Holdridge Toad: incilius holdridgei
Not seen for 21 years, it was deemed extinct until its rediscovery one year later in 2009.
Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Bufonidae
Description and Behavior: The male is smaller than the female, 32-46 millimeters versus the female's 38-53. They are black to light brown, and they have red warts on their legs and moderately webbed feet without tubercles. They have broad heads and low crests. When the Holdridge Toad is underground, they are inactive, but become more active above ground in daytime. During rainy season, they are found buried deep in the soil, but during dry season, they can be found near stream banks. They are deaf and mute, with males lacking voice slits and sac, so they don't communicate vocally. Before 1986, they could be spotted easily during the mating season of April to May, where they gathered in hundreds. In 1975, 2,765 males were seen visiting a breeding pool in a span of eight days. Males and Females meet in breeding pools, usually pools of water on the forest floor (but formerly open pastures before forest conservation drove the species back into the forest). However, otherwise, the species is very difficult to find. The Holdridge toad eats spiders, moth and butterfly larvae, flies, beetles, earwigs, ants, mites, and other anthropod invertebrae.
Threats: The Holdridge Toad is Critically Endangered. Not seen from 1987-2008, it was classified as extinct by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. However, it was rediscovered in 2009 at two sites 2 kilometers apart containing adults, juveniles, and tadpoles present. No more than 5 adults were found, and no large breeding sites were discovered, implying less than 50 mature individuals alive. One of the largest known threats is chrytidiomycosis, a fungus that causes an infectious disease in the frogs. High levels of this fungus was found in the breeding ponds prior to its believed extinction. Other factors to its low numbers may be deforestation and climate change.
Habitat: The Holdridge Toad is endemic to Costa Rica, and was discovered and still resides today solely in the montane forests of the Central Mountain Range of Costa Rica, specifically on the Volcán Barva. They can be found in open pastures, forest, and stream beds. They burrow underground to avoid rain, but prefer mossy stream banks during the Dry Season.