''Telmatobius niger'' is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

in the family Telmatobiidae. It 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 ...

to the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

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 ...

, with records from both Amazonian and Pacific versants. Last seen in 1994, it is feared that this species may be extinct. The English names black water frog and black Kayla frog have been coined for it.

Description

Adult males measure and adult females in snout–vent length. The head is large. The tympanic annulus may be present, reduced, or absent; the right and left side of a single individual may show different state. The fingers have no webbing whereas the toes are webbed; the degree of webbing varies among individuals. The dorsum has either uniform color or subtle mottling or indistinct spots; the former is more typical. The background color ranges from reddish brown to brownish gray. Mottling spots can be tan, gray, or dark brown. Ventral coloration is similarly variable, but the patterning, when present, is stronger.

Habitat and conservation

''Telmatobius niger'' has been recorded in the vicinity of streams and rivers in cloud forests, moist scrubland, high-altitude

páramo Páramo () may refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrower ...

grassland, evergreen montane forests, and dry montane scrubland at elevations of

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 ...

. During daytime, adults usually occur beneath rocks and in weedy vegetation in and at the edge of streams. Breeding takes place in streams. This species was formerly reasonably common and is historically known from several locations. However, it has declined dramatically and might now be extinct. The last record is from Lagunas de Atillo (

Chimborazo Province Chimborazo () is a Provinces of Ecuador, province in the central Ecuadorian Andes. It is a home to a section of Sangay National Park. The capital is Riobamba. The province contains Chimborazo (volcano), Chimborazo (6,267 m), Ecuador's highest mou ...

) in December 1994. Later surveys to historic sites have not resulted in any new records. The possible reasons for the decline include disease and parasites (e.g.,

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 ...

, nematodes), abnormal climatic conditions, and habitat destruction and degradation caused by agricultural development and human settlement. There is also some collection for human consumption. Parts of the historic range fall within national parks, notably Parque Nacional Sangay, Área de Conservación Ecológica Siete Iglesias, and El Cajas National Park. The IUCN recommends that a captive breeding program be established for this species.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2210280

niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

Amphibians of the Andes Amphibians of Ecuador Endemic fauna of Ecuador Amphibians described in 1920 Taxa named by Thomas Barbour Taxa named by Gladwyn Kingsley Noble Taxonomy articles created by Polbot