CR

Lynch's Pilalo Robber Frog

Pristimantis pyrrhomerus

Declining

Overview

Pristimantis pyrrhomerus is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

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.

Threat summary

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.

Forest· majorForest - Subtropical/tropical moist montane· major

Conservation measures underway

Resource & habitat protectionSpecies recovery

Other threatened species in STRABOMANTIDAE

CR

Microkayla boettgeri

Declining
CR

Barriga's Rainfrog

Pristimantis barrigai

Declining
VU

Yanayacu Robber Frog

Pristimantis bicantus

Declining
EN

Cundinamarca Robber Frog

Pristimantis affinis

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 Lynch's Pilalo Robber Frog classified as Critically Endangered?
Lynch's Pilalo Robber 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. 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.
Where does Lynch's Pilalo Robber Frog live?
Lynch's Pilalo Robber 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 Lynch's Pilalo Robber Frog?
The main threats to Lynch's Pilalo Robber Frog are 2.3, 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.