Feared Extinct, Toad Rediscovered in Mesilau, Sabah

A species of toad feared to have gone extinct following the destruction of its habitat after the Mount Kinabalu earthquake has been sighted again, as per Malaysia's The Star published May 10, 2024.

 

This rediscovery of the Mesilau Stream toad (Scientific name: Ansonia guibei) was made by researchers from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and Sabah Parks on Mount Kinabalu late last year. 

 

UMS Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation herpetologist Assoc Prof Dr Evan SH Quah (right) said the species was once relatively common but was feared to have become extinct following a rare 6.0-magnitude earthquake which struck Sabah, Malaysia, on June 05, 2015. 

 

The quake caused massive damage to the species’ habitat and was believed to have caused a significant decline in the toad’s population and even its potential extinction, he said.

 

The International Union for Conservation of Nature listed the species as critically endangered in 2017 after a survey in Mesilau failed to locate any specimens, supporting this theory, according to Quah. 

 

With funding from the Asian Species Action Partnership, the research team led by Quah set out to reassess the status of the species last year. In September 2023, the team was elated to rediscover a single sub-adult specimen of the Mesilau Stream Toad in its typical locality.

 

“In addition, tadpoles of the toad were also recorded in the main Mesilau River and Tibabar Stream. These findings are extremely encouraging, as they not only indicate that the species survived but is also breeding”, Quah said. 

 

He added that the research team is continuing to monitor the toads in Mesilau to gather more ecological data on the species post-earthquake. 

 

The Mesilau Stream Toad still faces many ongoing threats as it has an extremely restricted range and is confined only to the Mesilau watershed on Mount Kinabalu, which makes it vulnerable to any extensive changes in the environment, he explained.

 

Landslides still frequently occur at the cliff faces exposed after the earthquake, especially during the rainy season. And runoff and siltation from the landslides affect the water quality of the waterways where the toads breed. 

 

The data collected from this ongoing study is critical in the construction of a sound conservation plan to ensure the survival of the species. Details of the findings "Enduring the Earthquake: Rediscovery of the Critically Endangered Mesilau Stream Toad, Ansonia guibei Inger, 1966 (Anura, Bufonidae) and its conservation implications" were published in the journal Zootaxa, May 06, 2024, Volume 5447, Issue 2, pp 253-262.

 

Yesterday, being the final day of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign as well as Jürgen Klopp's final game as Liverpool manager, the Reds beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0.

 

Alex Mac Allister headed Liverpool ahead in the 34th minute from Harvey Elliott's cross, and Jarell Quansah added a second from almost on the goalline six minutes later as they finished the season third in the Premier League.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This has been a poor season for Liverpool. They could only manage to win the EFL Cup and were in contention for three other trophies. But they lost to Manchester United in the FA Cup, Atalanta in the Europa League, and dropped out of title contention as their form abandoned them at the crucial time.