About the GAA
Project Overview
Partners
Methods
   Data Collection
   Data Review
   Data Consolidation
   Data Analysis
Future Steps
Use and Citation

Since the initial release of the GAA data in 2004 there has been constant updating and upgrading of the information. Rather than being a systematic review of all species the update concentrated on:

• Adding newly described species.
• Correcting any mistakes brought to the GAA team's attention since the initial release.
• Keeping up-to-date with current taxonomy (in particular there have been many changes at the genus and family level).
• Correction of data on the basis of information not previously available to the GAA that was provided from herpetologists all around the world subsequent to the first release of the data.
• Further review of the data for the Mediterranean region was completed at a joint Global Reptile Assessment and Global Amphibian Assessment workshop in Malaga, Spain in December 2004.
• Inclusion of any new information that was sent from herpetologists around the world, in particular new publications as well as new information regarding genuine changes in species' status.

Summary of the Main Changes since the GAA Release in 2004

Species that are no longer included in the GAA

Three species were synonymised in this update that were previously listed in 2004.

Scinax trachythorax (Müller and Hellmich, 1936) and S. megapodius (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1926) are treated as separate species by some authors, but the most recent review of Hylidae considers them both to be a synonym of S. fuscovarius (Faivovich, et al., 2005), hence the GAA now follows this new taxonomic assignment.

Phrynobatrachus tokba was known only from the type locality, but the more widespread Phrynobatrachus alticola (Guibé and Lamotte, 1962) was recently determined to be a synonym (Rödel et al. 2005). The type specimen of P. alticola has been lost, hence the synonymy had previously been difficult to confirm.

One species was relegated to subspecies status from species status. Rana holtzi Werner, 1898 is now regarded a subspecies of Rana macrocnemis according to Veith et al., 2003.

New Species Additions to the GAA since 2004

There have been 179 species added to the GAA since the initial release in 2004. In 2004 there were 5,743 species listed in the GAA, and in 2006 this has increased to 5,918. Not all of these species are new species descriptions; a few are sub-species recently elevated to species status, or species removed from synonymy. See Table 1 for a summary of these additions.

Not surprisingly, most of these additional species are considered Data Deficient, as there is not enough information currently known to make an assessment of their conservation status. A summary of the Red List categories assigned to the 179 additional species is given in Table 2 and Figure 1.

Figure 1. Summary of Red List categories for new species additions to the GAA since 2004.

Bibliography