Beautiful coin issued by the Republic of Palau in 2011 belonging to new series: World of Frogs. It depicts the purple Atelopus Certus, also known as toad mountain harlequin frog. In 2004 it has been inserted in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Toad Mountain Harlequin Frog (Atelopus Certus)
Atelopus certus is a species of toad in the Bufonidae family. It is endemic to the Darien Region of Eastern Panama, and its type locality is Cerro Sapo, giving it its common name of the Toad Mountain Harlequin Frog.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montanes, and rivers. It is threatened primarily by the advancing wave of chytridiomycosis moving through central America, and secondarily by habitat loss, although much of its range falls with in the Darien National Park, a protected area and world heritage site.
The Chytridiomycosis is an infectious disease of amphibians, caused by the chytrid Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a fungus. Chytridiomycosis has been linked to dramatic population declines or even extinctions of amphibian species in western North America, Central America, South America, eastern Australia, and Dominica and Montserrat in the Caribbean.
Because so many other Atelopus species are in steep declines this amphibian is seen as a priority species for ex-situ conservation. In June 2010, a team of conservation partners working under the banner of the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project mounted an expedition to the Darien and brought back a founding population of these frogs to begin an ex-situ conservation program at the Summit Municipal Park near Panama City.
| Specifications | |
| Metal | Silver |
| Metal Composition (Troy OZ) | 0.5 |
| Fineness (% purity) | 92.5 |
| Denomination (USD) | 2 |
| Weight (g) | 15.55 |
| Diameter (mm) | 35.00 |
| Year of Issue | 2011 |
| Country | Palau |
| Quality | Proof |
| Mintage | 500 |
| Exterior Decoration | Partly colore |
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