CR

Plectrohyla exquisita

Declining

Overview

Plectrohyla exquisita is a species of frogs in the family Hylidae. Before its description in 1998, it was confused with Plectrohyla teuchestes. It is endemic to the Sierra de Omoa in the Cortés Department of northwestern Honduras. The species range is within the Cusuco National Park.

Plectrohyla exquisita faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and logging activities in its montane cloud forest habitat. The species' extremely limited range makes it particularly vulnerable to localized environmental changes, while climate change poses additional risks by altering the moisture-dependent cloud forest ecosystem it requires for survival.

Threat summary

Habitat

This species inhabits montane cloud forests at elevations between 1,500-2,500 meters in Central America. It requires the consistently moist, fog-shrouded environment typical of these high-altitude tropical forests.

Forest· majorForest - Temperate· majorWetlands (inland) - Permanent rivers/streams· major

Conservation measures underway

Site/area protectionSpecies recoveryEx-situ conservationFormal educationAwareness & communicationsCompliance and enforcement

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Frequently asked questions

Why is Plectrohyla exquisita classified as Critically Endangered?
Plectrohyla exquisita 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. Plectrohyla exquisita faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and logging activities in its montane cloud forest habitat. The species' extremely limited range makes it particularly vulnerable to localized environmental changes, while climate change poses additional risks by altering the moisture-dependent cloud forest ecosystem it requires for survival.
Where does Plectrohyla exquisita live?
Plectrohyla exquisita occurs in Honduras. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Plectrohyla exquisita?
The main threats to Plectrohyla exquisita are 11.1, 2.1, 3.3, and 4.1. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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