
Luis A. ColomaFundación Jambatu
Luis A. Coloma
Ph. D in Systematics and Ecology at the University of Kansas.
About
152
Publications
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Introduction
I am a researcher and Director of Centro Jambatu for Research and Conservation of Amphibians (Jambatu Foundation). I lead SapoPediaEcuador, a free access Electronic encyclopedia. http://www.anfibiosecuador.ec
Additional affiliations
November 2014 - December 2016
IKIAM. Universidad Regional Amazonica
Position
- Investigador
January 2011 - present

Independent Researcher
Position
- Investigación y Conservacion de anfibios
May 1991 - December 2010
Publications
Publications (152)
We review the systematics of frogs of the Hyloscirtus larinopygion group. A new phylogenetic tree inferred from mitochondrial DNA (partial sequences of 12S rRNA, valine-tRNA, and 16S rRNA genes; ∼2.3 kb) of eleven species of the H. larinopygion group is provided, based on maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian analyses. Our phylogeny c...
We studied populations of frogs of the genus Atelopus from the Pasto Massif of the Andes in southern Colombia and north-ern Ecuador, and from the Huancabamba depression in southern Ecuador and northern Perú and conclude that they belong to six species, five of which are described as new to science. Atelopus angelito is recorded for the first time f...
Harlequin frogs, genus Atelopus, are a species-rich group of bufonid anurans from the Neotropics with more than 100
species. For nearly four decades now, this group has suffered from massive population declines. Almost all species
are threatened with extinction, and many populations and several species are considered extinct or possibly extinct.
Th...
Natural history museums harbor invaluable resources for conserving endangered species by providing insights into the mechanism of historical population declines. Here we conducted data synthesis to better understand the extinction factors of the iconic Jambato Harlequin frog, Atelopus ignescens , which was widespread in the Ecuadorian Andes before...
The Jambato Harlequin toad ( Atelopus ignescens ), a formerly abundant species in the Andes of Ecuador, faced a dramatic population decline in the 1980s, with its last recorded sighting in 1988. The species was considered Extinct by the IUCN until 2016, when a fortuitous discovery of one Jambato by a local boy reignited hope. In this study, we pres...
Shifts in microbiome community composition can have large effects on host health. It is therefore important to understand how perturbations, like those caused by the introduction of exogenous chemicals, modulate microbiome community composition. In poison frogs within the family Dendrobatidae, the skin microbiome is exposed to the alkaloids that th...
Alkaloids are important bioactive molecules throughout the natural world, and in many animals they serve as a source of chemical defense against predation. Dendrobatid poison frogs bioaccumulate alkaloids from their diet to make themselves toxic or unpalatable to predators. Despite the proposed roles of plasma proteins as mediators of alkaloid traf...
ARTICLE Ongoing harlequin toad declines suggest the amphibian extinction crisis is still an emergency Biodiversity loss is extreme in amphibians. Despite ongoing conservation action, it is difficult to determine where we stand in overcoming their extinction crisis. Among the most threatened amphibians are the 131 Neotropical harlequin toads. Many o...
Anthropogenic biodiversity loss is extreme in amphibians. Despite ongoing conservation action, it is difficult to determine where we stand in overcoming their extinction crisis 1,2. Extinction risk is not equally distributed across amphibians 3-5. Among the most threatened amphibians are the 131 Neotropical harlequin toads (Atelopus), many of which...
The collection of larval specimens from Amazonian Ecuador allows for the scientific description of the tadpole of Agalychnis hulli. The tadpole is unusual among Phyllomedusinae and its external morphology appears more similar to species of Hylomantis than other species of Agalychnis, suggesting the species may well represent an important evolutiona...
Amphibians face global declines, and it remains unclear the extent to which species have responded, and through what mechanisms, to persist in the face of emerging diseases and climate change. In recent years, the rediscovery of species considered possibly extinct has sparked public and scientific attention. These are hopeful cases in an otherwise...
Alkaloids are important bioactive molecules throughout the natural world, and in many animals they serve as a source of chemical defense against predation. Dendrobatid poison frogs bioaccumulate alkaloids from their diet to make themselves toxic or unpalatable to predators. Despite the proposed roles of plasma proteins as mediators of alkaloid traf...
Sex differences in vertebrate spatial abilities are typically interpreted under the adaptive specialization hypothesis, which posits that male reproductive success is linked to larger home ranges and better navigational skills. The androgen spillover hypothesis counters that enhanced male spatial performance may be a byproduct of higher androgen le...
The ability to use small molecule alkaloids as defensive chemicals has evolved in many organisms, often via trophic interactions due to dietary specialization. Animals with diet-derived defenses must balance food choices to maintain their defense reservoirs along with other physiological needs. However, environmental availability of prey and dietar...
Sex differences in vertebrate spatial abilities are typically interpreted under the adaptive specialization hypothesis, which posits that male reproductive success is linked to larger home ranges and better navigational skills. The androgen spillover hypothesis counters that enhanced male spatial performance may be a byproduct of higher androgen le...
Amphibians are in peril, given the ongoing sixth mass extinction of wildlife. Thus, Conservation Breeding Programs (CBPs) are attempting to breed some species under laboratory conditions. The incorporation of assisted reproduction technologies (ARTs), such as hormonal stimulation, sperm collection and cryopreservation, and in vitro fertilization is...
Ecuador is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, but faces severe pressures and threats to its natural ecosystems. Numerous species have declined and require to be objectively evaluated and quantified, as a step towards the development of conservation strategies. Herein, we present an updated National Red List Assessment for amphibian...
We describe a new species of dendrobatid frog, Leucostethus bilsa sp. nov., using molecular, morphological, and acoustic evidence. We also comment on the taxonomic status of four similar Hyloxalus and Colostethus. We provide an updated phylogeny of Leucostethus that corroborates previous hypotheses of relationships of nine species. Phylogenetic ana...
Despite the use of acoustic communication, many species of toads (family Bufonidae) have lost parts of the tympanic middle ear, representing at least 12 independent evolutionary occurrences of trait loss. The comparative development of the tympanic middle ear in toads is poorly understood. Here, we compared middle ear development among two pairs of...
Much of the world’s biodiversity is held within tropical rainforests, which are increasingly fragmented by agricultural practices. In these threatened landscapes, there are many organisms that acquire chemical defenses from their diet and are therefore intimately connected with their local food webs. Poison frogs (Family Dendrobatidae) are one such...
The tadpoles of the Neotropical genus Atelopus are only known for 26 out of 96 species described. Here, we describe the tadpoles of A. elegans and A. palmatus including ontogenetic information, measurements, and images of individuals in several stages of growth. Both species are compared with their congeners taking into account some relevant featur...
Parental provisioning of offspring with physiological products (nursing) occurs in many animals, yet little is known about the neuroendocrine basis of nursing in non-mammalian species. Within amphibians, maternal provisioning has evolved multiple times, with mothers of some species feeding unfertilized eggs to their developing offspring until tadpo...
Much of the worlds biodiversity is held within tropical rainforests, which are increasingly fragmented by agricultural practices. In these threatened landscapes, there are many organisms that acquire chemical defenses from their diet and are therefore intimately connected with their local food webs. Poison frogs (Family Dendrobatidae) are one such...
Parental care has evolved repeatedly and independently across animals. While the ecological and evolutionary significance of parental behaviour is well recognized, underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We took advantage of behavioural diversity across closely related species of South American poison frogs (Family Dendrobatidae) to identif...
Parental provisioning of offspring with physiological products occurs in many animals. Within amphibians, maternal provisioning has evolved multiple times, including in South American dendrobatid and Malagasy mantellid poison frogs. In some of these species, mothers feed unfertilized eggs to their developing tadpoles for several months until tadpol...
Poison frogs sequester small molecule lipophilic alkaloids from their diet of leaf litter arthropods for use as chemical defenses against predation. Although the dietary acquisition of chemical defenses in poison frogs is well documented, the physiological mechanisms of alkaloid sequestration has not been investigated. Here, we used RNA sequencing...
Parental care has evolved repeatedly and independently across animals. While the ecological and evolutionary significance of parental behavior is well recognized, underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We took advantage of behavioral diversity across closely related species of South American poison frogs (Family Dendrobatidae) to identify...
Poison frogs sequester small molecule lipophilic alkaloids from their diet of leaf litter arthropods for use as chemical defenses against predation. Although the dietary acquisition of chemical defenses in poison frogs is well-documented, the physiological mechanisms of alkaloid sequestration has not been investigated. Here, we used RNA sequencing...
We review the systematics of the species of Gastrotheca (Anura: Hemiphractidae) in the highlands of the southern Ecuadorian Andes. We analyzed phylogenetic, morphological, ecological, and acoustic data from populations in the region. We provide an updated phylogenetic hypothesis inferred from a database that contains 42 species of Gastrotheca, and...
Despite the benefit of the tympanic middle ear to airborne hearing sensitivity, anurans range in how soon they develop functional middle ears after transitioning to life on land. Previous evidence suggested that bufonids had particularly slow middle ear developmental rates, but precise timelines have not yet been published for this family. Here, we...
Rhaebo olallai IUCN Assessment
Harlequin frogs, genus Atelopus, communicate at high frequencies despite most species lacking a complete tympanic middle ear that facilitates high frequency hearing in most anurans and other tetrapods. Here we test whether Atelopus are better at sensing high frequency acoustic sound compared to other eared and earless species in the Bufonidae famil...
Background
Advancements in portable scientific instruments provide promising avenues to expedite field work in order to understand the diverse array of organisms that inhabit our planet. Here, we tested the feasibility for in situ molecular analyses of endemic fauna using a portable laboratory fitting within a single backpack, in one of the world's...
Some South American poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) are chemically defended and use bright aposematic colors to warn potential predators of their unpalatability. Aposematic signals are often frequency-dependent where individuals deviating from a local model are at a higher risk of predation. However, extreme diversity in the aposematic signal has been...
Sensory losses or reductions are frequently attributed to relaxed selection. However, anuran species have lost tympanic middle ears many times, despite anurans ’ use of acoustic communication and the benefit of middle ears for hearing airborne sound. Here we determine whether pre-existing alternative sensory pathways enable anurans lacking tympanic...
Advancements in portable scientific instruments provide promising avenues to expedite field work in order to understand the diverse array of organisms that inhabit our planet. Here we tested the feasibility for in situ molecular analyses of endemic fauna using a portable laboratory fitting within a single backpack, in one of the world’s most imperi...
Peptidase inhibitors have an important role controlling a variety of biological processes. Here, we employed a peptidomic approach including molecular cloning, tandem mass spectrometry and enzymatic assays to reveal 7 Kazal-type proteinase inhibitors (CCKPs) (18 variants) in the skin secretion of the unexplored frog, Cruziohyla calcarifer. All 18 p...
We report the recent finding of four adults of Atelopus longirostris, a Critically Endangered species that was last seen in 1989, when catastrophic Atelopus declines occurred. The rediscovery of A. longirostris took place in a new locality, Junín, 1250–1480 m asl, Provincia Imbabura, Ecuador, on 28–31 March 2016. The four frogs were found in two is...
Most anurans possess a tympanic middle ear (TME) that transmits sound waves to the inner ear; however, numerous species lack some or all TME components. To understand the evolution of these structures, we undertook a comprehensive assessment of their occurrence across anurans and performed ancestral character state reconstructions. Our analysis ind...
Citation: Rabeling C, Sosa-Calvo J, O'Connell LA, Coloma LA, Fernández F (2016) Lenomyrmex hoelldobleri: a new ant species discovered in the stomach of the dendrobatid poison frog, Oophaga sylvatica (Funkhouser). ZooKeys 618: 79–95. Abstract The ant genus Lenomyrmex was recently discovered and described from mid to high elevation rainforests in sou...
Geographic variation of color pattern in the South American poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) is an intriguing evolutionary phenomenon. These chemically defended anurans use bright aposematic colors to warn potential predators of their unpalatibility. However, aposematic signals are frequency-dependent and individuals deviating from a local model are at...
Our recent publication titled “Ant and Mite Diversity Drives Toxin Variation in the Little Devil Poison Frog” aimed to describe how variation in diet contributes to population differences in toxin profiles of poison frogs. Some poison frogs (Family Dendrobatidae) sequester alkaloid toxins from their arthropod diet, which is composed mainly of ants...
Biological significance:
Through the combination of molecular cloning, Edman degradation sequencing, tandem mass spectrometry and MALDI-TOF MS we have identified a new family of 15 antimicrobial peptides in the skin secretion of Cruziohyla calcarifer. The novel family is named "Cruzioseptins" and contains cationic amphipathic peptides of 20-32 res...
Poison frogs sequester chemical defenses from arthropod prey, although the details of how arthropod diversity contributes to variation in poison frog toxins remains unclear. We characterized skin alkaloid profiles in the Little Devil poison frog, Oophaga sylvatica (Dendrobatidae), across three populations in northwestern Ecuador. Using gas chromato...
Poison frogs sequester chemical defenses from arthropod prey, although the details of how arthropod diversity contributes to variation in poison frog toxins remains unclear. We characterized skin alkaloid profiles in the Little Devil frog, Oophaga sylvatica (Dendrobatidae), across three populations in northwestern Ecuador. Using gas chromatography...