Puerto Rican crested toad
The Puerto Rican crested toad (Peltophryne lemur), or simply Puerto Rican toad, is a species of toad found only in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.[2] It is the only species of toad native to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The species formerly occurred in Virgin Gorda and along the southern and northern karst in Puerto Rico.[3] It is listed as a threatened by the US Fish and Wildlife Service due to habitat loss and introduced species. At one period of time it was believed to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1966. The IUCN has the species listed as critically endangered.[1]
Puerto Rican crested toad | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Order: | Anura |
Family: | Bufonidae |
Genus: | Peltophryne |
Species: | P. lemur |
Binomial name | |
Peltophryne lemur Cope, 1869 | |
Synonyms | |
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Conservation
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, and the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums have worked together to create a captive breeding program run by the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums. In 2013, the group released 71,000 tadpoles and 520 toadlets across three locations. The group has released 260,000 tadpoles over the last twenty years.[4]
In November 2019 the first Puerto Rican crested toad was born as a result of In vitro.[5][6]
References
- Ariadne Angulo (2010). "Peltophryne lemur". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T54345A11127094. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-2.RLTS.T54345A11127094.en.
- Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Peltophryne lemur Cope, 1869". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
- Bob Johnson. "Recovery of the Puerto Rican Crested Toad" (PDF). Endangered Species Bulletin. fws.gov. Retrieved November 27, 2006.
- Carlos Pacheco (17 January 2013). "The Puerto Rican Crested Toad". Retrieved 19 March 2015.
- "Primer sapo concho puertorriqueño nacido a través de fertilización in vitro". WIPR (in Spanish). November 22, 2019.
- "Sapo concho puertorriqueño". DRNA (in Spanish). November 18, 2015.