Pristimantis kelephus
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Pristimantis kelephus faces severe threats from rapid deforestation and agricultural expansion within its extremely limited range in the Cordillera de Toisán, Ecuador. The species' restriction to a single mountain ridge makes it exceptionally vulnerable to habitat fragmentation, while climate change poses additional risks through alteration of the specific microhabitat conditions required by this high-altitude endemic. Mining activities and infrastructure development further threaten the remaining forest patches where this critically endangered frog persists.
Habitat
This species inhabits montane cloud forests and elfin forests at elevations between 2,800-3,200 meters in the Cordillera de Toisán of Ecuador. It requires the humid, moss-covered microhabitats typical of high-altitude Andean forests, where it breeds in terrestrial environments without dependence on open water bodies.