Assessment Results
Craugastor castanedai
Order:
Anura
Family:
Craugastoridae
Synonym(s):
Assessed for:
Honduras
on:
10 May 2019
by:
AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop
Authors:
Marcec, R.
IUCN Global Red List:
Critically Endangered (CR)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
Honduras
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
20
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.] | Critically Endangered (CR) | B1ab(i,iii)+2ab(i,iii) |
| 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 | This species is endemic to the Quebrada de Oro region of the Parque Nacional Pico Bonito. Despite a locality in a protected area, the major threats still include deforestation as a result of agricultural and livestock encroachment. Population is entirely within a national park but it is not well protected, in fact specimens were found in perturbed 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? | Yes / probably | The Parque Nacional Pico Bonito, where the species inhabit, has serious protection and conservation issues but still some areas are good enough for reintroduction. |
| 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.). | ||
| 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 | 1 Land/water protection; 1.1 Site/area protection; 1.2 Resource & habitat protection; 2 Land/water management; 2.1 Site/area management. |
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | ||
| 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 | Despite its locality in a protected area, Pico Bonito, the major threats still include deforestation as a result of agricultural and livestock encroachment, human settlements, logging, fires and landslides. Chytridiomycosis has been seen to infect other Craugastor species of this specific protected area (Puschendorf et al., 2006), but the direct effects of the infection in these species are yet unknown and need to be researched further (Townsend and Wilson 2016). The area from which this species was recorded is subject to extensive landslides; these severely impact habitat 1,000 bellow. Additional major threats include deforestation as a result of agricultural and large-scale livestock encroachment, human settlements, selective logging of hardwoods, and human-induced fires (Honduras Red List Assessment Workshop March 2019). Additionally, it is noteworthy to mention that by 1996 that all streamside Craugastor known to occur above 900 m asl were thought to have disappeared in Honduras (Froglog 1998 paper). Reasons for the disappearances of this species remains unclear, although infection with chytridiomycosis together with the alteration of its habitat due to extensive landslides is a strong possibility (Honduras Red List Assessment Workshop March 2019). There is a proposal to shift the core parts both the Parque Nacional Pico Bonito and Texiguat, which may create a much larger buffer zone where habitat conversion can progress unabated (C. Antúnez, J. Ramos Galdámez, J. Townsend pers. comm. March 2019). Quebrada de Oro was largely pristine up to the 80's. But shortly after anthropogenic activities has destroyed this area. |
| 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? | Unknown | |
| 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? | Unknown | Apparently natural rare species. Concentrated survey efforts have produced only two known specimens, both were adult males. It presumed the species has a low population density (McCranie 2019). First specimen collected in the 1980s by McCranie and the second was collected in 2005 at Cerro Búfalo by F. Catañeda. There are reports of specimen from Parque Nacional Nombre de Dios, however their identity still requires confirmation (L. Herrera and J. Ramos Galdámez pers. comm. March 2019) |
| 13 | Action plans | Does an Action Plan for the species already exist, or is one currently being developed? | ||
| 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.) | ||
| 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? | ||
| 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? | ||
| 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:
Marcec, R. 2019. Conservation Needs Assessment for Craugastor castanedai, Honduras
(AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop).
https://www.conservationneeds.org/assessment/4670
Accessed 21 May 2024
