This volume of Herpetological Monographs is dedicated in part to publication of part 4 of volume 9 of the book series Amphibian Biology, with two articles covering conservation of amphibians in Peru and Bolivia. These two articles are chapters 12 and 13, respectively, of volume 9.
- Conservation Status of Amphibians in Peru / Alessandro Catenazzi and Rudolf von May 1-23
Peru hosts a rich amphibian fauna with approximately 571 species described to date. Many of these species have been formally described only recently, and many more remain to be discovered and recognized. Despite the increase in the number of known species, some reports indicate recent, and in some cases enigmatic, loss of species richness at several sites in the Peruvian Andes. Similar population declines have been observed in neighboring Andean countries. The pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is associated with some of these declines, and the authors include a timeline of records of this pathogen in Peruvian amphibians. However, the paucity of standardized, long-term surveys limits our ability to understand the causes of declines and to assess the conservation status of Peruvian amphibians. Here they provide updated information on the conservation status of amphibians in Peru, and discuss the possible causes of the observed declines. Furthermore, they discuss present and future threats to amphibian biodiversity, and outline actions needed to promote the survival of this globally endangered group. They include a list of candidate sites for long-term surveys.
- Diversity and Conservation of the Amphibians of Bolivia / Ignacio de la Riva and Steffen Reichle 46-65
In the past decades, herpetologists have studied intensively the amphibians of Bolivia, increasing dramatically the number of species known for the country. There are currently 266 species recorded, but this number will increase with the addition of many new country records and the description of species new to science, especially within Andean Craugastoridae. Deforestation, habitat destruction (mostly due to agriculture), water pollution, and chytridiomycosis are the main causes of amphibian declines in Bolivia. Andean frogs are much more affected than lowland species. Infection by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is widespread. Forest species of the Andean genus Telmatobius have disappeared from known sites and some other Andean taxa have declined severely. Here, the authors revise the International Union for Conservation of Nature conservation status categories for some species of anurans. Public awareness is increasing thanks to different local initiatives addressing projects to protect Bolivian amphibians.
The other articles in this volume of Herpetological Monographs are:
- An Annotated Catalog of the Type Specimens of Amphibia in the Collection of the Museo Civico diStdo ia Naturale, Milan, Italy / David C. Blackburn and Stefano Scali 24-45
- Protection Benefits Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) Abundance: The Influence of Three Management Strategies on a Threatened Species / Kristin H. Berry, Lisa M. Lyren, Julie L. Yee, and Tracy Y. Bailey 66-92
- A 21-Year Study of Seasonal and Interspecific Variation of Hatchling Emergence in a Nearctic Freshwater Turtle Community: To Overwinter or Not To Overwinter? / Jeffrey E. Lovich, Carl H. Ernst, Evelyn M. Ernst, and Julia L. Riley 93-109
- Taxonomic Revision of the Pseudogekko compresicorpus Complex (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae), with Descriptions of Three New Species / Cameron D. Siler, Luke J. Welton, Drew R. Davis, Jessa L. Walters, Conner S. Davey, Arvin C. Diesmos, Mae L. Diesmos, and Rafe M. Brown 110-139