Meriania acostae
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Meriania acostae faces severe pressure from ongoing deforestation and agricultural expansion throughout its limited Andean range. The species' restriction to cloud forest fragments makes it particularly vulnerable to habitat fragmentation, as remaining populations become increasingly isolated. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the moisture regimes essential for cloud forest ecosystems, potentially shifting suitable habitat to higher elevations where land availability is limited.
Habitat
This species is endemic to montane cloud forests of the northern Andes, typically occurring at elevations between 1,800-2,800 meters. It requires the persistent moisture and stable temperatures characteristic of these fog-shrouded ecosystems, often growing in forest understory and edge habitats.