Photos: Ten Most Wanted "Extinct" Amphibians

Golden Toad
Photograph by Michael Fogden, Getty Images
Last seen in 1989, Costa Rica's golden toad (pictured) is perhaps the most famous of the "lost amphibians"—virtually extinct animals that may be eking out an existence in a few scattered hideouts, conservationists say.
The toad—which likely disappeared due to a combination of drought and the deadly chytrid fungus—is one of ten species that scientists most hope to rediscover during an unprecedented global search for "extinct" amphibians launched today. The ten were chosen for their "particular scientific or aesthetic value,” according to project leader Robin Moore, of Conservation International.
(Related: "'Extinct' Frog Found in Honduras, Experts Say.")
Led by Conservation International and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Amphibian Specialist Group, the effort will seek out a hundred such species but invest mostly in ten species of high scientific and aesthetic value.
The new project comes amid a steady decline in worldwide amphibian species, 30 percent of which are threatened with extinction, according to Conservation International. (Read about vanishing amphibians in National Geographic magazine.)
Jason Rohr, a University of South Florida ecologist not involved in the project, applauds its goals.
"But I also discourage anyone from interpreting any new discovery of these species as previous scientific error or evidence that the particular species, or amphibians in general, have not 'croaked,'" he said by email.
"While a few remaining individuals or isolated populations is certainly better than a complete extinctions, this would unfortunately be a small victory considering the catastrophic, global loss of amphibians."
Published August 10, 2010
Gastric Brooding Frog
Photograph courtesy Mike Tyler via Conservation International
A type of gastric brooding frog, the likely extinct Rheobatrachus vitellinus had—or has—a unique mode of reproduction: Females swallowed their eggs, raised tadpoles in their stomachs, and then gave birth to froglets through their mouths (pictured above).
Last seen in 1985, the Australian frog is one of the ten species that conservationists most hope to find during a first ever global search for lost amphibian species.
In addition to massive habitat loss, amphibians have declined rapidly due to the spread of the usually fatal chytrid fungus, according to Conservation International.
(See "Thirty Amphibian Species Wiped Out in Panama Forest.")
Published August 10, 2010
Mesopotamia Beaked Toad
Illustration courtesy Paula Andrea Romero Ardila via Conservation International
The Mesopotamia beaked toad (pictured in an illustration) hasn't been spotted since 1914, but the "fascinating" frog may still roam isolated reaches of Colombia, conservationists say.

"The search for these lost animals may well yield vital information in our attempts to stop the amphibian extinction crisis," Conservation International executive vice president Claude Gascon said in a statement.

Finding "extinct" amphibians will also help "humanity to better understand the impact that we are having on the planet," said Gascon, an ecologist.
Published August 10, 2010
Jackson's Climbing Salamander
Photograph courtesy Dave Wake via Conservation International
The "stunning" Jackson's climbing salamander (pictured) was said to have disappeared from Guatemala in 1975, conservationists say. (Read how salamanders may soon be "completely gone" in Guatemala.)

Two individuals of the species—considered "data deficient" by IUCN—have been found during recent fieldwork, but more specimens are needed to confirm a viable population, according to Conservation International.
Published August 10, 2010
African Painted Frog
Illustration courtesy Conservation International
Likely never photographed, the African painted frog (pictured in an illustration) hasn't been seen in its central African habitat—within the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda—since 1950.
Since amphibians are so sensitive to environmental change, their decline can signal that the ecosystem itself is suffering, Conservation International's Robin Moore said in a statement. (See related pictures: "Frog Survival Linked to Eco-Health.")

"This role as the global canary in a coal mine means that the rapid and profound change to the global environment that has taken place over the last 50 years or so—in particular climate change and habitat loss—has had a devastating impact on these incredible creatures," Moore said.
Published August 10, 2010
Rio Pescado Stubfoot Toad
Photograph by Luis Coloma
Ecuador's Rio Pescado stubfoot toad (pictured)—last seen in April 1995—is likely a victim of the chytrid fungus, conservationists say.
Though chytrid has killed off many species already, scientists have made some headway against the pathogen: For instance, in 2007 researchers reported that a human eye ointment can cure infected frogs within weeks.
(Also see "'Frog Hotel' to Shelter Panama Species From Lethal Fungus.")
Published August 10, 2010
Turkestanian Salamander
Illustration courtesy Pensoft Publishing via Conservation International
Known from only two specimens collected in 1909 somewhere in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, or Uzbekistan, the Turkestanian salamander (pictured in a drawing) is largely unknown to science.
Yet it's no mystery that amphibians provide value to humans, according to Conservation International. For instance, frogs and salamanders control insects that spread disease, help maintain healthy freshwater ecosystems, and harbor skin chemicals that are possible sources for new human painkillers.
(See "Toxic Snail Venoms Yielding New Painkillers, Drugs.")
Published August 10, 2010
Scarlet Frog
Photograph courtesy Enrique La Marca, Conservation International
The likely extinct scarlet frog (such as these two in an undated picture) was—or is—found in only a single stream that runs through an isolated Venezuelan cloud forest, where humans last saw the frog in 1990.
Though such tiny ranges make amphibians vulnerable to extinction, such niches may also serve as refuges for species yet to be discovered. In 2008, for instance, an expedition reported three new salamander species living in remote Central American cloud forests.
Published August 10, 2010
Hula Painted Frog
Photograph courtesy Heinrich Mendelssohn via Conservation International
The last specimen of the Hula painted frog (pictured) was collected in 1955 in Israel.
Draining marshes to kill malaria-spreading mosquitoes may have been responsible for wiping out the species—one of the ten likely extinct amphibians scientists most hope to rediscover during a new search.
Published August 10, 2010
Sambas Stream Toad
Illustration courtesy Conservation International
The Sambas stream toad (pictured in an illustration) once navigated waterways of the world's third largest island, Borneo (map), which is divided among Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.
But the frog—last seen in the 1950s—likely died out after logging operations choked streams with sediment, according to Conservation International. Nevertheless, scientists behind a new search hope to rediscover the sambas stream toad, along with dozens of other likely extinct species.
"It wouldn't surprise me if they found some of these species at very low numbers rather than completely extinct," said USF's Rohr.
Published August 10, 2010