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Checking on the Limosa Harlequin Frog

Posted on Mar 17, 2014

Twan and I are currently checking in on the Limosa Harlequin Frog (Atelopus limosus) population in Panama in our continued effort to survey their health and status. This past January I visited them and brought back the great news that their population was still holding steady. During the time I surveyed them I found four adults, six sub-adults, and 17 metamorphs. I even found adults higher up in the preserve than previously spotted leading to the suspicion that the population may be increasing.

Limosa Harlequin Frog (Atelopus limosus) MYN Sean (2)
This theory is something we are exploring and will try to confirm during this trip. When we visited Panama in March 2013 we found eggs that had just begun to hatch which was a first for the population during surveys. While I was there in January I took a little time after measuring and taking important data on individuals to take some photos, Meet Your Neighbours style.

Limosa Harlequin Frog (Atelopus limosus) MYN Sean (4)

Limosa Harlequin Frog (Atelopus limosus) MYN Sean (1)This unique way of taking photos is perfect for something like Atelopus limosus, a toad species that is tucked away in a vast tract of forest in Panama that no one except people like Twan and me will ever see.

Limosa Harlequin Frog (Atelopus limosus) MYN Sean (3)
They need the attention desperately though; they are on IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species as endangered with a population trend that is decreasing. Showing them in a unique way that depicts their true beauty in a stand-alone situation hopefully will bring attention to their cause allowing people like Twan and me to continue to be their voices and to work to help other amphibian species that are imperiled across Central America.

 

Sean Graesser
RTPI Affiliate

Photos © Sean Graesser