Peters' Caecilian
EN

Peters' Caecilian

Epicrionops petersi

Unknown

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicrionops_petersi

Overview

A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.

Peters' Caecilian faces severe pressure from agricultural expansion and deforestation throughout its limited Andean range in Colombia and Ecuador. The species' fossorial lifestyle makes it particularly vulnerable to soil disturbance from cattle ranching and crop cultivation, which destroys the moist soil layers essential for its survival. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering precipitation patterns in cloud forest ecosystems, potentially desiccating the humid microhabitats this amphibian requires.

Threat summary

Habitat

Peters' Caecilian inhabits the moist soils of Andean cloud forests and montane rainforests between 1,200-2,400 meters elevation. This fossorial species requires consistently humid soil conditions with abundant organic matter, typically found beneath leaf litter and rotting logs in primary and secondary forest environments.

Other threatened species in Rhinatrematidae

Two-coloured CaecilianVU

Two-coloured Caecilian

Epicrionops bicolor

Unknown
Marbled CaecilianCR

Marbled Caecilian

Epicrionops marmoratus

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is Peters' Caecilian classified as Endangered?
Peters' Caecilian is classified as Endangered — facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild — because population numbers are declining steeply and key habitats are under sustained pressure. Peters' Caecilian faces severe pressure from agricultural expansion and deforestation throughout its limited Andean range in Colombia and Ecuador. The species' fossorial lifestyle makes it particularly vulnerable to soil disturbance from cattle ranching and crop cultivation, which destroys the moist soil layers essential for its survival. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering precipitation patterns in cloud forest ecosystems, potentially desiccating the humid microhabitats this amphibian requires.
Where does Peters' Caecilian live?
Peters' Caecilian occurs in across multiple regions. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Peters' Caecilian?
The main threats to Peters' Caecilian are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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