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First Release Trial of Captive-Bred Variable Harlequin Frogs in Panama

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First Release Trial of Captive-Bred Variable Harlequin Frogs in Panama FEBRUARY 2018 AMPHIBIAN SURVIVAL ALLIANCE NEWTSLETTER Got a story you want to share? Drop Candace an email today! [email protected] Stories from our partners around the world © Brian Gratwicke First release trial of captive-bred Variable Harlequin Frogs in Panama Once common along highland cies. The Variable Harlequin Frog, conservation plan developed by key streams from western Costa Rica to Atelopus varius, takes its name from stakeholders, including Panama’s western Panama, the Variable Harle- the variety of neon colors—green, Ministry of Environment. quin Frog is endangered throughout yellow, orange or pink—juxtaposed its range, decimated by a disease with black on its skin. The frogs The primary aim of this study is to caused by the amphibian chytrid were produced as part of a captive- observe reintroductions and under- fungus. On Jan. 17, Smithsonian breeding colony managed by Heidi stand disease dynamics in a way researchers released approximately Ross as part of the Panama Amphib- that might inform population viabil- 500 frogs at Cobre Panama conces- ian Rescue and Conservation Pro- ity models and future reintroduc- sion site in Panama’s Colon province ject. This study begins implemen- tion efforts. It will be one of several as a first step toward a potential tation of some key reintroduction Atelopus release trials at multiple full-scale reintroduction of this spe- goals identified in the 2013 species sites and elevations throughout their range. Some frogs have persist- may help inform and improve future boa and has full-time staff caring ed with the disease at similar 100m study designs. for a collection of 12 endangered elevations, and the researchers are species. trying to understand whether some The PARC project thanks Cobre sites may have potential to act as Panama, National Geographic Soci- climatic refuges from the fungus. ety, Mohammed bin Zayed Species The scientific team marked indi- Conservation Fund the Smithso- vidual frogs using an elastomer toe nian Women’s Committee and The marking that glows under UV light WoodTiger Fund for their gener- and the frogs will be re-surveyed ous support. PARC is a partnership once monthly for the next 6 months between the Cheyenne Mountain to understand population changes Zoo, the Houston Zoo, the Smithso- and disease dynamics. Additionally, nian Tropical Research Institute, the 15 male and 15 female frogs are Smithsonian Conservation Biology wearing miniature radio transmit- Institute and Zoo New England. The ters to understand dispersal patterns project is based at the Smithsonian of the newly released animals that Tropical Research Institute in Gam- This is part of a recovery plan in the publication Herpetologia where salamanders will be reared, Brasileira. bred, and experimentally released into protected habitat. Finally, the ASA Secretariat, with support from the ASA Global 2017 was the year with highest Council, has made good progress number of amphibian extinction with the new ASA governance risk assessments completed and documents, and we look forward © M. Abadie submitted to the IUCN Red List of to finalizing and formally adopting Threatened Species since 2009, them next month. Once this takes - We hope that 2018 is off to a and this has been made possible place, we will be in touch with ASA good start for all of our ASA part- thanks to the generous support of partners to renew membership in ners. This edition highlights how three key ASA partners, allowing the ASA. some ASA partners have wrapped for the operation of a core full-time up 2017 and started 2018 with team and the reassessment and We look forward to being in touch important and creative amphibian assessment of many known and in the near future and would like to conservation work. newly described amphibians. take this opportunity to thank all of our ASA partners in our quest to In KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, a In January, a first release trial advance amphibian conservation in partnership with local governments of several hundred captive bred 2018 and beyond. telopus is helping to meet a wetland action Variable Harlequin Frogs (A varius plan through implementation of a ) in Panama’s Colon province citizen science project that focuses is a fundamental first step toward Ariadne Angulo, PhD on building capacity among local a potential full-scale reintroduction Interim Executive Director communities to monitor and report of this frog. Amphibian Survival Allianc on the ecological integrity of wet- lands. The Endangered Pickersgill’s This month we also saw the de- Reed Frog (Hyperolius pickersgilli) velopment of a joint Conservation is acting as a flagship for wetland Needs Assessment (CNA) and IUCN conservation in this project. Red List assessment workshop, held in Peninsular Malaysia and In Georgia, USA, the development with promising results for similar of a private outdoor area that future joint workshops. holds aquatic mesocosms which mimic ephemeral wetlands but We continue to miss and remem- under controlled conditions will ber our mentor and staunchest be giving Flatwoods Salamanders supporter George Rabb, and an (Ambystoma cingulatum) a chance. obituary will be published shortly Green is the new red(list) The Amphibian Red List Author- ity (ARLA) is pleased to report that 2017 was our most productive year since its establishment in 2009. With a total of 805 assessments from 16 regions submitted for publication during the calendar year—and many more assessed—we have achieved a 43% increase over publications in 2016, which was our second high- est year. We are also proud that the quality and consistency of assess- ments is much improved, and that they are in compliance with the cur- rent version of the Guidelines. This encouraging achievement is in no small part thanks to the gener- ous financial support we received in 2017 from Global Wildlife Conserva- tion, Rainforest Trust, and Synchro- nicity Earth. Our operating budget of US$186k was our highest ever and represents a 32% increase over our ARLA. Of course, true to the nature List feed more seamlessly into KBA 2016 budget. These funds provided of IUCN’s Species Survival Commis- identification; increase collaboration the ARLA with a full-time Global sion, the vast majority of the work with Amphibian Ark’s Conservation Coordinator and two Programme is done on a voluntary basis and we Needs Assessments; provide feed- Officers, and funded five “mini” are immensely grateful for the time back into the development of the workshops. As shown in the graph, and energy our colleagues continue IUCN “Green List of species”; and the gradual increase in project to offer. how best to use the cycle of Red List funds raised by the ARLA annually assessments to catalyse species and since 2012 (total of US$59,002 over In 2018, the ARLA will press on regional action planning. 6 years) and used towards work- with assessments in a collaborative shops and paid internships, has had manner, working region-by-region If you are interested in partnership a positive cumulative impact on with our network of Regional Co- opportunities, contact ARLA Global our productivity, with the highest ordinators and experts. To deliver Coordinator, Jennifer Luedtke. submission rate correlating with the a fully-updated GAA we must finish greatest amount of available funds. updating the remaining 3,567 spe- cies from 2004-2008 and submit We believe an additional factor in first-time assessments for 1,170 Not our success is our structure, which Evaluated species since 2004. We was established during the 2013- have begun the year without funds 2016 IUCN Quadrennium by the for workshops or internships and former ARLA Coordinator, Ariadne are interested in partnering with Angulo. As a result, the ARLA institutions working on species in consists of the aforementioned Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil, Carib- central team of full-time paid staff bean, Mesoamerica, Mexico and who collaborate with our volunteer USA; Europe; India and Sri Lanka; leadership: the ARLA Regional Coor- Mainland Southeast Asia; China; and dinators. These Coordinators in turn New Guinea. recruit their colleagues to the ARLA, contribute data, and assess species As we seek ways to clear the fund- against the IUCN Categories and Cri- ing shortfall, we are also working teria. Their leadership has multiplied to identify solutions to procedural the efforts and resources of the roadblocks; ensure data on the Red © Amphibian Foundation Making Metamorphosis Meadow, a salamander community This winter, the Amphibian Foun- reduced to 3 percent of its origi- In addition to the Flatwoods Sala- dation made tremendous progress nal range in the southeastern U.S. mander, we are working with the towards our comprehensive re- coastal plain. Gopher Frog, Georgia’s rarest frog, covery plan for one of our priority and the Striped Newt, a federally species – the imperiled Frosted In 2017, we received water-stressed threatened species. We and many Flatwoods Salamander (Ambystoma eggs collected from Florida. Consist- partners across the globe are put- cingulatum). We hold the world’s ent with recent years, there was not ting in a lot of time, effort, and hope only captive population, and our enough rain to fill the ponds holding into this work, and setting up Meta- captive breeding program allows us the eggs. We successfully hatched morphosis Meadow is a huge piece to raise the amphibians in captiv- nearly 90 of these larvae in our of putting the puzzle together. ity and produce offspring that can Atlanta salamander lab. This winter, be experimentally released into we received and hatched around For updates on these project and protected habitat in the wild. The 340 eggs. The mesocosms will assist more, sign up for the Amphibian salamanders are currently housed more than 300 salamanders through Foundation mailing list: StayIn- in a biosecure lab at our facility in metamorphosis this winter.
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