Assessment Results
Chiasmocleis alagoanus
Order:
Anura
Family:
Microhylidae
Synonym(s):
Chiasmocleis alagoana
Assessed for:
Brazil
on:
08 Oct 2020
by:
AArk/ASG Brazil Assessment Workshop
Authors:
B. Lisboa, E.M. Xavier, F. Nascimento and R. Ávila
IUCN Global Red List:
Data Deficient (DD)
National Red List:
Endangered (EN)
Distribution:
Brazil
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
17.9039239241627
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.] | Data Deficient (DD) | |
| 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 | This species is know from Área de Proteção Ambiental (APA) do Catolé and Fernão Velho (municipality of Maceió in Alagoas) but also occurs in several localities in the states of Alagoas (Serra da Saudinha), Pernambuco (RPPN Pedra Dantas and Lagoa dos Gatos) and Paraíba, but none is a reliably protected area. |
| 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 | It is possible that it occurs at the Estação Ecológica de Muricí, but it has not yet been found in that area. |
| 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 | In 2019, mobilization were carried out to avoid the construction of a residential condominium in the areas of APA do Catolé. There has been success in protecting this area, but this threat is current and ongoing. There is monitoring by the study group to prevent new ventures from being established in the area. |
| 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 | Recategorization of the protected area APA do Catolé. |
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | Yes | Natural history and reproduction data were recently published (Nascimento et al. 2020. Reproductive biology and sexual dimorphism of the poorly known frog Chiasmocleis alagoana (Microhylidae, Gastrophryninae), with an updated diagnosis for the species. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650521.2020.1815942). Research is needed on population trends and long-term monitoring, survey in new areas of occurrence, ecophysiological studies, impacts of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the population, and studies on environmental variables (rain, temperature, humidity etc.) on reproduction. |
| 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 | The main threat to the species is habitat loss that occurs due to expansion of pasture matrices, urban environment and agriculture; cultivation of sugar cane (already established and "isolated"); illegal wood extraction; and illegal sand collection. Mata do Catolé is 12 km from the center of Maceió, so the real estate expansion, including the proposal to build a condominium is a current and recurring threat. |
| 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 | |
| 13 | Action plans | Does an Action Plan for the species already exist, or is one currently being developed? | No | There is no specific plan to this species, but it is part of the National Action Plan "Plano de Ação Nacional para Conservação da Herpetofauna Ameaçada da Mata Atlântica Nordestina - PAN Nordeste". |
| 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? | Yes | Ecophysiological studies and impacts of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. |
| 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? | Unknown | Another species of Chiasmocleis, close phylogenetically or ecologically. |
| 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? | Yes | This species is charismatic and its presence in the area was used to carry out a mobilization and awareness work of the local community to prevent the construction of a residential condominium. It is also part of the DOTs Project, which aims to promote scientific communication and highlight conservation needs of the Brazilian threatened amphibians (https://www.projetodots.org). |
| 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:
B. Lisboa, E.M. Xavier, F. Nascimento and R. Ávila 2020. Conservation Needs Assessment for Chiasmocleis alagoanus, Brazil
(AArk/ASG Brazil Assessment Workshop).
https://www.conservationneeds.org/assessment/383
Accessed 21 May 2024
