Assessment Results
Adelophryne maranguapensis
Order:
Anura
Family:
Eleutherodactylidae
Synonym(s):
Assessed for:
Brazil
on:
18 Aug 2020
by:
AArk/ASG Brazil Assessment Workshop
Authors:
D. Cassiano-Lima and D. Praciano
IUCN Global Red List:
Endangered (EN)
National Red List:
Vulnerable (VU)
Distribution:
Brazil
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
28.49261795
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.] | Endangered (EN) | |
| 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 - 50 | |
| 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 | The population of this species occurs 100% within the Área de Proteção Ambiental da Serra de Maranguape, which is a non-effective 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 | However, the area is inaccessible and the species is protected by the difficulty of access by people. |
| 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 | Environmental awareness and education are being carried out to promote the conservation of the species. |
| 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 | Promote the creation of a protected area; protection and inspection of the illegal withdrawal of bromeliads for trade; and tourism oriented to avoid the environment change. |
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | Yes | Research is needed on population trends and long-term monitoring, and ecophysiology studies to verify thermal tolerance and water dynamics. Natural history data on reproductive biology already exists and was recently published (Cassiano-Lima et al. 2020 - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346526685_Reproductive_biology_of_direct_developing_and_threatened_frog_Adelophryne_maranguapensis_Anura_Eleutherodactylidae_reveals_a_cryptic_reproductive_mode_for_anurans_and_the_first_record_of_parental_care). |
| 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 are likely to be reversible in time frame to prevent further decline / extinction | The main threats to this species are extraction of bromeliads and orchids, urban expansion to tourism and deforestation for conversion of natural vegetation by monocultures such as coffee, banana and other fruit plantations. |
| 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.)? | Aspect of biology identified that is unique to species | This is the only know species that deposits bromeligen and non-aquatics eggs around the phytotelm (Cassiano-Lima et al. 2020). |
| 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 | Research on reproduction to verify if it is dependent on bromeliads. |
| 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 | The other species of Adelophryne, including A. baturitensis, do not have the same type of reproductive mode as A. maranguapensis, which lay eggs about 2 cm above water in the bromeliad cup and have direct development. Note: Adelophryne maranguapensis is abundant in the region where it occurs and the protocol can be developed directly with it. |
| 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 | An attempt to maintain spawnings was unsuccessful, as after two weeks they molded. Also, adults are sensitive to high temperatures, as they died during transport from the area of occurrence to the laboratory (Daniel Cassiano, pers. comm. 2020). |
| 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 small, has direct development and has the potential for conservation education and ecotourism. It can be used as a symbol of altitudinal marshes, since it is already in the local media. 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:
D. Cassiano-Lima and D. Praciano 2020. Conservation Needs Assessment for Adelophryne maranguapensis, Brazil
(AArk/ASG Brazil Assessment Workshop).
https://www.conservationneeds.org/assessment/4
Accessed 22 May 2024
