Atelopus is a large genus of Bufonidae, commonly known as harlequin frogs or toads, from Central and South America, ranging as far north as Costa Rica and as far south as Bolivia. Atelopus species are small, generally brightly colored, and diurnal. Most species are associated with mid-to-high elevation streams.
This genus has been greatly affected by amphibian declines, with about 70% of species now considered endangered or extinct. While threatened by habitat loss, pollution, and introduced species, the primary cause of these declines appears to be the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis.Lötters, Kielgast, Bielby, Schmidtlein, Bosch, Veith, Walker, Fisher, Rödder (2009). The Link Between Rapid Enigmatic Amphibian Decline and the Globally Emerging Chytrid Fungus. EcoHealth 6(3): 358–372Stuart, Hoffmann, Chanson, Cox, Berridge, Ramani and Young, editors (2008). Threatened Amphibians of the World. Pp. 100, 160–178.
Almost 40% of the described species in the genus are considered possibly extinct; this is raised to 45% when data deficient species are added; this number may be even higher, given that the genus contains many undescribed species that could also be extinct, and many of the species considered critically endangered but extant may have gone extinct after the last surveys that detected them, or could go extinct in the future. For example, there are 32 known Atelopus species (including half a dozen undescribed) in Ecuador. One of these is data deficient (its status is unclear), two are endangered and the remaining are critically endangered. Almost half the Ecuador species have not been recorded in a decade or more and are likely extinct. In some species conservationists have established captive colonies as a safeguard. However, of 80 species that had not been seen since the 1950s, 32 have been sighted in the 21st Century, albeit at dangerously low population numbers. Among the Atelopus species that have been rediscovered decades after their last sighting have been A. arsyescue, A. mindoensis, A. bomolochos, A. ignescens, A. balios, A. longirostris, A. subornatus, A. varius, A. carbonerensis and possibly A. guanujo. The mechanism whereby these species survived extinction remains to be discovered.
New Atelopus species are discovered with some regularity, and many new species have been described in the last decade. Among others, a new subspecies, popularly dubbed the purple fluorescent frog, was discovered in 2007 by scientists Paul Ouboter and Jan Mol during a follow-up survey of the Nassau plateau in Suriname. Leeanne Alonso from Conservation International, the organisation that led the expedition, said this frog may be threatened by illegal gold mining. It was described as a new subspecies of Atelopus hoogmoedi (itself considered a subspecies of A. spumarius by some), named A. h. nassaui in 2012.Amphibians of Suriname, Paul E. Ouboter and Rawien Jairam, Brill 2012, Two new species were also described in 2020: A. manauensis and A. moropukaqumir, both of which are highly threatened by the chytrid fungus and habitat destruction. Another new species, A. frontizero, was described in 2021.
Species ImageCommon nameBinomial nameConservation status Andes stubfoot toad Atelopus andinus Angelito stubfoot toad Atelopus angelito (possibly extinct) Ardila's stubfoot toad Atelopus ardila (possibly extinct)Starry night harlequin toadAtelopus arsyecue Arthur's stubfoot toad Atelopus arthuri Rio Pescado stubfoot toad Atelopus balios Purple harlequin toad Atelopus barbotini Azuay stubfoot toad Atelopus bomolochos Boulenger's stubfoot toad Atelopus boulengeri Calima harlequin toadAtelopus calima (possibly extinct) Rio Carauta stubfoot toad Atelopus carauta Venezuelan yellow frog or La Carbonera stubfoot toad Atelopus carbonerensis Guajira stubfoot toad Atelopus carrikeri Darien stubfoot toad or Toad Mountain harlequin frogAtelopus certus Chiriqui harlequin frog †Atelopus chiriquiensis Atelopus chirripoensis Chocó stubfoot toad Atelopus chocoensis (possibly extinct) Atelopus chrysocorallus Atelopus colomai Plewnia, Terán-Valdez, Culebras, Boistel, Paluh, Quezada Riera, Heine, Reyes-Puig, Salazar-Valenzuela, Guayasamin & Lötters, 2024 Rio Faisanes stubfoot toad Atelopus coynei Veragua stubfoot toad Atelopus cruciger Atelopus dimorphus Huila stubfoot toad Atelopus ebenoides (possibly extinct) (possibly extinct) Elegant stubfoot toad Atelopus elegans Peruvian harlequin frog Atelopus epikeisthos Carabaya stubfoot toad Atelopus erythropus (possibly extinct) Malvasa stubfoot toad Atelopus eusebianus (possibly extinct) Atelopus eusebiodiazi (possibly extinct) Mazán jambato frog Atelopus exiguus Atelopus famelicus Forest stubfoot toad Atelopus farci (possibly extinct) Cayenne stubfoot toad Atelopus flavescens Central Coast stubfoot toad Atelopus franciscus Border harlequin frog Atelopus frontizero Veselý & Batista, 2021 Antado stubfoot toad Atelopus galactogaster Giant stubfoot toad Atelopus gigas (possibly extinct) Pirri Range harlequin frog Atelopus glyphus Guanujo stubfoot toad Atelopus guanujo (possibly extinct) La Guitarra stubfoot toad Atelopus guitarraensis Morona-Santiago stubfoot toad Atelopus halihelos (possibly extinct) Atelopus harlequin Coloma, Plewnia, Böning, Boistel, Ellwein, Lötters, Paluh, Roca-Rey Ross & Venegas, 2025Atelopus histrionicus Lötters, Plewnia, Böning, Boistel, Chaparro, Coloma, Ellwein, Orsen, Paluh & Venegas, 2025 Hoogmoed harlequin toad Atelopus hoogmoedi Quito stubfoot toad Atelopus ignescens San Lorenzo stubfoot toad Atelopus laetissimus Limosa harlequin frog Atelopus limosus Atelopus loettersi El Tambo stubfoot toad Atelopus longibrachius Longnose stubfoot toad Atelopus longirostris Atelopus lozanoi (endangered) Lynch's stubfoot toad Atelopus lynchi (possibly extinct) Manaus harlequin frogAtelopus manauensis Jorge, Ferrão & Lima, 2020 Atelopus mandingues Atelopus marinkellei Mindo stubfoot toad Atelopus mindoensis Colombian stubfoot toad Atelopus minutulus (possibly extinct) Mittermeier's stubfoot toad Atelopus mittermeieri Hernandez's stubfoot toad Atelopus monohernandezii (possibly extinct) Atelopus moropukaqumir Mucubaji stubfoot toad Atelopus mucubajiensis La Arboleda stubfoot toad Atelopus muisca Atelopus nahumae Sad harlequin frog Atelopus nanay Gualecenita stubfoot toad Atelopus nepiozomus Niceforo's stubfoot toad Atelopus nicefori (possibly extinct) Nocturnal harlequin toadAtelopus nocturnus Atelopus onorei (possibly extinct) Atelopus orcesi (possibly extinct) Atelopus oxapampae Rednose stubfoot toad Atelopus oxyrhynchus (possibly extinct) Schmidt's stubfoot toad Atelopus pachydermus (possibly extinct) Andersson's stubfoot toad Atelopus palmatus Pastuso harlequin frog Atelopus pastuso (possibly extinct) Pataz stubfoot toad Atelopus patazensis San Isidro stubfoot toad Atelopus pedimarmoratus (possibly extinct) Peru stubfoot toad Atelopus peruensis (possibly extinct) Peters' stubfoot toad Atelopus petersi (possibly extinct) Painted stubfoot toad Atelopus petriruizi (possibly extinct) Atelopus pictiventris (possibly extinct) Pinango stubfoot toad Atelopus pinangoi (possibly extinct) Napo stubfoot toad Atelopus planispina (possibly extinct) Podocarpus stubfoot toadAtelopus podocarpus Río Huallaga stubfoot toad Atelopus pulcher Atelopus pyrodactylus Quimbaya toad Atelopus quimbaya (possibly extinct) Atelopus reticulatus Anori stubfoot toad Atelopus sanjosei Upper Amazon stubfoot toad Atelopus seminiferus Pass stubfoot toad †Atelopus senex Baldias harlequin toad Atelopus sernai (possibly extinct) Camouflaged harlequin toad Atelopus simulatus (possibly extinct) Atelopus siranus Sonsón stubfoot toad Atelopus sonsonensis (possibly extinct) Cloud forest stubfoot toad Atelopus sorianoi (possibly extinct) Pebas stubfoot toad Atelopus spumarius Condoto stubfoot toad Atelopus spurrelli Bogota stubfoot toad Atelopus subornatus Venezuela stubfoot toad Atelopus tamaensis Three-colored stubfoot toad Atelopus tricolor Veragoa stubfoot toad Atelopus varius Maracay harlequin frog†Atelopus vogli Walker's stubfoot toad Atelopus walkeri Panamanian golden frog Atelopus zeteki (possibly extinct in the wild)
References
External links
Atelopus.com - Fighting to Survive Ranas Arlequines Bufonidae. Amphibiaweb