Cofan Plump Toad
CR

Cofan Plump Toad

Osornophryne cofanorum

Declining

Photo: Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Overview

Osornophryne cofanorum, commonly known as the Cofan plump toad or Cofan toadlet, is a species of true toad. Osornophryne cofanorum is native to the mountane forests of Ecuador, and classified as critically endangered. It is named after the Cofán people.

Osornophryne cofanorum faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and human settlement in its restricted montane range. Oil exploration and associated infrastructure development pose additional pressures on remaining forest fragments. The species' extremely limited distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to localized environmental changes and stochastic events.

Threat summary

Habitat

This critically endangered toad inhabits cloud forests and montane rainforests at elevations between 1,400-2,100 meters in the Cordillera Oriental of Ecuador and Colombia. It requires pristine forest environments with high humidity and stable microclimatic conditions typical of Andean cloud forest ecosystems.

Forest· majorForest - Subtropical/tropical moist montane· major

Conservation measures underway

Resource & habitat protectionSpecies recovery

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Frequently asked questions

Why is Cofan Plump Toad classified as Critically Endangered?
Cofan Plump Toad 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. Osornophryne cofanorum faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and human settlement in its restricted montane range. Oil exploration and associated infrastructure development pose additional pressures on remaining forest fragments. The species' extremely limited distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to localized environmental changes and stochastic events.
Where does Cofan Plump Toad live?
Cofan Plump Toad 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 Cofan Plump Toad?
The main threats to Cofan Plump Toad are 3.2, ai-1, ai-2, and ai-3. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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