New Conservation Status for Data-Deficient Endemic Mammals of East Africa

Abstract Few marine taxa have been comprehensively assessed for their conservation status, despite heavy pressures from fishing, habitat degradation and climate change. Here we report on the first global assessment of extinction risk for 300 species of syngnathiform fishes known as of 2017, using the IUCN Red List criteria. This order of bony teleosts is dominated by seahorses, pipefishes and seadragons (family Syngnathidae). It also includes trumpetfishes (Aulostomidae), shrimpfishes (Centriscidae), cornetfishes (Fistulariidae) and ghost pipefishes (Solenostomidae). At least 6% are threatened, but data suggest a mid-point estimate of 7.9% and an upper bound of 38%. Most of the threatened species are seahorses (Hippocampus spp.: 14/42 species, with an additional 17 that are Data Deficient) or freshwater pipefishes of the genus Microphis (2/18 species, with seven additional that are Data Deficient). Two species are Near Threatened. Nearly one-third of syngnathiformes (97 species) are Data Deficient and could potentially be threatened, requiring further field research and evaluation. Most species (61%) were, however, evaluated as Least Concern. Primary threats to syngnathids are (1) overexploitation, primarily by non-selective fisheries, for which most assessments were determined by criterion A (Hippocampus) and/or (2) habitat loss and degradation, for which assessments were determined by criterion B (Microphis and some Hippocampus). Threatened species occurred in most regions but more are found in East and South-east Asia and in South African estuaries. Vital conservation action for syngnathids, including constraining fisheries, particularly non-selective extraction, and habitat protection and rehabilitation, will benefit many other aquatic species.

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Distribution update, conservation status and color in life of the rare Amazonian snake, Eutrachelophis papilio Zaher and Prudente 2019 (Serpentes: Xenodontini)

Acta Amazonica ◽

10.1590/1809-4392202001611 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 50 (3) ◽

pp. 252-255

Author(s):

Nathalie CITELI ◽

Mariana DE-CARVALHO ◽

Reuber BRANDÃO

Keyword(s):

Convex Polygon ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Biological Data ◽

Distribution Area ◽

Minimum Convex Polygon ◽

Human Footprint ◽

Data Deficient ◽

First Time ◽

Polygon Method ◽

Anthropic Pressure

ABSTRACT The rare Amazonian snake Eutrachelophis papilio is known from only five individuals, from four localities, belonging to its type-series, the more recent collected over 10 years ago. Here, we expand its distribution and describe its color in life for the first time. We also provide an estimate of its distribution area using the minimum convex polygon method and identify the values of anthropic pressure within its known distribution range with the Human Footprint Index. The new occurrence is located 291 km from the nearest known locality and its distribution is associated with pristine forests. Considering its rarity, and the absence of demographic and biological data, we suggest that the species should be classified as Data Deficient by IUCN criteria.

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First records of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from Son La city, Northwestern Vietnam, with remarks on their conservation status

ACADEMIA JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY ◽

10.15625/2615-9023/v41n3.13971 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 41 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Dao Nhan Loi

Keyword(s):

Threatened Species ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Farming Area ◽

Northwestern Region ◽

Data Deficient ◽

The City

Son La is a well-known city in the Northwestern region of Vietnam for its outstanding landscapes. It contains a variety of ecosystems ranging from farming area, valleys, forests on hills and karst with cave systems. Natural habitats of the city would be suitable for many bat species. However, bats of the city were not included in any literature. Between March 2014 and June 2018, we conducted a series of bat surveys in this city using mist nets and harp traps. Results from our study indicated that Son La city is a home to at least 21 bat species belonging to 9 genera, 6 families. Of which, Rhinolophus thomasi was listed as “VU” (Vulnerable) in the 2007 Red Book of Vietnam and Myotis annamiticus was listed in the IUCN Redlist of the Threatened Species as “DD” (Data Deficient). This paper provides the first data on bats of Son La city with morphological measurements and conservation status of each recorded species.

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Recent Progress in Taxonomic Studies, Biogeographic Analysis, and Revised Checklist of Amphibians in Indochina

Russian Journal of Herpetology ◽

10.30906/1026-2296-2021-28-3a-1-110 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 28 (3A) ◽

pp. 1-110

Author(s):

Nikolay A. Poyarkov ◽

Tan Van Nguyen ◽

Evgeniy S. Popov ◽

Peter Geissler ◽

Parinya Pawangkhanant ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Conservation Status ◽

Distribution Patterns ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Type Specimens ◽

Amphibian Species ◽

Biogeographic Patterns ◽

South Vietnam ◽

Data Deficient ◽

Iucn Red List Criteria ◽

Annotated Checklist

The Indochinese Peninsula is recognized as one of the key global biodiversity hotspots. The amphibian fauna of Indochina (including Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand) is one of the richest in the world. About 60% of the known species were described within the last 20 years. We review the literature and our data to assess all recent discoveries and taxonomic changes and compile the first annotated checklist of the amphibian fauna of Indochina since the middle of the 20th century, including updated faunal lists for Vietnam and Thailand. Amphibian checklists for Laos and Cambodia are published for the first time. For each species we provide the following information: scientific name; recommended common name in English; information on type specimens; type locality; data on its distribution within Indochina and beyond; IUCN conservation status; taxonomic comment and the most important references. We review the distribution of each species across the 23 biogeographic subregions of Indochina, estimate the similarity among the regional faunas and evaluate their species richness and endemism. In total we record 423 amphibian species belonging to three orders, 11 families and 71 genera; 199 species (47%) are endemic to Indochina. Comprising 270 known species, the amphibian fauna of Vietnam is the richest (98 endemics, 36.3%), followed by Thailand with 194 species (29 endemics, 14.9%), Laos with 121 species (13 endemics, 10.7%), and Cambodia with 72 species (6 endemics, 8.3%). A cluster analysis of faunal similarity between the subregions shows two major assemblages, divided by the Isthmus of Kra. Within the northern mainland portion of Indochina three clusters can be distinguished: (1) northeastern and northwestern uplands of Vietnam and northern Laos; (2) Northern, Central, and Southern Annamites, the Bolaven Plateau, and central-south Vietnam lowlands; (3) western Indochinese subregions. We identify the Northeast and Northwest Uplands of Vietnam, the Northern, Central and Southern Annamites, the Cardamom Mountains, the mountains of Northeast Thailand, Northern Tenasserim and southern Peninsular Thailand as nine major centers of diversity and endemism of Indochinese amphibians. The analysis of amphibian distribution patterns across Indochina suggests the presence of 14 chorotypes grouped in five major range types. Our results underline the role of Indochina as a key area for amphibian diversity and conservation. Among 423 species of Indochinese amphibians, 152 species (35.9%) were considered as data deficient (DD) or were not evaluated (NE) according to the IUCN Red List criteria; while 76 species (18.0%) were considered vulnerable (VU), endangered (EN) or critically endangered (CR), 20 species (4.7%) were considered to be near threatened (NT), and 175 species (41.4%) to be of the least concern (LC). Our study thus has implications for further conservation efforts on regional and global levels, as well as for understanding the biogeographic patterns of amphibian richness and endemism in Asia.

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Biology, Management, and Conservation of Lampreys in North America

Biology, Management, and Conservation of Lampreys in North America ◽

10.47886/9781934874134.ch18 ◽

2009 ◽

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Sea Lamprey ◽

Great Lakes Basin ◽

Brook Lamprey ◽

The Status ◽

Lethenteron Camtschaticum ◽

Special Concern ◽

Data Deficient ◽

Lamprey Species

Abstract.—There are 11 lamprey species in Canada: Vancouver lamprey Entosphenus macrostomus (formerly Lampetra macrostoma), Pacific lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus (formerly Lampetra tridentata), chestnut lamprey Ichthyomyzon castaneus, northern brook lamprey Ichthyomyzon fossor, silver lamprey Ichthtyomyzon unicuspis, river lamprey Lampetra ayresii, western brook lamprey Lampetra richardsoni, Alaskan brook lamprey Lethenteron alaskense, American brook lamprey Lethenteron appendix (formerly Lampetra appendix), Arctic lamprey Lethenteron camtschaticum (formerly Lampetra camtschatica), and sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus. Entosphenus and Lethenteron were previously synonymized with Lampetra, but Nelson (2006) recognized these as three distinct genera. Conservation status has been assessed in only five species and in two of these (western brook lamprey and chestnut lamprey), only for portions of their Canadian population. The 2007 Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada list indicates that the enigmatic population of western brook lamprey in Morrison Creek, British Columbia, is endangered; the Vancouver lamprey in British Columbia is threatened; the chestnut lamprey in Saskatchewan and Manitoba is special concern; the northern brook lamprey in Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec is of special concern in the latter two provinces and data deficient in the former; and the Alaskan brook lamprey in the Northwest Territories is data deficient. The threats to the four species at risk were collectively related to habitat degradation and loss, sensitivity to a catastrophic event, and sensitivity to lampricide used to control the invasive sea lamprey in the Great Lakes basin. Despite much lamprey work being conducted in the past decade, there still remain a number of knowledge gaps. These gaps include unequivocal evidence as to whether parasitic and nonparasitic members of a paired species should be considered distinct species and information on the distribution and population sizes and trends of the native lamprey species.

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Conservation Status of Brachycephalus Toadlets (Anura: Brachycephalidae) from the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d11090150 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 150

Author(s):

Marcos R. Bornschein ◽

Marcio R. Pie ◽

Larissa Teixeira

Keyword(s):

Conservation Status ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Critically Endangered ◽

Atlantic Rainforest ◽

Minimum Convex Polygon ◽

Iucn Red List Categories ◽

Data Deficient ◽

Polygon Method ◽

Official Recognition ◽

Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest

The number of described anurans has increased continuously, with many newly described species determined to be at risk. Most of these new species inhabit hotspots and are under threat of habitat loss, such as Brachycephalus, a genus of small toadlets that inhabits the litter of the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. Of 36 known species, 22 were described in the last decade, but only 11 have been assessed according to the IUCN Red List categories, with just one currently listed as Critically Endangered. All available data on occurrence, distribution, density, and threats to Brachycephalus were reviewed. The species extent of occurrence was estimated using the Minimum Convex Polygon method for species with three or more records and by delimiting continuous areas within the altitudinal range of species with up to two records. These data were integrated to assess the conservation status according to the IUCN criteria. Six species have been evaluated as Critically Endangered, five as Endangered, 10 as Vulnerable, five as Least Concern, and 10 as Data Deficient. Deforestation was the most common threat to imperiled Brachycephalus species. The official recognition of these categories might be more readily adopted if the microendemic nature of their geographical distribution is taken into account.

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Rediscovery and conservation of Linaria cossonii Bonnet & Barratte (Plantaginaceae) in Tunisia

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.423.5.2 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 423 (5) ◽

pp. 284-288

Author(s):

RIDHA EL MOKNI ◽

LORENZO PERUZZI

Keyword(s):

Population Dynamics ◽

Mediterranean Region ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Red List ◽

Northern Africa ◽

Pine Forests ◽

Annual Herb ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

Data Deficient ◽

Near Threatened

The genus Linaria Miller (1754: 272) (Plantaginaceae) is the largest of tribe Antirrhineae, including ca. 150 species native to temperate regions of Europe, northern Africa, and Asia (Sáez et al. 2004, Mabberley 2008). The diversity centre of this genus is in the Mediterranean region (Sutton 1988), where 90 species occur (see e.g., Marhold 2011+). The flora of Tunisia includes 21 Linaria species and 10 subspecies, among which 6 taxa are endemic to the country (Pottier-Alapetite 1981, Le Floc’h et al. 2010, Marhold 2011+, Dobignard & Chatelain 2013, APD 2019). Tunisian endemics are still poorly known in terms of frequency, ecology and population dynamics, making difficult to assess their conservation status. Recently, the IUCN Global Red List 2018 (Valderrábano et al. 2018) assessed about 30 Tunisian taxa as Threatened (CR, EN, VU), Near Threatened (NT), and Data Deficient (DD). Among those listed in the latter category, there is Linaria cossonii Bonnet & Barratte (1896: 317), a usually annual herb up to 150 cm tall, growing within coastal sandy pine forests in the NE of Tunisia (CB & NE sensu Pottier Alapetite 1981). This species is rare and was scarcely seen after 1883, i.e. its date of first collection as derived from the protologue.

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Review of the status and conservation of tenrecs (Mammalia: Afrotheria: Tenrecidae)

Oryx ◽

10.1017/s0030605318001205 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

P. J. Stephenson ◽

Voahangy Soarimalala ◽

Steven M. Goodman ◽

Martin E. Nicoll ◽

Vonjy Andrianjakarivelo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Conservation Status ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Conservation Priorities ◽

Incidental Capture ◽

The Status ◽

Conservation Actions ◽

Data Deficient ◽

Essential Knowledge ◽

Development Objectives ◽

Near Future

Abstract The mammal family Tenrecidae (Afrotheria: Afrosoricida) is endemic to Madagascar. Here we present the conservation priorities for the 31 species of tenrec that were assessed or reassessed in 2015–2016 for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Six species (19.4%) were found to be threatened (4 Vulnerable, 2 Endangered) and one species was categorized as Data Deficient. The primary threat to tenrecs is habitat loss, mostly as a result of slash-and-burn agriculture, but some species are also threatened by hunting and incidental capture in fishing traps. In the longer term, climate change is expected to alter tenrec habitats and ranges. However, the lack of data for most tenrecs on population size, ecology and distribution, together with frequent changes in taxonomy (with many cryptic species being discovered based on genetic analyses) and the poorly understood impact of bushmeat hunting on spiny species (Tenrecinae), hinders conservation planning. Priority conservation actions are presented for Madagascar's tenrecs for the first time since 1990 and focus on conserving forest habitat (especially through improved management of protected areas) and filling essential knowledge gaps. Tenrec research, monitoring and conservation should be integrated into broader sustainable development objectives and programmes targeting higher profile species, such as lemurs, if we are to see an improvement in the conservation status of tenrecs in the near future.

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Amphisbaena mensae Catro-Mello, 2000 is a synonym of Amphisbaena talisiae Vanzolini, 1995 (Squamata: Amphisbaenia: Amphisbaenidae)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4559.1.7 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4559 (1) ◽

pp. 166 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

HENRIQUE C. COSTA ◽

ROBERTA GRABOSKI ◽

HUSSAM ZAHER

Keyword(s):

Conservation Status ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Minas Gerais ◽

Lizard Species ◽

Mato Grosso ◽

Central Brazil ◽

Data Deficient

Amphisbaena talisiae and A. mensae, two worm lizard species endemic to the Cerrado ecoregion, in central Brazil, are considered synonyms based on morphological characters. With the proposed synonymy, the name A. talisiae has priority of use over A. mensae. Amphisbaena talisiae can be distinguished from its congeners by a series of morphological characters, including a round head, three supralabial and three infralabial scales, postmalar row absent, four precloacal pores without a median hiatus, 205–234 body annuli, 17–29 caudal annuli, 10–14 dorsal and 14–18 ventral segments in a midbody annulus. The species is recorded from southeastern Mato Grosso, eastern Minas Gerais and central Tocantins states in central Brazil, and its conservation status should be changed from Data Deficient to Least Concern.

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A new species of Argostemma (Rubiaceae) with free stamens in star-shaped corolla from the Philippines

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.437.2.7 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 437 (2) ◽

pp. 113-117

Author(s):

HAO WEI C. HSU ◽

DENMARC R. ARANAS ◽

GRECEBIO JONATHAN D. ALEJANDRO ◽

SIGRID LIEDE-SCHUMANN

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Conservation Status ◽

The Philippines ◽

Type Locality ◽

Iucn Categories ◽

Data Deficient ◽

Stem Leaf ◽

A New Species

Argostemma separatum, a new species with free stamens in star-shaped corolla from Mt. Halcon Oriental Mindoro, Philippines is here described and compared with Argostemma diversifolium, the only species of the genus with this type of flower. This species is distinct from A. diversifolium by its indumentum on stem, leaf blades and calyx, smaller leaf blades, fewer flowered inflorescences, shape of stipule and calyx, red tips on corolla lobes, and color of anthers. Based on the recent IUCN categories, the conservation status of A. separatum is Data Deficient (DD) since it was only collected at the type locality.

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