Assessment Results
Xenohyla truncata
Order:
Anura
Family:
Hylidae
Synonym(s):
Assessed for:
Brazil
on:
21 Aug 2020
by:
AArk/ASG Brazil Assessment Workshop
Authors:
A.M.P. T. Carvalho-e-Silva, D. Baêta, J.L. Gasparini and S.P. Carvalho-e-Silva
IUCN Global Red List:
Near Threatened (NT)
National Red List:
Endangered (EN)
Distribution:
Brazil
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
37.57396826
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.] | Near Threatened (NT) | |
| 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 - 50 | |
| 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 mainly in unprotected areas. About 20% of its population is within Parque Nacional de Jurubatiba, a protected area in municipality of Macaé -RJ. |
| 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 | Parque Nacional de Jurubatiba. The population of this area is still small and could be supplemented (S.P. Carvalho-e-Silva, pers. comm. 2020). |
| 6 | Previous reintroductions | Have reintroduction or translocation attempts been made in the past for this species? | Yes, but outcome is unknown | It is a bromeligenous species, thus, accidental translocation can occur since it is common to collect bromeliads in nature for landscape purposes. In places where there were withdrawals of bromeliads for the construction of buildings, the species also disappeared. Landscape artist Burle Max, took Neoregelia cruenta bromeliads from Barra da Tijuca to Ipanema and Copacabana and species of bromeligenous amphibians began to appear in these locations, including Xenohyla (A.M.P. T. Carvalho-e-Silva and S.P. Carvalho-e-Silva, 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.). | Yes / probably | Restinga de Maricá is being monitored and conservation actions are being proposed on the beach, in Itaipúaçu |
| 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 | Promote the creation of effective protected areas where the species occurs: Parque Municipal Chico Mendes, Bosque da Barra, Restinga da Marambaia, Restinga de Ponte Negra (Barra de Maricá), Restinga de Massambaba (Arraial do Cabo-RJ) |
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | Yes | Currently, a systematic study on the genus Xenohyla is been carried out (Bruno Bove da Costa and Sérgio P. Carvalho-e-Silva). Research is needed on occurrence and distribution; natural history; diet (related to the plant); seed dispersal; presence and effects of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in subpopulations; relationship between plant (Erythroxylon, Anthurium) and chemical defense of the frog. It is also necessary to carry out the population census and trends in the Parque Nacional de Jurubatiba and to verify the need to supplement the population of this region (S.P. Carvalho-e-Silva, pers. comm. 2020) |
| 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 this species are: strong anthropic pressure due to disorderly urban occupation; habitat reduction and disconnection due to deforestation; genetic isolation among subpopulations of the species; pressure from extractivists to trade ornamental bromeliad (Neoregelia cruenta); and sea level rise (Oliveira et al 2016). OLIVEIRA, I. S. de; RÖDDER, D.; CAPINHA, C.; AHMADZADEH, F.; OLIVEIRA, A.K. C. de; TOLEDO, L. F. Assessing future habitat availability for coastal lowland anurans in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment, v. 51, n. 1, p. 45–55, 2016) |
| 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 | The frog was not the target, however the bromeliads in which they occur were quite collected and translocated and Xenohyla may have been translocated together. |
| 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 for this species, but it is part of the National Action Plan "Plano de Ação Nacional para a Conservação da Herpetofauna Ameaçada da Mata Atlântica da Região Sudeste do Brasil" (PAN Herpetofauna do Sudeste). |
| 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.)? | Aspect of biology identified that is unique to species | Only known species of amphibian that actively feeds on Erythroxylon fruits |
| 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 | Tests of bioactive principles of fruits in the species. |
| 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 | Occurs in several places and it is abundant, and can be worked directly with it. |
| 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? | Yes | It could be an analog for Xenohyla eugenioi. |
| 21 | Captive breeding | Has this species been successfully bred and/or maintained in captivity? | Maintained but no successful breeding | Tadpoles were maintained until adults in Universidade Rural (Sérgio P. Carvalho-e-Silva and Eugenio Izechson). In 1985, a project surrounded an area of UFRJ, where individuals were released, reproduced and the population remained stable. |
| 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 with potential for frogwatching (ecoutourism) and zoo exhibits, being the only amphibian that feeds on fruits. Its important to highlight the relationship between this species and bromeliads and the need to preserve these plants. 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:
A.M.P. T. Carvalho-e-Silva, D. Baêta, J.L. Gasparini and S.P. Carvalho-e-Silva
2020. Conservation Needs Assessment for Xenohyla truncata, Brazil
(AArk/ASG Brazil Assessment Workshop).
https://conservationneeds.org/assessment/2601
Accessed 05 Feb 2025
