REDISCOVERED! The Spine-fingered Treefrog is ALIVE

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HERP.MX
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Joined: June 30th, 2014, 10:47 pm
Location: Mexico
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REDISCOVERED! The Spine-fingered Treefrog is ALIVE

Post by HERP.MX »

REDISCOVERED!
The Spine-fingered Treefrog is ALIVE

Despite failed attempts to locate this species over the past 30 years, and reports that the frog may have gone extinct, the HERP.MX Field Team was thrilled to discover the Spine-fingered Treefrog (Charadrahyla trux) alive on a creek-side mossy rock in the highlands of Guerrero this week.

Charadrahyla trux was described in 1972 by Kraig Adler and David M. Dennis based on a series of specimens collected between 1760 and 2120m in the Sierra Madre del Sur (http://herp.mx/pubs/1972-Adler-Dennis-C ... a-trux.pdf). A handful of frogs were later observed in the 70's in the vicinity of the type locality, but repeat searches in the decades that followed came up empty handed. This prompted a 2004 assessment to suggest that the species may have been extirpated (http://herp.mx/pubs/2004-Santos-Barrera ... a-trux.pdf) and the IUCN currently lists the species as critically endangered and possibly extinct in the wild.

With all the bad news in the amphibian world, it's encouraging to find a species that appears to be holding on. We're currently exploring conservation options and any advice or recommendations are appreciated.

Image

-HERP.MX
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jgjulander
Posts: 51
Joined: October 19th, 2010, 1:38 pm

Re: REDISCOVERED! The Spine-fingered Treefrog is ALIVE

Post by jgjulander »

Wow! Great find! Not every day you get to find an extinct species.
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Paul Freed
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Joined: November 10th, 2013, 12:14 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest (Oregon) U.S.

Re: REDISCOVERED! The Spine-fingered Treefrog is ALIVE

Post by Paul Freed »

That is a fantastic find (and a great photo)! Have you been in touch with Robin Moore, the author of the book: "In Search of Lost Frogs", he would be very interested in knowing of your rediscovery.
-Paul
NACairns
Posts: 372
Joined: December 30th, 2013, 7:27 am

Re: REDISCOVERED! The Spine-fingered Treefrog is ALIVE

Post by NACairns »

I'm really enjoying your posts and pictures. Great to see some of the diversity upland Mexico has to offer.
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