Caceres Robber Frog (Oreobates heterodactylus)

Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 170515352

In search of Oreobates heterodactylus, a Data Deficient species endemic to the endangered Cerrado forests and lost for 80 years

Oreobates heterodactylus is described from the municipality of Cáceres, Mato Grosso State, Brazil and is associated to rocky outcrops of the mountain ranges and plateaus that characterize the Cerrado. It was collected in the type locality in 1937 and has never been found there ever since. The species is considered a habitat-specialist and its habitat has been facing serious threats, mostly related to anthropic pressure. This project will increase knowledge about the species regarding its distribution and threats to its conservation. Gathering more information about species habitats and natural history will allow us to better understand its environmental needs and update the conservation status of the species. Moreover, despite its environmental importance, Cerrado is one of the least protected regions in Brazil. Therefore, the study of Cerrado's biodiversity has an impact on the conservation of this biome as a whole. The project aims to rediscover the species in its type locality as well as find new populations in adjacent suitable areas, conduct surveys to estimate abundance of specimens, obtain key material (molecular, morphological, and acoustic data) for species delimitation and also information about the species natural history (e.g., reproductive activities), and evaluate threats and promote actions to conservation of the species.