Atelopus cruciger (Lichtenstein and von Martens 1856)

Barrio-Amorós, César L., Rojas-Runjaic, Fernando J. M. & Señaris, J. Celsa, 2019, Catalogue of the amphibians of Venezuela: Illustrated and annotated species list, distribution, and conservation, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 180) 13 (1), pp. 1-198 : 7

Atelopus cruciger (Lichtenstein and von Martens 1856) *

Neotype: ZSM 93/1947/10

Type locality: Veragua, Panamá (error); corrected to the locality of the neotype: “vicinity of Rancho Grande on the road from Maracay to Ocumare de la Costa (ca. 1,000 m above sea level), Estado Aragua, Venezuela ” ( Lötters and La Marca 2001) .

Distribution: Region 2. Known from at least 30 historical localities in the Cordillera de la Costa, from Aragua, Carabobo, Cojedes, Miranda, Vargas, and Yaracuy States, as well as the Distrito Capital ( Manzanilla and La Marca 2004). Currently, considered extinct at all localities except for two populations in Aragua State ( Rodríguez-Contreras et al. 2008). A third surviving population was mentioned by Rodríguez and Rojas-Suárez (2008); its current status is unknown.

Remarks: The nomenclatural history of the species was detailed by Lötters et al. (1998) and Lötters and La Marca (2001). Lampo et al. (2011) provided data on the current status of populations. González et al. (2010) studied the diet in museum specimens. Atelopus cruciger is a species complex (JCS, FRR, and CBA, unpub. data).

Selected references: Lichtenstein and von Martens (1856); Günther (1858); Lutz (1927); Müller (1935); Sexton (1958); Ginés (1959); Rohl (1959); Rivero (1961, 1964a); Tello (1968); La Marca et al. (1989); Cocroft et al. (1990); La Marca (1992, 1995a,c); Rodríguez and Rojas-Suárez (1995, 1999); Barrio (1996b); Lötters (1996); La Marca and Lötters (1997); Lötters et al. (1998, 2004); Rivas (1998); Barrio-Amorós (2001, 2006c, 2013); Lötters and La Marca (2001); Bonaccorso et al. (2003); Manzanilla and La Marca (2004); Rueda-Almonacid et al. (2005); Rodríguez-Contreras et al. (2008); Barrio-Amorós and Torres (2010); González et al. (2010); Lampo et al. (2011).