Assessment Results
Pseudoeurycea brunnata
Brown False Brook Salamander
Order:
Caudata
Family:
Plethodontidae
Synonym(s):
Assessed for:
Guatemala
on:
30 Aug 2024
by:
AArk/ASG Guatemala Workshop
Authors:
Acevedo, M. E. ; Chang, M.J. ; Dahinten B. H. ; López de Paz, E. ; Morales, J.R. ; Rivera, M. R. ; Ruano-Fajardo, G. ; Vázquez-Almazán, C. ; Zamora-Jerez, A.
IUCN Global Red List:
Critically Endangered (CR)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
Guatemala, Mexico
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
11.20412439
Recommended Conservation Actions:
Additional Comments:
El hongo quítrido patógeno de la salamandra (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, “Bsal”) ha provocado una disminución dramática de las salamandras europeas desde su llegada en 2010 a través del comercio internacional de mascotas (Feldmeier et al. 2016). Si bien la presencia del hongo no ha sido confirmada en América, se está propagando en Europa y corre el riesgo de propagarse aún más. Se cree que la amenaza de infección y disminución de la población de salamandras es muy probable y perjudicial para la mayoría de las especies nativas, en caso de que el hongo llegue a Guatemala.
Se deben tomar medidas preventivas y proactivas para detectar la llegada de Bsal a Guatemala mediante el muestreo de salamandras tanto silvestres como importadas, además de una prohibición total de la importación de salamandras no nativas.
Es importante enfatizar el potencial daño por el ingreso o introducción de especies de anfibios exóticas e invasoras (especies de la Lista Negra - CONAP) de anfibios a las poblaciones silvestres nativas.
| 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) | |
| 2 | Possibly extinct | Is there a strong possibility that this species might be extinct in the wild? | Unknown | Se cree que esta especie está potencialmente extinta en todas las localidades conocidas (S. Rovito, comunicación personal, octubre de 2019). Históricamente fue extremadamente abundante en Guatemala, pero ha experimentado grandes disminuciones (J. Campbell y S. Rovito, comunicación personal, 2019). Los últimos estudios en Guatemala en el Volcán Chicabal fueron en 2005-2006, y en San Marcos en 2005-2007 no han revelado ningún espécimen, ni siquiera dentro de hábitat adecuado (S. Rovito y C. Vásquez com. pers. 2007, Rovito et al. 2009, S. Rovito comunicación personal 2019). Dado que esta especie no ha sido vista desde la década de 1980, a pesar de extensas búsquedas en su hábitat, se considera posiblemente extinta con una población global de menos de 50 individuos maduros. El último individuo avistado fue en el Volcán Chicabal, Guatemala |
| 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 | Esta especie es conocida por su localidad tipo en la Región de Soconusco en el sureste de Chiapas, México, de manera discontinua hacia el este hasta el Volcán Chicabal en el suroeste de Guatemala. |
| 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? | 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.). | 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 | - Efectiva del hábitat remanente - Reforestación del hábitat en el rango de la especie - Tomar medidas preventivas y proactivas para detectar la llegada de Bsal a Guatemala mediante el muestreo de salamandras tanto silvestres como importadas, además de una prohibición total de la importación de salamandras no nativas (Evaluación de la Lista Roja de Guatemala 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 | Se necesitan estudios periódicos para localizar a los individuos restantes en sus sitios históricos y nuevos sitios. |
| 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 | Según Cheng et al. (2011) la disminución de muchas especies de salamandras coincidió con la llegada de la quitridiomicosis a Guatemala, es probable que esta enfermedad sea, al menos en parte, responsable de la disminución de la especie (S. Rovito, com. pers. 2014, 2019). Una amenaza adicional es la deforestación de su hábitat provocada por recolección de leña, expansión de los asentamientos humanos, agricultura y ganadería. Recolección de todo el substrato del bosque para utilizarlo como abono en plantaciones con sello ecológico. El cambio climático también representa una amenaza para la especie, ya que las estaciones secas son cada vez más largas y la llegada de la temporada de lluvias es ahora más impredecible (Taller de Evaluación de la Lista Roja de Guatemala, agosto de 2019). La aparición del hongo quítrido de la salamandra (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, “Bsal”) como patógeno anfibio ha provocado una disminución dramática de las salamandras europeas desde su llegada en 2010 a través del comercio internacional de mascotas (Feldmeier et al. 2016). Si bien la presencia del hongo no ha sido confirmada en América, se está propagando en Europa y corre el riesgo de propagarse aún más. Se cree que la amenaza de infección y disminución de la población de salamandras es muy probable y perjudicial para la mayoría de las especies nativas, en caso de que el hongo llegue a Guatemala y/o México y se haya identificado que esta especie se encuentra en un área altamente adecuada para el Bsal. (Basanta et al. 2019, Talleres de Evaluación de la Lista Roja de Guatemala y México 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? | No / unlikely | |
| 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? | Yes / probably | Pseudoeurycea rex |
| 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? | 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 |
Citation:
Acevedo, M. E. ; Chang, M.J. ; Dahinten B. H. ; López de Paz, E. ; Morales, J.R. ; Rivera, M. R. ; Ruano-Fajardo, G. ; Vázquez-Almazán, C. ; Zamora-Jerez, A. 2024. Conservation Needs Assessment for Pseudoeurycea brunnata, Guatemala
(AArk/ASG Guatemala Workshop).
https://conservationneeds.org/assessment/7098
Accessed 22 Jan 2025
