Palau – 2011 – 2 Dollars – World of Frogs ATELOPUS CERTUS purple (PROOF)

Description

Metal: Silver .925
Weight: 15.5 g
Diameter: 35 mm
Quality: Proof
Mintage: 1’000 pcs.
Partly CLOURED

Atelopus, commonly known as harlequin frogs, is a large genus of true toads from Central and South America, ranging as far north as Costa Rica and as far south as Bolivia. Atelopus are small, generally brightly colored and diurnal. Most species are associated with mid- to high-elevation streams. This genus has been greatly affected by amphibian declines, and many species are now considered endangered, while others already are extinct. The cause of these declines primarily appears to be the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis.

New Atelopus species are discovered with some regularity and many new species have been described in the last decade (see following species table). Among others, a new species, popularly dubbed the purple fluorescent frog, was discovered in 2007 by scientists Paul Ouboter and Jan Mol during a follow-up survey of the Nassau plateau in Suriname.[1] Leeanne Alonso from Conservation International, the organisation that led the expedition, says that this frog may be threatened by illegal gold mining