A new threat for the endangered frog <i>Atelognathus reverberii</i> (Anura: Batrachylidae) in Argentinean Patagonia

Abstract

Atelognathus reverberii is an endemic terrestrial frog that inhabits volcanic clay lagoons. A fieldwork was conducted to assess the population status of the Laguna Raimunda Frog on 19 February 2015. A total of 441 individuals of Atelognathus reverberii was found trapped in a water pit dug in the ground about 15 m from the shore of a semi-permanent volcanic clay lagoon, with an extension of about 0.4 km2. Eleven of them were already dead. After the incident, the 430 live individuals were released in the shore of the lagoon and a fence was placed around the pit to avoid more incidental mortality of Laguna Raimunda Frogs. The water pit was 0.6 m in diameter and 1.5 m deep, and the height of the water level was 30 cm. Dehydration inside these water pits was observed twice. Other threats to the Laguna Raimunda Frog are its reduced geographical distribution, restricted up to 100 m from the edge of water bodies, and the degradation of its reproductive habitat by the extensive cattle farming.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

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