CR

Pristimantis mars

Declining

Overview

Pristimantis mars is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to the Risaralda Department of Colombia, in the Cordillera Occidental. Its natural habitat is tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Pristimantis mars faces severe threats from rapid deforestation and agricultural expansion within its extremely limited range in the Ecuadorian Andes. The species' restriction to a single locality makes it exceptionally vulnerable to habitat modification, with coffee cultivation and cattle ranching fragmenting the remaining cloud forest patches. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the moisture regimes essential for this direct-developing frog's survival.

Threat summary

Habitat

This species inhabits montane cloud forests in the Ecuadorian Andes, typically found in leaf litter and low vegetation within humid forest understory environments. It occurs at elevations between 1,800-2,200 meters where persistent cloud cover maintains the high humidity levels essential for its direct development lifecycle.

Forest· majorForest - Subtropical/tropical moist montane· major

Conservation measures underway

Site/area protectionSpecies recovery

Other threatened species in STRABOMANTIDAE

CR

Microkayla boettgeri

Declining
CR

Barriga's Rainfrog

Pristimantis barrigai

Declining
VU

Yanayacu Robber Frog

Pristimantis bicantus

Declining
EN

Cundinamarca Robber Frog

Pristimantis affinis

Declining

Threatened in Colombia

EN

Helena's Marsupial Frog

Gastrotheca helenae

Stable
VU

Cavendishia macrocephala

Unknown
EN

Cavendishia sessiliflora

Unknown
VU

Macleania crassa

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is Pristimantis mars classified as Critically Endangered?
Pristimantis mars 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. Pristimantis mars faces severe threats from rapid deforestation and agricultural expansion within its extremely limited range in the Ecuadorian Andes. The species' restriction to a single locality makes it exceptionally vulnerable to habitat modification, with coffee cultivation and cattle ranching fragmenting the remaining cloud forest patches. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the moisture regimes essential for this direct-developing frog's survival.
Where does Pristimantis mars live?
Pristimantis mars occurs in Colombia. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Pristimantis mars?
The main threats to Pristimantis mars are 2.1, 2.3, 5.3, and ai-1. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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