Rio Pescado stubfoot toad
Atelopus balios
In the 1980s, frog species suddenly disappeared worldwide, including the Rio Pescado stubfoot toad, one of around 130 species of harlequin toads. The main reason was the chytridiomycosis fungus, which decimated the amphibian populations. Fungal spores seem to have reached previously untouched places where the amphibians were defenceless against the new pathogen. The toad was long thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered at three locations in the rainforest in Ecuador in 2010. The small number of only ten known tadpoles found underlines the threat. To ensure their survival, conservation breeding networks have been set up in Ecuador, the USA and Europe. These breeding programs have already led to an increase
to almost 400 individuals of the highly endangered Rio Pescado stubfoot toad.
| Classification | Frogs, family of true toads (Bufonidae, 657 species) | ||
| Habitat | In tropical rainforests of northwestern South America, near small streams | ||
| Behaviour | Diurnalground dweller | ||
| Diet | Insects | ||
| Weight | 5-7 g | ||
| Body length | Females 35-37 mm, males 28-32 mm | ||
| Clutch (spawning) | Spawning strings are attached to stones in streams | ||
| Duration of spawning to hatching | 1-2 weeks | ||
| Stage as tadpole | 80-120 days to metamorphosis | ||
| Use | Terraristics for reserve populations (ex-situ) | ||
| Current population | Living in the wild: Unknown, declining; reserve population in human care: 378 individuals | ||
| At Zurich Zoo since | 2024 |
Distribution
Conservation status
