Pristimantis pyrrhomerus
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Pristimantis pyrrhomerus faces severe threats from rapid deforestation and agricultural expansion within its extremely limited range in the Ecuadorian Andes. The species' restriction to a single locality makes it exceptionally vulnerable to habitat modification, with coffee cultivation and cattle ranching fragmenting the remaining cloud forest patches. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the moisture regimes essential for this direct-developing frog's survival.
Habitat
This species inhabits montane cloud forests in the Cordillera Oriental of Ecuador, typically found in primary forest with dense canopy cover and high humidity levels. It occurs at elevations between 1,800-2,200 meters where persistent cloud cover maintains the moist microhabitats essential for its direct development lifecycle.
