Aromobates meridensis (Dole and Durant 1972) *

Holotype: MBUCV 6168.

Type locality: “ Chorotal, 15 km. al SE de La Azulita, 1,880 m, Estado Mérida, Venezuela.”

Distribution: Region 1. Southwestern Sierra de la Culata, Mérida, 1,800 to 3,300 m asl. Recently reported along the way from Mérida to El Morro (Image 74B).

Remarks: This species has received some attention (Barrio-Amorós et al. 2010; La Marca and Otero 2012). The first authors reported a surviving population of around 56 to 129 adults in 2006, and redescribed the species from topotypic material. That population had a high presence of fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Lampo et al. 2008; Barrio-Amorós and Lampo 2009). La Marca and Otero (2012) also redescribed the species based on the holotype and clarified the confusion regarding the catalog data of the type series and commented on its conservation status.

Selected references: Dole and Durant (1972); Rivero (1988); La Marca (1991a “1994”); Myers et al. (1991); Mijares and La Marca (1997); Barrio-Amorós (2001c); Lampo et al. (2008); Barrio-Amorós and Lampo (2009); Barrio-Amorós et al. (2010g); Barrio-Amorós and Santos (2012); La Marca and Otero (2012).