A Rapid Survey of the Critically Endangered Zapata Toad, Peltophryne florentinoi (Anura: Bufonidae), in Cuba

New Locality and Conservation Approaches

Abstract

We provide new distributional data for the most geographically restricted and threatened Cuban toad, the Zapata Toad (Peltophryne florentinoi), and evaluate this information for its potential conservation implications. Prior to this survey, the species was known from only one locality. Although our records extend the geographic distribution about 20 km to the east from the previous locality, unsuitable habitats limited the species’ true extent of occurrence. Intermittent salt-water lagoons, local lithographic features, and anthropogenic disturbances impede the continuity of the toad’s distribution along the coastal forests. New surveys and long-term monitoring protocols could offer better clues about the distribution, biology, and conservation status of this species.