Gabriela Parra-Olea

• PhD
• Senior Researcher at National Autonomous University of Mexico

The Craugastor podiciferus Species Group contains eleven species of terraranan frogs distributed from eastern Honduras to eastern Panama. All species have remarkable color pattern polymorphisms, which may contribute to potential taxonomic problems. We performed exhaustive sampling throughout the geographic distribution of the group to evaluate the...

We report Pseudoeurycea jaguar in the state of Puebla and the first record of a scorpion preying on a salamander

Isthmian Central America boasts a diverse array of salamanders, with a total of 72 species spanning three genera. Among these, a subset of the subgenus Bolitoglossa (Eladinea), stands out as particularly rare within the Cordillera de Talamanca. Many of its species have been discovered since 2009, with the majority documented from fewer than five sp...

Skin microbiomes in amphibians are complex systems that can be influenced by biotic and abiotic factors. In this study, we examined the effect of host species and environmental conditions on the skin bacterial and fungal microbiota of four obligate paedomorphic salamander species, commonly known as axolotls (Ambystoma andersoni, A. dumerilii, A. me...

The number of species of the subgenus Syrrhophus, genus Eleutherodactylus has increased rapidly in the last eight years, due to recent taxonomic studies. This subgenus of direct-developing frogs is well represented in Mexico, which harbors more than 90% of the species richness reported for the subgenus. In this study, we describe one new species, E...

Reptiles are animals that depend on external environmental conditions to regulate their body temperature. The temperature is a key factor for the embryonic development in viviparous reptiles and is an important element in biological and ecological processes, such as metabolism, growth, social interactions, reproduction, abundance, and distribution....

The reproductive and physiological amphibians’ needs are strongly influenced by rainfall and water availability. Temperature is another important factor in amphibian survival. Amphibians, as well as reptiles, are ectothermic. Amphibians are dependent on external heat sources for thermoregulation, processes of distribution underlying speciation, dis...

The subalpine rain páramo of Isthmian Central America is an area with a high level of endemism. The salamanders of the Bolitoglossa subpalmata Species Group are restricted to the highlands of Costa Rica and Panama, including the subalpine rain páramo. During explorations of the páramos in the Cordillera de Talamanca, we found populations of Bolitog...

Natural history museums are vital repositories of specimens, samples and data that inform about the natural world; this Formal Comment revisits a Perspective that advocated for the adoption of compassionate collection practices, querying whether it will ever be possible to completely do away with whole animal specimen collection.

The composition and diversity of animal-associated microbial communities are shaped by multiple ecological and evolutionary processes acting at different spatial and temporal scales. Skin microbiomes are thought to be strongly influenced by the environment due to the direct interaction of the host’s skin with the external media. As expected, the di...

Systematic assessments of species extinction risk at regular intervals are necessary for informing conservation action1,2. Ongoing developments in taxonomy, threatening processes and research further underscore the need for reassessment3,4. Here we report the findings of the second Global Amphibian Assessment, evaluating 8,011 species for the Inter...

Systematic assessments of species extinction risk at regular intervals are necessary for informing conservation action1,2. Ongoing developments in taxonomy, threatening processes and research further underscore the need for reassessment3,4. Here we report the findings of the second Global Amphibian Assessment, evaluating 8,011 species for the Inter...

The composition and diversity of animal-associated microbial communities are shaped by multiple ecological and evolutionary processes acting at different spatial and temporal scales. Skin microbiomes are thought to be strongly influenced by the environment due to the direct interaction of the host’s skin with the external media. As expected, the di...

Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), a species related to the destructive pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), was found and identified in Europe in 2013. Now, a decade later, a large amount of information is available. This includes data from studies in the field, reports of infection in captive amphibians, laboratory studies testing...

The Acoustic Adaptation Hypothesis (AAH) and Ecological Character Displacement (ECD) are two potential mechanisms shaping call evolution that can predict opposite trends for the differentiation of signals. Under AAH, signals evolve to minimize environmental degradation and maximize detection against background noise, predicting call homogenization...

The recent emergence of the pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) is associated with rapid population declines of salamanders in Europe and its arrival to new areas could cause dramatic negative effects on other amphibian populations and species. Amphibian species, present in areas with high amphibian diversity such as Mexico, could be...

The skin microbiome in amphibians has gained a lot of attention as some of its members play a protective role against pathogens such as the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). The composition of skin bacterial communities has been suggested as one of the factors explaining differences in susceptibility to Bd among amphibian species and popu...

Host microbial communities are increasingly seen as an important component of host health. In amphibians, the first land vertebrates that are threatened by a fungal skin disease globally, our understanding of the factors influencing the microbiome of amphibian skin remains incomplete because recent studies have focused almost exclusively on bacteri...

The amphibian diversity of the six crater lakes of the Cuenca Oriental is restricted to nine species, three salamanders and six frogs. Lake Alchichica contains only one amphibian species, the microendemic paedomorphic axolotl Ambystoma taylori, which is one of the most fascinating examples of speciation recorded on amphibians due to its adaptation...

The Eleutherodactylus subgenus Syrrhophus has a complex taxonomic history. For many years the species were classified into series and groups of species based on morphological and allozyme data. However, most of the species have conservative morphology, and their phylogenetic relationships have not been resolved. Furthermore, recent studies employin...

Symbiotic bacterial communities are crucial to combating infections and contribute to host health. The amphibian skin microbiome plays an important role in protecting their hosts against pathogens such as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), one of the causative agents of chytridiomycosis, which is responsible for dramatic amphibian population decl...

We report the predation of the recently described and poorly known frog Eleutherodactylus jaliscoensis by the snake Thamnophis cyrtopsis employing molecular and morphological evidence. We discuss the importance of frogs in food webs and the use of sequences de DNA in the identification of frogs.

Emergent infectious disease caused by the fungal pathogens Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ( Bd ) and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans ( Bsal ) represents one of the major causes of biodiversity loss in amphibians. While Bd has affected amphibians worldwide, Bsal remains restricted to Asia and Europe, but also could be a major threat for salamander...

Skin-associated bacteria are known to inhibit infection by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in amphibians. It has also been postulated that skin-associated bacterial community is related to Bd infection intensity. However, our understanding of host microbial dynamics and their importance in regulating Bd intensity is limited....

Chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and B. salamandrivorans (Bsal), is an infectious disease of amphibians linked to mass amphibian die-offs worldwide. In this study, we sampled four dead and dying individuals of Ambystoma altamirani and Lithobates montezumae to detect the presence of Bd and Bsal. By real-time...

Significance Population structure and speciation are shaped by a combination of biotic and abiotic factors. The tiger salamander complex has been considered a key group in which life history variation has led to a rapid rate of speciation, driven in large part by the evolution of obligate paedomorphosis—a condition in which adults maintain an aquat...

We assessed the effect of temperature on subclinical Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ( Bd ) infection in three species of plethodontids. Collected individuals were tested for Bd in the field during the dry and rainy season and randomly assigned to 15° and 18°C treatments for 30 days. We collected 129 salamanders, of these nine individuals tested pos...

Aim High levels of species richness in mountains are associated with their hypothetical roles as cradles and/or museums of diversity, but the generality of these roles remains unknown. To fill this gap, we tested these two hypotheses at a global scale and assessed the direct and indirect effects of abiotic regional features on the variation of mont...

Chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is a devastating infectious disease of amphibians. Retrospective studies using museum vouchers and genetic samples supported the hypothesis that Bd colonized Mexico from North America and then continued to spread into Central and South America, where it led to dramatic loss...

Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni is one of the widest ranging glassfrog species, occurring in the lowlands from Mexico through Central America to Ecuador. Despite its conservative morphology, previous studies suggested that the species is comprised of multiple lineages. Here we test the hypothesis of cryptic species within H. fleischmanni by means of...

The North American tiger salamander species complex, including its flagship species the axolotl, has long been a source of biological fascination. The complex exhibits a wide range of variation in developmental life history strategies, including populations and individuals that undergo metamorphosis and those able to forego metamorphosis and retain...

A bstract The North American tiger salamander species complex, including its best-known species, the Mexican axolotl, has long been a source of biological fascination. The complex exhibits a wide range of variation in developmental life history strategies, including populations and individuals that undergo metamorphosis, those able to forego metamo...

The genus Chiropterotriton is endemic to Mexico with a geographical distribution along the Sierra Madre Oriental, the Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt and the Sierra de Juárez. The recent use of molecular tools has shown that Mexico’s amphibian diversity is highly underestimated, including a large number of cryptic, unnamed species. Chiropterotriton has...

We describe a new species of salamander of Bolitoglossa (Oaxakia) Parra-Olea, García-París and Wake, 2004 from the cloud forests of the central portion of the Sierra Madre del Sur highlands in the Mexican state of Guerrero. Bolitoglossa coaxtlahuacana sp. nov. is currently known only from the type locality and can be differentiated from other membe...

Lambert et al . question our retrospective and holistic epidemiological assessment of the role of chytridiomycosis in amphibian declines. Their alternative assessment is narrow and provides an incomplete evaluation of evidence. Adopting this approach limits understanding of infectious disease impacts and hampers conservation efforts. We reaffirm th...

Amphibian chytridiomycosis panzootic is ongoing and continuing to have extensive worldwide impact on amphibians. Severity of chytridiomycosis-associated amphibians declines is partly associated with species’ altitudinal ranges. Michoacán state in México harbors 54 amphibian species on a wide range of climates, including high-altitude areas (above 3...

Frogs of the genus Eleutherodactylus are direct developing frogs grouped into five subgenera and 192 species, with a geographic distribution primarily centered in the Caribbean (Padial et al. 2014). Eleutherodactylus species inhabit a variety of environments such as tropical and temperate forests, and scrub, where they occupy different microhabitat...

Most of Ambystoma species in Mexico are endemic having a limited distribution, and are threatened principally by anthropogenic factors. The presence of pathogens as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis could be another threat to these species, especially in species with limited range. We surveyed populations of Ambystoma andersoni, A. flavipiperatum, and...

Microbial symbionts are increasingly recognized as playing a critical role in organismal health across a wide range of hosts. Amphibians are unique hosts in that their skin helps to regulate the exchange of water, ions, and gases, and it plays an active role in defense against pathogens through the synthesis of anti-microbial peptides. The microbio...

The systematics and taxonomy of the polytypic species Craugastor podiciferus are poorly understood due to the high level of phenotypic polymorphism between and within species and the lack of molecular data from topotypic specimens. Herein are reported results of a well-sampled study including all known species of the C. podiciferus species group, s...

1. Species recovery after forest disturbance is a highly studied topic in the tropics, but considerable debate remains on the role of secondary forests as biodiversity repositories, especially regarding the functional and phylogenetic dimensions of biodiversity. Also, studies generally overlook how alpha and beta diversities interact to produce gam...

The demise of amphibians? Rapid spread of disease is a hazard in our interconnected world. The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis was identified in amphibian populations about 20 years ago and has caused death and species extinction at a global scale. Scheele et al. found that the fungus has caused declines in amphibian populations every...

The recent decline in populations of European salamanders caused by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) has generated worldwide concern, as it is a major threat to amphibians. Evaluation of the areas most suitable for the establishment of Bsal combined with analysis of the distribution of salamander species could be used to...

Occurrences and areas of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) used to build the model. (TIF)

ENMeval models results. (DOCX)

Pairwise Pearson correlations of 19 bioclimatic variables. Variables selected with less than r = 0.75 are in bold. (DOCX)

Binary model for Bsal obtained with the minimum training presence threshold. Areas of potential presence are in black, and areas of potential absence are in gray. (TIF)

Number of salamander species grouped by genus that are present or absent in Bsal-suitable areas. (TIF)

Occurrence data used for Bsal ecological niche model. (DOCX)

Variable contributions to Bsal distribution model. (DOCX)

Salamander species of Mexico, range, IUCN status, and relationship with Bsal model and hotspots. Hotspots = pixels with Bsal suitability values greater than 0.5 and more than five salamander species. IUCN status: critically endangered (CR), endangered (E), vulnerable (V), near threatened (NT), least concern (LC), data deficient (DD), and not evalua...

AICc and AUC values of Bsal models obtained with ENMeval. (TIF)

Contribution of 19 bioclimate layers from Wordclim that made greatest contribution to the model constructed with MaxEnt. (DOCX)

Species present on hotspots. (DOCX)

A new species of treefrog from the genus Charadrahyla is described from the cloud forest of western Sierra Madre del Sur of Oaxaca, Mexico. Charadrahyla sakbah sp. nov., is distinguished from the rest of the species in the genus by the large body size (81.15-85.75 mm and 67.91-73.21 mm in adult females and males respectively), axillary membrane, ad...

The complex geological history of Central America has been useful for understanding the processes influencing the distribution and diversity of multiple groups of organisms. Anurans are an excellent choice for such studies because they typically exhibit site fidelity and reduced movement. The objective of this work was to identify the impact of rec...

Supplementary Material 1 Spatial clustering and genetic diversity for mitochondrial DNA sequences per gene from Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni.

Haplotype networks Haplotype networks of mitochondrial DNA haplotypes for 16S, COI and ND1 for H. fleischmanni. Hatch marks represent inferred mutational steps. The size of the circle is proportional to the number of individuals found for each haplotype.

Supplementary Material 2 New fasta sequences of the three mitochondrial genes obtained for Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni. Sequence names coincides with the information in Table S1.

Phylogenetic relationships inferred from maximum-likelihood analyses Phylogenetic relationships inferred from maximum-likelihood analyses (RAxML) of 3 genes sequenced from Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni and sister species, with maximum-likelihood bootstrap support values >60 shown to the right of each node. For details see ‘Materials an Methods’ Se...

Phylogenetic relationships inferred from Bayesian analysis Phylogenetic relationships inferred from Bayesian analysis (Mr. Bayes) of 3 genes sequenced from Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni and sister species, with maximum-likelihood bootstrap support values >0.50 shown to the right of each node. For details see Materials an Methods Section.

Specimens and DNA sequences used in this research Specimens and DNA sequences used in this research. Museum voucher, GenBank accession numbers and data sources are specified. GenBank numbers in bold correspond to numbers taken from previously published sources. Museum abbreviations are CD (Colección de Vertebrados de Docencia de la Universidad del...

The lungless salamanders of the tribe Bolitoglossini show notable diversification in the Neotropics, and through the use of molecular tools and/or new discoveries, the total number of species continues to increase. Mexico is home to a great number of bolitoglossines primarily distributed along the eastern, central, and southern mountain ranges wher...

A new species of Craugastor (Anura: Craugastoridae) from the montane rainforest of the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica. A new dirt frog of the Craugastor podiciferus Species Group is described from Costa Rica; it is restricted to elevations between 2330 and 2700 m a.s.l. in the montane rainforest of the Cordillera de Talamanca. Analysis of DNA...

Numerous direct developing species of the genus Eleutherodactylus native to the Caribbean Islands have been introduced outside its natural range by human activities. The greenhouse frog, Eleutherodactylus planirostris is native to Cuba and the Bahamas and has been introduced to many parts of the world. Here, we report the rediscovery of E. planiros...

Chiropterotriton is a relatively small genus that comprises 15 species with great morphological and ecological diversity. In previous studies, molecular data provided evidence for a considerable number of species that remain undescribed. In this study, we describe one new species, Chiropterotriton chico sp. nov. based on molecular and morphological...

Only two species of Ixalotriton, I. Niger and I. parvus, are currently known, and both are endemic to small regions of Chiapas, México. An additional population of black Ixalotriton has recently been reported from caves on Cerro Baúl, near the only known locality of I. parvus. We conducted morphological and molecular analyses of animals from the ne...

Oaxaca has the highest diversity of amphibians and reptiles of all the states in Mexico. Cerro Piedra Larga is an isolated mountain located in the southeast region of Oaxaca; this massif is covered by mixed temperate and cloud forest and surrounded by drier lowlands. A previous study reported a high diversity of vertebrate fauna on the massif, with...

We describe three new species of minute salamanders, genus Thorius, from the Sierra Madre del Sur of Oaxaca, Mexico. Until now only a single species, T. minutissimus, has been reported from this region, although molecular data have long shown extensive genetic differentiation among geographically disjunct populations. Adult Thorius pinicola sp. nov...

The Sierra Madre del Sur (SMS) of southern Mexico is known for its exceptionally high levels of amphibian endemism, but knowledge of species’ ranges in the region is incomplete. Here, we report new locality records for Eleutherodactylus syristes (Hoyt, 1965) from the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero. Previously, this species was known only from the Pa...

In this report, we describe a new species of the Craugastor podiciferus species group from the premontane forest of the Pacific versant along the Costa Rican-Panamanian border. Mitochondrial DNA and karyotype analyses previously showed a marked genetic divergence between populations of the premontane forest of the Fila Costeña and the lowlands Sout...

Facultative or obligate paedomorphosis has evolved several times in Mexican populations of the salamander genus Ambystoma, leading to increased genetic divergence among populations with alternate life histories and contributing to population divergence in this species complex. In the present study, we surveyed the genetic diversity of Ambystoma pop...

The first record about the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Mexican plethodontid salamanders dates back to the 1970s. However, little is known of the patterns of infection in wild populations and the effects of changes in temperature on the degree of infection. This work quantified Bd infection in a population of Pseudoeurycea le...

While salamanders have a predominantly north-temperate distribution, one of the most stunning radiations of species occurred in the only group to significantly penetrate the tropics, the bolitoglossines. Biogeographic hypotheses for the group have evolved as a result of the discovery of new species and lineages, from approximately 30 species in a s...

Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) is an emerging fungal pathogen that has caused recent die-offs of native salamanders in Europe and is known to be lethal to at least some North American species in laboratory trials [1]. Bsal appears to have originated in Asia, and may have been introduced by humans into wild populations in Europe through co...

Number of live salamanders imported by taxa into the USA, 2004 to 2014 (source = USFWS LEMIS). USFWS LEMIS data (S1 Table) for live salamander imports into the US available at: http://www.amphibians.org/resources/tradedata/. Data requested in May 2015 under the US Freedom of Information Act. (PDF)

Species of the genus Chiropterotriton are distributed through much of northern and eastern Mexico. The genus has presented taxonomic difficulties, with a number of species waiting to be described. We describe two new species, Chiropterotriton cieloensis sp. nov. and Chiropterotriton infernalis sp. nov., from the Mexican state of Tamaulipas based on...

The Neotropical bolitoglossine salamanders represent an impressive adaptive radiation, comprising roughly 40% of global salamander species diversity. Despite decades of morphological studies and molecular work, a robust multilocus phylogenetic hypothesis based on DNA sequence data is lacking for the group. We estimated species trees based on multil...

The cloud forests of Mesoamerica are notable for their high endemism, and plethodontid salamanders provide a striking example of divergence and microendemism across cloud forest blocks at a regional level. Salamanders that make use of arboreal bromeliad microhabitats in the cloud forest appear to be especially prone to divergence driven by natural...

The freshwater turtle genus Trachemys in Mexico has an unstable nomenclature with as few as one and as many as nine species (13 subspecies) currently considered valid by different groups of authors. The purpose of this study is to address a particular suggestion regarding the application of the principle of priority based on the finding that sample...

Immune gene evolution can be critical to species survival in the face of infectious disease. In particular, polymorphism in the genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) helps vertebrates combat novel and diverse pathogens by increasing the number of pathogen-derived proteins that can initiate the host's acquired immune response. In this...

Chytridiomycosis is a disease caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which affects the skin of amphibians and may cause deathABS. The decline of amphibian populations as a result of the effect of this pathogen occurred simultaneously in various parts of the world from the early 1980's. In Mexico the epidemic wave of Bd w...

In Mexico City, native and exotic amphibians are commonly sold through the pet trade. This study investigates the presence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in native amphibians being sold at two commercial markets and at a herpetarium in Mexico City. A total of 238 individuals (6 genera and 12 species) were tested for Bd using real-time polym...

Of the most common types of land use, agroecosystems put enormous pressure on many groups of biological organisms. Amphibians are not the exception and here we show the value of these habitats to the conservation of this group. We evaluated the diversity of amphibians in coffee plantations (traditional and specialized shade) and also in fragments o...