Assessment Results
Craugastor chrysozetetes
McCranie's Robber Frog
Order:
Anura
Family:
Craugastoridae
Synonym(s):
Eleutherodactylus chrysozetetes
Assessed for:
Honduras
on:
29 Apr 2019
by:
AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop
Authors:
Kolby, J., Marcec, R., Mora, J., Townsend, J.
IUCN Global Red List:
Critically Endangered (CR)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
Honduras
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
20.00211102
Recommended Conservation Actions:
Additional Comments:
The option of a captive-breeding programme might need to be explored for this species should a subpopulation be detected in the wild (Honduras Red List Assessment Workshop March 2019). While the species has not been confirmed from Parque Nacional Pico Bonito, improved enforcement and management of the national parks and the elimination of incentives to convert forest (e.g., Decreto 37-2016) is urgently needed to halt anthropogenic land use change in the national parks and reserves of Honduras (Honduras Red List Assessment Workshop March 2019).
Surveys to determine whether there are surviving populations of this species are needed (J. Townsend, L. Herrera and J. Kolby pers. comm. March 2019).
| 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) | Changed from Extinct to Critically Endangered |
| 2 | Possibly extinct | Is there a strong possibility that this species might be extinct in the wild? | Yes / probably | Extensive searches over the last ten years have failed to locate this species. While in 2008, three other rare and possibly extinct Craugastor species we rediscovered (McCranie et al 2010), C. chrysozetetes has not been found despite numerous surveys. It was always extremely rare, and is now believed to be extinct. Several visits to the only known site have failed to locate the species. |
| 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 was known only from Quebrada de Oro in the Río Viejo, south-east of La Ceiba, Department of Atlantida, northern Honduras. Although the species has not been recorded from a protected area, the Quebrada de Oro is at the edge of Parque Nacional Pico Bonito. It is expected to occur more widely in the interior of Parque Nacional Pico Bonito (J. Townsend & J. Kolby, pers. comm. March 2019). |
| 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 | |
| 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.). | ||
| 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.)? | ||
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | ||
| 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 | It is surmised the disappearance of this species was the result of a combination of deforestation as a result of agricultural and livestock encroachment, human settlements, logging, fires and landslides. The area from which this species was recorded is subject to extensive landslides; these often severely impact the species habitat. It is noteworthy to mention that in 2002 that all streamside Craugastor known to occur above 900m asl were thought to have disappeared in Honduras. Reasons for the disappearances of these species remain unclear, although infection with chytridiomycosis is likely. It will not tolerate habitat disturbance (J. Townsend & J. Kolby, pers. comm. March 2019). Cattle ranching and coffee production have also affected the habitat in Quebrada de Oro. |
| 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 | It was always extremely rare and may be extinct. Several visits to the only known site in the years prior to its 2004 assessment failed to locate the species. Additional surveys are needed in areas of the core zone of Parque Nacional Pico Bonito to confirm whether the species is still extant (J. Townsend and L. Herrera pers. comm. March 2019). If a population of this species exists, then it is reasonable to assume that is very small and would contain less than 50 individuals. |
| 13 | Action plans | Does an Action Plan for the species already exist, or is one currently being developed? | ||
| 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.) | ||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | Not held in captivity to date | |
| 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? | ||
| 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? | No / unlikely | |
| 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 | This species was previously included in the genus Eleutherodactylus (Crawford and Smith 2005). |
Citation:
Kolby, J., Marcec, R., Mora, J., Townsend, J. 2019. Conservation Needs Assessment for Craugastor chrysozetetes, Honduras
(AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop).
https://conservationneeds.org/assessment/4672
Accessed 05 Feb 2025
