Assessment Results
Bolitoglossa celaque
Celaque Mushroomtongue Salamander
Order:
Caudata
Family:
Plethodontidae
Synonym(s):
Assessed for:
Honduras
on:
31 Mar 2019
by:
AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop
Authors:
Kolby, J., Marcec, R., Mora, J., Townsend, J.
IUCN Global Red List:
Critically Endangered (CR)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
Honduras
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
8.451724085
Recommended Conservation Actions:
Additional Comments:
In addition to regular monitoring for Bsal, the general public can also support these efforts through reporting any dead salamanders to the iNaturalist global project: Saving Salamanders with Citizen Science.
| Question # | Short Name | Question Text | Response | Comments |
| 1 | Extinction risk | Current IUCN Red List category. [Data obtained from the IUCN Red List.] | Vulnerable (VU) | Changed from Endangered to Vulnerable. |
| 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? | Yes / probably | This species was previously reported from the Montana de Celaque, the Sierra de Opalaca and the Sierra de Montecillos in the departaments of Lempira, Intibuca and La Paz in the south-west of Honduras. Following genetic and morphological analysis, it has been restricted to Montaña de Celaque in Lempira Department (J. Townsend, pers. comm. March 2019). Four of the five sites from which this species is reported are within protected areas: Parque Nacional Cerro Celaque, Reserva Biológica de Guajiquiro, Reserva Biológica de Opalaca and Reserva Biológica de Montecillos. This species is endemic to the mountain (J. Townsend, pers. comm. March 2019). |
| 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 | |
| 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.)? | ||
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | Yes | Proactive, precautionary steps should be taken to detect the arrival of Bsal in Honduras and to establish a baseline by including the swabbing of salamanders encountered during routine amphibian monitoring activities in the country. |
| 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 were previously reported as forest loss due to subsistence agriculture and frequent forest fires. However due to the taxonomic revision and restriction in distribution of this species, these threats no longer apply. It is currently threatened by habitat destruction (J. Townsend, pers. comm. March 2019). The Mapance NGO is working with the local community to try to restrict their access to the species' habitat (J. Townsend, pers. comm. March 2019). It does not tolerate habitat disturbance (J. Townsend, pers. comm. March 2019). The emergence of the salamander chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, “Bsal”) as an amphibian pathogen has caused dramatic declines in European salamanders since its arrival in 2010 through the international pet trade (Feldmeier et al. 2016). While the presence of the fungus has not been confirmed in the Americas, it is spreading in Europe and risks spreading further. The threat of infection and population declines in salamanders is thought to be highly likely and detrimental to the majority of native species, should the fungus arrive in Honduras. |
| 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 | In Montana de Celaque, it is abundant in suitable habitat. The species was collected at Reserva Biológica de Opalaca in October 2006 (Franklin Castañeda pers. comm. 2007). The population is thought to be stable (J. Townsend, 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? | Yes | The Mapance NGO has been using this species to promote conservation priorities and it also bears the name of the mountain on which it occurs ( J. Mora, pers. comm. March 2019). |
| 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? | Yes | |
| 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 | Due to its coloration, flagship status and that it bears the name of the mountain on which it occurs. |
| 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:
Kolby, J., Marcec, R., Mora, J., Townsend, J. 2019. Conservation Needs Assessment for Bolitoglossa celaque, Honduras
(AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop).
https://www.conservationneeds.org/assessment/4711
Accessed 17 May 2024
