Field surveys in Western Panama indicate populations of Atelopus varius frogs are persisting in regions where Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is now enzootic.

摘要

The stunning Harlequin frogs of the genus Atelopus,once common, are now among the most imperiled ofall amphibian species (La Marca et al. 2005; Zippel etal. 2006). Of 88 described Atelopus species in Centraland South America, 65 (74%) are Critically Endangered(La Marca et al. 2005). The most pressing threat to thesefrogs is chytridiomycosis, a fungal disease caused by Batrachochytriumdendrobatidis (hereafter “Bd”) and associatedwith die-offs of amphibians around the world(Berger et al. 1998; Longcore et al. 1999; Kilpatrick et al.2010). In Western Panama, an epidemic wave spreadingfrom west to east caused mass mortality events, resultingin catastrophic losses in amphibian diversity (Lipset al. 2006; Brem and Lips 2008; Woodhams et al. 2008;Kilburn et al. 2010), including declines in three Atelopusspecies: A. varius, A. zeteki, and A. chiriquiensis.