Juan Gabriel AbarcaNational University of Costa Rica | UNA · Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas
Juan Gabriel Abarca
M. Sc.
Laboratorio de Bacteriología (SENASA)
Research associate. Tlaloc Conservation Fundación Costa Rica Wildlife
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Publications (105)
Presentación en modalidad de poster del Dr. Juan Carlos Alvarado Fernández en la reunión anual del American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP), Seattle, 2024.
A male, red-eyed frog (Agalychnis callidryas) was collected from the Tenorio Volcano region in Costa Rica due to the presence of a unilateral ocular abnormality affecting its left eye. Approximately 70% of the cornea was replaced by a well demarcated, 5.0 mm in diameter, opaque, bright green and roughened tissue compatible with skin. The affected e...
Oedipina berlini is a terrestrial salamander endemic to the Caribbean tropical forests of Costa Rica. Current knowledge of its natural history is deficient due to scarce observations since its discovery. Herein, we describe an antipredator behavior, which consists of a jump powered only by its tail. This method of defense against predators shows th...
Reportamos por primera vez un canto de anuncio de Craugastor mimus, el cual consiste en una nota tonal corta y débil, sin frecuencia modulada, similar a un sonido "pip", emitida cada cuatro a nueve segundos. El reporte de este canto en C. mimus confirma que, en Costa Rica, todas las especies de la serie C. laticeps son capaces de producir vocalizac...
-Reportamos observaciones de la dieta de dos especies de serpientes terrestres: Pliocercus euryzonus fue observada alimentándose de una masa de huevos, probablemente de Agalychnis callidryas, por su parte Urotheca guentheri fue observada alimentándose de la serpiente Ninia maculata. Estos ítems alimenticios no habían sido reportados para ninguna de...
The feeding strategy of the tadpoles of the Shaman Fringe-limbed Treefrog (Ecnomiohyla sukia), a canopy frog endemic to Costa Rica, is reported. A tree was climbed to collect three tadpoles at different stages, then the stomach contents were analyzed. Two of the three collected tadpoles had masses of eggs in their intestines. An analysis of stomach...
En esta nota proporcionamos dos nuevos avistamientos de la Rana Arbórea Voladora Shaman (Ecnomiohyla sukia). Actualmente el rango conocido es en la vertiente atlántica del centro de Costa Rica. El reporte más septentrional de la especie era el sector del lago del Volcán Arenal. Este informe muestra la especie en el Área de Conservación Guanacaste y...
A new species of hylid frog is described from Tapir Valley Nature Reserve, located on the Caribbean slope of Tenorio Volcano in Bijagua, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica. A molecular phylogenetic analysis supports its inclusion in the genus Tlalocohyla. Morphological, morphometric, larval, and acoustic characteristics further distinguish it from other...
Central American hylids frogs of the genus Isthmohyla have suffered dramatic decline in highlands. Many species of this genus are considered critically endangered, including Isthmohyla tica, an endemic species of Costa Rica and Panama. We found a population of I. tica inside agricultural coffee ecosystems in Tarrazú, San José, Costa Rica and we des...
On August 18, 2021 at 19:26 h, during a fieldtrip, a lizard was sighted after it falling from a groups of trees in a primary rainforest in El Silencio, Turrialba, Cartago, Costa Rica. The specimen was photographed and the photo-voucher was deposited in the Biodiversity Collections, The University of Texas at Austin. We identified the lizard as Anol...
Introducción: El sapo arlequín, Atelopus varius, se encuentra en peligro crítico y fue declarada “aparentemente extinta” en Costa Rica en 1996. Una de las posibles causas fue el hongo patógeno Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. En 2008 se redescubrió una población viva en Las Tablas y aquí analizamos la situación con este hongo. Objetivo: Evaluar prev...
At 2100 h on 27 March 2021, while monitoring the diversity of amphibians and reptiles in the agricultural ecosystems of Tarrazú, San José, Costa Rica, where the Legler’s Stream Frog population appears to be healthy, we encountered a subadult Ornate Cat-eyed Snake (Leptodeira cf. ornata) preying on an adult male Duellmanohyla legleri on an exotic gi...
We visited locations in three cantons of San José: León Cortés, Dota, and Tarrazú, a sector known locally as the “Zona de los Santos” (Fig. 1), in which some people had provided observations of A. annae. At each locality, we recorded land use, relief, extent of urbanization, and geographical coordinates.
Del estudio de la taxonomía, la historia natural y la ecología como principales ramas de la investigación de los fenómenos naturales hemos pasado rápidamente a preocuparnos por generar la ciencia de la conservación, ya que en los últimos 70 años ha venido creciendo la cantidad de especies en peligro alrededor de mundo. Los anfibios son uno de los g...
Herein we report a new locality for P. neuwiedii near thesouthern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. On 25 December 2020,a red medium-sized snake (ca. 1.2 m) was found dead on theroad in an African Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantation nearLa Palma, La Cuesta District, Municipality of Corredores,Puntarenas Province (8.5199°N, 82.9014°W; WGS 84; 40m asl...
Amphibians are globally threatened by emerging infectious diseases, and ranaviruses are among the most concerning pathogens to threaten species in the wild. We sampled for ranaviruses in wild amphibians at 8 sites in Costa Rica, spanning broad climatic zones and taxonomic associations. Seven of these sites are inhabited by highly threatened amphibi...
Amphibians are globally threatened by emerging infectious diseases, and ranaviruses are among the most concerning pathogens to threaten species in the wild. We sampled for ranaviruses in wild amphibians at 8 sites in Costa Rica, spanning broad climatic zones and taxonomic associations. Seven of these sites are inhabited by highly threatened amphibi...
Amphibians have declined around the world in recent years, in parallel with the emergence of an epidermal disease called chytridiomycosis, caused by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis ( Bd ). This disease has been associated with mass mortality in amphibians worldwide, including in Costa Rica, and Bd is considered an important contri...
On 22 May 2020, a gartersnake was encountered in San Juan Norte, Rosario District, Municipality of Desamparados, San José Province (9.7831°N, 85.2639°W; WGS 84; 1,470 m asl). J.A. Campbell, L.W. Porras, and W.W. Lamar confirmed that the snake was T. marcianus.
First record from the Municipality of Dota and a new maximum elevation for the species.
Resumen.-Se reportan observaciones de la dieta de dos especies de serpientes elegantes: Rhadinaea calligaster fue observada depredando una salamandra del género Bolitoglossa; también se reportan observaciones sobre el forrajeo y alimentación de Rhadinella godmani, la cual se observó alimentándose de ranas del género Craugastor e Isthmohyla. Estos í...
Resumen.-La Rana Martillito de Altura, Diasporus hylaeformis, fue observada mostrando un cambio de textura de la piel durante una sesión fotográfica. Se ha sugerido que este comportamiento, reportado recientemente en anuros, puede servir como estrategia ante depredadores o factores de estrés. Esta es la primera vez que se reporta plasticidad en la...
Como parte de la integración entre el Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación y las comunidades aledañas a las zonas protegidas, se presenta este material divulgativo, cuyo objetivo es familiarizar a la sociedad con las especies de animales que se protegen dentro del Parque Nacional La Cangreja. Está destinado a estudiantes, personal funcionario...
Se reportan observaciones de la dieta de dos especie de serpientes elegantes: Rhadinaea calligaster fue observada depredando una salamandra del género Bolitoglossa; también se reportan observaciones sobre el forrajeo y alimentación de Rhadinella godmani, la cual se observó alimentándose de ranas del género Craugastor e Isthmohyla. Estos ítems alime...
Claves dicotómicas para la herpetofauna costarricense.
Manual de laboratorio actualizado. Universidad Nacional.
Link de descarga:
http://www.observatorioambiental.una.ac.cr/index.php/documentos/category/3-investigaciones-una-academicos
The mangrove cat-eyed snake Leptodeira rubricata (Cope, 1893) is known to occur from the Central Pacific mangrove forest in Costa Rica to the western extreme of Panamá. We observed and photographed a specimen of Leptodeira rubricata in an estuary at Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The new record represents the northernmost occurrence for this species.
On 8 March 2019, we found a dead snake, which
we identified as Leptodeira rubricata, in Marino Ballena
National Park, which is located north of the Osa Peninsula in
Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica. This snake had an orangered
dorsal ground color with more than 60 white transverse
bands, white nuchal blotches, and a white median nape stripe
(Fig. 1B...
Stejneger’s Snail Sucker (Sibon longifrenis) inhabits Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. It is relatively common along the Caribbean slope of Costa RicaAt 1800 h on 17 November 2018 in a garden area within a forested patch in the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park, located in La Fortuna of San Carlos, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica (10.49...
update of the state of conservation of the amphibian species of Costa Rica, parte 3. (In Spanish)
Update of the state of conservation of the amphibian species of Costa Rica. (In Spanish)
update of the state of conservation of the amphibian species of Costa Rica, parte 2. (In Spanish)
Animal-associated microbiomes are integral to host health, yet key biotic and abiotic factors that shape host-associated microbial communities at the global scale remain poorly understood. We investigated global patterns in amphibian skin bacterial communities, incorporating samples from 2,349 individuals representing 205 amphibian species across a...
On 1858 h on 11 October 2017, we encountered a newly metamorphosed A. annae (~ 25mm SVL) being consumed by the ctenid spider Cuppienius coccineus
We encountered a newly metamorphosed A.annae(~25mmSVL) being consumed by the
ctenid spider Cupiennius coccineus.
Amphibian skin is a suitable environment for rich communities of microorganisms, both beneficial and detrimental to the host. The amphibian cutaneous microbiota has been hypothesized to play an important role as symbionts, protecting their hosts against disease. Costa Rica has one of the most diverse assemblages of amphibians in the world and we kn...
Presentamos un inventario de anuros en la zona de amortiguamiento del Parque Internacional La Amistad, realizado por personas locales. Discutimos los resultados en torno al marco de Ciencia Ciudadana y su aplicación para estudios de anfibios, así como el nivel de incertidumbre de la identificación de especies por fotografías. Registramos 15 especie...
Phytotelmata are microhabitats used for shelter by many anuran species. Understanding anuran-microhabitat relationship is important for their conservation as it could notably affect host-pathogen interactions (i.e. chytrid fungus-amphibians), and could help us to understand their habitat disturbance responses. Herein, we studied spatial and tempora...
Rhinella marina is a toad native to South America that has been introduced in the Antilles, likely carrying high loads of microorganisms, potentially impacting local community diversity. The amphibian skin is involved in pathogen defense and its microbiota has been relatively well studied, however, research focusing on the cane toad microbiota is l...
Las serpientes están entre los animales más afectados por el desconocimiento que tienen muchas personas hacia la vida silvestre. En Costa Rica, se han realizado pocos esfuerzos por conocer cómo son afectadas por causa de las acciones humanas. En el presente estudio se utiliza información suministrada a la página Serpientes de Costa Rica de la red s...
We report Anomalepis mexicanus from Puntarenas and San José, Costa Rica.
Global amphibian biodiversity has declined dramatically in the past 4 decades, and
many amphibian species have declined to near extinction as a result of emergence of the amphibian
chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). However, persistent or recovering populations
of several amphibian species have recently been rediscovered, and such...
Range extention in the South of Costa Rica.
Global amphibian declines and extinction events are occurring at an unprecedented rate. While several factors are responsible for declines and extinction, the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has been cited as a major constituent in these events. While the effects of this chytrid fungus have been shown to cause broad scale popula...
On 9 July 2016 at 1135 h, we observed anE.superciliosa feeding on a adult H.frenatus at Playa La Penca, Distrito deSardinal, CantóndeCarrillo, Provincia de Guanacaste, Costa Rica (10°34'18"N, 84°41'54"W; WGS 84); elev. 40 m. The bird was perched on an exposed branch of a leguminous tree holdingthe gecko in its beak (Fig. 1).
Thanatosis behavior of the genus Incilius in Costa Rica.
We provide a checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Río Macho Biological Station (RMBS), Costa Rica. During a period of a year (2012–2013) we conducted visual and acoustic surveys in a natural mature forest plot (>50 years old) (MF), secondary forest plot (~17 years old) (SF), in open areas and riparian forest at RMBS. We found a total of 11 s...
The Asian house gecko Hemidactylus frenatus has been widely introduced in Costa Rica and tends to establish in human settlements. Some studies in other invaded countries have suggested that this gecko plays a significant role in the epidemiology of salmonellosis and it is of value to public health. To our knowledge, no studies have examined Salmone...
