Amphibians of the equatorial seasonally dry forests of Ecuador and Peru

By

Armijos-Ojeda, Diego
Székely, Diana
Székely, Paul
Cogălniceanu, Dan
Cisneros-Heredia, Diego F.
Ordóñez-Delgado, Leonardo
Escudero, Adrián
Espinosa, Carlos Iván

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2021

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1063

Pages

23--48

Subjects

Annotated list , Anura , Conservation , Distribution , herpetofauna , Life-history

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1063.69580

 

Abstract

Seasonally dry forests (SDFs) are one of the most challenging ecosystems for amphibians, fueling the diversity of this group of vertebrates. An updated inventory of native amphibians present in the Equatorial SDF is provided, which extends along the Pacific coast of Ecuador and northwestern Peru. The study is based on an extensive field sampling (two thirds of the total records) carried out throughout the Equatorial SDF, along with a compilation of the available information on distribution of amphibians in the region from published scientific papers, museum collections and on-line databases. The final dataset included 2,032 occurrence records for 30 amphibian species, belonging to eight anuran families. Additionally, data regarding conservation status, habitat use, spawn deposition site, reproductive mode, and body size, along with an identification key for all encountered species are provided. The results indicate a strong sampling bias with a deficit in the Peruvian part of the study area, and a need for urgent inventories targeted at under-sampled areas, using modern taxonomic methods. The study emphasizes the conservation priorities in the Equatorial SDF, based on the distribution, conservation status and life-history data. This information should be useful for the local authorities and institutions involved in the management and conservation of biodiversity in SDF.