Browsing by Autor "Alessandro Catenazzi"

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A roadmap for harlequin frog systematics, with a partial revision of Amazonian species related to Atelopus spumarius
(Q15088586, 2025) Stefan Lötters; Philipp Böning; Salvador Bailón; José Simón Martínez Castañeda; Renaud Boistel; Alessandro Catenazzi; Juan C. Chaparro; Germán Chávez; ANGEL CHUJUTALLI; Laurent Coen
Harlequin frogs, genus Atelopus, are a species-rich group of bufonid anurans from the Neotropics with more than 100 species. For nearly four decades now, this group has suffered from massive population declines. Almost all species are threatened with extinction, and many populations and several species are considered extinct or possibly extinct. This results in a limited sampling available for studies on harlequin frog systematics, especially in terms of molecular genetic information. However, efficient conservation of harlequin frogs requires an improved taxonomy. This is further complicated through the circumstance that many Atelopus species are relatively poor in external morphological characters combined with a high level of intra-specific character variation (e.g. coloration and body size). At the same time, cryptic diversity exists with well differentiated species (supported by osteology and molecular genetics) almost indistinguishable by external morphology. We compiled the largest dataset to date for mitochondrial (12S, 16S, cyt b) and nuclear (POMC, RAG1) markers and present a phylogeny (likelihood and Bayesian inference methods) including 152 samples from 104 populations scattered over the entire geographic range of the genus. Four allo- or parapatric main clades are distinguished: I. Sierra Nevada; II. Venezuelan-Andean; III. Andean-Chocó-Central American (with the ignescens and the varius-longirostris clades); and IV Amazonian (containing the tricolor and the flavescens-spumarius clades). The phylogenetic relationships within these clades remain to be resolved. Taxonomic implications included both splitting and lumping, but taxonomic action is here only taken for populations related to A. spumarius from western Amazonia. Besides redescriptions of A. spumarius sensu stricto and A. colomai, we describe two new species based on morphology, skull osteology and bioacoustics. Additional yet understudied populations from Amazonia may be allocated to these species or may represent additional undescribed taxa.
Author Correction: Ongoing declines for the world’s amphibians in the face of emerging threats
(Nature Portfolio, 2023) Jennifer Luedtke; Janice Chanson; Kelsey Neam; Louise Hobin; Adriano Oliveira Maciel; Alessandro Catenazzi; Amaël Borzée; Amir Hamidy; Anchalee Aowphol; Anderson Jean
Ongoing declines for the world’s amphibians in the face of emerging threats
(Nature Portfolio, 2023) Jennifer Luedtke; Janice Chanson; Kelsey Neam; Louise Hobin; Adriano Oliveira Maciel; Alessandro Catenazzi; Amaël Borzée; Amir Hamidy; Anchalee Aowphol; Anderson Jean
Ongoing harlequin toad declines suggest the amphibian extinction crisis is still an emergency
(Nature Portfolio, 2023) Stefan Lötters; Amadeus Plewnia; Alessandro Catenazzi; Kelsey Neam; Andrés R. Acosta‐Galvis; Yesenia Alarcon Vela; Joshua P. Allen; Juan O. Alfaro Segundo; Ana de Lourdes Almendáriz Cabezas; Gilbert Alvarado Barboza
The amphibian extinction crisis is still an emergency
(Research Square (United States), 2023) Stefan Lötters; Amadeus Plewnia; Alessandro Catenazzi; Kelsey Neam; Andrés Acosta-Galvis; Yesenia Alarcon Vela; Joshua Allen; Juan Alfaro Segundo; Ana Almendáriz Cabezas; Gilbert Alvarado
Abstract Anthropogenic biodiversity loss is extreme in amphibians. Despite ongoing conservation action, it is difficult to determine where we stand in overcoming their extinction crisis 1,2. Extinction risk is not equally distributed across amphibians 3-5. Among the most threatened amphibians are the 131 Neotropical harlequin toads (Atelopus), many of which dramatically declined since the late 1980s with several considered possibly extinct 5,6. Recently, more than 30 species have been rediscovered7, raising hope for a reversing trend in the amphibian extinction crisis. We use harlequin toads, for which comprehensive past and present population status, threat and conservation action data are available, as a model for examining whether the amphibian extinction crisis is still in a state of emergency. We show that since 2004 no species has improved its population status, suggesting that the conservation community has not yet bent the curve. Threats such as pathogen spread and habitat change persist unabated; additionally, climate change is expected to be a future threat. More on-the-ground mitigation strategies need implementation, especially habitat protection and disease management, combined with captive conservation breeding. With harlequin toads serving as a model for amphibians with high extinction risk, it is clear that the amphibian extinction crisis is still underway.