Published in the United States of America 2013 • VOLUME 6 • NUMBER 2 AMPHIBIAN & REPTILE Editor Raul E. Diaz University of Kansas, USA Craig Hassapakis Berkeley, California, USA Associate Editors Howard O. Clark, Jr. Erik R. Wild Garcia and Associates, USA University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, USA Assistant Editors Alison R. Davis University of California, Berkeley, USA Daniel D. Fogell Southeastern Community College, USA Editorial Review Board David C. Blackburn California Academy of Sciences, USA Bill Branch Port Elizabeth Museum, SOUTH AFRICA Jelka Crnobrnja-Isailovc IBISS University of Belgrade, SERBIA C. Kenneth Dodd, Jr. University of Florida, USA Lee A. Fitzgerald Texas A&M University, USA Adel A. Ibrahim Ha’il University, SAUDIA ARABIA Harvey B. Lillywhite University of Florida, USA Julian C. Lee Taos, New Mexico, USA Rafaqat Masroor Pakistan Museum of Natural History, PAKISTAN Peter V. Lindeman Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, USA Henry R. Mushinsky University of South Florida, USA Elnaz Najafimajd Ege University, TURKEY Jaime E. Pefaur Universidad de Los Andes, VENEZUELA Rohan Pethiyagoda Australian Museum, AUSTRALIA Nasrullah Rastegar-Pouyani Razi University, IRAN Jodi J. L. Rowley Australian Museum, AUSTRALIA Peter Uetz Virginia Commonwealth University, USA Larry David Wilson instituto Regional de Biodiversidad, USA Allison C. Alberts Zoological Society of San Diego, USA Michael B. Eisen Public Library of Science, USA Russell A. Mittermeier Conservation International, USA Advisory Board Aaron M. Bauer Villanova University, USA James Hanken Harvard University, USA Robert W. Murphy Royal Ontario Museum, CANADA Walter R. Erdelen UNESCO, FRANCE Roy W. McDiarmid USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, USA Eric R. Pianka University of Texas, Austin, USA Antonio W. Salas Environment and Sustainable Development, PERU Dawn S. Wilson AMNH Southwestern Research Station, USA Carl C. Gans (1923-2009) Honorary Members Joseph T. Collins (1939-2012) Cover : Agalychnis lemur (SMF 89959), Cerro Negro, PNSF, Veraguas [Reference this issue: 6(2): 9-30 (e46)]. Photo by Arcadio Carrizo. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation — Worldwide Community-Supported Herpetological Conservation (ISSN: 1083-446X; elSSN: 1525-9153) is published by Craig Hassapakis/ Amphibian & Reptile Conservation as full issues at least twice yearly (semi-annually or more often depending on needs) and papers are immediately released as they are finished on our website; http://amphibian-reptile-conservation.org; email: arc.publisher@gmail.com Amphibian & Reptile Conservation is published as an open access journal. Please visit the official journal website at: http://amphibian-reptile-conservation.org Instructions to Authors : Amphibian & Reptile Conservation accepts manuscripts on the biology of amphibians and reptiles, with emphasis on conservation, sustainable management, and biodiversity. Topics in these areas can include: taxonomy and phylogeny, species inventories, distri- bution, conservation, species profiles, ecology, natural history, sustainable management, conservation breeding, citizen science, social network- ing, and any other topic that lends to the conservation of amphibians and reptiles worldwide. Prior consultation with editors is suggested and important if you have any questions and/or concerns about submissions. Further details on the submission of a manuscript can best be obtained by consulting a current published paper from the journal and/or by accessing Instructions for Authors at the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation website: http://amphibian-reptile-conservation.org/submissions.html © Craig Hassapakis! Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Copyright: © 2012 Ibrahim. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 6(2):2-4. Short Communication New records of the Dice snake, Natrix tessellata, in the Suez Canal zone and Sinai ADEL A. IBRAHIM Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, 43527 Suez, EGYPT Abstract . — Ten years of herpetological surveys in the Suez Canal zone revealed that Natrix tessel- lata was most common in fresh water irrigation canals. It is recorded herein for the first time in Port Said and Suez provinces and discovered in Sinai. Key words. Dice snake, Natrix tessellata, Suez Canal, Sinai, new records Citation: Ibrahim AA. 2012. New records of the Diced snake, Natrix tessellata, in the Suez Canal zone and Sinai. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 6(2):2-4(e42). The Dice snake ( Natrix tessellata-. Figs. 1 and 2) was long known from the northern part of the Nile Delta (Anderson 1898; Flower 1933; Marx 1968; Saleh 1997), and its distribution extended in the lower extremes of the River Nile as far as A1 Wasta in Bani Suef province (Baha El Din 2011). However, no record of A. tessellata was known from Sinai, and its distribution in the Suez Canal zone was lacking. The Dice snake (. Natrix tessellata) was first reported from the Suez Canal zone by Werner (1983) referring to an individual collected by Tortonese in 1948 from Qas- sasin, 35 km west of the Suez Canal in the Ismailia prov- ince, and two other individuals, one found eight km south of Ismailia and the other, west of Bitter Lakes. Recently, N. tessellata was reported from several different locali- ties in the Suez Canal area (all in the Ismailia region). Stein and Helmy (1994) reported the snake from Ismailia gardens; they also recorded an individual from Balir A1 Baqar, a town in Sharqiya province, not Port Said prov- ince as they claimed (the town is located 35 km west of the Suez Canal). Two snakes were collected by the author from Ferdan (10 km N. Ismailia), and Ain Ghos- sain (15 km S. Ismailia) and deposited in the Museum National d’Historire Naturelle, Paris (MNHN 2000.5147 and 2000.5148). Baha El Din (2011) reported this spe- cies 48 km south of Port Said and associated it with Port Said; however, a locality at the stated distance actually is in Ismailia province. A ten-year herpetological survey in the Suez Canal region by the author revealed that N. tessellata is wide-spread in fresh water irrigation canals, which constitute a huge irrigation web along the Suez Canal west bank, from Port Said to Suez (Table 1 and Fig. 3), thus documenting its first record from both Port Correspondence. Email: dolaibrahim@yahoo.com Said and Suez provinces. At Al-Ganayen of Suez, it ap- proaches the Red Sea within five km. The Dice snake is well-known to Suez Canal farmers as a non-venomous snake; however, many people still continue to kill them unnecessarily. The Dice snake was transported to the east bank of the Suez Canal through the fresh water canal connecting west to east (Sinai) at Deversoir. At Meet Abul Koum Al- Jadidah, a road-killed snake was first observed in 2008 documenting its first occurrence in Sinai. This species is now widely distributed in fresh water canals irrigating newly cultivated lands east of Bitter Lakes in Sinai. Acknowledgments. — I thank Dr. Mohammad Here- her for drawing the location map, and Craig Hassapa- kis for editing the early draft of this manuscript. Many thanks are due to the reviewers, John Simmons and Dr. Konrad Mebert for their valuable comments and sugges- tions. Literature cited Anderson J. 1898. Zoology of Egypt. Volume 1. Reptilia and Batrachia. Quaritch, London. 370 p. Baha El Din S. 2011. Distribution and recent range ex- tension of Natrix tessellata in Egypt. Mertensiella 18:385-387. Flower SS. 1933. Notes on the recent reptiles and am- phibians of Egypt, with a list of the species recorded from that kingdom. Proceedings of the Zoological So- ciety of London 103(3):735-851. amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 02 March 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e42 Ibrahim Figure 1. Natrix tessellata, Ismailia city, 7 August 2007. Photo: Adel A. Ibrahim. Figure 2. Natrix tessellata, Deversoir, 24 May 2008. Photo: Adel A. Ibrahim. amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 03 March 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e42 New Dice snake record Marx H. 1968. Checklist of the Reptiles and Amphibians of Egypt. U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3, Cairo. 51 p. Saleh MA. 1997. Amphibians and Reptiles of Egypt. Publication of National Biodiversity Unit (Egypt) No. 6. 234 p. Stein K, Helmy I. 1994. Some new distribution records for the snakes of Egypt (Squamata: Serpentes). Bul- letin of the Maryland Herpetological Society 3: 15-26 Werner YL. 1983. Lizards and snakes from eastern low- er Egypt in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University, with range extensions. Herpeto- logical Review 14(1):29-31. Manuscript received: 27 January 2012 Accepted: 26 February 2012 Published: 13 March 2012 Table 1. Locations of Natrix tessellata in the Suez Canal zone and Sinai. Location Date Coordinates 1 8 km S. Port Said 25.5.2009 31° 10' 54" 'N, 32° 18' 12' 'E 2 Abu Khalifa Ezbet Attawwab 31.7.2002 30° 46’ 30" 'N, 32° 15' 41' 'E 3 Km 17, N.W. Ismailia 13.5.2009 30° 44’ 00" 'N, 32° 13' 42" E 4 Qaryat Assama’ana 9.5.2005 30° 43’ 23" 'N, 32° 15' 34' 'E 5 Ferdan 11.5.2000 30° 39’ 42" 'N, 32° '19' 49"E 6 Km 8, N.W. Ismailia 25.5.2009 30° 39’ 41" 'N, 32° 15' 31' 'E 7 Km 6, N.W. Ismailia 24.6.2008 30° 38’ 35" 'N, 32° 15' 07" E 8 4 km N.W. Ismailia 23.7.2004 30° 37’ 43" 'N, 32° 14' 30' 'E 9 Ismailia City 7.8.2007 30° 35’ 19" 'N, 32° 16' 56' 'E 10 Al-Manayef 5.3.2006 30° 33’ 13" 'N, 32° 11' 54” 'E 11 Ain Ghosain 16.7.1999 30° 30’ 45" 'N, 32° 18' 13' 'E 12 Meet Abul Koum Al-Jadidah, S. 25.5.2008 30° 25’ 28" 'N, 32° 24' 47' 'E 13 Al-Aqqadah 1.6.2001 30° 26’ 01" 'N, 32° 20' 13' 'E 14 Deversoir 24.5.2008 30° 25’ 33" 'N, 32° 20' 49' 'E 15 Jeneeva 8.5. 2002 30° 12’ 23" 'N, 32° 25' 43' 'E 16 Al-Ganayen, Suez 31.5.2001 29° 59’ 53" 'N, 32° 33' 07' 'E 32°0'0"E 32°20'0"E 1 1 “ 1 32°0'0”E 32°20'0"E Figure 3. Distribution of N. tessellata in the Suez Canal zone and Sinai. ADEL IBRAHIM is associate professor of zoology (herpetologist), was previously head of the De- partment of Environmental Sciences, Suez Canal University, Suez, Egypt, and is currently a visiting professor at Ha’il University, Saudia Arabia. Adel has published 33 scientific papers (all in the field of herpetology), and currently two chapters in Amphibians of Egypt and Amphibians of Libya (In press). Adel has researched the herpetofauna of Sinai since 1987 and the Suez Canal zone for more than 10 years. Adel is an avid photographer having contributed about 40 photos of reptile species to the Reptile Database: http://www.reptile-database.org/. He is member of the International Herpetological Com- mittee Advisory Board 2005-2012 (elected at the 5 th World Congress of Herpetology, South Africa). amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 04 March 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e42 Copyright: © 2012 Hassapakis. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 6 ( 2 ): 5 - 8 . Books to Read “Books to Read” is Amphibian and Reptile Conservation's recommended book section that pres- ents and publicizes books related to the “Sustainable Management of Amphibian and Reptile Bio- diversity” and related topics. Information given is on author(s) or editor(s), publisher, copyright, dimensions, cover art, and International Serial Book Number (ISBN). Short descriptions and book reviews will be presented where possible. For potential book reviews and listing in “Books to Read” address email to Craig Hassapakis at: arc.publisher@gmail.com. To assist our tracking please email subject heading as“Book Review” with date as “dd/mm/yyyy.” Postal mail book(s) for review and publicity to: Craig Hassapakis, 2525 Iowa Avenue, Modesto, California 95358- 9467, USA. Reptile Biodiversity: Standard Methods for Inventory and Monitoring Editors, Roy W. McDiarmid, Mercedes S. Foster, Craig Guyer, J. Whitfield Gibbons, and Neil Chemoff. University of California Press, Berkeley, California. First edition, January 12, 2012. Product dimensions: 11.1 x 8.4 x 1.1 inches, xii + 412 pages. Hardcover: US$67.00. ISBN:- 13: 978-0-520-26671-1. Amphibians and Reptiles: An Introduction to Their Natural History and Conservation By Marty Crump. The McDonald & Wood- ward Publishing Company, Granville, Ohio. September 20,2011. Product dimensions: 8.9 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches. Children 5th to 8th grade and older, ix + 249 pages. Paperback: US$29.95. ISBN-13: 978-1- 935778-20-2. amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 005 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e40 Hassapakis Patterns of Distribution of Amphibians A GLOBAL PUSFIt I t I 1 ! B William E. Duellman Patterns of Distribution of Amphibians: a Global Perspective Editor, William Duellman. The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland. First edition, July 20, 1999. Product dimensions: 10.3 x 7.4 x 1.5 inches. 648 pages. Hardcover: US$90.00. ISBN- 13: 978-0-8018-6115-4. Measuring and Monitoring Biological Diversity: Standard Methods for Amphibians (Biological Diversity Handbook) Editor, W. Ronald Heyer. Smithsonian Books, Washington, D.C. First edition, February 17, 1994. Product dimensions: 6.9 x 0.8 x 1.0 inches. 364 pages. Paperback: US$23.87. ISBN-13: 978-1-56098-284-5. amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 006 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e40 Books to Read THE BIOLOGY OF ANURAN LARVAE Edited by Roy W MeDiarmid and Ronald Altig Tadpoles: The Biology of Anuran Larvae Editors, Roy W. MeDiarmid and Ronald Altig. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. First edition, October 1, 2000. Product dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 1.0 inches. Hardcover: US$90.00; Paperback: US$47.50 ISBN-13: 978-0-226-55763-2. A Natural History of Amphibians By Robert C. Stebbins and Nathan W. Cohen. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. January 6, 1997. Product dimensions: 9.1 x 6.0 x 0.8 inches. 332 pages. Paperback: US$31.95. ISBN- 13: 978-0-691-10251-1. amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 007 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e40 Hassapakis The Chromosomes of Terraranan Frogs Insights into Vertebrate Cytogenetics Editors The Iguanid Lizards of Cuba By Lourdes Rodriguez Schettino. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. First edition, December 31, 1999. Product dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches. 448 pages. Hardcover: US$85.00. ISBN-13: 978-0-8130-1647-4. The Chromosomes of Terraranan Frogs: Insights into Vertebrate Cytogenetics Editors, M. Schmid, Wiirzbur, J.P. Bogar, and S.B. Hedge. S. Karger AG, Basel, Switzerland. First edition, October 25, 2010. Product dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 1.2 inches. 568 pages. Hardcover: US$797.00. ISBN-13: 978-3-8055-9607-7. Citation: Hassapakis C. 2012. Books to Read. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 6(2):5-8(e40). Published: 11 April 2012 amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 008 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e40 Agalychnis lemur (SMF 89959), Cerro Negro, PNSF, Veraguas. Photo by AC. amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 009 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Copyright: © 2012 Hertz et al. This is an open-access article distri buted under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 6(2):9-30. Field notes on findings of threatened amphibian species in the central mountain range of western Panama ' 24 ANDREAS HERTZ, 12 SEBASTIAN LOTZKAT, 3 ARCADIO CARRIZO, 3 MARCOS PONCE, 'GUNTHER KOHLER, AND 2 BRUNO STREIT department of Herpetology’, Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, GERMANY 2 Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Biologicum, Dept, of Ecology and Evolution, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, GERMANY 3 Institute de Ciencias Ambientales y Desarrollo Sostenible, Universidad Autonoma de Chiriqiu, David, PANAMA Abstract . — During field work along a transect in the Cordillera Central of western Panama between 2008 and 2010, we detected several populations of amphibian species which are considered as “Endangered” or “Critically Endangered” by the IUCN. Some of these species had suffered from serious population declines, probably due to chytridiomycosis, but all are generally threatened by habitat loss. We detected 53% of the Endangered and 56% of the Critically Endangered amphibian species that have previously been reported from within the investigated area. We report on findings of species that have not been found in Panama for many years, and provide locality data of newly discovered populations. There is a need to create a new protected area in the Cerro Colorado area of the Serrania de Tabasara, where we found 15% of the Endangered and Critically Endangered am- phibian species known to Panama. Resumen . — Durante trabajo de campo en un transecto a lo largo de la Cordillera Central en el oeste de Panama entre 2008 y 2010, encontramos varias poblaciones de anfibios que son considerados “En Peligro” o “En Peligro Critico” por la UICN. Algunas de estas especies habian sufrido serias disminuciones de sus poblaciones, probablemente causadas por la quitridiomicosis, pero todas se encuentran amenazadas por perdida de habitat. Detectamos el 53% de las especies En Peligro y el 56% de las especies En Peligro Critico que se habian reportado previamente en el area de estudio. Reportamos hallazgos de especies que no se habian avistado en Panama por muchos ahos, asi como localidades de poblaciones descubiertas por primera vez. Se requiere crear una nueva area de proteccion en los alrededores del Cerro Colorado en la Serrania de Tabasara, donde se han en- contrado 15% de los anfibios En Peligro y En Peligro Critico de todo Panama. Key words. Anura, Batrachochytrium dentrobatidis ( Bd ), decline, Panama, Serrania de Tabasara, Serrania de Tala- manca, Urodela Citation: Hertz A, Lotzkat S, Carrizo A, Ponce M, Kohler G, Streit B. 2012. Field notes on findings of threatened amphibian species in the central range of western Panama. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 6(2):9-30(e46). Introduction Amphibian populations are declining or disappearing around the globe at an alarming rate, and are the most threatened vertebrate class on earth (Daszak et al. 1999; Stuart et al. 2004; Gascon et al. 2007). The most obvi- ous threat to tropical amphibians and to biodiversity in general, comes from anthropogenic activities such as de- forestation, habitat modification, and contamination. In addition, from the late 1980s on, even amphibian popula- tions in pristine, undisturbed habitats have begun to de- cline enigmatically. These enigmatic declines have been especially severe at upland sites of Australia (Campbell 1999) and the Neotropics (Young et al. 2001, 2004; Lips et al. 2006). In particular, lower central America has suf- Correspondence. Email: 4 ahertz@senckenberg.de fered from multiple amphibian population declines that were well documented (e.g., Crump et al. 1992; Young et al. 2001; Lips 1999; Lips et al. 2006; Ryan et al. 2008). After several experts have conducted research regard- ing the causes, these enigmatic amphibian die-offs and population declines could be clearly associated with, an emerging infectious disease (EID) (Daszak et al. 2000) caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobati- dis (Bd) soon known as chytridiomycosis (Berger et al. 1998; Daszak et al. 1999; Ryan et al. 2008). The mortal- ity rate of infected individuals can be as high as 100% in some populations (Lips et al. 2003b), but not all spe- cies have been affected equally. Due to the physiology of Bd , which grows best at temperatures between 17-28 °C (Piotrowski et al. 2004), populations in tropical moun- amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 010 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Hertz et al. tainous habitats are more likely to be affected than those of extinction in the wild. Most species mentioned in this in tropical lowlands (Longcore et al. 1999; Andre et al. paper are highly susceptible to Bd infection and have 2008). Montane riparian or lentic amphibian species are suffered dramatic population declines in Costa Rica and at highest risk to Bd infection and population decline Panama, although their distribution areas comprise well- (Lips et al. 2003b; Kriger and Hero 2007). Furthermore, protected areas like national parks and protected forests degree of disease susceptibility of species depends on (IUCN 2011). Others have always been rare and are only their particular immunologic defence in terms of quan- known from a few specimens. Almost all of these spe- tity and quality of antimicrobial skin peptide mixtures cies have not been reported for many years and most of (Woodhams et al. 2006). them are the only persisting populations known. We also Chytridiomycosis first appeared in western Panama inspected some of the collected voucher specimens for between 1993 and 1994 and spread in a wave-like man- chytrid infection by either histological examination of ner south-eastward, crossing the Panama Canal in 2007 skin scrapings or PCR testing of skin swabbings. More- (Lips et al. 2008; Woodhams et al. 2008). The disease over, we provide information on localities and contexts has caused population declines and loss of amphibian of our findings and add brief ecological field notes on diversity wherever it has been detected (Crawford et every species, al. 2010a). Since Bd ’’ s arrival, many formerly abundant species have disappeared or become rare. Only recently, reports on rediscoveries or newly discovered popula- Material and methods tions of amphibian species, which were thought to be lost, have been reported (Puschendorf et al. 2005; Lotz- Between 2008 and 2010, we collected amphibian species kat et al. 2007; Rodriguez-Contreras et al. 2008; Kolby along a transect which covered the continental divide and McCranie 2009; Abarca et al. 2010; McCranie et al. mainly above 1000 m a.s.l., from the Costa Rican-Pana- 2010), but none from Panama. manian border to about 81 degrees of western longitude. Our objective is to report on amphibian species found Only two findings were made prior to this project (see in the central mountain range of western Panama facing Isthmohyla angustilineata and Oedipina grandis ac- a high (IUCN category: Endangered, EN) to extremely counts) in 2006. An overview of the investigated area, high (IUCN category: Critically Endangered, CR) risk with all localities sampled, is shown in Fig. 1 below. 82°30'W 82°0'W 8r30'W 81 o 0'W 82°30'W 82°0'W 81°30'W 81"0'W Figure 1 . Sampled localities in the central mountain range of western Panama (Cross hatched area = transect, white dots = collect- ing sites). amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 011 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Threatened amphibian species in western Panama We collected all specimens (adults and larvae) dur- ing opportunistic searches mostly at night. We obtained coordinates and altitude of the study sites using a Gar- min GPS Map 60 CSx GPS receiver or alternatively a Garn i i n Etrex Summit, both with integrated barometric altimeters. For preservation and preparation of voucher specimens we follow the recommendations of Kohler (2001). We assigned tadpoles to Gosner stages (Gosner 1960) prior to identification. We identified specimens to the species level using the dichotomous keys of Kohler (2011), Savage (2002), and Duellman (2001), and if nec- essary original species descriptions. We deposited vouch- er specimens (listed in Appendix I) in the collection of the Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt, Germany (SMF), those labelled with AH field numbers will be included into the Museo Herpetologico de Chiriqui (MHCH), the herpetological collection of the Universidad Autonoma de Chiriqui, David, Panama. We created all maps using ArcGIS 10, and calculat- ed mean distances of populations to the next Protected Area with the “Near” tool in the “Proximity” folder. We obtained map layers from the map server of the Smith- sonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) (URF: http:// map server, str i . si.edu/ geonetwork/srv/en/ main, horn e) . All maps and coordinates are in the geographic coordi- nate system and WGS 1984 datum. We rounded coordi- nates to the second decimal place; elevations are rounded to the next tenth. Some of the detected specimens have been tested for infection with Batrachochytrium dentrobatidis. There- fore, we gently rubbed a cotton swap over the ventral surfaces of the pelvic patch and inner thighs following the sampling guidelines of Hyatt et al. (2007). Testing for Bd was performed by real-time Taqman PCR assay following the protocol of Boyle et al. (2004). Because this technique was not available to us prior to 2010, we did not take PCR samples from all specimens. Further, we examined 10 specimens collected before 2010 by histological examination of stained skin scrapings, for detection of Bd thalli and sporangia. We took skin scrap- ings from the ventral surface of the inner left thigh of preserved animals and stained them with 0.01% solution of Congo Red dye dissolved in PBS buffer (pH 7.4) and stained for 20 minutes (Briggs and Burgin 2003, 2004). Stained scrapings were examined with bright-field mi- croscopy using a Bresser Biolam optical microscope. Since the most recently published list of amphibian species known to occur in Panama (Jaramillo et al. 2010), ongoing investigation has led to some changes and ad- ditions to this list. To get an updated list (Appendix II) of the amphibian species that are currently known to be native in Panama we updated and revised the list of Jara- millo et al. (2010). First we included all species that have been added to the Panamanian herpetofauna after 2010. These are (with references in parentheses): Agalychnis annae (Hertz et al. 2011), Craugastor evanesco (Ryan et al. 2010b), Incilius karenlipsae (Mendelson and Mulca- hy 2010), Pristimantis adnus (Crawford et al. 2010b) and P. educatoris (Ryan et al. 2010a). Moreover, we includ- ed Bolitoglossa pygmea and B. robinsoni (Bolanos and Wake 2009) not found in Jaramillo et al. (2010). Because of taxonomic changes we exchanged Rhinella granulosa for R. centralis (Narvaes and Rodriguez 2009), and ex- cluded Agalychnis lithodryas that we treat as a synonym of A. spurelli (Ortega- Andrade 2008). We follow Kohler 2011 and list Lithobates taylori in place of L. pipiens complex. Although Hyalinobatrachium vireovittatum might be a synonym of H. talamancae (Kubicki 2007; Hertz et al. 2011) we decided to list both species until further investigation has been conducted. The same deci- sion was taken for Relictivomer pearsei that might be a synonym of Elachistocleis ovalis, and both taxa are listed as present in Panama. Further, we excluded the three in- troduced species Eleutherodactylus antillensis, E. jolm- stonei , and E. planirostris (Crawford et al. 2011). In the following text we use the abbreviation PA for “Protected Areas” and abbreviations for Panamanian PAs (in parentheses) reflect their original names in Spanish: Parque Internacional Fa Amistad (PIFA); Parque Nacio- nal Volcan Baru (PNVB); Reserva Forestal Fa Fortuna (RFFF); Bosque Protector Palo Seco (BPPS); Parque Nacional Santa Fe (PNSF). Abbreviations of IUCN cat- egories follow IUCN (201 1). Results We now count 206 native species of amphibians known to occur in Panama. Of these, 23 species (11%) are con- sidered Endangered (EN) and 22 (11%) Critically Endan- gered (CR) as defined by the IUCN (Fig. 2). LC 53 % Figure 2. Percentage of Panamanian amphibian species in each IUCN category. amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 012 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Hertz et al. In total 33 (73%) of those 45 species, in detail 17 (74%) of the 23 species in the EN and 16 (73%) of the 22 species in the CR categoiy, are known to occur within the investigated area (Appendix II). During this study we found 18 (55%) of these 33 species, on which we report below. We further present the positive results of analysis of skin swabbings and histological examination for pres- ence of Bd illustrated in an overview map (Fig. 3). Individual species accounts of species catego- rized as Endangered (EN) We found a total of nine EN species within the inves- tigated areas representing 4% of all amphibian species known to occur in Panama. Furthermore, 39% of the Panamanian species in the EN category, and 53% of the EN species that are known to occur within the transect. We made all but three findings within the boundaries of PAs, except one at Santa Clara ( Ptychohyla legleri ), and two in the Cerro Colorado region ( Agalychnis annae and Pristimantis museosus). The former two species could not be reported from any of Panama’s PAs (Appendix II). Agalychnis annae (Duellman 1963): This species, formerly considered as a Costa Rican endemic, has been only recently recorded from Panama (Hertz et al. 2011). Between 1980 and 1990, Agalychnis annae disappeared from all PAs in Costa Rica and was subsequently listed as EN. In Costa Rica, it is only found near heavily polluted streams in the metropolitan region of San Jose. Pounds et al. (2008) hypothesized that the frog and its tadpoles may be less susceptible to water pollution than the chy- trid fungus, so it survives only at disturbed and polluted sites. We found a single female during daytime surveys inactive on a leaf by the side of a dirt road. The area is in- habited and fit for agricultural use, though streams in the area did not appear to be heavily polluted. Admittedly, we did not conduct chemical analysis. We furthermore cannot tell whether a reproductive population exists. Thus, further monitoring is strongly needed. Ecnomiohyla fimbrimembra (Taylor 1948): This spe- cies is associated with primary humid montane forest. It is an obligatory canopy dweller that lives and reproduces principally in tree crowns. Ecnomiohyla fimbrimembra is very rarely observed and collected, and there are no dependable data on its population status (Savage 2002). However, it is presumed to have a decreasing population trend, because it is strongly associated with mature pri- mary forests, which are endangered by human activities. The first and formerly only specimen from Panama was an adult male collected in 1982 at Cerro Horqueta, PILA, Chiriqui (Ibanez et al. 1991). We collected an adult male during a rainy night on the north-eastern slopes of Volcan Baru. This expands the known distribution of E. fimbrimembra in Panama to a second PA, the PNVB, and represents the second male specimen in a scientific collection (Savage 2002; Men- delson et al. 2008). Ptychohyla legleri (Taylor 1958): This species is considered moderately common in appropriate habitats (Solis et al. 2008). We found only a single froglet near a small creek at Santa Clara in extreme western Panama, where the first Panamanian specimens were collected in 1966 (Duellman 2001). Despite intensive search efforts we carried out at different tunes of the year at this site, it remained the only encountered specimen. Even though it was found on an organic farm, the surroundings are dominated by intensive coffee plantations nowadays. As a stream breeder it faces a potential risk of chytrid infec- tion, but there are no reports on population declines of this species due to chytridiomycosis yet. Santos-Barrera et al. (2008) recorded P. legleri from the San Vito region in Costa Rica, near Santa Clara, but found no evidence for Bd in that area. However, former studies have proved the presence of Bd at this site (Lips et al. 2003a; Picco and Collins 2007). In addition, we collected a male glass frog ( Cochranella granulosa ) at the same creek in Santa Clara, which tested positive for Bd by PCR. Pristimantis museosus (Ibanez, Jaramillo, and Arose- mena 1994): This species can be characterised as uncom- mon. We found it on the Caribbean slopes along the cen- tral mountain range wherever pristine forest was present. Ibanez et al. (1994) collected the type material at pristine premontane wet forest and lower montane rainforest life zones (Holdridge 1967). Likewise, we never found it in degraded habitats and therefore suspect it of being very sensitive to deforestation. Bolitoglossa magnifica Hanken, Wake, and Savage 2005: The type material of this species was collected on the lower slopes of Volcan Baru, Chiriqui, Panama in 1975. This species was first assigned to B. nigrescens un- til the revision of the B. nigrescens complex by Hanken et al. (2005). It has not been collected or observed since. It is listed as EN because of its small known distribution range and a general loss of habitat. In fact, inadequate data allow only a restrained assessment of this species. We collected four individuals during the day only a few kilometres away from the species’ type locality at PNVB while ascending from the town of Boquete to the peak by car. In a relatively short period of time (approximately 1 5 min), we found all four individuals under a pile of wood by the side of the road. Further research is needed, but it seems to be common at certain sites. Bolitoglossa compacta Wake, Brame, and Duellman 1973: This is a rather uncommon species (Savage 2002) with a small distribution between the Costa Rican-Pan- amanian border and Volcan Barn. The type material was collected on the northern slope of Cerro Pando between 1920 and 1970 m a.s.l. in undisturbed cloud forest (Wake et al. 1973). It was first recorded from Costa Rica by Lips (1993), who did not give much information on its habitat, but described the vegetation at this site as lower montane amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 013 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Threatened amphibian species in western Panama rainforest in a later work (Lips 1998). Although little is known about the species’ environmental demands, it is assumed to inhabit relatively undisturbed lower montane rainforest, and therefore is threatened by habitat loss due to logging. We found a single specimen on the south-eastern slope of Volcan Barn, within the boundaries of PNVB, under a rotten trunk by the side of the road. Bolitoglossa marmorea (Tanner and Brame 1961): This species has almost the same distribution as Bolito- glossa compacta, but inhabits slightly higher elevations. Specimens collected during this study were, just as the type material, found in montane rainforest at the edge of the timberline and pluvial paramo above timberline. The ability to live in open habitats is probably the reason why it persists also in degraded habitats. There is a need for further studies as these are the first records of the species in more than ten years (IUCN 2010). Still it seems to be a common species at the peak of Volcan Barn. In only one morning, we collected five specimens by turning a couple of rocks near the summit of the volcano. Bolitoglossa minutula Wake, Brame, and Duellman 1973: This seems to be still a quite common species where unspoiled forest exists. Nevertheless, its known distribution area is small and it is assumed to be threat- ened by deforestation. We collected at least nine speci- mens of B. minutula at PILA and PNVB. Especially near the continental divide on both southern and northern slopes of Cerro Pando (PILA), it appears to be the most common salamander. Oedipina grandis Brame and Duellman 1970: This elongate, fossorial salamander was easily found in the early 1990s, but then decreased in abundance for un- known reasons (Lips 1998). We detected a single, adult female in January 2006 at night in Jurutungo on the edge of PILA. The specimen was crawling between recently cut Heliconia leaves, on a small trail leading to a water intake point of a small stream. It remained the only indi- vidual taken during this study. Individual species accounts of species catego- rized as Critically Endangered (CR) We found a total of nine CR species within the investigat- ed area. That is 4% of all Panamanian amphibian species, 41% of all Panamanian amphibian species in the CR cat- egory, and 56% of all Panamanian CR amphibians that are known to occur within the transect. We made most of the records within the boundaries of PAs, except three species ( Isthmohyla debilis, I. graceae, and I. tica ) from °0'N °30'N 82°30'W 82°0'W 81 °30'W 81 “O'W Figure 3. Map of localities referred to in Table 1. (hatched areas = PAs; cross hatched area = Cerro Colorado region, with Cerro Sagui massive in the western and Cerro Santiago in the eastern portion; black dots indicate positive Bd results). amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 014 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Hertz et al. the CeiTo Colorado region. We could not find the former two in any of Panamas PAs, while the latter one was also present in PILA (Appendix II). Atelopus varius (Lichtenstein and von Martens 1 856): This eye-catching harlequin toad once was a common species in Costa Rica and Panama, but has suffered dra- matic population declines throughout its range (Crump et al. 1992; Pounds and Crump 1994; Lips 1998, 1999; Lips et al. 2003b; La Marca et al. 2005). Although there have been sporadic sightings of this species, it is believed to be still in serious decline. We observed four individuals, all at Cerro Negro (PNSF), Veraguas. All adults were found sleeping on low riparian vegetation and a single tadpole (Gosner stage: 36) was found in a mountain stream. None of the collected individuals appeared to be sick. We conducted histological examination of skin scrap- ings from two adults, which yielded no evidence for Bd. These specimens are probably part of a small population that still persists at Cerro Negro. Agalychnis lemur (Boulenger 1882): This used to be a quite common species in Costa Rica and Panama, but has become rare in recent years, probably due to chy- tridiomycosis. It is suspected that A. lemur is more resis- tant to Bd than is other species (Woodhams et al. 2006). There is no doubt that deforestation is a major threat to this species as well. We collected a single specimen at Cerro Negro (PNSF), Veraguas. The frog was found in a small creek where it was sitting on a rock. Although we visited Cerro Negro between 2008 and 2009 seven times at different seasons of the year, this remained the only detected specimen. Duellmanohyla uranochroa (Cope 1875): This spe- cies was once common in the RFLF, but has become rare after severe declines (Lips 1999; Pounds et al. 2008). We collected the first four tadpoles (Gosner stages: 26-29) from a small creek on the south-western slope of Cerro Pata de Macho (RFLF) in 2008, where several more tad- poles were present in slow-moving water puddles along the creek. In the following years, tadpoles have been observed in this creek during several times of the year. In 2009, we found two adults: one from vegetation near the collection site of the tadpoles, and a second at BPPS, Comarca Ngobe-Bugle, only a few km from the former adult. This individual was also arranged in riparian veg- etation, about three m above the ground. The latter one appeared meagre and feeble and we found it to be para- sitized by a large nematode that moved under its skin. Both adults tested negative for the presence of Bd. All of the collected tadpoles showed mouthpart deformations ranging from slight folding of the oral disc to complete loss of keratine in denticles and beak. A skin scraping we took from a tadpole’s oral disc tested positive for Bd by histological examination. D. uranochroa is currently known from Monteverde and Tuis de Turrialba, Costa Rica (IUCN 2010). Our records represent the only recent findings of this species in Panama. Hyloscirtus colymbci (Dunn 1931): This species has undergone drastic population declines in western and central Panama (Lips 1999; Lips et al. 2006; Crawford et al. 2010a). We made the first record in 2008, collect- ing four tadpoles from a fast-moving stream near Alto de Piedra, Veraguas. A few weeks later, we found a single adult male, and in 2009 we encountered an adult female. Then, in 2010 we collected four adult specimens, two males and two females, in both forest and streams, and some more tadpoles. One male was calling from riparian vegetation, and we heard several additional males calling along the stream. Although field work has been earned out in Alto de Piedra between 1998 and 2004, e.g., by Brem and Lips (2008), this population was only recent- ly discovered in the course of this project (Hertz et al. 2011). One of the individuals we collected in 2010 at first sight appeared to be sick tested positive for Bd by PCR. This confirms that Bd is still present within the habitat. All other collected specimens were also tested, but ap- peared to be healthy and we did not find any evidence for a Bd infection. Isthmohyla angustilineata (Taylor 1952): This has al- ways been an uncommon species (Savage 2002). There are only sparse data available on geographic distribution and population status. The most recent record comes from Costa Rica at Braulio Carillo National Park near Volcan Barva (Nishida 2006). At Monteverde it has de- clined drastically but is still found sporadically, whereas there are no recent records from Cerro Chompipe and Tapanti (IUCN 2010). In Panama there is little informa- tion on its distribution and population status. The spe- cies was first reported from Panama by Arosemena and Ibanez (1991), who collected three specimens in 1990 at Cerro Horqueta, PILA, the only published record for Panama until now. In 2006, we collected an adult female at almost the same locality; the frog was sitting in a shrub in an inundated pasture. The current population status at this site is unknown. Isthmohyla debilis (Taylor 1952): This small frog is an uncommon species collected at a few locations (Sav- age 2002). In 1996 and 1997, the populations of this spe- cies collapsed at RFLF (Lips 1999). In Panama, I. cle- bilis was last detected in 1998 from neighboring BPPS (Hofer and Bersier 2001; IUCN 2010). In Costa Rica it had equally declined, and there are no recent findings in this country. We collected two calling males at La Nevera on the western slopes of Cerro Santiago, Comarca Ngo- be-Bugle, in 2008. The frogs were only traceable by fol- lowing their cricket-like calls, as they sat in very dense vegetation overhanging a stream. In 2009, we collected another male near Llano Tugri on the eastern slopes of Cerro Santiago, Comarca Ngobe-Bugle. This one was not hidden in vegetation nor was it calling, but sat ex- posed on a rock in a mountain stream. In the same year, we collected two more male specimens, one of which was found calling in bushes at the margin of a mountain amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 015 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Threatened amphibian species in western Panama stream at La Nevera; the other one sat in the same bush, moving towards its calling conspecific. Only two days later we found an additional calling male, but for con- servation reasons refrained from collecting it. The frog cowered well-concealed between the leaves of a fallen tree overhanging a mountain stream. Our findings rep- resent the only recent records of this species within its native range. Accordingly, there are no known lingering populations within the boundaries of any PA. These re- cords also extend the known geographic distribution of the species about 30 to 40 km to the east from its nearest collecting site at Rio Chiriqui, RFLF, Chiriqui (Myers andDuellman 1982). Isthmohyla graceae (Myers and Duellman 1982): Since there were drastic declines of the species reported from RFLF, Chiriqui (Lips 1999) this Panamanian en- demic has disappeared from all well-known sites. De- spite many search efforts, it is uncertain if any of these populations now survive (IUCN 2010). Although the Cerro Colorado area is the type locality of this species, previous search efforts concentrated mainly on PAs. In 2010, at the south-eastern slopes of Cerro Sagui, Comar- ca Ngobe-Bugle, close to the species’ type locality, we detected various calling males and tadpoles at a marshy headwater of Rio Cricamola between pasture and forest. We collected four adult males and one tadpole as repre- sentative samples. All four collected adults were tested for Bd using swab samples for PCR; three with negative and one with a uncertain result(s). Like in the previous species, this represents the only known population that so far persists, and there are no recent records from any PA. Isthmohyla rivularis (Taylor 1952): This species once was veiy common (Savage 2002), but declined through- out its range in the 1990s. In Panama, the last records date back to 1996 (IUCN 2010). In 2007, it was rediscovered at Monte verde, Costa Rica (Andrew Gray, pers. comm. 2011), where it was last seen in 1989. We collected a to- tal of six adult males and one adult female around Cerro Pando, PILA, Chiriqui and Bocas del Toro. Six speci- mens were obtained from the Pacific slopes and one from the Caribbean slopes. The first individual was detected in 2008 by coincidence at night near a small mountain stream. In one of the ensuing nights, after heavy rain falls, we located three more males by the side of an un- paved road by following their calls. Calling site was very dense vegetation, intermingled with leaf litter that was overhanging a small creek. The calling males were sitting near ground level, well-hidden between plant material. In the same night, we heard more males calling from differ- ent creeks in the surrounding area. In 2009, we collected another calling male from the bank of a mountain creek, where it was perched on a leaf near a small cascade. In the same night, and only about 100 m away from the lat- ter specimen, we detected a female on a broad-leaved plant in a waterless anabranch. In November 2009, we found another individual, when crossing over the con- tinental divide to the Caribbean slopes of Cerro Pando. It was sitting in a bush, about 1.5 m above ground level, near a fast-moving mountain creek. The abundance of this species in the surroundings of Cerro Pando indicates that there is a surviving population. None of the collected specimens appeared to be sick. Histological examination of skin scrapings did not provide any evidence of a chy- trid infection. Isthmohyla tica (Starrett 1966): This stream-breeder has also been a common species in Costa Rica and Pan- ama (Savage 2002), until it dramatically declined at all known sites. In Panama, it had been collected at mul- tiple sites between PILA and RFLF in the 1980s and 90s (Tejera and Dupuy 2003). These populations collapsed in 1 997 and there were no recent sightings in Costa Rica or Panama. In July 2010, we collected a male specimen at Rio Changena, northern slope of Cerro Pando, PILA, Bocas del Toro. The cricket-like call drew our attention to the frog that was sitting well-hidden about three m above the water line in a bush. We heard another male from the opposite side of the river, but could not find it. Later in the same month, we found a specimen at the up- per reaches of Rio Hacha, Comarca Ngobe Bugle. This individual was not calling, but sitting about 3.5 m above the water in a small tree. Discussion The Panamanian Central Cordillera is an area where Bd driven amphibian declines have been especially severe (Young et al. 2001) and where declines were exception- ally well documented (Lips 1998, 1 999; Lips et al. 2006). At all of these sites certain species, mainly hylids, bufo- nids, and stream-associated craugastorids, have not been found since these documented decline events. While in neighboring Costa Rica recent surveys have led to sev- eral rediscoveries of lost species (Garcia-Rodruiguez et al. 2012), upland sites in western Panama were not fre- quently visited by herpetologists. The majority of present amphibian research in Panama is earned out east of El Cope following the Bd wave and little attention has been paid to post decline sites. Accordingly, to date the pres- ent paper is the only information on relict populations of rare amphibians, and shall serve as a basis for future studies. There is a paucity of data for many species in general, as indicated by the high number of species listed as Data Deficient by the IUCN. In Panama, there are 34 species (more than 16% of all Panamanian amphibians; Fig. 2) for which more information is required to assess their population status and conservation trend. The absence of chytrid at a certain site could explain why a population persists. We took chytrid samples from several specimens and various localities. Though, the sample size presented here is not large enough to prove the absence of Bd at an investigated site, and we can- not identify refuge areas free of Bd: this will require fur- ther investigation. However, our presence data together amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 016 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Hertz et al. Table 1 . Visited areas, protection status, and percentage of all EN/CR species found. Name of area Land cover (ha) Protection status Number of EN species found Number of CR species found Percentage of EN/CR species in transect PILA 207,000 (Panama only) Transboundary Protected Area; UNESCO World Heritage Site 3 18% BPPS 167,410 Conservation Forest 1 1 7% PNSF 72,636 National Park 1 3 12% RFLF 19,500 Forest Reserve 0 1 3% PNVB 14,322 National Park 5 0 15% Cerro Colo- rado Area at least 14,000 unprotected i 3 15% Santa Clara N.A. unprotected 1 0 3% with other studies (e.g., Kilburn et al. 2011) show that at a large-scale this pathogen is still present at sites in Panama where chytridiomycosis once emerged (Fig 3). Further research on chytridiomycosis in wild amphibian populations should focus on populations at post-decline sites. Altitudinal distribution of a species may also be a rea- son for a species to persist. There is evidence that popula- tions of species that inhabit a vast altitudinal range may at least persist at lower altitudes where mean temperature is higher (Berger et al. 2004), or could even actively keep Bd infections low by exploration to warm microclimate (Daskin et al. 2011). The same is imaginable with species having wide horizontal distributions, with populations persisting in climatic refuges, e.g., drier and warmer re- gions (Puschendorf et al. 2005). Unfortunately, lowland forests are facing a higher deforestation risk due to a bet- ter accessibility and higher agricultural value. For exam- ple, nowadays there are almost no remainders of pristine pacific lowland forest in western Panama. Notwithstanding, habitat loss by means of modifica- tion, fragmentation, and destruction is still the biggest threat to amphibians and wildlife in general (Gardner et al. 2007; Young et al. 1999, 2004). About 44% of Pan- ama’s land mass is still covered by forests. Compared to other Central American countries, Panama showed a relatively low deforestation rate of -1.2% in the period between 1990 and 2000 (total Central America -1.6%), and an even lower -0.4% between 2000 and 2010 (total Central America -1.2%; data taken from FAO 2011). But deforestation rates in Panama are not equally distributed, and some forests are under higher anthropogenic pres- sure than others. By far the highest deforestation rate among Panamanian provinces is found in the Comarca Ngobe-Bugle (-21.8%, 1992-2000) followed by the cen- tral-eastern provinces of Darien (-13.9%), and Panama (-12.2%) (ANAM 2009). A great portion of the Cordil- lera Central, almost the whole part known as Serrania de Tabasara, is located within the limits of the Comarca Ngobe-Bugle. In addition, the Cordillera Central is home to 73% of the EN and CR amphibian species in Panama. Consequently, there is a general need for more well-pro- tected areas in this mountain range. During this study, we identified the Cerro Colorado region as one of the most important unprotected areas for amphibian conservation in Panama. The minimum convex polygon drawn around our collection points would comprise around 14,000 ha and could include at least 15% of Panamas EN and CR amphibian species (Table 1). Two Critically Endangered species, Isthmohyla debilis on the slopes of Cerro San- tiago and /. graceae on the slopes of Cerro Sagui, both of which had not been detected since the late 1 990s, do oc- cur here. These are the only known populations of those two species that now persist. Additionally, it is the only place in Panama where the Endangered Agalychnis an- nae is known, and beside La Amistad, the only additional place across its whole distribution area where the Criti- cally Endangered I. tic a can still be found. As presumed by the restricted time we spent in field, these findings are better understood as only a limited sample of an estimat- ed apparent higher species diversity, including certainly many undescribed species, signifying important diver- sity of other non-herpetological organisms possibly as well. Unfortunately, Cerro Colorado is under increased anthropogenic pressure, especially through international mining companies that wish to establish a copper mine at this site. At present time, the current Panamanian gov- ernment is attempting to ease the solicitation process for foreign countries to get concessions (Nakoneczny and Whysner 2010). From all that we know, mining at Cerro Colorado will cause severe environmental damage and reduce Panamanian amphibian fauna once more. Thus, we strongly recommend to Panamanian authorities, both the government of Panama and traditional authorities of Ngobe-Bugle, to assign the Cerro Colorado area, includ- ing Cerro Santiago, Cerro Sagui, and the whole moun- tain ridge in between, an area of approximately 65,400 ha (Fig. 3), as PA in order to preserve this highly diverse area for future generations. Unfortunately, even PAs are not always successful in their ability to control deforestation. This is especially severe in PILA and BPPS, where deforestation of mature forest was high, despite the protection status (Oestreich- er et al. 2009). Currently, the discussion on new roads amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 017 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Threatened amphibian species in western Panama through remote areas of different PAs, including PILA, PNVB, and BPPS, has come up again. The Panamanian government expects an increase of tourism and trade to be triggered by these projects. However, costs to build and maintain roads in tropical mountainous forests are usually high, making it doubtful that economic aims will be achieved (Reid and Hanily 2003). Beside other effects these roads will exacerbate deforestation by facilitating the access to formerly well-protected sites (Young 1994; Chomitz and Gray 1996; Nelson and Hellerstein 1997). It is further questionable if new roads in PAs rather an- noy tourists, who are predominantly looking for pure na- ture, than stimulating them to make a visit, in particular if there is no forest left to see when driving through a park. There is a general need for comprehensive manage- ment plans, better demarcation of PAs, and year-round personnel to stop ongoing deforestation in areas that are supposed to be protected. Acknowledgments. — Collecting permits SE/A-30- 08, SC/A-8-09, SC/A-28-09, and SC/A-21-10, as well as the corresponding exportation permits, were provided by Direccion de Areas Protegidas y Vida Silvestre of the Au- toridad Nacional del Ambiente (ANAM), Panama City, Panama. Querube D. Fuenmayor and Victor Martinez, Panama City, Panama, provided valuable assistance with acquisition of these permits. Additional collecting per- missions for the Comarca Ngobe-Bugle were provided by Cacique General Rogelio Moreno, San Felix, Pana- ma. For assistance in the field, we thank Abel Batista, Andreas Uselis, Caroline Judith, Falk Ortlieb, Frank Hauenschild, Joe-Felix Bienentreu, Feonard Stadler, and Nadim Hamad. For transportation to Santa Fe National Park we thank Rafael Gonzalez, and to Smelin Abrego we are grateful for field assistance at that site. For lo- gistical support, we are grateful to the park rangers of PIFA and PNVB, as well as to Andrew Bennett, Gabriel Palacios, Meike Piepenbring, Patrick McGreer, Porfirio Yangiiez, Marciano Montezuma, and the families Cace- res and Pena Solis. We thank Tobias Eisenberg for ex- amination of skin swabbings for Bd infection. This paper is based upon work funded to AH by the FAZIT-Stiftung, and to SF by the Studienstiftung des deutschen Vollces, and the Freunde und Forderer der Universitat Frankfurt. Literature cited Abarca J, Chaves G, Garcia-Rodriguez A, Vargas R. 2010. Reconsidering extinction: Rediscovery of In- cilius holdridgei (Anura: Bufonidae) in Costa Rica after 25 years. Herpetological Review 41(2): 150-152. ANAM (Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente). 2009. In- forme GEO Panama. 2009. Infonne del estado del ambiente. Panama City, Panama. 155 p. Andre SE, Parker J, Briggs CJ. 2008. 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Where are the survivors? Tracking relictual populations of endangered frogs in Costa Rica. Diversity and Distributions 18(2):204- 212 . Gardner TA, Barlow J, Peres CA. 2007. Paradox, pre- sumption and pitfalls in conservation biology: The role of habitat change for amphibians and reptiles. Biological Conservation 1 38(1 -2): 1 66- 179. Gascon C, Collins JP, Moore RD, Church DR, McKay JE, Mendelson III JR. (Editors). 2007. Amphibian Conservation Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. 68 p. Gosner KL. 1960. A simplified table for staging anuran embryos and larvae with notes on identification. Her- petologica 16(3): 183-190. Hanken J, Wake DB, Savage JM. 2005. A solution to the large black salamander problem (genus Bolitoglossa) in Costa Rica and Panama. Copeia 2005(2):227-245. Hertz A, Lotzkat S, Stadler L, Hamad N, Carrizo A, Kohler G. 2011. Noteworthy records of amphib- ians from western Panama. Herpetological Review 42(2):245-250. 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Kriger KM, Hero JM. 2007. The chytrid fungus Batra- chochytrium dendrobatidis is non-randomly distribut- ed across amphibian breeding habitats. Diversity and Distributions 13(6):78 1-788. La Marc a E, Lips KR, Lotters S, Puschendorf R, Ibanez R, Rueda-Almonacid JV, Schulte R, Marty C, Castro F, Manzanilla-Puppo J, Garcia-Perez JE, Bolanos F, Chaves G, Pounds JA, Toral E, Young BE. 2005. Catastrophic population declines and ex- tinctions in neotropical Harlequin frogs (Bufonidae: Atelopus). Biotropica 37(2): 190-201. Lips KR. 1993. Geographic Distribution: Bolitoglossa compacta. Herpetological Review 24(3): 107. Lips KR. 1998. Decline of a tropical montane amphibian fauna. Conservation Biology ’ 12(1): 106-1 17. Lips KR. 1999. Mass mortality and population declines of anurans at an upland site in western Panama. Con- servation Biology 13(1): 117-125. Lips KR, Green DE, Papendick R. 2003a. Chytridiomy- cosis in wild frogs from southern Costa Rica. Journal of Herpetology 37(1):215-218. 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A new species of the Craugastor rugulosus series (Anura: Craugastoridae) from west-central Panama. Copeia 2010(3):405-409. Savage JM. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica. A Herpetofauna Between Two Continents, Be- tween Two Seas. University of Chicago Press, Chi- cago, Illinois, U.S.A., and London, United Kingdom. 954 p. Stuart SN, Chanson JS, CoxNA,Y oungBE, Rodrigues ASL, Fischman DL, Waller RW. 2004. Status trends of amphibian declines and extinctions worldwide. Sci- ence 306(5702):1783-17$6. Tejera VH, Dupuy OA. 2003. Anfibios del Museo de Vertebrados de la Universidad de Panama. Catalogo. Universidad de Panama, Panama City, Panama. 188 p. Wake DB, Brame Jr AH, Duellman WE. 1973. New species of salamanders, genus Bolitoglossa, from Panama. Contributions in Science, Natural Histoiy Museum of Los Angeles County 248:1-19. Woodhams DC, Voyles J, Lips KR, Carey C, Roll- ins-Smith LA. 2006. Predicted disease susceptibil- ity in a Panamanian amphibian assemblage based on amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 020 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Hertz et al. skin peptide defenses. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 42(2):207-218. Woodhams DC , Kilburn VL , Reinert LK, V o yles J, Me- dina D, Ibanez R, Hyatt AD, Boyle DG, Pask JD, Green DM, Rollins-Smith LA. 2008. Chytridiomy- cosis and amphibian population declines continue to spread eastward in Panama. EcoHealth 5(3):268-274. Young BE, Sedaghatkish G, Roca E, Fuenmayor QD. 1999. El Estatus de la Conservacion de la Herpeto- fauna de Panama. Resumen del Primer Taller Interna- cional Sobre la Herpetofauna de Panama. The Nature Conservancy y Asociacion para la Conservacion de la Naturaleza, Panama City, Panama. 40 p. Young BE, Lips KR, Reaser JK, Ibanez R, Salas AW, Cedeno JR, Coloma LA, Ron S, La Marca E, Meyer JR, Munoz A, Bolanos F, Chaves G, Romo D. 2001 . Population declines and priorities for amphibian con- servation in Latin America. Conservation Biology > 1 5(5): 12 1 3-1223. Young BE, Stuart SN, Chanson JS, CoxNA, Boucher TM. 2004. Disappearing Jewels: The Status of New World Amphibians. Nature Serve, Arlington, Virginia, USA. 60 p. Young KR. 1994. Roads and environmental degradation of tropical montane forests. Conservation Biology 8(4):972-976. Received: 05 January 2012 Accepted: 27 March 2012 Published: 21 April 2012 Appendix I Voucher specimens Anura: Agalychnis annae: Comarca Ngobe-Bugle: Cerro Colorado, N8.53, W81.81, 1600 m a.s.l.: SMF 89791; Agalychnis lemur. Veraguas: PNSF, Cerro Ne- gro, N8.57, W81.10, 690 m a.s.l.: SMF 89959; Atelopus varius : Veraguas: PNSF, Cerro Negro, N8.57, W81.10, 730-1090 m a.s.l.: SMF 89822-3, 89917, AH 218; Du - ellmanohyla uranochroa : Chiriqui: RFLF, western slopes of Cerro Pata de Macho, N8.67, W82.20. 1420 m a.s.l.: SMF 89824, 89826, AH 195; Comarca Ngobe- Bugle: BPPS, continental divide, street to Petrotenni- nal, N8.79, W82.21, 1060-1080 m a.s.l.: SMF 89825, 89827; Ecnomiohylafimbrimembra : Chiriqui: Boquete, Bajo Mono, north-eastern slopes of Volcan Bam, N8.83, W82.50, 1820 m a.s.l.: SMF 89857; Hyloscirtus colym- ba: Veraguas: Alto de Piedra, N8.51, W81.12, 880-940 m a.s.l.: SMF 89794, 89828-32, AH 059, AH 547; Isth- mohyla angustilineata : Chiriqi: PILA, Cerro Horqueta, N8.85, W82.42, 1800 m a.s.l.: MHCH 483; Isthmohyla debilis: Comarca Ngobe-Bugle: La Nevera, western slopes of Cerro Santiago, N8.50, W81.77, 1540-1650 m a.s.l.: SMF 89833, 89835, AH 166, AH 347; Llano Tugri, eastern slopes of Cerro Santiago, N8.50, W81.72, 1570 m a.s.l.: SMF 89834; Isthmohyla graceae: Comarca Ngobe-Bugle: Cerro Sagui, Finca Alto Cedro, N8.56, W81.82, 1710 m a.s.l.: SMF 8936-8, AH All, AH 478; Isthmohyla rivularis : Chiriqui: PILA, Jumtungo, south- ern slopes of Cerro Pando, N8.91, W82.72, 1870-2070 m a.s.l.: SMF 89839-43, AH 138, AH 139; northern slopes of Cerro Pando near continental divide, N8.93; W82.71, 2290 m a.s.l.: SMF 89843; Isthmohyla tica: Bocas del Toro: PILA, Rio Changena, northern slopes of Cerro Pando, N8.98, W82.69, 1620 m a.s.l.: SMF 89845; Co- marca Ngobe-Bugle: Caribbean slopes of Cordillera de Tabasara, valley of Rio Hacha, N8.52, W81.79, 1220 m a.s.l.: SMF 89846; Pristimantis museosus : Bocas del Toro: PILA, Rio Changena, northern slopes of Cerro Pando, N8.98, W82.69, 1650 m a.s.l.: SMF 89859; Pri- vate Reserve Willi Mazu, N8.79, W82.20, 690 m a.s.l.: SMF 89860; Comarca Ngobe-Bugle: La Nevera, west- ern slopes of Cerro Santiago, N8.50, W81.77, 1590 m a.s.l.: SMF 89858; Veraguas: Alto de Piedra, N8.51, W81.12, 940-1000 m a.s.l.: SMF 89861-2, AH 555; PNSF, Cerro Negro, N8.57, W81.10, 770 m a.s.l.: SMF 89864 , Ptychohyla legleri: Chiriqui: Santa Clara, N8. 83, W82.78, *1200 m a.s.l.: SMF 89863. Caudata: Bolitoglossa compacta: Chiriqui: PNVB, Vol- can Barn, road from Boquete to summit, N8.80, W82.52, 3000 m a.s.l.: SMF 89849; Bolitoglossa magnifica : Chiriqui: PNVB, Volcan Barn, road from Boquete to summit, N8.80, W82.51, 2350 m a.s.l.: SMF 89847-8, AH 323, AH 325; Bolitoglossa marmorea : Chiriqui: PNVB, Volcan Barn, summit region of volcano, N8.81, W82.54, 3340-3400 m a.s.l.: SMF 89850-2, AH 328, AH 329; Bolitoglossa minutula: Chiriqui: PILA, Jumtungo, southern slopes of Cerro Pando, N8.91, W81.72, 1960- 2030 m a.s.l.: SMF 89854, AH 141; northern slopes of Cerro Pando near continental divide, N8.93, W82.71, 2320 m a.s.l.: SMF 89855, AH 277; PNVB, Sendero Los Quezales, northern slope of volcano, N8.85, W82.51, 2130 m a.s.l.; SMF89856; PNVB, Volcan Barn, road from Boquete to summit, Camp Mamecillos, N8.80, W82.51, 2600 m a.s.l.: SMF 89853; Oedipina grandis: Chiriqui: PILA, Jumtungo, southern slopes of Cerro Pan- do, N8.54, W82.43, 2060 m a.s.l.: SMF 85076. amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 021 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Threatened amphibian species in western Panama APPENDIX II List of amphibians known to occur in Panama Amphibian species reported for Panama IUCN Category EN/CR known from transect EN/CR detected during this study Distance of detected population to nearest PA (km) Name of nearest PA Order Anura Family Aromobatidae Allobates talamancae LC Family Bufonidae Atelopus certus EN A. chiriquiensis CR X A. glyphus CR A. limosus EN A. varius CR X X 0 PNSL A. zeteki CR Crepidophryne epiotica LC Incilius aucoinae LC 1. coniferus LC 1. fastidiosus LC 1. karenlipsae NE 1. melanochlorus LC 1. peripatetes CR X 1. signifer LC Rhaebo haematiticus LC Rhinella acrolopha DD R. alata DD R. centralis NE R. marina LC Family Centrolenidae Cochranella euknemos LC C. granulosa LC Espadarana prosoblepon LC Hyalinobatrachium NT aureoguttatum H. chirripoi LC H. colymbiphyllum LC H. fleischmanni LC H. talamancae LC H. valerioi LC H. vireovittatum DD Sachatamia albomaculata LC S. ilex LC Teratohyla pulverata LC T. spinosa LC Family Craugastoridae Craugastor azueroensis EN C. bransfordii LC C. catalinae CR X C. crassidigitus LC amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 022 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Hertz et al. Amphibian species reported for Panama IUCN Category EN/CR known from transect C. emcelae CR X C. evanesco NE C. fitzingeri LC C. gollmeri LC C. gulosus EN X C. jota DD C. longirostris LC C. megacephalus LC C. melanostictus LC C. monnichorum DD C. noblei LC C. obesus EN X C. opimus LC C. podiciferus NT C. polyptychus LC C. punctariolus EN X C. raniformis LC C. ranoides CR X C. rhyacobatrachus EN X C. rugosus LC C. stejnegerianus LC C. tabasarae CR C. talamancae LC C. taurus CR Family Dentrobatidae Ameerega maculata DD Colostethus latinasus DD C. panamansis LC C. pratti LC Dendrobates auratus LC Hyloxalus chocoensis DD Oophaga arborea EN X O. granulifera VU O. pumilio LC O. speciosa EN X O. vicentei DD Phyllobates lugubris LC Ranitomeya claudiae DD R. fulgurita LC R. minuta LC Silverstoneia flotator LC S. nubicola NT Family Eleutherodactylidae Diasporus diastema LC D. hylaeformis LC D. quidditus LC D. vocator LC EN/CR detected during this study Distance of detected population to nearest PA (km) Name of nearest PA amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 023 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Threatened amphibian species in western Panama Amphibian species reported for Panama IUCN Category EN/CR known from transect EN/CR detected during this study Distance of detected population to nearest PA (km) Name of nearest PA Family Hemiphractidae Gastrotheca cornuta EN X G. nicefori LC Hemiphractus fasciatus NT Family Hylidae Agalychnis annae EN X X 30 BPPS A. callidryas LC A. lemur CR X X 0 PNSF A. spurelli LC Anotheca spinosa LC Cruziohyla calcarifer LC Dendropsophus ebraccatus LC D. microcephalus LC D. phlebodes LC D. subocularis LC Duellmanohyla lythrodes EN X D. uranochroa CR X X 0 BPPS; RFLF Ecnomiohyla fimbrimembra EN X X 0 PNVB E. miliaria VU E. rabborum CR E. thysanota DD Hyloscirtus colymba CR X X 0 PNSF H. palmeri LC Hypsiboas boans LC H. crepitans LC H. pugnax LC H. rosenbergi LC H. rufitelus LC Isthmohyla angustilineata CR X X 0 PILA 1. calypsa CR X 1. debilis CR X X 36 BPPS 1. graceae CR X X 27 BPPS 1. infucata DD 1. lancasteri LC 1. picadoi NT 1. pseudopuma LC 1. rivularis CR X X 0 PILA 1. tica CR X X 0 PILA 1. zeteki NT Phyllomedusa venusta LC Ptychohyla legleri EN X X 7 PILA Scinax altae LC S. boulengeri LC S. elaeochrous LC S. rostratus LC S. ruber LC Smilisca phaeota LC amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 024 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Hertz et al. Amphibian species reported for Panama IUCN Category EN/CR known from transect EN/CR detected during this study Distance of detected population to nearest PA (km) Name of nearest PA S. sila LC S. sordida LC Trachycephalus venulosus Family Leiuperidae LC Engystomops pustulosus LC Pleurodema brachyops Family Leptodactylidae LC Leptodactylus bolivianus LC L. fragilis LC L. fuscus LC L. melanonotus LC L. poecilochylus LC L. savagei Family Microhylidae LC Chiasmocleis panamensis LC Elachistocleis ovalis LC Nelsonophryne aterrima LC Relictivomer pearsei LC Family Pipidae Pipa myersi Family Ranidae EN Litobathes taylori LC L. vaillanti LC L. vibicarius CR X L. warszewitschii LC Family Strabomantidae Pristimantis achatinus DD P adnus NE P altae NT P caryophyllaceus NT P cerasinus LC P cruentus LC P educatoris NE P gaigei LC P moro LC P museosus EN X X 0 PILA; BPPS; PNSF P pardalis NT P pirrensis DD P ridens LC P taeniatus LC Strabomantis bufoniformis LC S. laticorpus DD Order Caudata Family Plethodontidae Bolitoglossa anthracina DD B. biseriata LC amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 025 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Threatened amphibian species in western Panama Amphibian species reported for Panama IUCN Category B. bramei DD B. colonnea LC B. compacta EN B. copia DD B. cuna DD B. gomezi DD B. lignicolor VU B. magnifica EN B. marmorea EN B. medemi VU B. minutula EN B. phalarosoma DD B. pygmaea DD B. robinsoni DD B. robusta LC B. schizodactyla LC B. sombra VU B. taylori DD Oedipina alfaroi VU O. alleni LC O. collaris DD O. complex LC O. cyclocauda LC O. fortunensis NE O. gracilis EN O. grandis EN O. maritima CR O. pacificensis LC O. parvipes LC Order Gymnophiona Family Caeciliidae Caecilia isthmica DD C. leucocephala LC C. nigricans LC C. volcani DD Dermophis glandulosus DD D. gracilior DD D. parviceps LC Gymnophis multiplicata NE Oscaecilia elongata DD O. ochrocephala LC EN/CR known from transect X X X X EN/CR detected during this study Distance of detected population to nearest PA (km) Name of nearest PA X 0 PNVB X 0 PNVB X 0 PNVB X 0 PILA; PNVB X 0 PILA Total 206 33 18 amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 026 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Hertz et al. APPENDIX III Representative species Agalychnis annae (SMF 89791), Cerro Colorado, Comarca Ngobe-Bugle. Photo by SL. Atelopus varius (AH 218), Cerro Negro, PNSF, Veraguas. Photo by AH. Bolitoglossa magnified (AH323), Volcan Barn, PNVB, Chiriqul. Photo by AH. Bolitoglossa minutula (SMF 89855), valley of Jurutungo, southern slope of Cerro Pando, PILA, Chiriqul. Photo by AH. Agalychnis lemur (SMF 89959), Cerro Negro, PNSF, Vera- guas. Photo by AC. Bolitoglossa compacta (SMF 89849), Volcan Barn, PNVB, Chiriqul. Photo by AH. Bolitoglossa marmorea (SMF 89850), summit of Volcan Barn, PNVB, Chiriqul. Photo by AH. Duellmanohyla uranochroa (SMF 89824), western slope of Cerro Pata de Macho, RFLF, Chiriqul. Photo by AH. amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 027 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Threatened amphibian species in western Panama Back view of Duellmanohyla uranochroa (SMF 89825) with large nematode under the skin, BPPS, Comarca Ngobe-Bugle. Photo by AH. Ecnomiohyla fimbrimembra (SMF 89857), Bajo Mono, east- ern slope of Volcan Barn, PNVB, Chiriqui. Photo by AH. Hyloscirtus colymba (SMF 89831) infected with chydridiomy- cosis, note reddish coloration through vascular dilatation, Alto de Piedra, PNSF, Veraguas. Photo by AH. Isthmohyla debilis (AH 347), La Nevera, Comarca Ngobe- Bugle. Photo by AH. Tadpoles of Duellmanohyla uranochroa (AH 195) showing complete loss of keratinized mouthparts (A) and deformation of oral disk (B), western slope of Cerro Pata de Macho, RFLF, Chiriqui. Photo by AH through dissecting microscope. Hyloscirtus colymba (AH 547), Alto de Piedra, PNSF, Vera- guas. Photo by AH. Isthmohyla angustilineata (MHCH 483), El pianista, PILA, Bocas del Toro. Photo by MP. Isthmohyla graceae (SMF 89837), Cerro Sagui, Comarca Ngobe-Bugle. Photo by AH. amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 028 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Hertz et al. Isthmohyla rivularis (SMF 89843), northern slope of Cerro Pando, PILA, Bocas del Toro. Photo by AH. Oedipina grandis (SMF 85076), valley of Jurutungo, southern slope of Cerro Pando, PILA, Chiriqul. Photo by GK. Ptychohyla legleri froglet (SMF 89863), Santa Clara, Chiriqul. Photo by AH. Isthmohyla tica (SMF 89846), Rio Hacha, Comarca Ngobe- Bugle. Photo by AH. Pristimantis museosus (SMF89859), Rio Changena, northern slopes of Cerro Pando, PILA Bocas del Toro. Photo by AH. View of the Cerro Colorado area looking westward along the continental divide, from La Nevera. Note road from San Felix and cone-shaped peak of Cerro Sagui in the background (cp. Fig. 1 in Myers and Duellman 1982). Photo by SL. amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 029 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Threatened amphibian species in western Panama Andreas Hertz Sebastian Lotzkat Gunther Kohler Arcadio Carrizo Bruno Streit Marcos Ponce amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 030 April 2012 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e46 Copyright: © 2013 Hosseinian Yousefkhani et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License, which permits unrestricted use for non-commercial and education purposes only provided the original author and source are credited. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 6(2):31-34. Habitat associations and conservation of Eremias acutirostris (Boulenger, 1887) in the Sistan region, Zabol, Iran r Seyyed Saeed Hosseinian Yousefkhani, 1 2 Hamzeh Oraei, 1>3 Azar Khosravani and 1 4 Eskandar Rastegar-Pouyani Arnnian Plateau Herpetology’ Research Group (IPHRG), Faculty of Science, Razi University, 67 14967346 Kermanshah, IRAN ^-Department of Zoology >, Faculty of Biology, Tehran University, Tehran, IRAN 3 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Razi University, 6714967346 Kerman- shah, IRAN ^Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, IRAN Abstract . — During a field survey in the Sistan region of Iran in October 2011, habitat of Eremias acutirostris was surveyed and four specimens of the species were collected. We report a locality situated along the road from Zabol to Doost Mohammad, near the town of Bonjar. The fragile habitat, consist of immobile sand dunes, is situated in proximity to an industrial zone, placing this remnant population under threat of pollution and other anthropogenic edge effects. We call the Zabol Envi- ronmental Protection Agency to act and insure the species’ future in Iran. Key words. Eremias acutirostris , Zabol, sand dune, Doost Mohammad, conservation Citation: Hosseinian Yousefkhani SS, Hamzeh O, Khosravani A, Rastegar-Pouyani E. 2013. Habitat associations and conservation of Eremias acutiros- tris (Boulenger, 1887) in the Sistan region, Zabol, Iran. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 6(2):31-34(e60). Introduction Eremias is a widespread Lacertid genus that is distrib- uted from China to eastern Europe and southward to the Iranian plateau (Anderson 1999; Rastegar-Pouyani et al. 2007). The genus comprises approximately 15 species in Iran. Eremias acutirostris (Fig. 1) occurs in Iran, Afghan- istan, and Pakistan, and listed as “Least Concern” by the IUCN (Anderson 1999, Rastegar-Pouyani et al. 2008). As a specialist species, E. acutirostris requires a suitable habitat, perhaps critical for its survival. Within the distribution range of the species, its occur- rence in Iran is limited to a small area (Zabol region) (Fig. 2). This particular habitat, characterized by veg- etated sand dunes, is consumedly degraded by the high human population density in the area; main threats are overgrazing and industrial activities. In this study, we ex- amined the species’ habitat preferences and provide sug- gestions about its conservation, in association to these environmental problems. Materials and methods During a three day field survey in the Sistan region of Iran in October 2011, we observed 12 specimens of E. acutirostris in the field; four were collected and depos- ited in the Hakim Sabzevari Zoological Museum (SUHC 1084, 1085, 1086, and 1087). The locality was in an arid area of the Hamoon basin, approximately 20 km W of Bonjar on the road between Zabol and Doost Mohammad ( N 31° 05’ 15.6”, E 061° 37’ 32.8”, elevation 440 m). Correspondence. Email: mesaliria.watsonana@gmail.com The habitat consisted of immobile sand dunes with large shrubs ( Tamarix sp. and Haloxylon sp.) (Fig. 3). The snake Echis carinatus and the gecko Bunopus tubercula- tus were also observed and collected in the same habitat. Results and discussion Reptiles inhabit a diverse array of habitats, but are known to be sensitive to habitat destruction and degrada- tion (Goode et al. 1995). Lizards in the genus Eremias in- habit xeric habitats in Iran, which are threatened mainly by grazing and industrial development. Human activity in the study area is evident and an industrial park has recently been constructed along the road between the vil- lages. The construction of the industrial township, with all its accompanying structures, inevitably destroyed some of the fragile habitat. Drought conditions result- ing in loss of vegetation have deteriorated the habitat, as shrubs are viable resources for food (via insect attraction) and shelter (refuge from predators) for the lizards. We presume that these recent modifications are negatively affecting the species’ population within the area and may possibly lead to extinction of this lizard in Iran, if not restricted and protected. Conservation of E. acutirostris and other rare species that may occur in the studied habitat are significantly depended on the decision making of the Department of Environment of the region, and the establishment of pro- tected area(s). We hope that publication of our findings will improve the conservation of this rare species, with its restricted distribution in Iran. amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 031 July 2013 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e60 Hosseinian Yousefkhani et al. Acknowledgments. — We thank Naser Sanchooli for field assistance in the Zabol region and John D. Willson for editing the manuscript for English. Our special thanks go out to Roy Talbi, for kindly providing helpful com- ments on the manuscript. We thank Craig Hassapakis for helping to improve parts of the manuscript. Literature cited Anderson SC. 1999. The Lizards of Iran. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Ithaca, New York, USA. 137 text-figs., distribution maps [unnumbered], 25 col. pis., 442 p. Goode MJ, Howland JM, Sredl MJ. 1995. Effects of microhabitat destruction on reptile abundance in Sonoran Desert rock outcrops. Nongame and En- dangered Wildlife Program Heritage Report. Arizona Game and Fish Department, Phoenix, Arizona, USA. 25 p. Rastegar-Pouyani N, Johari M, Rastegar-Pouyani E. 2007. Field Guide to the Reptiles of Iran (Volume 1 : Lizards). Razi University Press, Kennanshah, IRAN. 298 p. Rastegar-Pouyani N, Kami HG, Rajabizadeh M, Shafiei S, Anderson SC. 2008. Annotated checklist of am- phibians and reptiles of Iran. Iranian Journal of Ani- mal Biosystematics 4(l):43-66. Received: 07 December 2012 Accepted: 21 February 2013 Published: 09 July 2013 Figure 1 . Adult male Eremias acutirostris from the Zabol region, Iran. amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 032 July 2013 | Volume 6 | Number 2 | e60 Habitat associations and conservation of Eremias acutirostris 45 * 50 * 55 * 60 ’ 65 " RUSSI. GEORGIA TURKEY TURKMENISTAN Tabfiii..* tI 5 ** \ .ake Urmia T i *