Herpetología

The herpetofaunal richness of San JulianUniversitary Farm (FUSJ), in Patulul, Suchitepequez, Guatemala, was investigated using three methods: (1) Capture/sighting of specimens, (2) social inquiry and(3) desk research.  The field work was distributed over a 10 year period (2003-2013) at a rate of six fieldwork sessions each year.  A 4.5 km long transect extending through the agricultural landscape of the farmwas run repeatedly. Each fieldwork session included diurnal and nocturnal travels. The accumulated search time was 420 hr-transect.  The equivalent to 337.5 of accumulated miles were traveled,including elevations between 1490 and 1833 feet above sea level.  Three former hunters were interviewed and asked to identify species they think are present at the FUSJ.  Published data were reviewed to determine whichspecies were expected to occur in San Julian.  Twolists(amphibians and reptiles) totaling 97 species (including 95 expected, 38 found and 2 not expected) was generated.  The quality and significance of our data is discussed.

Por ser el juguete un objeto capaz de arrancarnos del trajín cotidiano para insertarnos en un tiempo y en un espacio distintos, hay quien ha dicho que su existencia está a medio camino entre la vida diaria y el ritual. Y los juguetes tradicionales mexicanos no son la excepción. Como veremos en estas páginas, en algunas piezas con movimiento, como los llamados chintetes, pueden aún mirarse los trazos de este mundo intermedio lleno de significados.

Presentamos un listado taxonómico de las especies de reptiles del municipio de Cúcuta (Norte de Santander, Colombia), con base en registros hechos en campo, revisión de literatura y en información de dos colecciones herpetológicas. Registramos 34 especies de reptiles agrupadas en 2 órdenes, 13 familias y 31 géneros. Colubridae fue la familia más rica registrando 13 especies, solo tres géneros están representados por más de dos especies. Reportamos 30 nuevos registros de distribución para Cúcuta y 12 para Norte de Santander. Encontramos que la fauna de reptiles de Cúcuta es más similar a la de los humedales del departamento de Córdoba y a la del sector de Neguanje, en el PNN Tayrona.

Few studies have demonstrated historical human impact on biodiversity at local and regional scales, largely due to lack of baseline information and long term monitoring for most taxa. In 1958 and 1959 researchers from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ) visited the Mexican state of Aguascalientes and increased its documented amphibian and reptile fauna from 21 to 30 species.

In anurans, males have larger laryngeal structures than females and produce conspicuous species-specific calls in various social contexts. Knowledge of female vocalisations is not well established and we start by summarising available spectral and behavioural information on calls in females. We then present novel data on female and male calls in Staurois guttatus and ask how larynx morphology influences call characteristics. While there was no difference in the dominant frequency between the sexes, sound pressure of female calls was lower than in males suggesting that they could be masked by ambient stream noise in the natural habitat. In an experimental setup, unreceptive females started calling when approached by a male less than 30 cm away, indicating an agonistic function of calling behaviour. In accordance with the overall size dimorphism in S. guttatus, laryngeal muscles as analysed by microCT were larger in females than in males whereas a reverse dimorphism was reported for most anuran species with silent and vocal females. We argue that in noisy environments such as streams, small male larynx size associated with high frequency calls is advantageous due to reduced masking and discuss the functional differences and communalities in signalling behaviour between the sexes and in the genus Staurois.

Land-use change is the main cause of deforestation and degradation of tropical forest in Mexico. Frequently, these lands are abandoned leading to a mosaic of natural vegetation in secondary succession. Further degradation of the natural vegetation in these lands could be exacerbated by stochastic catastrophic events such as hurricanes. Information on the impact of human disturbance parallel to natural disturbance has not yet been evaluated for faunal assemblages in tropical dry forests. To evaluate the response of herpetofaunal assemblages to the interaction of human and natural disturbances, we used information of pre- and post-hurricane herpetofaunal assemblages inhabiting different successional stages (pasture, early forest, young forest, intermediate forest, and old growth forest) of dry forest. Herpetofaunal assemblages were surveyed in all successional stages two years before and two years after the hurricane Jova that hit the Pacific Coast of Mexico on October 2011. We registered 4093 individuals of 61 species. Overall, there were only slight effects of successional stage, hurricane Jova or the interaction between them on abundance, observed species richness and diversity of the herpetofauna. However, we found marked changes in estimated richness and composition of frogs, lizards, and snakes among successional stages in response to hurricane Jova. Modifications in vegetation structure as result of hurricane pass promoted particular changes in each successional stage and taxonomic group (anurans, lizards, and snakes). Secondary forests at different stages of succession may attenuate the negative effects of an intense, short-duration, and low-frequency natural disturbance such as hurricane Jova on successional herpetofaunal trajectories and species turnover.

Land-use change is the main cause of deforestation and degradation of tropical forest in Mexico. Frequently, these lands are abandoned leading to a mosaic of natural vegetation in secondary succession. Further degradation of the natural vegetation in these lands could be exacerbated by stochastic catastrophic events such as hurricanes. Information on the impact of human disturbance parallel to natural disturbance has not yet been evaluated for faunal assemblages in tropical dry forests. To evaluate the response of herpetofaunal assemblages to the interaction of human and natural disturbances, we used information of pre-and post-hurricane herpetofaunal assemblages inhabiting different successional stages (pasture, early forest, young forest, intermediate forest, and old growth forest) of dry forest. Her-petofaunal assemblages were surveyed in all successional stages two years before and two years after the hurricane Jova that hit the Pacific Coast of Mexico on October 2011. We registered 4093 individuals of 61 species. Overall, there were only slight effects of successional stage, hurricane Jova or the interaction between them on abundance, observed species richness and diversity of the herpeto-fauna. However, we found marked changes in estimated richness and composition of frogs, lizards, and snakes among successional stages in response to hurricane Jova. Modifications in vegetation structure as result of hurricane pass promoted particular changes in each successional stage and taxonomic group (anurans, lizards, and snakes). Secondary forests at different stages of succession may attenuate the negative effects of an intense, short-duration, and low-frequency natural disturbance such as hurricane Jova on successional herpetofaunal trajectories and species turnover.

Phylogenetically close species are expected to exhibit similar characteristics related to their ecology. However, differences in some niche dimensions are necessary for coexistence. In this study, we evaluated the trophic ecology of the treefrogs Boana albomarginata and B. pombali, which live in sympatry in the Serra de Itabaiana National Park, Northeast Brazil. Data were collected for 15 consecutive days in January 2019, through active search at night from 18:00 h to 22:00 h, in the dry season. We analyzed the gastrointestinal content of 50 individuals of B. albomarginata and 31 of B. pombali. For each species, the categories of items consumed were evaluated by calculating the importance value index (IVI). We also calculate the niche overlap between species and there was a moderate (Ø = 0.62) similarity in relation to the abundance of prey, but a high (Ø = 0.92) overlap in relation to its volume. The most important categories of food items (IVI) for both B. albormarginata and B. pombali were Orthoptera (49.55%, 34.81%), insect larvae (22.27%, 14.58%), and plant material (11.17%, 31.67%). Analysis of morphometric data showed a correlation between head measurements and prey proportions for B. pombali, where individuals with the larger head ingested larger prey. On the contrary, B. albomarginata seemed to feed more opportunistically. The consumption of insect larvae and plant parts may be related to the dry season, as they provide higher energy return and water supply, respectively, for both taxa. Both species exhibited a very similar trophic niche; however, differences related to foraging behavior, resource availability, interaction with other individuals, and with microhabitat may also play an important role for coexistence of the two hylids.

Biodiversity today is uneven, with equally ancient sister groups containing few or many species. It has often been assumed that high biodiversity indicates fast evolution, and yet in a classic work in 1944 George Simpson suggested that fast evolution might generate instability and extinction, and that slow evolution led to high biodiversity. Here we show that evolutionary rates can vary substantially through the history of a clade and find evidence for Simpson’s claim. In a comparative phylogenetic study deploying Bayesian methods, we find that Squamata, comprising today over 10 000 species of lizards and snakes, showed slow rates of evolution in the first two-thirds of their history, whereas their sister clade, Rhynchocephalia, comprising just one living species, showed high rates of evolution in the past. Slow and steady won the race for the Mesozoic squamates, and the high-rate boom and bust existence of rhynchocephalians at that time leaves them with a single survivor. We need to explore other cases where fast evolution can lead to short-term high diversification, but in the end long-term low biodiversity.

Some people seem to have a misunderstanding about what constitutes reptile husbandry exactly. First, it needs to be noted that husbandry refers to the management and breeding of domestic, not wild, animals. It doesn't have anything to do with replicating the natural conditions of a wild animal in captivity. This being said, any species raised and bred in captivity therefore constitutes a domestic animal in as much as the husbandry is different than the natural habitat it is from. Now let's establish the difference between the two: 1. Wild animals, even those that establish territories, are free-ranging. Captive animals art not. Their living space is restricted to terraria or other enclosed areas. 2. Wild animals generally enjoy a greater choice of habitat. The habitat of captive animals is necessarily restricted (and theoretically optimized). 3. Wild animals have usually been born and bred in a location where the species has lived for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Captive animals are often wild caught and confined to a new situation, and the given species has typically only been captive-bred for a few generations at best by comparison. 4. Wild animals are surrounded by a complete ecosystem within a specific environment in a geographical range, including microbiota, flora, and fauna with which they have shared a mutual relationship for hundreds or thousands of years. Captive animals are typically treated for pathogens in an effort to eliminate even the natural parasites. The terraria are relatively sterile and generally neither the flora nor fauna are native to their natural habitat unless they are living where they are from, which is rare in the case of exotic reptile captives. 5. Along these lines, behavior of the captive animals changes because of the absence of predation, change in and abundance of dietary items, inability of captive animals to freely travel and associate with others of their species, avoid predation, or search for prey (that often change according to a yearly cycle), lighting (both UV and regular) that doesn't correspond to their natural habitat, as well as the difference in substrate and the inability in captivity to replicate natural variations in day-today and seasonal weather and lighting changes. Although much can be said for reptile husbandry, especially as it pertains to successful breeding of difficult species, it is still an exercise in the production of a domestic animal, as opposed to raising the same species under natural conditions. A few private individuals are able to raise and breed more difficult species by means of their personal

Few studies have demonstrated historical human impact on biodiversity at local and regional scales, largely due to lack of baseline information and long term monitoring for most taxa. In 1958 and 1959 researchers from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ) visited the Mexican state of Aguascalientes and increased its documented amphibian and reptile fauna from 21 to 30 species. Using MVZ collections, fi eld notes, and landscape photographs taken during that expedition, we resurveyed those same localities in 2004 to document herpetofaunal changes coincident with greatly increased human activities. Despite its small area, Aguascalientes encompasses several biogeographic regions and the threat of local extinction at species' distributional limits has broader implications for regional biotas. New discoveries raise to 71 the number of species known for that state, but our comparisons suggest a gloomy future for amphibians and reptiles in Aguascalientes. Paradoxically, human impact is managed primarily at state and municipal levels, often devoid of locally relevant context. Our fi ndings illustrate the conservation value of intensive small-scale studies, focused on the natural history of particular species and localities, as complements to large-scale biodiversity assessments on country wide and continental scales.

Lizards are often parasitized by Acari species (mites and ticks). In this study we report the occurrence of a specimen of tick (Amblyomma sp.) parasitizing a juvenile individual of Tropidurus hispidus (Spix, 1825) in Parque Nacional Serra de Itabaiana (PNSI) in the state of Sergipe, northeastern Brazil.

We sampled the snake fauna in 13 landscapes along 80 km of highway and in the adjacent vegetation cover in the Colombian Llanos. We registered 119 snakes belonging to 33 species. Traffic levels significantly influenced rates of snake road kill, while adjacent vegetation cover, rainfall seasonality, and landscape structure and composition did not. We classified the species into seven ecological groups based upon foraging strategy, body length, and habitat preferences. Although most of the road-killed species had an active foraging strategy, all of the ecological groups contained some species that were killed on the highway, as well as some species that inhabited adjacent vegetation cover but that were not detected on the highway. The different ecological groups were not associated with different landscape characteristics. Six of the 13 landscapes that presented the lowest species richness of road-killed species had a different ecological group represented by each of the species documented as road kills. Thus, considering the ecological group that a species belongs to provides a complementary analytical approach that permits a fuller understanding of the ecological effects of roads on the functional role of the species in the ecosystem. We recommend focusing mitigation measures on highway sectors with the greater vehicular flow, employing both preventive measures such as posting driver advisories and installing speed radars and conducting environmental education programs to raise awareness of local drivers.

Species traits provide a strong link between an organism's fitness and processes at community and ecosystem levels. However, such data remain scarce for amphibians in the Neotropics. Colombia is the country with the highest number of threatened amphibians and the second greatest number of amphibian species worldwide. We present a data set containing eight morphological traits for 4,623 museum specimens of the seven largest collections in the country corresponding to 293 species of 14 families. The number of measured specimens per species ranged from 1 to 118 individuals with a median of 8 individuals per species. Overall, this database gathered morphological information for 37.6% of Colombian anuran diversity. Species measured were mainly distributed in the high Andean forest, the p aramo, and wetland ecosystems, and was part of a national initiative led by the Instituto Alexander von Humboldt. The morphological traits were selected on the basis of their role in species' responses to environmental variability and their contributions to ecosystem processes. These traits were related to habitat use, (forearm length, tibia length, femur length, foot length, and foot webbing), pre-dation and food chains (head width and mouth width), and nutrient recycling (snout-vent length). We expect this data set will be used in studies on functional diversity in amphibians and the development of conservation planning for these taxa. No copyright or proprietary restrictions are associated with the use of this data set other than citation of this Data Paper.

Forest edges influence more than half of the world’s forests and contribute to worldwide declines in biodiversity and
ecosystem functions. However, predicting these declines is challenging in heterogeneous fragmented landscapes. Here
we assembled a global dataset on species responses to fragmentation and developed a statistical approach for quantifying
edge impacts in heterogeneous landscapes to quantify edge-determined changes in abundance of 1,673 vertebrate species.
We show that the abundances of 85% of species are affected, either positively or negatively, by forest edges. Species that
live in the centre of the forest (forest core), that were more likely to be listed as threatened by the International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN), reached peak abundances only at sites farther than 200–400 m from sharp high-contrast
forest edges. Smaller-bodied amphibians, larger reptiles and medium-sized non-volant mammals experienced a larger
reduction in suitable habitat than other forest-core species. Our results highlight the pervasive ability of forest edges to
restructure ecological communities on a global scale.

We sampled the snake fauna in 13 landscapes along 80 km of highway and in the adjacent vegetation cover in the Colombian Llanos. We registered 119 snakes belonging to 33 species. Traffic levels significantly influenced rates of snake road kill, while adjacent vegetation cover, rainfall seasonality, and landscape structure and composition did not. We classified the species into seven ecological groups based upon foraging strategy, body length, and habitat preferences. Although most of the road-killed species had an active foraging strategy, all of the ecological groups contained some species that were killed on the highway, as well as some species that inhabited adjacent vegetation cover but that were not detected on the highway. The different ecological groups were not associated with different landscape characteristics. Six of the 13 landscapes that presented the lowest species richness of road-killed species had a different ecological group represented by each of the species docum...

La rana de hojarasca de párpados verdes (Eupsophus emiliopugini) posee su límite de distribución sur en la Isla Clemente, Reserva Nacional Las Guaitecas en la región de Aysén. Aquí recopilamos los registros de la región de Aysén provenientes de diversas expediciones y literatura publicada, aumentando el rango de distribución en 100 km al sur de lo previamente reportado.

3D model of the Three-Toed Earless Skink lizard brain highlighting the anatomy and the spatial arrangement of its major subdivisions.

The brain reconstruction was obtained from a microCT scan of a iodine-stained specimen through manual segmentation using the software Amira 5.5.0.

1. Species recovery after forest disturbance is a highly studied topic in the tropics, but considerable debate remains on the role of secondary forests as biodiversity repositories, especially regarding the functional and phylogenetic dimensions of biodiversity. Also, studies generally overlook how alpha and beta diversities interact to produce gamma diversity along successional gradients. 2. We used a metacommunity approach to assess how species sorting (i.e., environmental filtering) and mass effect (i.e., source-sink dynamics) affect 14 complementary metrics of amphibian taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity along a successional gradient in southern Mexico. As amphibians have narrow environmental tolerances and low dispersal capabilities, we expected that species sorting may be relatively more important than mass effect in structuring amphibian communities. 3. Between 2010 and 2012, we sampled frogs, salamanders, and caecilians in 23 communities distributed in four successional stages: young (2-5 years old) and intermediate (13-28 years old) secondary forests, old-growth forest fragments, and old-growth continuous forest. We assessed 15 ecologically relevant functional traits per species and used a time-calibrated molecular phylogeny. 4. We recorded 1,672 individuals belonging to 30 species and 11 families. Supporting our expectations from the species sorting perspective, from the poorest (younger forests) to the best quality (continuous forest) scenarios, we observed (a) an increase in alpha diversity regardless of species abundances; (b) a clear taxonomic segregation across successional stages; (c) an increase in functional richness and dispersion; (d) an increase in mean phylogenetic distance and nearest taxon index; and (e) a reduction in mean nearest taxon distance. However, 10 species occurred in all successional stages, resulting in relatively low beta diversity. This supports a

Predation can drive significant effect upon the community structure. However, the observation and documentation of this ecological interaction is occasional and yet scarce for many groups. Our goal here is to report the predation of Dermatonotus muelleri (Boettger, 1885) by Guira guira (Gmelin, JF, 1788). Because G. guira diet frequently includes small vertebrates we believe that this species may act as an important regulator of D. muelleri population. This predation report can input insights about the knowledge of interactions of Microhylidae Günther, 1858 (1843) members and others species.

—Most existing studies on the White-lipped Mud Turtle, Kinosternon leucostomum, have been based on northern Central American populations, leaving a lack of information on populations from southern Central America and South America. Herein we studied morphology, diet, and population structure of a population of the southern Kinosternon leucostomum postinguinale inhabiting four creeks in Colombia. Observed habitats used were highly variable, ranging from relatively clean waters to streams used for sewage disposal of wastewater from a human settlement. Body size was smaller than that of other populations of southern K. l. postinguinale and also than that of the northern K. l. leucostomum. Sexual dimorphism was evident, with males heavier, longer, and wider than females. Body size was associated with the habitat of origin, with Barrio Nuevo individuals being the largest. The main components of the diet were plant material, insects, snails, and algae. We did not find evidence of sexual differences in the diet, but we found geographic differences in the body size. The population with the largest individuals, from Barrio Nuevo Creek, consumed more snails while those from Totumo Creek, the population with the smallest individuals, consumed more ants and plant material as compared to the other creeks. Additionally, we found a highly male-biased sex ratio, with 2.5 adult males per female, very few juveniles, and no nests, which suggests a dangerous risk of population decline. We suggest continued monitoring of the demography of this population, emphasizing its reproductive biology. Resumen.—La informacíon existente sobre la Tortuga Tapaculo, Kinosternon leucostomum, ha sido generalmente basada en las poblaciones del norte de Centro América, dejando un desconocimiento sobre las poblaciones del sur de Centro Amé rica y Sur América. En este trabajo nosotros documentamos la morfología, dieta, y estructura de una poblacíon de la subespecie del sur K. l. postinguinale que habita en 4 quebradas en Colombia. Los hábitats observados fueron muy variables, desde quebradas relativamente limpias hasta quebradas que reciben aguas negras de asentamientos humanos. El tamañ o corporal fue menor a lo reportado por otras poblaciones de la misma subespecie e incluso de la subespecie del norte, K. l. leucostomum. El dimorfismo sexual fue evidente, con machos má s pesados, largos, y anchos que las hembras. El tamañ o corporal estuvo asociado al hábitat de origen, siendo las tortugas de Barrio Nuevo las más grandes. La dieta estuvo compuesta de material vegetal, insectos, caracoles, y algas. Nosotros no encontramos diferencias sexuales en la dieta pero si diferencias geográ ficas en el tamañ o. Las tortugas de Barrio Nuevo que fueron las más grandes consumieron más caracoles, mientras que las tortugas más pequeñ as de El Totumo consumieron más plantas y hormigas en comparacíon con los otras quebradas. Adicionalmente, encontramos una proporcíon sexual sesgada hacia los machos, con 2.5 machos por hembra, muy pocos juveniles y ning´un nido, lo que sugiere un riesgo peligroso de disminucíon poblacional. Recomendamos un monitoreo continuo de la demografía de esta poblacíon y sobre su biología reproductiva en particular.

We studied Hysiboas atlanticus reproduction through its spawning characteristics, sexual size dimorphism and mating behaviour, including courtship call. Between July 2009 and August 2011, we made monthly observations on an H. atlanticus population, in the Michelin Ecological Reserve, municipality of Igrapiúna, BA, Brazil. The species vocalized throughout all months of observation. The abundance of calling males was not related to any environmental variables analyzed. Males were significantly larger and heavier than females. This sexual dimorphism is probably related to the evolution of behaviour exhibited during oviposition, including "forward and backward" female and male movements made at the time of egg laying to align their respective vents. Egg size, number and spawning mass were not significantly related to female size. The courtship call was similar to the advertisement call, but had a larger duration, with higher number of notes, faster rate of note emission and lower sound pressure level.

We sampled the snake fauna in 13 landscapes along 80 km of highway and in the adjacent vegetation cover in the Colombian Llanos. We registered 119 snakes belonging to 33 species. Traffic levels significantly influenced rates of snake road kill, while adjacent vegetation cover, rainfall seasonality, and landscape structure and composition did not. We classified the species into seven ecological groups based upon foraging strategy, body length, and habitat preferences. Although most of the road-killed species had an active foraging strategy, all of the ecological groups contained some species that were killed on the highway, as well as some species that inhabited adjacent vegetation cover but that were not detected on the highway. The different ecological groups were not associated with different landscape characteristics. Six of the 13 landscapes that presented the lowest species richness of road-killed species had a different ecological group represented by each of the species docum...

Biodiversity today is uneven, with equally ancient sister groups containing few or many species. It has often been assumed that high biodiversity indicates fast evolution, and yet in a classic work in 1944 George Simpson suggested that fast evolution might generate instability and extinction, and that slow evolution led to high biodiversity. Here we show that evolutionary rates can vary substantially through the history of a clade and find evidence for Simpson’s claim. In a comparative phylogenetic study deploying Bayesian methods, we find that Squamata, comprising today over 10 000 species of lizards and snakes, showed slow rates of evolution in the first two-thirds of their history, whereas their sister clade, Rhynchocephalia, comprising just one living species, showed high rates of evolution in the past. Slow and steady won the race for the Mesozoic squamates, and the high-rate boom and bust existence of rhynchocephalians at that time leaves them with a single survivor. We need to explore other cases where fast evolution can lead to short-term high diversification, but in the end long-term low biodiversity.

The Mexican small-headed rattlesnake (Crotalus intermedius) is composed of three recognized subspecies that occur disjunctly in the central and southern highlands of Mexico. Only four species-specific prey items are reported in the literature for C. intermedius at present. To gain further insights, we dissected museum specimens housed in the University of Illinois Museum of Natural History Herpetology Collection for stomach contents and report the prey items discovered. Of the 23 specimens examined, seven contained prey, all of which were lizards of the genus Sceloporus. As a result, we report two novel prey to the known dietary breadth of C. intermedius. Furthermore, our findings, in conjunction with published literature, suggest that Sceloporus spp. are the predominant food source of C. intermedius. Due to this apparent diet specialization, the status of C. intermedius likely depends heavily on the persistence of prey populations, and for this reason, improving natural history kno...

Consciente de que las posibilidades de que una nueva especie biológica para la ciencia sea nombrada en mi honor son extremadamente cercanas a cero, no me queda otra alternativa que escribir al respecto para conocer algunos casos emblemáticos y cercanos. Sabemos que cada especie biológica recibe un nombre científico al momento de ser descrita por primera vez para ser anunciada como nueva para la ciencia o cuando finalmente se define su situación taxonómica. La denominación que recibe es como su documento único de identidad y hará que la especie o subespecie se pueda distinguir de otras para que no haya duplicidad, homonimias, confusiones ni ninguno de esos problemas humanos.

Some preliminary data on Podarcis filfolensis of Lampione Islet are given. Estimated density was 75-80 individuals per 100 m 2. Most part of the lizards had the tail broken or regenerated. The diet was mainly based on ar-thropods, and Formicidae (42%) and Coleoptera (23%) represented the main prey-groups. Vegetal matter was found in 61% of the examined faecal pellets, and plant consumption resulted widespread at all levels of this population .

Abstract.—We report the rediscovery of Andinophryne olallai, an endangered species only known from a single specimen, collected in 1970. At the type locality, Tandayapa, Pichincha Province, numerous follow-up surveys after 1970 failed to record the species suggesting that the population is extinct. The rediscovery of A. olallai took place in 2012 at Río Manduriacu, Imbabura Province, Ecuador. Two surveys suggest that a healthy population of A. olallai survives at the site, with observations of froglets, juveniles, and adults across numerous stream systems. However, the extent of known occupancy of the population is small (<1 km2). Further data are presented to update knowledge of the distribution, ontogeny, morphology, and conservation status of the species. The population at Río Manduriacu is surrounded by logging, mining, and hydroelectric developments that could compromise its future survival. There is an urgent need to establish a monitoring program and to protect its remaining population and habitat in the region.