CR

Forest Spikethumb Frog

Plectrohyla glandulosa

Declining

Overview

Plectrohyla glandulosa is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It is found in Guatemala and possibly Mexico. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, and rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Plectrohyla glandulosa faces severe population declines primarily due to habitat destruction from agricultural expansion and urban development in its limited montane range. The species is particularly vulnerable to chytrid fungal infections, which have devastated amphibian populations throughout Central America. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the cool, humid conditions essential for this cloud forest specialist.

Threat summary

Habitat

This species inhabits montane cloud forests and pine-oak forests at elevations between 1,200-2,400 meters in the mountains of Guatemala and southern Mexico. It requires cool, humid conditions with persistent fog and dense vegetation cover typical of these high-altitude ecosystems.

Forest· major

Conservation measures underway

Site/area protectionSpecies recoveryEx-situ conservation

Other threatened species in HYLIDAE

VU

Maracas Heart-tongued Frog

Phyllodytes tuberculosus

Declining
VU

Papallacta Treefrog

Hyloscirtus psarolaimus

Declining
VU

Scinax rupestris

Unknown
CR

Nyctimantis pomba

Declining

Threatened in Guatemala

EN

Arachnothryx tacanensis

Declining
EN

Baird's Tapir

Tapirus bairdii

Declining
Conant's Mushroomtongue SalamanderVU

Conant's Mushroomtongue Salamander

Bolitoglossa conanti

Declining
VU

Phrygiopilus acanthophallus

Stable

Frequently asked questions

Why is Forest Spikethumb Frog classified as Critically Endangered?
Forest Spikethumb Frog is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. Plectrohyla glandulosa faces severe population declines primarily due to habitat destruction from agricultural expansion and urban development in its limited montane range. The species is particularly vulnerable to chytrid fungal infections, which have devastated amphibian populations throughout Central America. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the cool, humid conditions essential for this cloud forest specialist.
Where does Forest Spikethumb Frog live?
Forest Spikethumb Frog occurs in Guatemala, and Mexico. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Forest Spikethumb Frog?
The main threats to Forest Spikethumb Frog are 1.1, 11.1, 2.1, and 5.3. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

Get weekly conservation intelligence

One short digest a week of the most striking species and country data we ship, plus breaking conservation news paired with our database where it matters.

Free, no spam. One-click unsubscribe in every email.