Johan Albeiro Romero Garcia
Hyloxalus vergeli is a threatened frog species belonging to the non-aposematic neotropical poison frogs group. These frogs exhibit diurnal behavior and are strongly associated with very humid sites featuring small streams. H. vergeli shares its habitat with H. arliensis in the Villa Restrepo village in Ibagué City. However, they have not been reported in sympatry and are easily differentiated by their calls. The distribution of H. vergeli is wide but with specific points, occurring on the eastern side of the Central Cordillera and the western side of the Eastern Cordillera in the Tropical Andes of Colombia. H. vergeli is categorized as Vulnerable due to habitat loss primarily caused by urbanization. Current knowledge of this species is summarized in its morphological description, call characteristics, distribution reports, and phylogenetic relationships. Significant gaps remain in understanding its biology, ecology, behavior, and evolution, which could aid in reducing its threat category.
Hellmich's Rocket Frog. ©Johan Romero Garcia.
This study focuses on developing community-based conservation actions through passive acoustic monitoring and microenvironmental monitoring within a citizen science framework. Our results aim to understand the vocal activity of H. vergeli over a year, engaging students, teachers, stakeholders, volunteers, and the local community. Additionally, this study will evaluate threats and search for new distribution points of this species in the Cañon del Combeima (Combeima Canyon). This canyon is part of the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) in Colombia with two Important Bird Areas (IBAs CO052 and CO054), underscoring the significance of this ecosystem in hosting high biodiversity and a considerable number of threatened species. Thus, we plan to develop the baseline so that academic entities such as the universities of Ibagué City and decision-makers such as CORTOLIMA and the mayor's office can take preventive and corrective measures to reduce the loss of habitat of this threatened species. Likewise, we aim to establish the foundations for a management plan for this species and the biodiversity of the Combeima Canyon, a key area for conservation.