Guajira Stubfoot Toad

SVL of females 52.4-62.1 mm; SVL of males 41.1-46.7 mm (Coloma et al. 2000). Diagnosis: Stout body with relatively short limbs. Fingers unwebbed, toes webbed; digits have rounded tips. Toe I is distinct. Head is as broad as it is long. Interorbital space equal to the width of the upper eyelid. Snout subacuminate, protruding. No tympanum visible. Tongue is elliptical, and free behind. Palate smooth. Spiny warts on sides of body. Extent of warts varies: may be small patch between eye and arm, or may extend down the sides to the femur. A juvenile specimen was reported to be covered with spiny warts dorsally and with flat tubercles ventrally (Ruthven 1916). Most individuals are uniformly black in coloration or black with a slightly lighter venter (Ruthven 1916), but there is at least one population of red morphs (discovered in 2008 at La Serrania de Cebolleta; Rueda 2008). Tadpoles are unusually long for Atelopus, about twice the length of other known Atelopus larvae (Ruíz-Carranza et al. 1994).This species belongs to the ignescens group of Atelopus (Lötters 1996).

Endemic to Colombia. Inhabits the páramos, sub-Andean and Andean forests of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (El Paramo de Macostama, Departamento de la Guajira and La Serrania de Cebolleta, Departamento de Magdalena, Colombia) from 2,350-4,800 m above sea level (Acosta-Galvis 2000; Stuart et al. 2008; Rueda 2008). The type locality is at the headwaters of the Rio Macostama (Ruthven 1916) and other localities include the upper basins of the Rio Badillo and Rio Guatapuri (Rueda-Almonacid 1994). The range reaches into areas which get snow (Stuart et al. 2008). This species is associated with the banks of small streams of cool water; at higher elevations, these streams descend from the snow line (Ruthven 1922).

Diurnal, like other species of Atelopus (Dunn 1944; Lötters 1996). Breeds in streams; eggs are laid in strings (Stuart et al. 2008).

This species is classified as Critically Endangered and populations are projected to decline >80% between 2004 and 2014, based on what has happened to other high-elevation species of Atelopus. (Stuart et al. 2008). It occurs within at least one protected area, Parque Nacional Natural Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, and can tolerate some habitat modification (Stuart et al. 2008). However, the disease chytridiomycosis has devastated many Atelopus species at high elevations, and of the six adult A. carrikeri found at La Serrania de Cebolleta in 2008, two were sick (Rueda 2008). Other threats include habitat loss from increased agriculture and livestock grazing (Granda-Rodríguez et al. 2008), pollution from crop spraying, and climate change (Stuart et al. 2008). The genus Atelopus, with 113 described and putative species, appears to be the most threatened clade of amphibians (La Marca et al. 2005). Chytridiomycosis is thought to be a primary factor in the decline and disappearance of species in this genus (La Marca et al. 2005). At least 30 species appear to be extinct, having been missing from all known localities for at least 8 years (La Marca et al. 2005). Of the surviving species that have sufficient data with which to evaluate population trends, 81% (42 of 52) have population sizes that have been reduced by at least half (La Marca et al. 2005). Atelopus species generally occur along mid- to high-elevation streams (1500-3000 m asl, though the maximum vertical range is from sea level to permanent snow; Lötters 2007), a habitat preference frequently associated with the co-occurrence of chytridiomycosis (La Marca et al. 2005). Higher-elevation Atelopus species (those living at least 1000 m asl) have been hit the worst, with 75% (21 of 28) having disappeared entirely (La Marca et al. 2005).Habitat loss has occurred within the ranges of many Atelopus species, but does not appear to have been a major factor in the precipitous declines of most Atelopus species; 22 species declined despite occurring in protected areas (La Marca et al. 2005). Many Atelopus species are local endemics, putting them at particular risk of extinction, with at least 26 species known only from a single population inhabiting a narrow altitudinal range (La Marca et al. 2005). Due to their restricted ranges, they are thought to have limited ability to adapt to warming climatic conditions (Lötters 2007).

The Guajira stubfoot toad or Carrikeri harlequin frog (Atelopus carrikeri) is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is about 5 cm (2.0 in) long and typically black, though some populations have orange coloration. This species is endemic to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range of northern Colombia. It is critically endangered because of the chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, and habitat destruction due to agriculture. The species had not been seen from 1994 until it was rediscovered in early 2008.