''Atelopus longirostris'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of harlequin frog, a member of the family of

true toad A true toad is any member of the family Bufonidae, in the order Anura (frogs and toads). This is the only family of anurans in which all members are known as toads, although some may be called frogs (such as harlequin frogs). The bufonids now ...

s (Bufonidae). It has been recorded only in northern

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

. Records from

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

probably represent different species. Once listed as

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

, it was rediscovered in 2016 after more than two decade with no sightings.

Names

The scientific name of this

means "long-snout" and the species has been named in Spanish as the jambato hocicudo (long-snouted jambato). Common names longnose stubfoot toad, scrawny stubfoot-toad, and longnose sharlequin frog have been coined for it.

Taxonomy and systematics

''Atelopus longirostris'' was described by

Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840 – April 12, 1897) was an American zoologist, paleontology, paleontologist, comparative anatomy, comparative anatomist, herpetology, herpetologist, and ichthyology, ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker fam ...

in 1868 based on a specimen collected by James Orton and which now appears to be lost. The type locality was stated as "Valley of Quito", but this is presumed to be erroneous. Arteaga and colleagues (2013) state that populations from

Carchi Carchi () is a Provinces of Ecuador, province in Ecuador. The capital is Tulcán. The Carchi River rises on the slopes of Chiles (volcano), Chiles volcano and forms the boundary between Colombia and Ecuador near Tulcan. Rumichaca Bridge is the m ...

and

Esmeraldas Province Esmeraldas () is a northwestern coastal province of Ecuador. The capital and largest city is Esmeraldas. Esmeraldas is one of the three provinces of Ecuador that borders Colombia, and it is the most northern province in the country. The provin ...

s need taxonomic revision and exclude them from the range of this species.

Description

Adult males measure and females in snout–vent length. However, Tapia and colleagues report two smaller adult females, measuring SVL. ''Atelopus longirostris'' has a slender body with long limbs. The snout is pronounced and has a comparatively sharp point. The fingers are fleshy and have some basal webbing; the toes are more heavily webbed. The dorsum is brown with yellow or cream rounded spots. The flanks are dark brown or black. The venter is whitish with some brown suffusion in the throat and chest.

Status and rediscovery

Previously, the species has been classified as extinct, due to huge declines probably related to the disease

chytridiomycosis Chytridiomycosis ( ) is an infectious disease in amphibians, caused by the chytrid fungi '' Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis'' and '' Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans''. Chytridiomycosis has been linked to dramatic population declines or extinc ...

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

and habitat loss. The species was not recorded between 1989 and 2016, despite some searching in historical localities. It was rediscovered in March 2016 when four adults (two males and two females) were located in Imbabura in two small forest patches in an area heavily modified for agriculture and livestock. These individuals tested negative for chytridiomycosis and were brought to the Jambatu Research and Conservation Center in the hope of establishing a captive breeding population.

Distribution and habitat

''Atelopus longirostris'' is historically known from the western slopes of the northern Ecuadorian Andes in the provinces of Esmeraldas, Imbabura, Pichincha, and

Cotopaxi Cotopaxi () is an active stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains, located near Latacunga city of Cotopaxi Province, about south of Quito, and northeast of the city of Latacunga, Ecuador. It is the second highest summit in Ecuador (after Chim ...

, at elevations between

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. Tapia and colleagues give a slightly different historic range that includes Imbabura, Cotopaxi, Pichincha, and

Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas Province Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas () is a Provinces of Ecuador, province in the Republic of Ecuador, created in October 2007 from territory previously in the province of Pichincha Province, Pichincha. Overview The name of the province refers to a ...

s and a narrower altitudinal range, . ''Atelopus longirostris'' inhabits lowland (but see above) and montane tropical rainforests. Breeding takes place in streams. Populations discovered in 2016 were in isolated, small patches of native forest within a heavily modified landscape. They were all found at night, perched on leaves about half a metre above the ground, some distance away from the nearest rivers.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2706540 longirostris Amphibians of the Andes Amphibians of Ecuador Endemic fauna of Ecuador Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope Amphibians described in 1868