Assessment Results
Leptodactylus silvanimbus
Honduras White-lipped Frog
Order:
Anura
Family:
Leptodactylidae
Synonym(s):
Assessed for:
Honduras
on:
21 May 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:
19.85011169
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) | |
| 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 | It is known from moderate and intermediate elevations on Montañas de Celaque and Sierra del Merendón in the Department of Ocotepeque in extreme western Honduras. It is known from the edge of Parque Nacional Celaque, and could possibly occur within the Parque (J. Townsend, pers. comm. March 2019). However according to Wilson et al. 2012, this species is found on La Reserva el Güisayote. |
| 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 | Given sufficient habitat restoration, which could be relatively easy to achieve, animals could be released into pasture land which currently falls within the protected area (J. Townsend, pers. comm. March 2019). |
| 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.)? | Yes / probably | Habitat protection and maintenance of the existing habitat is urgently needed, along with reduction of the use of pesticides and herbicides (J. Townsend, pers. comm. 2019). |
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | Yes | Further survey work is necessary to determine the current population status of this species and the limits of its range. Research on threats to this species would also be useful to understand the causes behind the past population declines (J. Townsend and J. Kolby pers. comm. March 2019). |
| 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 unknown | Habitat destruction caused by agriculture and the creation of pasture for cattle ranching, as well as urbanization, is the main threat to this species. It appears to be somewhat tolerant to habitat disturbance, based on the habitats that it has been found in, however the use of pesticides and herbicides may cause a threat (J. Townsend, pers. comm. March 2019). Surveys in 1995 failed to document the species at two of the three previously known localities. In the remaining extant locality, an artificial pond in a town, all tadpoles sampled had deformed oral discs, which sometimes is associated with chytridiomycosis and/or pollution (Heyer et al. 2002). Climate change is also considered to be a threat. Highland amphibians are adapted to inhabitat a narrow climatic envelope. Changes in climate are expected to reduce the available suitable habitat and required microclimates. Rapid shifts in the climate conditions required by these species would not allow sufficient opportunity for adaptation, especially in light of the limited possibility for elevational migration. Tropical Montane Cloud Forest (>1,000 m asl) has been demonstrated to be negatively affected by climatic changes to a greater extent than other habitats (Foden et al. 2013, Wicaksono et al. 2017, Lyra et al. 2017, Neate-Clegg et al. 2018). An increase in high rainfall events are being observed throughout its range, as well as an increase in the frequency of extreme weather events (hurricanes and droughts) in the Caribbean, destroying the riparian habitat required by stream-dwelling and stream-associated amphibian species (Honduras Amphibian Red List Workshop March 2019). Climate change is therefore considered to be both a current and future threat to all amphibian species in this habitat type. Furthermore, amphibians globally are at an increased risk of disease (e.g. chytridiomycosis) and a decline in fecundity due to such changes (Pounds et al. 2006, Blaustein et al. 2010). |
| 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? | Unknown | |
| 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 is known from only three localities: it has already disappeared from at least one of these (El Chagüitón); at the second (Belén Gualcho), it persists rather precariously in a pool dug to provide water for cattle in a pasture; and at the third (El Portillo), its status is unknown, however according to Wilson & Townsend (2007), Honduran population is in decline. Further survey work is necessary to determine the current population status of this species and the limits of its range, Surveys were carried at out El Portillo in 2008 and 2015 and the species was not found (J. Townsend, pers. comm. March 2019). Surveys have not been conducted at the other two locations since the 1990s (J. Townsend, pers. comm. March 2019). Four surveys since 2015 have been conducted in El Chagüitón specifically to look for this species but no individuals were found (J. Mora, pers. comm. March 2019). |
| 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 | It is the only representative of its clade in this part of the world. It's closest relatives are in North and Central America. |
| 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? | No | |
| 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? | Unknown | Research into availability of founders needs to be prioritised. |
| 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:
Kolby, J., Marcec, R., Mora, J., Townsend, J. 2019. Conservation Needs Assessment for Leptodactylus silvanimbus, Honduras
(AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop).
https://conservationneeds.org/assessment/4707
Accessed 03 Mar 2025
