Assessment Results
Duellmanohyla uranochroa
Costa Rica Brook Frog
Order:
Anura
Family:
Hylidae
Synonym(s):
Assessed for:
Costa Rica
on:
17 Apr 2020
by:
AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop
IUCN Global Red List:
Vulnerable (VU)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
Costa Rica, Panama
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
15.27172415
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.] | Least Concern (LC) | Listed as Least Concern since, although its extent of occurrence (EOO) is restricted (203 km2), it occurs in a well-managed protected area with extensive, suitable habitat which is not under threat. |
| 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? | Yes / probably | This species is known from the cordilleras of Costa Rica and western Panama . In Costa Rica, the species occurs on the Atlantic versant asl and on the Pacific slope. Although there are no specific conservation measures in place, this species has been recorded from at least three protected areas in Costa Rica. Veragua Rainforest Park and Bosque Eternos de los Ninos-Monteverde. BARULLO CARRILLO, ARENAL-MONTERVERDE CUENCA DEL RIO BANANO Veragua Rainforest Park and Bosque Eternos de los Ninos-Monteverde. BARULLO CARRILLO, ARENAL-MONTERVERDE CUENCA DEL RIO BANANO |
| 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 | This species inhabits humid lowland and montane forest. Veragua Rainforest Park and Bosque Eternos de los Ninos-Monteverde. BARULLO CARRILLO, ARENAL-MONTERVERDE CUENCA DEL RIO BANANO |
| 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 | |
| 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 | Ongoing protection of its habitat and sites where it is known to occur is required. |
| 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 required to monitor the population status and trends of this species, and to ascertain clearly whether or not chytrid poses a threat. |
| 10 | Threat mitigation | Are the threats facing the taxon, including any new and emerging threats not considered in the IUCN Red List, potentially reversible? | Species is effectively protected | Habitat loss due to smallholder farming activities is mostly a historical threat to this species in Costa Rica (B. Young pers. comm. March 2013). While this species has apparently disappeared from some sites in Costa Rica, there are no ongoing threats to extant subpopulations (Costa Rica Red List Assessment Workshop September 2019). |
| 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 | It was a historically common species, but starting in the 1980s the species experienced a significant decline across its range (Costa Rica Red List Assessment Workshop September 2019). By 2007, however, a new subpopulation was found in Tuis de Turrialba, Costa Rica, and between 2014–2019 the species was recorded at new sites in Tuis de Turriabla (B. Kubicki pers. comm. September 2019). By 2013, the Costa Rican subpopulations appeared to be recovering somewhat, although the species was still not considered common in any of the known sites. Extant subpopulations are known at Monteverde (possibly no more than 100 adults), Tuis (at most 10 adults), and Fila Matama on the Atlantic slope of the Cordillera de Talamanca (at most 10 adults) in Costa Rica (G. Chaves pers. comm. March 2013). Exhaustive surveys in the Cordillera Volcanica Central and Parque Nacional Tapantí have not recorded the species since 2000 (Costa Rica Red List Assessment Workshop September 2019). |
| 13 | Action plans | Does an Action Plan for the species already exist, or is one currently being developed? | No | |
| 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? | 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? | 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:
AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop. 2020. Conservation Needs Assessment for Duellmanohyla uranochroa, Costa Rica.
https://conservationneeds.org/assessment/5147
Accessed 22 Jan 2025
