Microkayla ankohuma

Microkayla ankohuma is a small terrestrial frog belonging to the genus Microkayla, a group of high-Andean amphibians restricted to Bolivia's cordilleras. Like its congeners, it is a diminutive, cryptically colored frog adapted to cold, high-elevation environments, typically found among damp grasses, rocky microhabitats, and cushion bog vegetation near its type locality in the Cordillera Real. The species is currently classified as Critically Endangered (CR) by the IUCN, reflecting its extremely restricted range, likely fragmented population, and ongoing habitat degradation at high altitude.

Bolivian páramo and puna ecosystems where Microkayla species occur are under increasing pressure from livestock grazing, water diversion for agriculture and mining, and the broader effects of climate change, which is shifting moisture regimes and temperature bands upslope faster than many narrow-range amphibians can track. Chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), a major driver of decline in Andean frogs generally, is considered a plausible additional threat given its documented impact on related high-altitude amphibians in the region, though pathogen surveillance specific to this species remains limited. Conservation attention for Bolivia's Microkayla frogs has grown in recent years, with taxonomic and distributional surveys helping to clarify the boundaries of suitable habitat and informing recommendations for protected area management in the Cordillera Real.

On a positive note, the formal description and recognition of this species has drawn renewed scientific interest to Bolivia's high-Andean amphibian diversity, helping prioritize it for future field monitoring and habitat assessments that could inform targeted conservation action before declines become irreversible.

This species inhabits specialized microhabitats within montane forest ecosystems, typically found in areas with specific soil and moisture conditions. It appears to be restricted to very localized environments that support its particular ecological requirements.