''Atelopus nanay'', the Sad harlequin frog, is a species of

toad Toad (also known as a hoptoad) is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...

s in the family

Bufonidae {{Cat main, Toad This category Category, plural categories, may refer to: General uses *Classification, the general act of allocating things to classes/categories Philosophy * Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) * Category (Kant) * C ...

. ''Atelopus nanay'' is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

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 ...

and inhabits subtropical and tropical high-altitude

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

s, freshwater

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

es, and freshwater springs. It is currently threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

and the '' Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis'' fungus. The species name ''nanay'' stems from the

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several Indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, an Indigenous South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language ...

word for “sadness”, which was chosen to bring attention to the decline of ''

Atelopus ''Atelopus'' is a large genus of Bufonidae, commonly known as harlequin frogs or toads, from Central America, Central and South America, ranging as far north as Costa Rica and as far south as Bolivia. ''Atelopus'' species are small, generally br ...

'' species in the Ecuadorian Andes, and to express the loss felt by the native

Ecuadorian people Ecuadorians () are people identified with the South American country of Ecuador. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Ecuadorians, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source o ...

Description

Adult

''Atelopus nanay'' is a toad species located in and around the

Cajas National Park El Cajas National Park or Cajas National Park () is a national park in the highlands of Ecuador. It is located about 30 km west from Cuenca, the capital of the province of Azuay. The area of 285.44 km2 (28,544 ha) between 3100m and ...

in Ecuador, occupying a roughly 85 Km² range. Species in the genus ''Atelopus'' are also called “harlequin frogs” for their variation in color and are known for being

lethargic Lethargy is a state of tiredness, sleepiness, weariness, fatigue, sluggishness, or lack of energy. It can be accompanied by depression, decreased motivation, or apathy. Lethargy can be a normal response to inadequate sleep, overexertion, overwo ...

, diurnal, and small. This genus also houses the greatest species diversity within the '' Bufinoid'' family. ''Atelopus nanay'' has distinct black skin with dark green or brown markings which is generally smooth but can be warty with small white spiculae along its sides. The underside can range from black to creamy gray to brown. Females range in length from 31.7 - 39.6mm while males are smaller and range in length from 23.6 - 27.3mm. The fingers are not webbed while the feet are partially webbed. ''Atelopus nanay''’s head is pointed, the snout extends past the

mandible In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla). The jawbone i ...

, and the ears are internal and not visible.

Tadpoles

Tadpole A tadpole or polliwog (also spelled pollywog) is the Larva, larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully Aquatic animal, aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial animal, ...

s range from 5.9 - 16.2mm long depending on the developmental stage, with an elongated

ovoid An oval () is a closed curve in a plane which resembles the outline of an egg. The term is not very specific, but in some areas of mathematics (projective geometry, technical drawing, etc.), it is given a more precise definition, which may inc ...

body, black coloration, and translucent fins. All ''Atelopus'' tadpoles are also uniquely equipped with a sucker on their abdomen which is used to attach themselves to rocks in the streams where they develop.

Habitat

''Atelopus nanay'' has only been found within an 85 km² range in and around

along the Cordillera Occidental mountain range in Ecuador. This

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

montane Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

environment sits at ~4000m above sea level, receives 100–200 cm of rain annually, and has an average annual temperature of 3-6^oC. While not much is known about ''A.nanay''’s

ecology Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their Natural environment, environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosystem, and biosphere lev ...

, researchers have noted that they are often associated with streams. El_Cajas_National_Park_Laguna_Toreadora_in_rainy_weather_seen_from_the_viewpoint_1

El_Cajas_National_Park_Laguna_Toreadora_in_rainy_weather_seen_from_the_viewpoint_1

Threats

''Atelpous nanay'' is currently listed as critically endangered 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 ...

due to its small range and assumed population decline. It is assumed to be in decline due to the prevalence of '' Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis'' (BD), which is a

parasitic fungus A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

that causes 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 ...

'' in amphibians. ''

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 ...

'' presents with severe skin disorders, sluggishness, seizures and is often fatal in infected amphibians. Globally, as many as 501 amphibian declines and 90 possible extinctions have been associated with the presence of BD. Currently 80% of the ''Atelopus'' genus is considered threatened and all of the 25 Ecuadorian species are at risk of extinction. Other threats include

from

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

, road and railroad construction, and

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidder, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or trunk (botany), logs onto logging truck, truckstrout Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...

which have been introduced to the streams in which ''A.nanay'' tadpoles develop.

References