Telmatobius vilamensis

Telmatobius vilamensis is a species of frog in the family Telmatobiidae. It is endemic to northern Chile and only known from its type locality, Río Vilama near San Pedro de Atacama.[1][3] The specific name vilamensis refers to the type locality.[2]

Telmatobius vilamensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Telmatobiidae
Genus: Telmatobius
Species:
T. vilamensis
Binomial name
Telmatobius vilamensis
Formas, Benavides, and Cuevas, 2003[2]

Description

Adult males measure 45–51 mm (1.8–2.0 in) and adult females 38–48 mm (1.5–1.9 in) in snout–vent length. The body shape is lean and hydrodynamic. The head is large, broad, and depressed. The snout is subovoid in dorsal view and prominently pointed laterally. No tympanum is present but the supratympanic fold is moderately developed. The fingers have rounded tips and no webbing, but the middle fingers have lateral fringes. The toes have rounded tips and are webbed. The dorsum is dark green with dark brown spots. The venter and throat are white.[2]

The largest tadpoles (Gosner stage 35) are 84 mm (3.3 in) in total length. The maximum body length is 34 mm (1.3 in).[2]

Telmatobius vilamensis is only known from its type locality near San Pedro de Atacama in northern Chile.

Habitat and conservation

The type locality is a montane river in a semidesert area with scarce vegetation[2] at 2,500 m (8,200 ft) above sea level[1] (3110 m in the original publication[2]). The specimens were collected with a net below aquatic plants on the banks of the river. Tadpoles were found along with the adults.[2]

This species has a very limited know range, within which it is threatened by water pollution caused by mining activities. Additional threats are abstraction of water for human consumption and agriculture, as well as recreational activities. It is not known from any protected areas.[1]

References
  1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2015). "Telmatobius vilamensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T57368A79813874. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T57368A79813874.en.
  2. Formas, J. Ramón; Benavides, Edgar & Cuevas, César (2003). "A new species of Telmatobius (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from Río Vilama, northern Chile, and the redescription of T. halli Noble". Herpetologica. 59 (2): 253–270. doi:10.1655/0018-0831(2003)059[0253:ANSOTA]2.0.CO;2.
  3. Frost, Darrel R. (2018). "Telmatobius vilamensis Formas, Benavides, and Cuevas, 2003". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
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