In June 2023 we were asked to help a Mexican NGO, Conservación de Anfibios A.C., with some research in the canopy. This organisation, spearheaded by José Alfredo Hernández Díaz, aims to conserve the wealth of amphibian diversity in the state of Puebla, Mexico. Specifically, they work outside the town of Cuetzalan in a 8 hectare reserve that was bought by funds raised by the organisation. This reserve protects 17 species of amphibian, many of which are endemic and critically endangered, such as the Cuetzalan Brook salamander (Aquiloeurycea quetzalanensis).

The task was to search within the bromeliads, growing in the canopy and high on large tree trunks, for salamanders. Specifically, for an as yet un-described species of salamander (Chiropterotriton sp.) which has been seen in the area only once before. This salamander is arboreal and spends its time living in the canopy which explains why it has so rarely been seen. More encounters are needed to describe the species and so we can understand its ecology and level of threat.

Checking canopy bromeliads works fine when there is a tree climber around, but is not so useful for longer term work. For this, Ollie designed a simple system to raise and lower large bromeliads to and from the canopy so that any member of the team in Mexico can check for salamanders at any time. The video below shows the one of these systems in action…

25 trees in total were rigged with these pulley systems and they will be checked every two weeks by the team in Mexico. After the first round of checks, Alfredo sent a picture of our first resident – a juvenile Porthole or Jarocha tree frog (Charadrahyla taeniopus). The system works! It will be interesting to see if sightings of the salamanders increase now with the new systems in place. This will allow the team to formally describe the species and unlock new funding sources for the reserve.

Project Partners: