santa Catarina State), which is located around a protected area (buffer zone of the Refúgio de Vida Silvestre dos Campos de Palmas). |
5 | Habitat for reintroduction, conservation translocation or supplementation | Does enough well-managed and reliably protected habitat exist, either within or outside of currently protected areas that is suitable for conservation translocation, including population restoration or conservation introduction? | Yes / probably | Refúgio de Vida Silvestre (REVIS) dos Campos de Palmas. Although P. rusticus has not yet been found there, this protected area is located close to its type locality and has habitat available for the species. The REVIS faces several problems regarding fire and other threats, but it still has well-preserved environments that could be used by the species. |
6 | Previous reintroductions | Have reintroduction or translocation attempts been made in the past for this species? | No | |
7 | In situ conservation activities | Are any in situ conservation actions currently in place for this species? (Only required if a Red List Assessment has not been completed, or if new actions have been implemented since the last Red List Assessment. (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.). | Yes / probably | Sensitization activities were carried out with the owner and employee of the species' area of occurrence. |
8 | In situ conservation activities | Are additional in situ conservation actions required to help conserve this species in the wild (e.g. habitat restoration and/or protection, control of invasive species, national legislation etc.)? | Yes / probably | Recover and protect wet areas. Increase surveillance, environmental education and sensitization actions with owners and local residents. |
9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | Yes | Research is needed on population size and trends, genetic analysis (population viability, inbreeding rate, etc.), pollutant (pesticides) and cattle impact, and increase studies on diseases (chytridiomycosis and ranavirosis). Research on the monitoring and the impacts of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in its population should be prioritized, since the pathogen has already been detected in the population. |
10 | Threat mitigation | Are the threats facing the taxon, including any new and emerging threats not considered in the IUCN Red List, potentially reversible? | Threats unlikely to be reversed in time to prevent further decline / extinction | The main threat to this species is the alteration of the wetlands in the area, which depends on the owner's collaboration in not draining the waters. Climate change and excessive drought can contribute to this change. In addition, the possible threats are the effects of the use of pesticides in the plantations (soybeans and potatoes) and the presence of cattle, both present in the surrounds of the wetland and pond where it occupies. Another issue is the presence of Bd in the population that could act with synergistic factors, which is considered a potential and irreversible threat. |
11 | Over-collection from the wild | Is the taxon suffering from collection within its natural range, either for food, for the pet trade or for any other reason, which threatens the species’ continued persistence in the wild? | No / unlikely | |
12 | Population recovery | Is the known population of this species in the wild large enough to recover naturally, without ex situ intervention if threats are mitigated? | Unknown | Small population. A maximum of 34 adult individuals were recorded in nature. |
13 | Action plans | Does an Action Plan for the species already exist, or is one currently being developed? | No | There is no specific plan to this species, but it is part of the National Action Plan "Plano de Ação Nacional para Conservação de Anfíbios e Répteis Ameaçados de Extinção da Região Sul do Brasil - PAN Herpetofauna do Sul". |
14 | Biological distinctiveness | Does the taxon exhibit a distinctive reproductive mode, behaviour, aspect of morphology or physiology, within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.)? | No aspect of biology known to be exceptional | |
15 | Cultural/socio-economic importance | Does the taxon have a special human cultural value (e.g. as a national or regional symbol, in a historic context, featuring in traditional stories) or economic value (e.g. food, traditional medicine, tourism) within its natural range or in a wider global context? | No | |
16 | Scientific importance | Is the species vital to current or planned research other than species-specific ecology/biology/conservation within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.) e.g. human medicine, climate change, environmental pollutants and conservation science? | No research dependent on this species | |
17 | Ex situ research | Does conserving this species (or closely related species) in situ depend upon research that can be most easily carried out ex situ? | Yes | Impact of pesticides and of climate change. |
18 | Ex situ conservation activities | Is any ex situ research or other ex situ conservation action currently in place for this species? (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.) | Yes / probably | Research with thermal tolerance (climate change) will start soon at Universidade Federal de Santa Maria and Universidade Federal do Pampa (PhD project by Veluma Bastiani). |
19 | Husbandry analog required | If an ex situ rescue program is recommended for this species, would an analog species be required to develop husbandry protocols first? | Yes / probably | Pithecopus hypochondrialis |
20 | Husbandry analog | Do the biological and ecological attributes of this species make it suitable for developing husbandry regimes for more threatened related species? i.e. could this species be used in captivity to help to develop husbandry and breeding protocols which could be used for a similar, but more endangered species at a later stage? | No | |
21 | Captive breeding | Has this species been successfully bred and/or maintained in captivity? | Maintained but no successful breeding | Part of a single spawn developed partially in tadpoles (complete metamorphosis), but it was not possible to keep the juveniles (Universidade Comunitária da Região de Chapecó - UNOCHAPECÓ; E.M.Lucas, pers. comm. 2020). |
22 | Conservation education/ecotourism potential | Is the species especially diurnal, active or colourful, or is there an interesting or unusual aspect of its ecology that make it particularly suitable to be an educational ambassador for conservation of the species in the range country, either in zoos or aquariums or within ecotourism activities? | Yes | This species is very charismatic with potential for frogwatching (ecoutourism) and zoo exhibits. There is a page specific for conservation education of this species (https://m.facebook.com/projetoucpalmas/photos/a.127107952174135/177810780437185/?type=3&source=48&__tn__=EH-R). It has the potential to be used as a municipal symbol of the city of Água Doce, due its restrict endemism. |
23 | Mandate | Is there an existing conservation mandate recommending the ex situ conservation of this taxon? | No | |
24 | Range State approval | If an ex situ initiative was proposed for this species, would it be supported (and approved) by the range State (either within the range State or out-of-country ex situ)? | Yes / probably | |
25 | Founder specimens | Are sufficient animals of the taxon available or potentially available (from wild or captive sources) to initiate an ex situ program, if one was recommended? | Yes / probably | Small population. |
26 | Taxonomic status | Has a complete taxonomic analysis of the species in the wild been carried out, to fully understand the functional unit you wish to conserve (i.e. have species limits been determined)? | Yes |
Citation:
E.M. Lucas and R. Lingnau 2020. Conservation Needs Assessment for Pithecopus rusticus, Brazil
(AArk/ASG Brazil Assessment Workshop).
https://conservationneeds.org/assessment/6764
Accessed 18 May 2024