CR

Funny Rocket Frog

Hyloxalus peculiaris

Declining

Overview

Hyloxalus peculiaris is a species of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae. It is endemic to Ecuador where it is only known from its type locality, "Pailas" in the Morona-Santiago Province, on the eastern slope of the Andes.

Hyloxalus peculiaris faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and cattle ranching in its limited montane forest range. Mining activities and infrastructure development have further fragmented its already restricted habitat. The species' extremely small population size and narrow geographic distribution make it particularly vulnerable to stochastic events and local extinctions.

Threat summary

Habitat

This poison dart frog inhabits montane cloud forests and humid tropical forests at elevations between 1,800-2,400 meters in the Colombian Andes. It requires pristine forest conditions with high humidity, dense vegetation cover, and permanent water sources for breeding.

Forest· majorForest - Subtropical/tropical moist montane· major

Conservation measures underway

Resource & habitat protectionSpecies recovery

Other threatened species in DENDROBATIDAE

Blessed Poison FrogVU

Blessed Poison Frog

Ranitomeya benedicta

Declining
EN

Colostethus ucumari

Unknown
VU

Ameerega pepperi

Declining
EN

Darwin Wallace Poison-Frog

Epipedobates darwinwallacei

Declining

Threatened in Ecuador

EN

Puya fastuosa

Unknown
VU

Diospyros esmereg

Declining
VU

Copper Shark

Carcharhinus brachyurus

Declining
EN

Baird's Tapir

Tapirus bairdii

Declining

Frequently asked questions

Why is Funny Rocket Frog classified as Critically Endangered?
Funny Rocket 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. Hyloxalus peculiaris faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and cattle ranching in its limited montane forest range. Mining activities and infrastructure development have further fragmented its already restricted habitat. The species' extremely small population size and narrow geographic distribution make it particularly vulnerable to stochastic events and local extinctions.
Where does Funny Rocket Frog live?
Funny Rocket Frog occurs in Ecuador. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Funny Rocket Frog?
The main threats to Funny Rocket Frog are 2.1, 5.3, ai-1, and ai-2. 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.