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Biodiversity Conservation in the Peruvian Amazon and Tropical Andes
Rainforest Partnership supports biodiversity conservation in the Peruvian Tropical Andes through herpetological research in remote and unexplored areas, such as the mountain ridges of the Peruvian Yungas ecoregion—one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world due to agriculture, livestock farming, human migration, mining, and climate change. Our work documents the diversity of amphibians and reptiles and assesses their conservation status, providing essential scientific information to protect these poorly known species and their habitats. Many of these species are still unknown to science and could disappear in the not-too-distant future.
Impact
Location
Cordillera de Colán, Cordillera de Pagaibamba, Cutervo National Park, Relic cloud forest in the headwaters of Chancay and Zaña rivers, Montane ecosystems in headwaters of Huallaga and Pachitea rivers, and montane forest of Pampa Hermosa River basin.
Impact
- Discovery and formal scientific description of 20 new species of frogs, eight new species of lizards, and one species of snake from remote forests in the Peruvian Tropical Andes:
- Frogs: Atelopus harlequin, A. histrionicus, Gastrotheca flavodactyla, G. trachyplevra, Chimerella nola, C. zoeterra, Hyloscirtus dispersus, H. elbakyanae, H. maycu, Lynchius waynehollomonae, Oreobates colanensis, Osteocephalus vasquezi, Phrynopus manuelriosi, Ph. melanoinguinis, Pristimantis clarae, Pr. kiruhampatus, Pr. paulpittmani, Pr. rameshpateli, Pr. yanahampatu, and Rhinella moralesi
- Lizards: Enyalioides cyanocephalus, E. dickinsoni, E. feiruzae, Selvasaura evasa, Stenocercus asenlignus, S. leybachi, S. nigrocaudatus, and S. qalaywasi
- Snakes: Atractus paulus
- Collection of ecological and natural history data for more than 60 little-known species of amphibians, some of them threatened by extinction. This data is constantly being used for scientific articles and will also be available on an open-access online portal about amphibians from Peru
- Collection and storage of more than 3,000 DNA samples of endemic amphibian and reptiles from the Tropical Andes for future research
- Over 1,500 frogs sampled through skin swabs to screen for diseases like the infection by the pathogenic chytrid fungus (which is known to have decimated amphibian populations around the world) in the Andes of northern Peru
- Rediscovery of Anolis laevis, one of the world's least known lizards, which had not been seen for 150 years. The study includes new morphological data, natural history, and conservation status of the species
- The formal report of two species of snakes (Pseudoboa nigra and Chironius whipala) and one critically endangered frog (Hyloxalus anthracinus) recorded for the first time in Peru
- Recently published information on the distribution, morphology, and natural history of the endangered frog Atelopus oxapmapae
- Twenty-six publications in peer-reviewed journals resulting from expeditions during a five year period, with more coming
- We have trained 16 biology and related degree students in amphibian inventory and monitoring techniques in the Andean region, seven of whom were women. These efforts contribute to increasing gender representation in field-based herpetological research and expanding opportunities for participation in biodiversity science
Project Overview
The Tropical Andes, considered a biodiversity hotspot, are known to be the most biologically diverse region on Earth. This region also faces many threats related to human activities including mining, logging, construction, agriculture, and cattle ranching.
Documenting the true depth of biodiversity in this little-explored area is a race against time due to accelerated deforestation and habitat loss in the region. Because of this, Rainforest Partnership is documenting the biological diversity of amphibians and reptiles in relict forest, isolated mountain ranges, and poorly known protected areas.
In 2021 and 2025, Rainforest Partnership herpetologist Pablo J. Venegas and his team led ten expeditions to remote forests and páramos (natural high-altitude Andean grasslands). During these surveys, they documented the richness, ecology, natural history, health, and conservation status of more than 80 amphibian and 30 reptile species. Among them were approximately 50 frog species and 23 lizard species new to science. So far, 20 amphibian species and eight reptile species have been formally described and published in scientific peer-review journals, while others are currently in the process of scientific description and publication. In addition, we trained six biology students in amphibian survey techniques during our expeditions and conducted a course on Andean amphibian inventory and monitoring for 10 forestry engineering students.
The team also collected data on the natural history, health, and population status of ten threatened amphibian species listed on the IUCN Red List. Health assessments included screening for chytrid fungus, a deadly wildlife disease that has caused dramatic amphibian declines worldwide. The species evaluated were Atelopus epikeisthos, A. oxapampae, A. pachydermus, Centrolene hesperia, Gastrotheca stictopleura, Hyloscirtus diabolus, Phrynopus dagmarae, Pristimantis serendipitus, Rhinella arborescens, and R. yanachaga.
Rainforest Partnership is collaborating with government authorities in national parks and protected areas to use this information to improve conservation and land management in the Cordillera de Colán National Sanctuary and adjacent private conservation areas. All photos copyright Eduardo Quispe
Publications
Echevarría LY, Venegas PJ, García-Ayachi LA, Nunes PMS (2021) An elusive new species of gymnophthalmid lizard (Cercosaurinae, Selvasaura) from the Andes of northern Peru. Evolutionary Systematics 5(2): 177-187.
Lehr, E.; Cusi, J.C.; Rodriguez, L.O.; Venegas, P.J.; García-Ayachi, L.A.; Catenazzi, A. A New Species of Toad (Anura: Bufonidae: Rhinella) from Northern Peru. Taxonomy 2021, 1, 210–225.
Venegas PJ, Chávez G, García-Ayachi LA, Duran V, Torres-Carvajal O (2021) A new species of wood lizard (Hoplocercinae, Enyalioides) from the Río Huallaga Basin in Central Peru. Evolutionary Systematics 5(2): 263-273.
Venegas, P. J., García-Ayachi, L. A., & Catenazzi, A. (2022). Two New Species of Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae) from Amazonas Department in Northeastern Peru. Taxonomy, 2(1), 20-40.
Echevarría, L.Y., Paluh, D.J., García-Ayachi, L.A., Venegas, P.J., Catenazzi, A., Pradel, R. & Castroviejo-Fisher, S. 2022: Two new species of marsupial frogs (Anura: Hemiphractidae) from the Central Andes of northern Peru. Salamandra, 58(1), 1–23.
García-Bravo A, Guzman BK, Mendoza JE, Torres CG, Oliva M, Barboza E, Quiñones JR, Zabarburu-Veneros JL, Venegas PJ (2022) Updating the distribution of Dicrodon guttulatum Duméril & Bibron, 1839 (Reptilia, Teiidae) with a disjunct population in the eastern slope of the Peruvian Andes. Check List 18 (3): 483–491.
Venegas, P. J. ., García-Ayachi, L. A. ., Chávez-Arribasplata, J. C. ., & García-Bravo, A. . (2022). Four new species of polychromatic spiny-tailed iguanian lizards, genus Stenocercus (Iguania: Tropiduridae), from Peru. Zootaxa, 5115(1), 1–28.
Carrasco, P.A., Koch, C., Grazziotin, F.G., Venegas, P.J., Chaparro, J.C., Scrocchi, G.J., Salazar-Valenzuela, D., Leynaud, G.C. & Mattoni, C.I. 2023: Total-evidence phylogeny and evolutionary morphology of New World pitvipers (Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalinae). Cladistics, 39(2), 71-100.
Learn more here
Köhler J, Venegas PJ, Castillo-Urbina E, Glaw F, Aguilar-Puntriano C, Vences M (2023) A third species of glassfrog in the genus Chimerella (Anura, Centrolenidae) from central Peru, discovered by an integrative taxonomic approach. Evolutionary Systematics 7(2): 195-209.
Venegas, P.J.; García-Ayachi, L.A.; Marchelie, A.; Ormeño, J.R.; Catenazzi, A. A New Species of Terrestrial-Breeding Frog, Genus Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae), from the Peruvian Yungas of Central Peru. Taxonomy 2023, 3, 331–345.
Venegas PJ, García-Ayachi LA, Toral E, Malqui J, Ron SR (2023) A new species of spiny-backed tree frog, genus Osteocephalus (Anura, Hylidae), from the Yanachaga Chemillén National Park in central Peru. Evolutionary Systematics 7(2): 237-251.
Melo-Sampaio PR, Venegas PJ (2023) A new species of groundsnake genus Atractus Wagler, 1828 (Serpentes, Dipsadidae) from the Peruvian Andes revealed by unequivocal morphological characters. Evolutionary Systematics 7(2): 257-266.
Lötters, S., Plewnia, A., Catenazzi, A., Neam, K., Acosta-Galvis, A. R., Alarcon Vela, Y., ... Venegas, P.J., Villalba-Fuentes, J., von May, R., Webster Bernal, J.F., & La Marca, E. (2023). Ongoing harlequin toad declines suggest the amphibian extinction crisis is still an emergency. Communications Earth & Environment, 4(1), 412.
Venegas, P. J., and L. A. García Ayachi. 2024. First record of Hyloxalus anthracinus Edwards, 1971 (Anura: Dendrobatidae) in Peru. Revista Latinoamericana de Herpetología 7(4: e1048): 247–251
Venegas, P. J., L. A. García Ayachi, A. C. Barboza, and A. Catenazzi. 2024. Description of two new species of Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae) from northern Peru, previously confused with P. phoxocephalus Lynch 1979. Holotipus. Rivista di Zoologia Sistematica e Tassonomia 5: 1–19
Venegas, P. J., L.A. García-Ayachi, J.C. Chávez-Arribasplata, A. Marchelie, S. Bullard, E. Quispe, J.D. Valencia, J. Odar, O. Torres-Carvajal 2024. Two new species of wood lizards (Hoplocercinae: Enyalioides) from Cordillera de Colán in north-eastern Peru. Journal of Vertebrate Biology 73 (23074): 1-17
García-Ayachi LA, Valencia JD, Bullard S, Odar J, Quispe E, Venegas PJ (2024) New records of Dipsas welborni Arteaga & Batista, 2023, Gelanesaurus flavogularis (Altamirano‑Benavides, Zaher, Lobo, Grazziotin, Sales‑Nunes & Rodrigues, 2013), and Synophis insulomontanus Torres‑Carvajal, Echevarría, Venegas, Chávez & Camper, 2015 in the Cordillera de Colán, Peru . Check List 20 (3): 630–635.
Venegas, P. J., L. A. García Ayachi, L. Lujan, V. Durán, and A. P. Motta. 2025. Two new sympatric species of Phrynopus (Anura: Strabomantidae) from the Elfin Forests of Cordillera de Yanachaga in central Peru. PeerJ 13(e20250): 1–27
Venegas, P. J., L. A. García Ayachi, J. Köhler, and M. Vences. 2025. Bioacoustics and molecular genetics reveal a new species of Glassfrog, genus Chimerella (Anura: Centrolenidae), from white sand outcrops in the Yungas ecoregion of northeastern Peru. Salamandra 61: 407–422.
García-Ayachi L.A., P.J. Venegas. 2025. First record of the Whipala Sipo (Chironius whipala) in Peru. Reptile and Amphibians 32: e23140
García-Ayachi L.A., P.J. Venegas. 2025. First record of the black false boa, Pseudoboa nigra (Duméril, Bibron, and Duméril 1854) (Squamata: Dipsadidae), in Peru. 32: e23302
Varela-Jaramillo, A., J. W. Streicher, P. J. Venegas, and S. R. Ron. 2025. Three new species of torrent treefrogs (Anura, Hylidae) of the Hyloscirtus bogotensis group from the eastern Andean slopes and the biogeographic history of the genus. ZooKeys 1231: 233–292
Lötters, S., P. Böning, S. Bailon, J. D. Barros Castañeda, R. Boistel, A. Catenazzi, J. C. Chaparro Auza, G. Chávez, A. Chujutalli, L. Coen, L. A. Coloma, A. J. Crawford, J. Culebras, J. C. Cusi Martínez, J. M. Daza-R., I. De la Riva, D. J. Ellwein, R. Ernst, S. V. Flechas-Hernández, A. Fouquet, J. M. Guayasamin, C. H. Heine, R. F. Jorge, A. Jung, K.-H. Jungfer, N. Kaffenberger, H. Krehenwinkel, E. La Marca, M. Lampo, G. F. Medina-Rangel, L. Orsen, D. J. Paluh, J. L. Peréz-González, J. Perrin, A. B. Quezada Riera, J. P. Reyes-Puig, B. Roca-Rey Ross, D. C. Rößler, L. A. Rueda-Solano, D. Salazar-Valenzuela, J. C. Señaris Vasquez, M. Sowinski, A. Terán-Valdez, A. Tovar-Ortiz, M. Veith, P. J. Venegas, R. von May, T. Weitkamp, and A. Plewnia. 2025. A roadmap for harlequin frog systematics, with a partial revision of Amazonian species related to Atelopus spumarius. Zootaxa 5571: 1–76
Chávez, G., W. Aznaran, I. Wong, K. Y. Victoriano-Cigüeñas, L. A. García Ayachi, J. D. Valencia-Málaga, J. R. Ormeño, M. Gulman, R. Sumiano-Mejía, M. E. Thompson, and A. Catenazzi. 2025. Over the top: Three new species of terrestrial breeding frogs (Anura, Terrarana, Pristimantis) from the highlands of the Cordillera de Huancabamba, northwestern Peru. Evolutionary Systematics 9: 145–166
Tomba A.N, J. Nori, P.J. Venegas, J.C. Chaparro, P.A. Carrasco. 2025. Endemic pit vipers of Peru: geographic distribution and human-mediated impacts. The Herpetological Journal. 2025;35(2):167–175
García Ayachi, L. A., P. J. Venegas, B. Roca-Rey Ross, E. Almora, W. Aznaran, E. Quispe, and A. Catenazzi. 2025. Range extension, female description, and natural history observations of Atelopus oxapampae Lehr, Lötters, and Lundberg, 2008 (Anura: Bufonidae). Revista Latinoamericana de Herpetología 8: 229–233.
Venegas PJ, García-Ayachi LA, Bullard S, Valencia JD, Quispe E, and A. Catenazzi. 2026. Range extension and advertisement call description of Pristimantis condor (Lynch and Duellman, 1980) (Anura: Strabomantidae). Revista Lationoamerica de Herpetología 9(01):11–19.
Ayala-Valera F, Venegas PJ, García-Ayachi LA, and S. Poe. 2026. Mythic lizard rediscovered: redescription of Anolis laevis Cope 1876 (Squamata: Anolidae) from recent collections in Peru. Zootaxa 5752(4): 516–530.
Partners
Hollomon Price Foundation, Catenazzi Lab for Conservation Biology & Herpetology, Servicio Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas por el Estado (SERNANP), Instituto Peruano de Herpetología (IPH), International University of Florida, Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad (CORBIDI), San Antonio Zoo - Texas, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF)
Current Actions on the Ground
Scientific documentation and description
- Creating formal scientific descriptions for 20 species of frogs and 12 species of lizards new to science discovered in the last five years
Scientific research publication
- Preparing scientific research papers about the distribution, natural history, and conservation status of three endangered species of frogs
Science communication to inform evidence-based conservation decisions
- Collaboration with the National Park Service to strengthen the knowledge, conservation, and management of amphibian and reptile diversity in three protected natural areas
- Sharing our scientific discoveries and expedition results with local schools near our field sites to promote environmental awareness and education.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Conservation Strategies for Long-Term Impact
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