A new species of <i>Atelopus</i> (Amphibia: Bufonidae) from eastern Panama

Abstract

A: Maximum-likelihood trees based on COI and 16S sequences of Atelopus species from Panamá. Colors of branches indicate bootstrap support, values >90 are marked on branches. B: Map of Panama showing distribution of Atelopus species occurring in the country; C: Atelopus fronterizo sp. nov. holotype (MHCH 3110), dorsal view of preserved specimen; D: Ventral view; E: Head laterally; F: Left hand; G: Left foot; H: Live holotype, from Púcuro River (MHCH 3110); scale bars correspond to 5 mm. All photos were taken by Abel Batista, except for that of A. zeteki , taken by Emanuele Biggi.

A review of chemical defense in harlequin toads (Bufonidae: Atelopus)

“…The extent of toxin research on Atelopus is geographically biased, with Central American Atelopus receiving the most focus. Of the nine described Central American harlequin toads ( Ramírez et al, 2020 ; Veselý and Batista, 2021 ), seven ( A. certus, A. glyphus, A. limosus, A. zeteki, A. chiriquiensis, A. varius, A. senex ) have been tested for toxins and six ( A. senex excluded) have had their toxins chemically analyzed ( Table S1 ). However, the majority of Atelopus species are found outside of Central America and therefore large geographic and taxonomic gaps in sampling exist ( Fig.…”

“…A disjunct group of species occupies the eastern Amazonian Basin and the Guiana Shield ( Lötters et al, 2011 ). Atelopus are found at elevations ranging from 0 to 4800m ( La Marca et al, 2005 ) and occupy a variety of habitats, including Chocó-Darién moist forests ( Veselý and Batista, 2021 ), treeless high-altitude páramo ( Rueda Solano et al, 2016 ), and lowland Amazonian rainforest ( Jorge et al, 2020a ). Harlequin toads live in riparian areas, with males often staying close to streams and females ranging further into the surrounding areas ( Mcdiarmid, 1971 ).…”

“…A. certus and A. senex possess guanidinium alkaloid-like toxins ( Brown, 1972 ; Fuhrman et al, 1969 ), and their phylogenetic placement ( Fig. 3 a) and Central American ranges ( Kahn et al, 2005 ; Veselý and Batista, 2021 ) suggest they would be promising targets for CHTX testing. However, A. senex is extinct ( IUCN, 2021 ).…”

Movement and survival of captive-bred Limosa harlequin frogs (Atelopus limosus) released into the wild

“…have undergone dramatic population declines due to chytridiomycosis (La Marca et al, 2005;Scheele et al, 2019). Seven species of Atelopus from Panama are known: Atelopus chiriquiensis, A. certus, A. fronterizo, A. glyphus, A. limosus, A. varius, and A. zeteki (Lewis et al, 2019;Veseley and Batista, 2021). The Chiriquı́Harlequin frog (A. chiriquiensis) has not been observed since 1996 (Lips, 1999) and the Panamanian golden frog (A. zeteki), the national symbol of Panama, has not been seen in the wild since 2009 (Lewis et al, 2019).…”