The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™
ISSN 2307-8235 (online)
IUCN 2008: T61835A3108153
Telmatobius timens
Assessment by: IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group
View on www.iucnredlist.org
Citation: IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. 2014. Telmatobius timens. The IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species 2014: e.T61835A3108153. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.20141.RLTS.T61835A3108153.en
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THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES™
Taxonomy
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Animalia
Chordata
Amphibia
Anura
Telmatobiidae
Taxon Name: Telmatobius timens De la Riva, Aparicio & Ríos, 2005
Taxonomic Source(s):
Frost, D.R. 2013. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 5.6 (9 January 2013).
Electronic Database. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA. Available at:
http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.html.
Taxonomic Notes:
The biological identities of some of the Peruvian subpopulations need to be clarified (A. Catenazzi pers.
comm. February 2014). Until such time, all subpopulations currently allocated to Telmatobius timens are
encompassed in this assessment.
Assessment Information
Red List Category & Criteria:
Critically Endangered A2ace ver 3.1
Year Published:
2014
Date Assessed:
June 14, 2013
Justification:
Listed as Critically Endangered because of a drastic population decline, estimated to be around 80%
(impacting four of the five threat-defined locations) and taking place 7-12 years ago, inferred from the
apparent disappearance of most of the Acjanaco subpopulation and declines in Qurqurpampa, Nuevo
Oriente and Lorohuachana subpopulations in Peru.
Previously Published Red List Assessments
2006 – Data Deficient (DD)
Geographic Range
Range Description:
This species is known from the following geographical localities between 3,350-3,750 m asl: Valle de
Tojoloque, Franz Tamayo Province, La Paz department, western Bolivia (De la Riva et al. 2005); at least
four streams on the north slope of Abra Acjanaco pass, 27 km north-north-east (by road) of
Paucartambo, in Cusco (A. Catenazzi pers. comm. February 2014); Manu National Park's Qurqurpampa
station, Cusco; and Lorohuachana, Santuario Nacional Megantoni, province of La Convención, also in
Cusco,
southeast
Peru
[R.
Gutiérrez
pers.
comm.
on
iNaturalist
observation
http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/219132 (Accessed: September 9, 2013); R. Gutiérrez pers.
comm. October 2013]. Observations by a park ranger of a Telmatobius species at Nuevo Oriente
(approximately 50 km NNW of Acjanaco, Cusco, and close to Megantoni, not mapped) could also pertain
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Telmatobius timens – published in 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T61835A3108153.en
1
to this species (A. Catenazzi pers. comm. February 2014). The Bolivian and closest Peruvian localities are
some 340 km apart in a straight line. Each of the areas where the species has been observed is
considered to be an individual threat-defined location, for a total of five threat-defined locations, and
the calculated extent of occurrence (EOO) based on a minimum convex polygon is 8,680 km2.
Country Occurrence:
Native: Bolivia, Plurinational States of; Peru
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Telmatobius timens – published in 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T61835A3108153.en
2
Distribution Map
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Telmatobius timens – published in 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T61835A3108153.en
3
Population
This appears to have been a common species in Peru in the 1990s, but more recent observations
suggest that it has experienced a drastic population decline in this country. Rangers of Manu National
Park frequently found Telmatobius frogs (likely T. timens) at a small spring near the Qurqurpampa
station before June 2008 (3,540 m asl, 35 km NNW of Acjanaco), after which the species appears to have
suddenly declined (A. Catenazzi pers. comm. February 2014). Further to these observations, Abra
Acjanaco was surveyed from 1996 to 2014 (Catenazzi et al. 2011, A. Catenazzi pers. comm. February
2014). While the initial surveys conducted at Acjanaco were not designed to survey for Telmatobius
frogs (A. Catenazzi pers. comm. February 2014), they provide useful information on this frog's presence.
Here tadpoles of this species were observed daily in 1996 and 1998 (A. Catenazzi pers. comm. February
2014). In 1996 four individuals were found over the course of 12 person/day surveys; in 1998, two
individuals were found during 18 person/day surveys, and in 2007 and 2008 no individuals were
recorded over 25 and 28 person/day surveys, respectively (von May et al. 2008). In addition, further
intensive and targeted surveys conducted between 2009-2010 and 2012-2014 have not shed any new
records, either as tadpoles or adults (A. Catenazzi pers. comm. February 2014). However, additional and
independent surveys were conducted in 2007 and 2008 in Santuario Nacional Megantoni and the area
of Manu National Park adjacent to Megantoni (R. Gutiérrez pers. comm. October 2013). Of these
surveys, a total of four adults were found in 2007 in ca 400 m of a stream over four person hours. That
same year, volunteers at Megantoni found close to 12 individuals at this same site and the Tambo Inca
sector of Manu National Park, close to the border with Megantoni. In June 2008, ten 200-metre
transects in the hill streams of Lorohuachana were surveyed by one person over an average of 1.5 hours
per transect, with a total of two adults and two larvae recorded in this period [R. Gutiérrez pers. comm.
October
2013,
R.
Gutiérrez
pers.
comm.
on
iNaturalist
observation
http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/219132 (Accessed: September 9, 2013)]. While this suggests
that the species may either be more rare at Megantoni or may have experienced a smaller decline than
that in Acjanaco, interviews with park rangers revealed that a park ranger found 16 dead Telmatobius
frogs (likely T. timens) at Nuevo Oriente (approximately 50 km NNW of Acjanaco, close to the border
with Megantoni) in July 2008 (I. Mamani pers. comm. to A. Catenazzi), suggesting that a more severe
decline may have ensued after the June 2008 surveys. There is currently no information on the status of
the Bolivian subpopulation.
Based on the data above and given that it appears that there has been a precipitous population decline
between 1998 and 2008 in the Peruvian subpopulations, it is possible that there may have been an 80%
population reduction in the past ten years, as four of the five locations seem to have experienced
precipitous declines which are likely to exceed 80% reduction in this time period and there are no data
on the population at the fifth location.
Current Population Trend: Decreasing
Habitat and Ecology (see Appendix for additional information)
It is known from humid puna, elfin forest and scrubland edges (A. Catenazzi pers. comm. January 2011),
and has also been reported from Polylepis forests [R. Gutiérrez pers. comm. on iNaturalist observation
http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/219132 (Accessed: September 9, 2013)]. At Acjanaco it also
occurs in the upper limits of cloud forest. Individuals have been found at night in a small pool, 50 cm
deep, on rocks in a stream, and in puna on rocks, in crevices, on the ground, and in moss adjacent to
streams. Reproduction is by larval development in streams.
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Telmatobius timens – published in 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T61835A3108153.en
4
Systems: Terrestrial, Freshwater
Use and Trade
There are no reports of this species being utilized.
Threats (see Appendix for additional information)
Intense livestock farming, pasture burning and livestock-driven water pollution have been observed in
the border area between Megantoni and Manu (R. Gutiérrez pers. comm. October 2013). Pasture
burning and habitat disturbance impact stream riverbeds and increase erosion in certain areas, affecting
the formation of breeding pools (R. Gutiérrez pers. comm. October 2013). In addition, chytridiomycosis
has been associated with Telmatobius population declines in Ecuador, and has been detected in T.
marmoratus near Cusco in Peru (Seimon et al. 2005), as well as the area where this species occurs
(Catenazzi et al. 2011). Chytridiomycosis is therefore considered a severe plausible threat to this species.
Conservation Actions (see Appendix for additional information)
This species is known from the Área Natural de Manejo Integrado Nacional Apolobamba in Bolivia, from
upper Manu National Park (von May et al. 2008) and from Santuario Nacional Megantoni [R. Gutiérrez
pers. comm. on iNaturalist observation http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/219132 (Accessed:
September 9, 2013), R. Gutierrez pers. comm. October 2013] in Peru. Given declines in Peru, surveys are
urgently needed to monitor the remaining subpopulations in Peru and to locate the species in Bolivia.
Further research is also required to determine the ecology and threats affecting this species, particularly
with regards to chytrid fungus, and taxonomic research into the identity of the Peruvian subpopulations
is also needed.
Credits
Assessor(s):
IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group
Reviewer(s):
Luedtke, J.
Contributor(s):
Angulo, A., Catenazzi, A., Gutierrez, R. & Stuart, S.N.
Facilitators(s) and
Compiler(s):
Angulo, A. & Jarvis, L.
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Telmatobius timens – published in 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T61835A3108153.en
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Bibliography
Catenazzi, A., Lehr, E., Rodriguez, L.O. and Vredenburg, V.T. 2011. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and
the collapse of anuran species richness and abundance in the Upper Manu National Park, southeastern
Peru. Conservation Biology 25(2): 382-391.
De la Riva, I., Aparicio, J., and Ríos, J. N. 2005. New species of Telmatobius (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from
Humid Paramo of Peru and Bolivia. Journal of Herpetology: 409-416.
IUCN. 2014. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. Available at: www.iucnredlist.org.
(Accessed: 12 June 2014).
von May, R., Catenazzi, A., Angulo, A., Brown, J.L., Carrillo, J., Chávez, G., Córdova, J.H., Curo, A.,
Delgado, A., Enciso, M.A., Guttiérez, R., Lehr, E., Martínez, J.L., Martina-Müller, M., Miranda, A., Neira,
D.R., Ochoa, J.A., Quiroz, A.J., Rodríguez, D.A., Rodríguez, L.O., Salas, A.W., Seimon, T., Seimon, A., SiuTing, K., Suárez, J., Torres, C. and Twomey, E. 2008. Current state of conservation knowledge on
threatened amphibian species in Peru. Tropical Conservation Science 1(4): 376-396.
Citation
IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. 2014. Telmatobius timens. The IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species 2014: e.T61835A3108153. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T61835A3108153.en
Disclaimer
To make use of this information, please check the Terms of Use.
External Resources
For Images and External Links to Additional Information, please see the Red List website.
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Telmatobius timens – published in 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T61835A3108153.en
6
Appendix
Habitats
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Habitat
Season
Suitability
Major
Importance?
1. Forest -> 1.9. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane
Resident
Suitable
Yes
4. Grassland -> 4.7. Grassland - Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude
Resident
Suitable
Yes
5. Wetlands (inland) -> 5.1. Wetlands (inland) - Permanent
Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls)
Resident
Suitable
Yes
Threats
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Threat
Timing
Scope
Severity
Impact Score
2. Agriculture & aquaculture -> 2.3. Livestock farming
& ranching -> 2.3.2. Small-holder grazing, ranching or
farming
Ongoing
-
-
-
Stresses:
1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.1. Ecosystem conversion
1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.2. Ecosystem degradation
Ongoing
-
Stresses:
1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.1. Ecosystem conversion
Ongoing
-
Stresses:
2. Species Stresses -> 2.1. Species mortality
Ongoing
-
Stresses:
1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.1. Ecosystem conversion
1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.2. Ecosystem degradation
7. Natural system modifications -> 7.1. Fire & fire
suppression -> 7.1.1. Increase in fire
frequency/intensity
8. Invasive & other problematic species & genes ->
8.1. Invasive non-native/alien species -> 8.1.2.
Named species (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis)
9. Pollution -> 9.3. Agricultural & forestry effluents ->
9.3.1. Nutrient loads
-
Rapid declines
-
-
-
-
Conservation Actions in Place
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Conservation Actions in Place
In-Place Land/Water Protection and Management
Occur in at least one PA: Yes
Research Needed
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Telmatobius timens – published in 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T61835A3108153.en
7
Research Needed
1. Research -> 1.1. Taxonomy
1. Research -> 1.2. Population size, distribution & trends
1. Research -> 1.3. Life history & ecology
1. Research -> 1.5. Threats
Additional Data Fields
Distribution
Estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) (km²): 8680
Number of Locations: 5
Lower elevation limit (m): 3350
Upper elevation limit (m): 3750
Population
Population severely fragmented: Unknown
Habitats and Ecology
Continuing decline in area, extent and/or quality of habitat: Yes
Generation Length (years): 1-3
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Telmatobius timens – published in 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T61835A3108153.en
8
The IUCN Red List Partnership
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is produced and managed by the IUCN Global Species
Programme, the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) and The IUCN Red List Partnership. The IUCN
Red List Partners are: BirdLife International; Botanic Gardens Conservation International; Conservation
International; Microsoft; NatureServe; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Sapienza University of Rome; Texas
A&M University; Wildscreen; and Zoological Society of London.
THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES™