Short Communication Rediscovery of Atelopus cruciger (Anura: Bufonidae): current status in the Cordillera de La Costa, Venezuela

Abstract The genus Atelopus (Anura: Bufonidae) has suffered one of the most drastic declines recorded in the Neotropics. Nine of 10 Venezuelan species are categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. None of these species had been observed since the mid 1980s until recently, when an adult female of Atelopus mucubajiensis and several adults of A. cruciger were rediscovered. To assess the current distribution and status of A. cruciger we explored 15 locations where it was formerly known. Two populations were detected. Historical and current distribution maps were constructed based on these field explorations and data from museum collections. Using PCR assays we detected infection with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in one morbid and three live specimens. Our surveys suggest A. cruciger populations from lower altitudes on the northern slope of the Cordillera de La Costa are recovering, although the presence of B. dendrobatidis could jeopardize their long-term survival unless active conservation strategies are adopted