Assessment Results
Melanophryniscus montevidensis
Montevideo Redbelly Toad
Sapito De Darwin
Order:
Anura
Family:
Bufonidae
Synonym(s):
Phryniscus montevidensis, Melanophryniscus stelzneri montevidensis
Assessed for:
Brazil
on:
17 Aug 2020
by:
AArk/ASG Brazil Assessment Workshop
Authors:
C. Zank, L.F.M. Fonte, M. D. Freire, M. Borges-Martins and P. Colombo
IUCN Global Red List:
Vulnerable (VU)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
Brazil, Uruguay
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
12.97812754
Recommended Conservation Actions:
Additional Comments:
| Question # | Short Name | Question Text | Response | Comments |
| 1 | Extinction risk | Current IUCN Red List category. [Data obtained from the IUCN Red List.] | Endangered (EN) | Uruguayan National List (2015): Critically Endangered (CR). * extinct in Argentina (Agnolin, F.L. & E.L. Guerrero. 2017. Local extinction of Melanophryniscus montevidensis (Anura: Bufonidae) in the Argentine Pampas. Check List 13: 11-15). |
| 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). | ED value < 20 | |
| 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 | In Brazil, this species occurs in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, municipalities of Santa Vitória do Palmar and Chuí, in non-protected areas. In Uruguay, this species occurs in coastal habitat of departaments of Rocha, Maldonado, Canelones, Montevideo and San José. |
| 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? | No / unlikely | |
| 6 | Previous reintroductions | Have reintroduction or translocation attempts been made in the past for this species? | Yes, but outcome is unknown | Translocation of about 3000 individuals from fauna rescue has already been carried out, but outcome is unknow (Marcelo Duarte Freire, pers. comm. 2020) |
| 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.). | No / unlikely | |
| 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 | Create regulations for the implementation of wind farms. Control expansion of rice and soybean crops. Create a protected area in municipality of Chuí and/or Santa Vitória do Palmar. |
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | Yes | Many studies have been carried out on the natural history of this species in Uruguay. Research on distribution in Brazil, population size and trends is needed. |
| 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 are likely to be reversible in time frame to prevent further decline / extinction | The main threats to the species are: rice cultivation, soybean advance, wind farms and mining. There are projections indicating total loss of climatic niche for this species (Zank, C.; Becker, F.G.; Abadie, M.; Baldo, D.; Maneyro, D. & Borges-Martins, M. 2014. Climate Change and the Distribution of Neotropical Red- Bellied Toads ( Melanophryniscus, Anura, Amphibia): How to Prioritize Species and Populations?. PLoS ONE, 9 (4): p.e94625). In Argentina this toad has been extinct in the wild (Agnolin, F.L. & E.L. Guerrero. 2017. Local extinction of Melanophryniscus montevidensis (Anura: Bufonidae) in the Argentine Pampas. Check List 13: 11-15). |
| 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? | Yes / probably | |
| 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? | No | |
| 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.) | No / unlikely | |
| 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? | No / unlikely | |
| 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 | Kept in semi-open condition in Uruguay (not in the laboratory); two adults were kept in laboratory by Cecilia Bardier; between 1998-2000 the species was found in a pet store in Porto Alegre. |
| 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 charismatic and it is also part of the DOTs Project, which aims to promote scientific communication and highlight conservation needs of the Brazilian threatened amphibians (https://www.projetodots.org). |
| 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 | |
| 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:
C. Zank, L.F.M. Fonte, M. D. Freire, M. Borges-Martins and P. Colombo
2020. Conservation Needs Assessment for Melanophryniscus montevidensis, Brazil
(AArk/ASG Brazil Assessment Workshop).
https://conservationneeds.org/assessment/1649
Accessed 30 Jan 2025
