Telmatobius is a
genus of frogs native to the
Andean highlands in South America, where they are found in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, northwestern Argentina and northern Chile.[1] It is the only genus in the family Telmatobiidae.[2] Some sources recognize Batrachophrynus as a valid genus distinct from Telmatobius.[3][4]
Ecology and conservation
All Telmatobius species are closely associated with water and most species are semi-aquatic, while a few are entirely
aquatic.[5] They are found in and near lakes, rivers and wetlands in the
Andean highlands at altitudes between 1,000 and 5,200 m (3,300–17,100 ft).[6] The genus includes two of the world's largest fully aquatic frogs, the
Lake Junin frog (T. macrostomus) and
Titicaca water frog (T. culeus),[7] but the remaining are considerably smaller. Telmatobius contains more than 60 species; the vast majority seriously
threatened, especially from
habitat loss, pollution, diseases (
chytridiomycosis and
nematode infections),
introducedtrout, and capture for human consumption.[5][8]
The three Ecuadorian species have not been seen for years and may already be extinct: T. cirrhacelis last seen in 1981, T. niger in 1994 and T. vellardi in 1987.[5][8] Similarly, seven of the fifteen species in Bolivia have not been seen for years.[9] However, some might still be rediscovered: the Bolivian T. yuracare had not been seen in the wild in a decade and there was only a single captive male. A few wild individuals were located in 2019, thus ending the captive male's informal status as an
endling (last survivor of the species).[9]
Species
There are currently 63 species recognized in the genus Telmatobius,[1] but the validity of some species is questionable and it is likely that
undescribed species remain.[10][11]
^
abFrost, Darrel R. (2017).
"Telmatobius Wiegmann, 1834". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
^Frost, Darrel R. (2015).
"Telmatobiidae Fitzinger, 1843". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
^"Telmatobiidae". AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
^
abcAngulo, A. (2008). Conservation Needs of Batrachophrynus and Telmatobius Frogs of the Andes of Peru. Conservation & Society 6(4): 328-333.
DOI: 10.4103/0972-4923.49196
^Victoriano, Muñoz-Mendoza, Sáez, Salinas, Muñoz-Ramírez, Sallaberry, Fibla and Méndez (2015). Evolution and Conservation on Top of the World: Phylogeography of the Marbled Water Frog (Telmatobius marmoratus Species Complex; Anura, Telmatobiidae) in Protected Areas of Chile. J.Hered. 106 (S1): 546-559.
DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esv039
^Halliday, T. (2016). The Book of Frogs: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species from around the World. University Of Chicago Press.
ISBN978-0226184654
^
abStuart, Hoffmann, Chanson, Cox, Berridge, Ramani and Young, editors (2008). Threatened Amphibians of the World.ISBN978-84-96553-41-5
^De la Riva (2005). Bolivian frogs of the genus Telmatobius: synopsis, taxonomic comments, and description of a new species. Monogr. Herpetol. 7:65-101.
^Sáez, Fibla, Correa, Sallaberry, Salinas, Veloso, Mella, Iturra, and Méndez (2014). A new endemic lineage of the Andean frog genus Telmatobius (Anura, Telmatobiidae) from the western slopes of the central Andes. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 171: 769–782.