Hemiphractus scutatus MG

Moraes, Leandro João Carneiro de Lima & Pavan, Dante, 2018, On the occurrence of Hemiphractus scutatus (Spix, 1824) (Anura: Hemiphractidae) in eastern Amazonia, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 151) 12 (1), pp. 5-14 : 10-11

Hemiphractus scutatus MG 011479

ent ( Siqueira and Rocha 2013) and the H. scutatus may be a target taxon for future studies testing this gradient.

Conservation

Hemiphractus scutatus is considered as “Least Concern” by IUCN due to its wide distribution and presumably large and stable populations ( Coloma et al. 2004). However, this species is rarely recorded and have poorly known population dynamics to define its conservation status, that can even vary along its wide geographic and elevational range. As the Amazon region has suffered increasing anthropic impact through the advance of cities and highways, forests fragmentation and habitat loss ( Fearnside 2015), the H. scutatus may have declining populations in most of its distribution, since they are dependents of undisturbed forests ( Rodríguez and Duellman 1994).

The specimens of H. scutatus from middle Tapajós River region may represent a unique population, recorded near and within a federal conservation unit (Parque Nacional da Amazônia), same pattern already described for Peruvian populations ( von May et al. 2009), reinforcing the need to maintain large protected forest areas in the Amazonia and adequate land-use on the unprotected ( Laurance et al. 2001). In addition to these threats, the biome has been target of dam construction in its larger rivers ( Latrubesse et al. 2017), which can negatively affect the biodiversity of the surrounding forests ( Moraes et al. 2016). The population of H. scutatus from Tapajós River is in the region affected by the construction of a large hydroelectric plant, part of a complex planned for the basin ( Fearnside 2015), thus the implementation of this project may affect the viability of this population.