Harlequin toads (Atelopus) are among the most severely impacted amphibians by the emergence of chytridiomycosis, a fungal disease caused by the pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Many species disappeared while others suffered drastic contractions of their geographic distribution to lower altitudes. A diminished virulence of Bd in warm habitats was proposed to explain the survival of lowland populations of harlequin toads (i.e. thermal refuge hypothesis). To understand the mechanisms that allow some populations to reach an endemic equilibrium with this pathogen, we estimated demographic and epidemiological parameters at one remnant population of Atelopus cruciger in Venezuela using mark-recapture data from 2007–2013. We demonstrated that Bd is highly virulent for A. cruciger, increasing the odds of dying of infected adults four times in relation to uninfected ones and reducing the life expectancy of reproductive toads to a few weeks. Despite an estimated annual loss of 18% of the reproductive population due to Bd-induced mortality, this population has persisted in an endemic equilibrium for the last decade through the large recruitment of healthy adults every year. Given the high vulnerability of harlequin toads to Bd in lowland populations, thermal refuges need to be redefined as habitats of reduced transmission rather than attenuated virulence.

Lepidodactylus lugubris is a small gekkonid lizard, predominantly parthenogenetic, with a widespread distribution in Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean islands, continental Asia, and well established exotic populations in the continental America and the Caribbean. Herein, we report the second inland locality for this gecko in Venezuela, extending its distribution ca. 126 km east from the only locality previously reported for the country (Naguanagua, Carabobo state). Based on the first record, the species was introduced in Venezuela at least seven years ago, but until now apparently remains uncommon and localized.

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Infectious diseases can have a significant impact on the life histories of species (Agnew et al., 2000;Silk & Hodgson, 2021). Likewise, life history traits can influence the ability of host populations to sustain endemic infections because they affect population parameters governing the dynamics of infectious disease and the stability of the pathogen-host interaction. As a result, the differential persistence of populations (i.e., demographic competence) can drive shifts in the life history traits of species threatened by infectious diseases (Silk & Hodgson, 2021;Valenzuela-Sánchez et al., 2021).The scheduling of reproduction is a life history trait that varies greatly within species (Roff, 2002). Populations experiencing low adult mortality can benefit from postponing breeding in favor of growing larger, because the size of their egg clutches tend to increase with body size (Roff, 2002;Stearns, 2000). However, organisms

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