Globally Threatened Amphibian Species Part 1

158
Threatened Amphibians of the World
VU Ansonia mcgregori (Taylor, 1922)
Vulnerable B1ab(iii)
Order, Family: Anura, Bufonidae
Country Distribution: Philippines
Current Population Trend: Decreasing
© Arvin C. Diesmos
Geographic Range This species is found in the mountains of central and western Mindanao Island in the Philippines.
It probably occurs more widely than current records suggest.
Population It is fairly common.
Habitat and Ecology It inhabits cool mountain streams and rivers in lower montane and lowland forests. It breeds
in streams, which is where the larvae also develop.
Major Threats The major threats include habitat loss and deforestation, due to agriculture and logging, and water
pollution.
Conservation Measures It is recorded from several protected areas on Mindanao, including Mount Malindang
National Park and Mount Apo and Mount Kitanlad Range Natural Parks. Conservation measures should include the
regulation and proper disposal of pesticides and herbicides, and the protection of the remaining rainforest, especially
riverine habitats and gallery forest, on Mindanao.
Bibliography: Alcala, A.C. and Brown, W.C. (1985), Brown, R.M., Diesmos, A.C. and Alcala, A.C. (2001), Crombie, R.A. (n.d.), Frost, D.R.
(1985), Inger, R.F. (1954), Inger, R.F. (1999), Taylor, E.H. (1923)
Data Providers: Arvin Diesmos, Angel Alcala, Rafe Brown, Leticia Afuang, Genevieve Gee, Katie Hampson, Mae Leonida Diesmos,
Aldrin Mallari, Perry Ong, Dondi Ubaldo, Baldwin Gutierrez
VU Ansonia muelleri (Boulenger, 1887)
Vulnerable B1ab(iii)
Order, Family: Anura, Bufonidae
Country Distribution: Philippines
Current Population Trend: Decreasing
© Rafe Brown, 2006. Courtesy of HerpWatch Philippines
Geographic Range This species is found in the mountains of Mindanao and Dinagat Islands, in the Philippines.
Population It is fairly common where it occurs, but it has a patchy distribution.
Habitat and Ecology It inhabits cool mountain streams and rivers in montane rainforest where it also breeds and
the larvae develop.
Major Threats This species inhabits high-elevation forests, which are generally less threatened by habitat conversion,
agriculture, and human encroachment, and the pollution of streams and rivers. Regardless, some populations
of this species are subject to these threats.
Conservation Measures It is known from several protected areas, including Mount Malindang National Park.
Conservation measures must include the regulation and proper disposal of pesticides and herbicides, and the protection
of the remaining rainforest, especially high-elevation riverine habitats and gallery forests, on Mindanao. The
taxonomic status of this species requires further study.
Bibliography: Alcala, A.C. and Brown, W.C. (1985), Brown, R.M., Diesmos, A.C. and Alcala, A.C. (2001), Crombie, R.A. (n.d.), Frost, D.R.
(1985), Inger, R.F. (1954), Inger, R.F. (1999), Taylor, E.H. (1923)
Data Providers: Arvin Diesmos, Angel Alcala, Rafe Brown, Leticia Afuang, Genevieve Gee, Katie Hampson, Mae Leonida Diesmos,
Aldrin Mallari, Perry Ong, Dondi Ubaldo, Baldwin Gutierrez
EN Ansonia ornata Günther, 1876
Endangered B1ab(iii)
Order, Family: Anura, Bufonidae
Country Distribution: India
Current Population Trend: Decreasing
© S.D. Biju
Geographic Range This species is known with certainty only from the type locality of “Brumagherries (Brahmagiri
Hills)” and adjoining areas of Coorg, Karnataka, in the southern Western Ghats. There are also unpublished reports of
this species from Kudremukh National Park (Karnataka), Silent Valley National Park and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary
(Kerala) (Amphibian CAMP 2002). However, further survey work is needed to confi rm that the species does occur at
these sites (S.D. Biju pers comm.) and these additional areas are currently not included in the map for this species.
It has been recorded at an altitude of around 1,000m asl.
Population It is an uncommon species.
Habitat and Ecology It is presumably restricted to tropical evergreen forest. Its breeding is not known, but it
presumably breeds by larval development in streams, like other members of its genus.
Major Threats The main threat to this species is continuing deforestation (mainly for the cultivation of coffee) in
the Coorg area and surroundings.
Conservation Measures This species is currently not known with certainty from any protected areas, and strengthened
and expanded protection of the remaining forest habitat in this region of the Western Ghats is necessary. It is
included as part of ongoing field studies begun in 1998 (S.D. Biju pers. comm.).
Notes on taxonomy: There are taxonomic difficulties with this species, and it is possible that Ansonia rubigina is a synonym of it
(S.D. Biju pers. comm.).
Bibliography: Biju, S.D. (2001), Chanda, S.K. and Deuti, K. (1997), Daniel, J.C. (1963), Daniels, R.J.R. (1991), Daniels, R.J.R. (1997),
Dutta, S.K. (1997), Günther, A. (1876), Ravi Kumar, M.V. (2000), Reddy, A.H.M. et al. (2003)
Data Providers: S.D. Biju, Sushil Dutta, M.S. Ravichandran
VU Ansonia penangensis Stoliczka, 1870
Vulnerable D2
Order, Family: Anura, Bufonidae
Country Distribution: Malaysia
Current Population Trend: Stable
Geographic Range This species is known only from Penang Island,
Malaysia. Its altitudinal range is not known.
Population There is very little information. The collection of tadpoles
on Penang Hill in 2004 represents the first records of the species
in over 100 years; this absence of records might be a reflection of
inadequate surveying effort.
Habitat and Ecology This is a stream-breeding species that inhabits
rocky streams in rainforests.
Major Threats The forest habitat at the type locality is well protected;
other potential threats are presently unknown.
Conservation Measures The hill forests on Penang Hill are currently
protected as a catchment area for Georgetown, and the lower
reaches are within the Penang Botanical Gardens. Nonetheless, the
population status of this species requires careful monitoring, given
that it is known only from a single location.
Notes on taxonomy: There is much confusion surrounding the status of this species relative to Ansonia malayana. Populations that
have been assigned to this species on the Isthmus of Kra and from Fraser’s Hill in Malaysia are considered here to refer to A. malayana.
However, it is not clear that these two species are distinct from each other, and further taxonomic work is needed. Records of A.
penangensis from Sumatra, Indonesia, are now assigned to A. glandulosa.
Bibliography: Dring, J.C.M. (1979), Leong, T.M. and Lim, K.K.P. (2003), Taylor, E.H. (1962)
Data Providers: Peter Paul van Dijk, Jeet Sukumaran, Indraneil Das, Norsham Yaakob, Leong Tzi Ming, Yodchaiy Chuaynkern