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Atelopus ardila
Conservation status
	; Critically endangered, possibly extinct (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Bufonidae
Genus:	Atelopus
Species:	A. ardila
Binomial name
	Atelopus ardila; Coloma [fr], Duellman [fr], Almendáriz, Ron [es], Terán-Valdez, and Guayasamin, 2010

Atelopus ardila is a species of frog in the family Bufonidae.^[1]^[3] It has not been seen since 1992, and is believed to be possibly extinct.

Taxonomy

Atelopus ardila was described in 2010. Previously, it was misidentified as Atelopus ignescens. Its specific name 'ardila' was given in honor of Colombian herpetologist María Cristina Ardila-Robayo, whose research led to the description of several new species in the genus Atelopus.^[2]

Description

Atelopus ardila is sexually dimorphic. Males are, on average, 35–40mm long (SVL) while females are slightly larger, 40–50mm long. In addition, females have long, slender legs compared to the much stouter legs of males. Both sexes have variable coloration, ranging from yellow, to red-orange, to almost black.^[2]

As tadpoles, Atelopus ardila are black in coloration, and look similar to tadpoles of other species in their genus.^[4]

Habitat and distribution

Atelopus ardila is only known from its type locality and surrounding areas, the region between Galeras and Laguna de la Cocha in the Colombian Massif of Southern Colombia. They have been found under rocks and in rocky streams, as well as in densely wooded areas.^[1]^[2]

Diet

Analysis of the stomach contents of specimens of Atelopus ardila revealed that their diet comprises largely of leaf beetles and drosophilidae. They also eat members of the families Pteromalidae, Braconidae, Anthomyiidae, Muscidae, and Tephritidae in lesser amounts.^[5]

Reproduction

As amphibians, Atelopus ardila exhibits amplexus. Amplexus in Atelopus ardila has been observed occurring year round, and can last a long time. A wild pair was observed in amplexus for 22 days, and pairs maintained in captivity have remained in amplexus for several months.

Tadpoles live in clear, mountain creeks until maturing. Though they were also seen year round, they were less abundant in the summer months.^[6]^[4]

History

The first known specimen was collected on August 2, 1965, by R. E. Smalley. The holotype was collected on February 25, 1984, by Patricia A. Burrowes and Benjamín del Castillo. Initially, they were believed to be Atelopus ignescens. Later on, it was believed that they represented a distinct subpopulation of the species.^[7] After taxonomic review, Atelopus ardila was classed as a new species in 2010.

The species used to be considered common, but their population rapidly declined in the past few decades. The last confirmed specimen was collected in June 1989. Multiple searches throughout the mid 1990s failed to locate any individuals. Visual records indicate the presence of individuals in 1992, and there are unconfirmed visual records of the species by local people from 1994 and 2002. Searches conducted in the species' habitat between 2000 and 2004 also failed to find any individuals. The IUCN lists the species as Critically Endangered, and possibly extinct. The exact cause of the decline of Atelopus ardila is unknown, but disease, climate change, habitat loss, and impacts from nearby volcanoes are believed to have played roles.^[1]^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2017). "Atelopus ardila". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T18435521A56601916. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T18435521A56601916.en. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Coloma, Luis A.; Almendáriz, Ana; Ron, Santiago; Terán-Valdez, Andrea; Guayasamin, Juan M.; Duellman, William E. (August 2010). "Five new (extinct?) species of Atelopus (Anura: Bufonidae) from Andean Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru". Zootaxa. 2574: 1–54. doi:10.5281/zenodo.197448. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
^ Frost, Darrel R. (2023). "Atelopus ardila Coloma, Duellman, Almendáriz, Ron, Terán-Valdez, and Guayasamin, 2010". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.2. American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.vz.0001. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
^ ^a ^b Gómez Castillo, L. (1993). "Aspectos de la ecología y ciclo vital de la rana Atelopus ignescens (Cornalia) de los alrededores del Lago Guamuez, Nariño Colombia". Revista de Investigaciones Universidad de Nariño, Pasto. 7: 168–177.
^ Gómez, L.; Ramos, O. A. (1982). "Contenido estomacal de Atelopus ignescens (Cornalia) de Nariño y Putumayo, República de Colombia". II Congreso Grancolombiano y VI Jornadas Nacionales de Biología. 1: 163–165.
^ Gómez Castillo, L. (1982). "Aspectos ecológicos, morfológicos y de conducta de las ranas del género Atelopus del Departamento de Nariño, Colombia". Revista Humboldt. 1: 53–64.
^ Rueda-Almonacid, José Vicente; Rodríguez-Mahecha, José Vicente; Lötters, Stefan; La Marca, Enrique; Kahn, Ted; Angulo, Ariadne (2005). Ranas arlequines (PDF). Bogota, Colombia: Conservacion Internacional. p. 135. ISBN 958-97690-4-7. Retrieved 5 December 2021.