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

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.

Download Full-text

The changing fates of the world's mammals

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2011.0116 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 366 (1578) ◽

pp. 2598-2610 ◽

Cited By ~ 109

Author(s):

Michael Hoffmann ◽

Jerrold L. Belant ◽

Janice S. Chanson ◽

Neil A. Cox ◽

John Lamoreux ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Captive Breeding ◽

Extinction Risk ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Red List ◽

Mammal Species ◽

International Union ◽

The Status ◽

Conservation Actions ◽

In The Wild

A recent complete assessment of the conservation status of 5487 mammal species demonstrated that at least one-fifth are at risk of extinction in the wild. We retrospectively identified genuine changes in extinction risk for mammals between 1996 and 2008 to calculate changes in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Index (RLI). Species-level trends in the conservation status of mammalian diversity reveal that extinction risk in large-bodied species is increasing, and that the rate of deterioration has been most accelerated in the Indomalayan and Australasian realms. Expanding agriculture and hunting have been the main drivers of increased extinction risk in mammals. Site-based protection and management, legislation, and captive-breeding and reintroduction programmes have led to improvements in 24 species. We contextualize these changes, and explain why both deteriorations and improvements may be under-reported. Although this study highlights where conservation actions are leading to improvements, it fails to account for instances where conservation has prevented further deteriorations in the status of the world's mammals. The continued utility of the RLI is dependent on sustained investment to ensure repeated assessments of mammals over time and to facilitate future calculations of the RLI and measurement against global targets.

Download Full-text

Conservation status of the order Rodentia of Brazil: taxonomic and biogeographical patterns

Boletim do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi Ciências Naturais ◽

10.46357/bcnaturais.v15i3.234 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

pp. 535-556

Author(s):

Thomas Edward Lacher ◽

Shelby D. McCay ◽

Gledson Vigiano Bianconi ◽

Lilianna K. Wolf ◽

Nicolette S. Roach ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Forest ◽

Spatial Data ◽

Extinction Risk ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Field Research ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Species Of Conservation Concern ◽

The Family ◽

Conservation Actions ◽

Data Deficient

The Global Mammal Assessment (GMA) evaluates the risk of extinction for all species of mammals, providing important data on their status to national and global conservation agencies and conventions. We assessed all of the species of Brazilian rodents as part of the GMA activities of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) Small Mammal Specialist Group. A total of 234 species were evaluated against the IUCN Red List Criteria and placed into one of eight categories. Although rodents do not have elevated extinction risk compared to mammals as a whole, several families of caviomorph rodents have high levels of either threat, data deficiency, or both. The family Echimyidae has a large number of species and one-third of those either are species of conservation concern or data deficient. The family Ctenomyidae also is of concern in this regard. There are also strong geographic patterns to threat and poor knowledge. The focal areas for conservation effort are the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado, and for Data Deficient species Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and Amazonia, in particular the eastern Amazon. The results highlight the need for targeted field research and the application of ecological and spatial data to the development of conservation actions.

Download Full-text

Amphibians Diversity in Sulap Hill and Watervang Dam, Lubuklinggau

Jurnal Biodjati ◽

10.15575/biodjati.v5i1.5340 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 153-163

Author(s):

Zico Fakhrur Rozi ◽

Dian Samitra

Keyword(s):

Data Analysis ◽

Diversity Index ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Biology Education ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Amphibian Species ◽

Evenness Index ◽

The Status ◽

Data Deficient ◽

Polypedates Leucomystax

Sulap Hill and Watervang Dam are located in the central of the city of Lubuklinggau, South Sumatra Province, which has a variety of organisms, including amphibians. This study aimed to determine the diversity of amphibian species in the area of Sulap Hill and Watervang Dam Lubuklinggau City. This research was conducted from June to August 2018. Data collection was an exploration method-combined visual encounter survey (VES). The samples obtained were identified at the Biology Education Laboratory, STKIP PGRI Lubuklinggau. Data analysis included species composition, diversity index, and Evenness index, and conservation status. The results of the study found 5 families, consist of 11 species: Duttaphyrnus melanotictus, Ingerophrynus divergens, Phrynoidis asper, Fejervarya cancrivora, Fejervarya limnocharis, Limnonectes kuhlii, Limnonectes macrodon, Limnonectes paramacrodon, Polypedates leucomystax, Hylarana erythraea, Ichthyophis sumatranus. The results of the data analysis showed that the amphibian diversity index in the Sulap hill (1.55) and Watervang dam (1.84) was categorized as low. The Evenness index in Sulap Hill (0.86) and Watervang Dam (0.88) was categorized as a high uniformity and stable community. Based on data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List, 8 species have the status of Least Concern, 1 species with Vulnerable status, 1 species with Near-threatened status and 1 species with data deficient status.

Download Full-text

Predicting the conservation status of Europe’s Data Deficient sharks and rays

10.1101/614776 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Rachel H.L. Walls ◽

Nicholas K. Dulvy

Keyword(s):

Mediterranean Sea ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Reproductive Mode ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Red List ◽

Northeast Atlantic ◽

Extinction Rates ◽

The Status ◽

Data Deficient

ABSTRACTShark and ray biodiversity is threatened primarily by overfishing and the globalisation of trade, and Europe has been one of the most documented heavily fished regions for a relatively long time. Yet, we have little idea of the conservation status of the hundreds of Data Deficient shark and ray species. It is important to derive some insight into the status of these species, both to understand global extinction rates and also to ensure that any threatened Data Deficient species are not overlooked in conservation planning. Here, we developed a biological and ecological trait model to predict the categorical conservation status of 26 Northeast Atlantic and 15 Mediterranean Sea Data Deficient sharks and rays. We first developed an explanatory model based on all species evaluated on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM, using maximum body size, median depth (as a proxy for fisheries exposure), and reproductive mode, and then predicted the status of all Data Deficient species. Almost half of Northeast Atlantic (46%, n=12 of 26), and two-thirds of Mediterranean (67%, n=10 of 15) Data Deficient species are predicted to be in one of the three IUCN threatened categories. Northeast Atlantic Data Deficient species are predicted to be 1.2 times more threatened than evaluated species (38%, n=36 of 94), whereas threat levels in the Mediterranean Sea are relative for each (66%, n=38 of 58). This case study is intended for extrapolation to the global shark and ray dataset upon completion of the global IUCN Red List assessment. Trait-based, categorical prediction of conservation status is a cost-effective approach towards incorporating Data Deficient species into (i) estimates of lineage-wide extinction rates, (ii) revised protected species lists, and (iii) Red List Indices, thus preventing poorly known species from reaching extinction unnoticed.

Download Full-text

A synthesis of African and western Indian Ocean Island mammal taxa (Class: Mammalia) described between 1988 and 2008: an update to Allen (1939) and Ansell (1989)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.2205.1.1 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 2205 (1) ◽

pp. 1-36 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

MICHAEL HOFFMANN ◽

PETER GRUBB ◽

COLIN P. GROVES ◽

RAINER HUTTERER ◽

ERIK VAN DER STRAETEN ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Western Indian Ocean ◽

Systematic Position ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

New Genera ◽

New Subspecies ◽

New Subgenus ◽

African Mammals ◽

The Status ◽

Data Deficient

We provide a synthesis of all mammal taxa described from the African mainland, Madagascar and all surrounding islands in the 20 years since 1988, thereby supplementing the earlier works of G.M. Allen (1939) and W.F.H. Ansell (1989), and bringing the list of African mammals described over the last 250 years current to December 2008. We list 175 new extant taxa, including five new genera, one new subgenus, 138 new species and 31 new subspecies, including remarks, where relevant, on the current systematic position of each taxon. Names of seven species of primates are emended, according to the requirements of the ICZN. The taxonomic group in which the largest number of new taxa has been described is the Primates, with two new genera, 47 new species and 11 new subspecies, while geographically the biggest increase in new species descriptions has been on the island of Madagascar, accounting for roughly half (67) of all new species described in the past 20 years. Nearly half of all new species listed currently are assessed as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (49 of 101 listed species) suggesting further research is urgently needed to help clarify the status of those recently described species.

Download Full-text

Global extinction risk for seahorses, pipefishes and their near relatives (Syngnathiformes)

Oryx ◽

10.1017/s0030605320000782 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Riley A. Pollom ◽

Gina M. Ralph ◽

Caroline M. Pollock ◽

Amanda C.J. Vincent

Keyword(s):

Threatened Species ◽

Habitat Degradation ◽

Extinction Risk ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Field Research ◽

Selective Extraction ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Point Estimate ◽

Conservation Action ◽

Data Deficient

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.

Download Full-text

Conservation Status of Marine Biodiversity in Oceania: An Analysis of Marine Species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Journal of Marine Biology ◽

10.1155/2011/247030 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2011 ◽

pp. 1-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Beth A. Polidoro ◽

Cristiane T. Elfes ◽

Jonnell C. Sanciangco ◽

Helen Pippard ◽

Kent E. Carpenter

Keyword(s):

Threatened Species ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Extinction Risk ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Marine Species ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Red List ◽

Marine Biodiversity ◽

Conservation Priorities ◽

Conservation Action

Given the economic and cultural dependence on the marine environment in Oceania and a rapidly expanding human population, many marine species populations are in decline and may be vulnerable to extinction from a number of local and regional threats. IUCN Red List assessments, a widely used system for quantifying threats to species and assessing species extinction risk, have been completed for 1190 marine species in Oceania to date, including all known species of corals, mangroves, seagrasses, sea snakes, marine mammals, sea birds, sea turtles, sharks, and rays present in Oceania, plus all species in five important perciform fish groups. Many of the species in these groups are threatened by the modification or destruction of coastal habitats, overfishing from direct or indirect exploitation, pollution, and other ecological or environmental changes associated with climate change. Spatial analyses of threatened species highlight priority areas for both site- and species-specific conservation action. Although increased knowledge and use of newly available IUCN Red List assessments for marine species can greatly improve conservation priorities for marine species in Oceania, many important fish groups are still in urgent need of assessment.

Download Full-text

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.

Download Full-text

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.

Download Full-text

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.

Download Full-text