Assessment Results
Craugastor escoces
Heredia Robber Frog
Order:
Anura
Family:
Craugastoridae
Synonym(s):
Eleutherodactylus escoces
Assessed for:
Costa Rica
on:
21 Jan 2020
by:
AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop
IUCN Global Red List:
Critically Endangered (CR)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
Costa Rica
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
20.00211102
William E. Duellman © 2010 Division of Herpetology, University of Kansas (1 of 1)
Recommended Conservation Actions:
Additional Comments:
Any surviving individuals might need to form the basis for the establishment of a captive-breeding programme.
| 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) | After three decades of no records despite many surveys, this species was rediscovered in 2016 in the form of a single adult female. It is therefore suspected that the population survives in low numbers, possibly fewer than 250 mature individuals, with 90-100% of individuals occurring in a single subpopulation. |
| 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? | Unknown | This species formerly occurred on the volcanoes Barva, Irazú, and Turrialba, of the Cordillera Central of Costa Rica. The species formerly occurred in the well-protected in Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo, but is probably extinct there. It has recently (2016) been recorded in the edge habitat of Parque Nacional Juan Castro Blanco (Jiménez and Alvarado 2017), where the population is currently being monitored (R. Jiménez pers. comm. September 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? | Unknown | It has been recorded along streams in premontane and lower montane rainforest. Parque Nacional Juan Castro Blanco |
| 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 | Protection in the Parque Nacional Juan Castro |
| 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.)? | No / unlikely | |
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | Yes | Continued population monitoring in Parque Nacional Juan Castro Blanco is needed to evaluate its status, population dynamics, health (e.g., skin microbiome) and susceptibility to sources of environmental change, such as habitat disturbance, infectious diseases, climate change and pesticides (Jiménez and Alvarado 2017). |
| 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 unknown | This species appears to have undergone rapid, dramatic declines across Costa Rica, including disappearances within undisturbed habitat, which has been associated with chytridiomycosis as observed in many other montane, steam-associated species across Mesoamerica. Climate change or the synergistic effects of multiple factors could be additional factors in the declines (Costa Rica Red List Assessment Workshop September 2019). The species is still being recorded at some sites, but in much lower numbers than historically. Currently sites are in the edge of Parque Nacional Juan Castro thus it's affected by cattle, small scale lodging. |
| 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? | Unknown | This species had not been seen since 1986, despite extensive targeted surveys, and was assessed as Extinct in the 2008 assessment. In September 2016, however, a single adult female was observed at the edge of Parque Nacional Juan Castro Blanco, Alajuela (Jiménez and Alvarado 2017). Between 2017-2019, surveys have consistently recorded this species at Parque Nacional Juan Castro Blanco, but in very low numbers (1-2 individuals; G. Alvarado pers comm. September 2019). |
| 13 | Action plans | Does an Action Plan for the species already exist, or is one currently being developed? | No | |
| 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 | Any surviving individuals might need to form the basis for the establishment of a captive-breeding program. |
| 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.) | Yes / probably | One specimen kept in captivity at University of Costa Rica, an ex situ breeding program is intended for this species. |
| 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? | Yes / probably | C. taurus, C. rugosus |
| 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? | Maintained but no successful breeding | |
| 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? | Unknown | Research into availability of founders needs to be prioritised. |
| 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:
AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop. 2020. Conservation Needs Assessment for Craugastor escoces, Costa Rica.
https://www.conservationneeds.org/assessment/5128
Accessed 18 May 2024
