Gigante Wrinkled Ground Frog
CR

Gigante Wrinkled Ground Frog

Platymantis insulatus

Declining

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platymantis_insulatus

Overview

Platymantis insulatus is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is endemic to the Gigante Islands just northeast of Panay, the Philippines. This frog is variously known as the Gigantes wrinkled ground frog, island forest frog, South Gigante Island frog, Gigantes forest frog, and Gigantes limestone frog. Originally described from South Gigante, it is now known to occur on at least three other islands.

Platymantis insulatus faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and logging activities across its limited range in the Philippines. The species' restricted distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to local extinctions, while introduced predators and competitors further pressure remaining populations. Climate change poses an additional threat through altered precipitation patterns affecting the moist forest conditions this frog requires for breeding and survival.

Threat summary

Habitat

This endemic Philippine frog inhabits primary and secondary moist tropical forests, typically found in leaf litter and low vegetation in montane and submontane forest environments. The species requires humid microhabitats with stable moisture levels for successful reproduction and development.

Forest· majorForest - Subtropical/tropical moist lowland· majorRocky areas· majorCaves and subterranean habitats· major

Conservation measures underway

Habitat & natural process restorationSpecies recovery

Other threatened species in CERATOBATRACHIDAE

VU

Wolf's Sticky-toed Frog

Cornufer wolfi

Declining
VU

Cheesman's Wrinkled Ground Frog

Cornufer cheesmanae

Declining
VU

Baining Wrinkled Ground Frog

Cornufer nexipus

Declining
VU

Tiny Sticky-toed Frog

Cornufer minutus

Unknown

Threatened in Philippines

Acropora hemprichiiEN

Acropora hemprichii

Declining
EN

Montipora calcarea

Declining
VU

Copper Shark

Carcharhinus brachyurus

Declining
EN

Montipora taiwanensis

Declining

Frequently asked questions

Why is Gigante Wrinkled Ground Frog classified as Critically Endangered?
Gigante Wrinkled Ground 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. Platymantis insulatus faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and logging activities across its limited range in the Philippines. The species' restricted distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to local extinctions, while introduced predators and competitors further pressure remaining populations. Climate change poses an additional threat through altered precipitation patterns affecting the moist forest conditions this frog requires for breeding and survival.
Where does Gigante Wrinkled Ground Frog live?
Gigante Wrinkled Ground Frog occurs in Philippines. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Gigante Wrinkled Ground Frog?
The main threats to Gigante Wrinkled Ground Frog are 1.1, 2.1, 2.1.1, and 3.2. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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