As many as 222 amphibian species could already have gone extinct, and 2,873 are in danger of extinction, says the second Global Amphibian Assessment, which has been published on 4 October 2023 in the journal Nature.
Our first piece covering this monument of amphibian research dives into the importance of amphibians, the key threats identified in the report, and how this research will influence conservation. This piece tells the stories behind the worst number in the report: the four amphibian species that have been lost forever.
The Chiriqui harlequin frog, Atelopus chiriquiensis. The sharp-snouted day frog, Taudactylus acutirostris. The wry lip brittle-belly frog, Craugastor myllomyllon. The Jalpa false brook salamander, Pseudoeurycea exspectata.
These are the four amphibian species confirmed extinct since the first Global Amphibian Assessment was completed in 2004. The second assessment has just been completed and published in Nature, and although the number of confirmed amphibian extinctions has only risen from 33 to 37, the real figure could be 222 (adding the species categorised as Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct), but most likely even higher, as we do not have vast historical data on amphibian species.
Remembering the four confirmed extinct species
A male Chiriqui harlequin frog (waving) and female. Image: Aurora Gómez Espinoza
The Chiriqui harlequin frog was once locally abundant within its range in Costa Rica and Panama, and amused scientists with unusual ‘waving’ behaviour. But the reasons why these poisonous speckled creatures would wave at each other were never revealed; they disappeared due to the fungal disease chytridiomycosis in 1996. The species was finally declared extinct in 2019.
Sharp-snouted day frog. Image: Aurora Gómez Espinoza
The same fate is thought to have befallen the sharp-snouted day frog, last seen in Mount Harley, Australia, in 1997. This species was part of an ancient family of amphibians (over 100 million years old) known for having a high proportion of species with dutiful parental care, for example, carrying tadpoles in mouths or pouches. After extensive searches for twenty years failed to find this once relatively common species, it was declared extinct in 2021.
