Atelopus oxyrhynchus
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Bufonidae
Genus:	Atelopus
Species:	A. oxyrhynchus
Binomial name
Atelopus oxyrhynchus Boulenger, 1903

Atelopus oxyrhynchus is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, rivers, and intermittent rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss.

A. oxyrhynchus contains tetrodotoxin (TTX), a potent neurotoxin that induces muscle paralysis and/or death. Unlike Atelopus varius, which do not retain TTX when raised in captivity and thus acquires TTX exogenously, A. oxyrhynchus maintains its toxicity when raised in captivity. This has also been shown for the rough-skinned newt, Taricha granulosa. These organisms raise questions about the source of TTX, as the most supported hypothesis for TTX toxicity in other animals is an exogenous origin, either through dietary uptake or bacterial symbiosis.

References

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