Atelopus varius
| Costa Rican variable harlequin toad | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Bufonidae |
| Genus: | Atelopus |
| Species: | A. varius |
| Binomial name | |
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Atelopus varius (Lichtenstein and Martens, 1856) |
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Atelopus varius (Costa Rican variable harlequin toad), also known as the clown frog, is a neo-tropical true toad from the family Bufonidae (Crump 1986). Once ranging from Costa Rica to Panama, A. varius is now listed as critically endangered and has been reduced to a single remnant population near Quepos, Costa Rica (rediscovered in 2003) and has only relict populations in western Panama (IUCN). Recent variation in air temperature, precipitation, stream flow patterns, and the subsequent spread of a pathogenic chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) linked to global climate change have been the leading cause of decline for A. varius (Lips et al. 2003 and Pounds et al. 2006). A. zeteki has been considered a subspecies of A. varius, but is now generally considered a separate species (Savage, 2002).
The historic range of A. varius stretched from the Pacific and Atlantic slopes of the Cordilleras de Tilaran mountain range in Costa Rica into western Panama. Suitable habitat includes both pre-montane and lower-montane zones as well as some lowland sites along rocky streams in hilly areas (ranging from 6 to 2000m in elevation) (Savage 1972).
A. varius is a diurnal frog often found on rocks or in crevices along streams in humid lowland and montane forests (Crump and Pounds 1985). It is primarily a terrestrial species, only entering the water during breeding season, relying on spray from streams for moisture (Pounds and Crump 1994).
The Costa Rican variable harlequin frog is slow moving and often remains in the same area for long periods of time. The conspicuous or aposematic coloration of A. varius likely serves as a warning to potential predators of the toxicity of the frog's integument which contains tetrodotoxin, a potent neurotoxin (Crump and Pounds 1985). Its main food source is small arthropods that are most abundant during the dry season (Crump 1988). The only known predator of A. varius is a parasitic sarcophagid fly (Notochaeta bufonivora) which deposits its larvae on the surface of the frog's thigh. The larvae then proceed to burrow inside the frog and eat it from within (Pounds and Crump 1987).
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