CONSERVATION 583 CONSERVATION Herpetological Review, 2013, 44(4), 583–590. © 2013 by Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Status and Conservation of a Gondwana Legacy: Bullock’s False Toad, Telmatobufo bullocki (Amphibia: Anura: Calyptocephalellidae) Lowland temperate forests often suffer from anthropo- genus contains two (possibly three) other species: T. australis genic influences owing to their productive soils and ease of (Formas 1972), T. bullocki (Schmidt 1952), and, questionably, accessibility (Pérez et al. 2009). In fact, extensive alteration of Chile’s lowland temperate forests has occurred for over four DANTÉ B. FENOLIO* centuries (Armesto et al. 1994; Donoso and Lara 1996; Pérez Department of Conservation Research, Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 et al. 2009). The fragmented forests that remain in Chile are Piedmont Rd. NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30309, USA sandwiched between the Andes Mountains to the east, the Pa- VIRGINIA MORENO-PUIG cific Ocean to the west, and the Atacama Desert to the north. A Ecology, Conservation & Behavior Group, Institute of Natural and narrow strip of southern Chile and adjacent Argentina house Mathematical Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand all that remains of the temperate humid forests of the region e-mail: [email protected] (Aravena et al. 2002). These forests are biologically unique MICHAEL G. LEVY Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, North Carolina owing to isolation since the Tertiary Period and they host sig- State University College of Veterinary Medicine, 4700 Hillsborough Street, nificant numbers of endemic plants and animals (Aravena et Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, USA al. 2002; Armesto et al. 1996; Arroyo et al. 1996; Villagrán and e-mail: [email protected] Hinojosa 1997). South Chile’s Nothofagus forests play a key JOSÉ J. NÚÑEZ role in creating the microhabitats used by some of the region’s Instituto de Ciencias Marinas y Limnológicas, Universidad Austral de Chile, largely endemic amphibian fauna (Cuevas and Cifuentes Casilla 567, Valdivia, Chile 2009). There are minimally 37 anuran species unique to these e-mail: [email protected] forests, constituting no less than 85% of the regional amphib- WILLIAM W. LAMAR ian fauna including three endemic genera (Calyptocephalella, School of Sciences and Mathematics, The University of Texas at Tyler, Insuetophrynus, Telmatobufo) and an endemic family, the Ca- 3900 University Blvd., Tyler, Texas 75799, USA e-mail: [email protected] lyptocephalellidae (Ortiz and Díaz-Páez 2006; Díaz-Páez et al. MAURICIO O. FABRY 2008; Vidal et al. 2008). The genera Alsodes, Atelognathus, Ba- Zoológico Nacional, Parque Metropolitano de Santiago, Pío Nono 450, trachyla, Chaltenobatrachus, Eupsophus, Hylorina, and Rhi- Recoleta, Santiago, Código Postal 8420541, Chile noderma are unique to the region, some of which are found in e-mail: [email protected] both Chile and adjacent Argentina. MARCELA S. TIRADO An amphibian found only in these southern forests is Bull- Zoológico Nacional, Parque Metropolitano de Santiago, Pío Nono 450, ock’s False Toad, Telmatobufo bullocki (Figs. 1–3). It is a relict Recoleta, Santiago, Código Postal 8420541, Chile species restricted to Nothofagus forest fragments in south Chile e-mail: [email protected] (Correa et al. 2006; Donoso et al. 2010; Núñez and Formas 2000; MARTHA L. CRUMP Sánchez 2010). This frog is infrequently observed as it spends Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322-5305, USA e-mail: [email protected] much of its time deep in forest litter. Because much of its habitat ANDRÉS CHARRIER** has been converted through silviculture and agriculture, and be- Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Departamento cause so few specimens have been seen, the species is now listed de Ecología, Facultad de Ciéncias Biológicas P. Universidad Católica de Chile, by the IUCN as critically endangered (IUCN 2012). Santiago, Chile *Current address: Department of Conservation and Research, TELMATOBUFO TAXONOMY San Antonio Zoo, 3903 N. St. Mary’s St., San Antonio, Texas 78212, USA Corresponding author; e-mail: [email protected] Philippi (1899) described Bufo venustus from four specimens **Current address: Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciéncias collected in the Andean foothills of southern Chile. Schmidt, Biológicas P. Universidad Católica de Chile, IEB, Santiago, Chile in 1952, erected the genus Telmatobufo. Formas and Veloso re- e-mail: [email protected] assigned Bufo venustus to Telmatobufo venustus in 1982. The Herpetological Review 44(4), 2013 584 CONSERVATION COLOR REPRODUCTION SUPPORTED BY THE THOMAS BEAUVAIS FUND FUND BEAUVAIS THOMAS THE REPRODUCTION SUPPORTED BY COLOR FIG. 1. A female Bullock’s False Toad, Telmatobufo bullocki, found buried 0.7 m in forest loam beneath a log. FIG. 2. A female Bullock’s False Toad, Telmatobufo bullocki; this is a robust species with the ability to withstand strong currents of icy FIG. 3. A male Bullock’s False Toad, Telmatobufo bullocki. Despite its water as well as range into surrounding forest under moderately dry large size and imposing appearance, this remains one of the least- conditions. known amphibians in the world. T. ignotus (Cuevas 2010). Formas et al. (2001) discussed taxo- have been collected. These have been from Cabrerías, Llanca- nomic relationships among the then-recognized three species hue, Cerro Püschel (T. australis); Parque Nacional Nahuelbuta, of Telmatobufo. Hypothesized phylogenetic relationships be- Rucapehuen (T. bullocki); and Altos de Vilches (T. venustus).” As tween Telmatobufo and Calyptocephalella (= Caudiverbera) have another example, adult T. venustus was recorded for the first time been proposed (e.g., Correa et al. 2006; Formas and Espinoza in 100 years in 1999 (Stuart et al. 2008; Veloso et al. 2004). The lar- 1975; Frost et al. 2006; Lynch 1978; Núñez et al. 2000). Correa va was not described until 1983 (Díaz et al. 1983), 84 years after et al. (2006) indicated that the closest living lineage of frogs to the species’ description. Veloso (2006) reported that only adult Telmatobufo and Caudiverbera (now Calyptocephalella) (tribe specimens have been observed. Fenolio et al. (2011) reported Calyptocephalellini) are Australian myobatrachids and limno- that the only probable remaining locality for T. venustus is Altos dynastids. The Calyptocephalellini may be ancient; Núñez and de Vilches. During our recent (2011) surveys, we found several Formas (2000) indicated that the lineage that led to the Calypto- specimens of the less frequently encountered Telmatobufo bull- cephalellini diverged around 35 million years ago (mya) and that ocki in Nothofagus forests of the Butamalal River drainage sys- the lineage of Telmatobufo emerged approximately 20–25 mya. tem and in two more sites in the Nahuelbuta Mountains, which San Mauro et al. (2005) and Donoso et al. (2010) suggested that we report here. The tadpole of this species was not described the Calyptocephalellidae may represent a relict lineage of Gond- until 1988 (Formas, 1988), 36 years after the description of the wanian origin. species. The numbers of specimens that have been found in this study likely exceed the total of all Telmatobufo in museum col- TELMATOBUFO IS A RECLUSIVE TAXON NOW ONLY FOUND lections. However, T. bullocki remains one of the least-known IN FOREST FRAGMENTS amphibians in the world, and there are few images of the species available. Exceptions to this can be found at http://ramonreyes- Frogs of the genus Telmatobufo are seldom encountered. carrasco.blogspot.com/, at http://www.arkive.org/telmatobufo/ Cuevas (2010) noted that “Since the description of this genus telmatobufo-bullocki, and in Rabanal and Nuñez (2009) and (Schmidt 1952), specimens of only 20 adults of the three species Diez et al. (2011). Herpetological Review 44(4), 2013 CONSERVATION 585 yet the frogs can move considerable distances from drainage sys- tems. Donoso et al. (2010) found individuals over 300 m from the nearest stream, and we have found them in excess of this dis- tance. Bullock’s False Toads appear to spend much of their non- reproductive time buried beneath forest debris. Favored micro- habitats include areas deep below logs and rocks in Nothofagus forest (Formas et al. 2001; Rabanal and Nuñez 2009). Escobar et al. (2005) found an individual in a pine plantation, Pinus radiata, 90 meters from native forest. CONSERVATION THREATS All members of the family Calyptocephalellidae are threat- ened with extinction (IUCN 2012). Coastal range Nothofagus forest is declining in quality and quantity (Wolodarsky-Franke and Díaz Herrera 2011; IUCN 2012). Habitat loss, particularly conversion of Nothofagus forests to pine and eucalyptus, is af- fecting Telmatobufo (Cuevas 2010; Fenolio et al. 2011; Rabanal and Núñez 2009; Stuart et al. 2008; Veloso et al. 2004). Remain- ing habitat has been reduced to isolated forest fragments sur- rounded by pine plantations and agriculture (Donoso et al. 2010; Echeverría et al. 2006; Sánchez 2010). Survey work is needed to determine the population status of all species (Stuart et al. 2008; Veloso et al. 2004) but we know that Bullock’s False Toad now 2 FIG. 4. False Toads of the genus Telmatobufo are reclusive for much inhabits less than 500 km , which is spread across several for- of their lives. When they are active, either during nocturnal foraging est fragments (IUCN 2009). Any use of heavy machinery in na- or during reproductive periods, they often inhabit moist drainages tive