Publicado

2019-05-01

Water-bug (Abedus SP.; Belostomatidae) Predation on the Critically Endangered Atelopus varius (Bufonidae) at Las Tablas Protected Zone, Costa Rica

Depredación por el Chinche de Agua (Abedus sp.; Belostomatidae) sobre el Críticamente Amenazado Atelopus varius (Bufonidae) en la Zona Protectora Las Tablas, Costa Rica

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15446/abc.v24n2.76924

Palabras clave:

Extinction, harlequin frog, trophic ecology (en)
Ecología trófica, extinción, rana arlequín (es)

Autores/as

  • José F. González-Maya ProCAT Internacional & Sierra to Sea Institute Costa Rica https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8942-5157
  • Diego A. Gómez-Hoyos ProCAT Internacional & Sierra to Sea Institute Costa Rica
  • Rocio Seisdedos-de-Vergara ProCAT Internacional & Sierra to Sea Institute Costa Rica
  • Iván Cruz-Lizano Ambyeco Consultores
  • Jan Schipper Arizona Center for Nature Conservation – Phoenix Zoo

Atelopus varius was believed to be extinct in Costa Rica until the rediscovery of a population within the Las Tablas Protected Zone (LTPZ) in 2008. This rediscovery represented a research and conservation opportunity, including contributing new information about the species´ natural history. There are few reported species that prey on A. varius. This report presents a new predation record by a species of water bug (Abedus spp.) on an adult harlequin frog (A. varius). This is only the second confirmed predator for the species. These water bugs have been reported to prey on anurans during reproductive seasons, but in this case, the event occurred on A. varius out of their reproductive season. The effects of water bug predation on the only known reproductive population of this Critically Endangered species needs to be assessed to consider appropriate conservation measures to prevent further decline of the species.

Atelopus varius se consideró extinto en Costa Rica, hasta el redescubrimiento de una población en la Zona Protectora Las Tablas (ZPLT). Este hallazgo representa una oportunidad de investigación y conservación, incluyendo contribuir nueva información acerca de la historia natural de la especie. Hay pocas especies reportadas que depredan A. varius. Este reporte presenta un registro de depredación del chinche de agua (Abedus spp.), sobre un adulto de Sapo Arlequín (A. varius), como el segundo depredador confirmado de la especie. Usualmente, los chinches de agua depredan anuros durante su época reproductiva, pero este evento ocurrió fuera de la época reproductiva de A. varius. Los efectos de la depredación de chinches acuáticos sobre la única población reproductiva conocida de esta especie críticamente amenazada necesitan ser evaluados para considerar acciones de conservación.

Referencias

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Cómo citar

APA

González-Maya, J. F., Gómez-Hoyos, D. A., Seisdedos-de-Vergara, R., Cruz-Lizano, I. & Schipper, J. (2019). Water-bug (Abedus SP.; Belostomatidae) Predation on the Critically Endangered Atelopus varius (Bufonidae) at Las Tablas Protected Zone, Costa Rica. Acta Biológica Colombiana, 24(2), 403–406. https://doi.org/10.15446/abc.v24n2.76924

ACM

[1]
González-Maya, J.F., Gómez-Hoyos, D.A., Seisdedos-de-Vergara, R., Cruz-Lizano, I. y Schipper, J. 2019. Water-bug (Abedus SP.; Belostomatidae) Predation on the Critically Endangered Atelopus varius (Bufonidae) at Las Tablas Protected Zone, Costa Rica. Acta Biológica Colombiana. 24, 2 (may 2019), 403–406. DOI:https://doi.org/10.15446/abc.v24n2.76924.

ACS

(1)
González-Maya, J. F.; Gómez-Hoyos, D. A.; Seisdedos-de-Vergara, R.; Cruz-Lizano, I.; Schipper, J. Water-bug (Abedus SP.; Belostomatidae) Predation on the Critically Endangered Atelopus varius (Bufonidae) at Las Tablas Protected Zone, Costa Rica. Acta biol. Colomb. 2019, 24, 403-406.

ABNT

GONZÁLEZ-MAYA, J. F.; GÓMEZ-HOYOS, D. A.; SEISDEDOS-DE-VERGARA, R.; CRUZ-LIZANO, I.; SCHIPPER, J. Water-bug (Abedus SP.; Belostomatidae) Predation on the Critically Endangered Atelopus varius (Bufonidae) at Las Tablas Protected Zone, Costa Rica. Acta Biológica Colombiana, [S. l.], v. 24, n. 2, p. 403–406, 2019. DOI: 10.15446/abc.v24n2.76924. Disponível em: https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/actabiol/article/view/76924. Acesso em: 6 mar. 2026.

Chicago

González-Maya, José F., Diego A. Gómez-Hoyos, Rocio Seisdedos-de-Vergara, Iván Cruz-Lizano, y Jan Schipper. 2019. «Water-bug (Abedus SP.; Belostomatidae) Predation on the Critically Endangered Atelopus varius (Bufonidae) at Las Tablas Protected Zone, Costa Rica». Acta Biológica Colombiana 24 (2):403-6. https://doi.org/10.15446/abc.v24n2.76924.

Harvard

González-Maya, J. F., Gómez-Hoyos, D. A., Seisdedos-de-Vergara, R., Cruz-Lizano, I. y Schipper, J. (2019) «Water-bug (Abedus SP.; Belostomatidae) Predation on the Critically Endangered Atelopus varius (Bufonidae) at Las Tablas Protected Zone, Costa Rica», Acta Biológica Colombiana, 24(2), pp. 403–406. doi: 10.15446/abc.v24n2.76924.

IEEE

[1]
J. F. González-Maya, D. A. Gómez-Hoyos, R. Seisdedos-de-Vergara, I. Cruz-Lizano, y J. Schipper, «Water-bug (Abedus SP.; Belostomatidae) Predation on the Critically Endangered Atelopus varius (Bufonidae) at Las Tablas Protected Zone, Costa Rica», Acta biol. Colomb., vol. 24, n.º 2, pp. 403–406, may 2019.

MLA

González-Maya, J. F., D. A. Gómez-Hoyos, R. Seisdedos-de-Vergara, I. Cruz-Lizano, y J. Schipper. «Water-bug (Abedus SP.; Belostomatidae) Predation on the Critically Endangered Atelopus varius (Bufonidae) at Las Tablas Protected Zone, Costa Rica». Acta Biológica Colombiana, vol. 24, n.º 2, mayo de 2019, pp. 403-6, doi:10.15446/abc.v24n2.76924.

Turabian

González-Maya, José F., Diego A. Gómez-Hoyos, Rocio Seisdedos-de-Vergara, Iván Cruz-Lizano, y Jan Schipper. «Water-bug (Abedus SP.; Belostomatidae) Predation on the Critically Endangered Atelopus varius (Bufonidae) at Las Tablas Protected Zone, Costa Rica». Acta Biológica Colombiana 24, no. 2 (mayo 1, 2019): 403–406. Accedido marzo 6, 2026. https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/actabiol/article/view/76924.

Vancouver

1.
González-Maya JF, Gómez-Hoyos DA, Seisdedos-de-Vergara R, Cruz-Lizano I, Schipper J. Water-bug (Abedus SP.; Belostomatidae) Predation on the Critically Endangered Atelopus varius (Bufonidae) at Las Tablas Protected Zone, Costa Rica. Acta biol. Colomb. [Internet]. 1 de mayo de 2019 [citado 6 de marzo de 2026];24(2):403-6. Disponible en: https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/actabiol/article/view/76924

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CrossRef Cited-by

CrossRef citations2

1. Amadeus Plewnia, Stefan Lötters, Samuel Gomides, Massimo De Agrò, Daniela C. Rößler. (2024). Sex-specific ventral dichromatism and melanization in harlequin toads (Atelopus): a common but overlooked character of unknown function. Evolutionary Ecology, 38(5), p.571. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-024-10288-2.

2. Kannon C. Pearson, Rebecca D. Tarvin. (2022). A review of chemical defense in harlequin toads (Bufonidae: Atelopus). Toxicon: X, 13, p.100092. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxcx.2022.100092.

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