Guest Blogger: Henry Adams on Costa Rican Salamanders, and his new study —
Henry's Illustration of the bolitoglossine salamander: Bolitoglossa pesrubra Amphibians are the most endangered vertebrate taxa with ~18% of species being listed as endangered or critically endangered. Emergent infectious diseases pose a serious threat to global amphibian conservation, having already decimated populations across the world. Discovered in 2013 after causing enormous declines in Dutch salamander populations, the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (a.k.a. Bsal or salamander chytrid) presents a grave new danger. Having been introduced to Europe from East Asia, likely through the pet trade, Bsal has not been detected outside of Europe or Asia. However, it’s a matter of WHEN not IF it spreads to other parts of the world. The introduction of Bsal to the Western Hemisphere could be disastrous: the Americas hold the most diverse salamander communities in the world. In particular, Costa Rica holds the 5th most
