Colostethus jacobuspetersi
CR

Colostethus jacobuspetersi

Declining

Photo: (c) Felipe Campos, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Felipe Campos

Overview

Colostethus jacobuspetersi, commonly known as the Quito rocket frog, is a species of frog in the family Dendrobatidae.

Colostethus jacobuspetersi faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and cattle ranching in its limited montane forest range. The species' extremely restricted distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to localized environmental changes, while pollution from agricultural runoff and pesticides further degrades its aquatic breeding habitats. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the temperature and humidity conditions essential for this high-altitude amphibian's survival.

Threat summary

Habitat

This poison dart frog inhabits cloud forests and montane rainforests at elevations between 1,800-2,400 meters in the Colombian Andes. It requires pristine forest streams and adjacent leaf litter for breeding and foraging, making it highly dependent on intact forest ecosystems.

Forest· majorForest - Subtropical/tropical moist montane· major

Conservation measures underway

Species managementSpecies recoverySpecies reintroduction

Other threatened species in DENDROBATIDAE

Blessed Poison FrogVU

Blessed Poison Frog

Ranitomeya benedicta

Declining
EN

Colostethus ucumari

Unknown
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Ameerega pepperi

Declining
EN

Darwin Wallace Poison-Frog

Epipedobates darwinwallacei

Declining

Threatened in Ecuador

EN

Puya fastuosa

Unknown
VU

Diospyros esmereg

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VU

Copper Shark

Carcharhinus brachyurus

Declining
EN

Baird's Tapir

Tapirus bairdii

Declining

Frequently asked questions

Why is Colostethus jacobuspetersi classified as Critically Endangered?
Colostethus jacobuspetersi 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. Colostethus jacobuspetersi faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and cattle ranching in its limited montane forest range. The species' extremely restricted distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to localized environmental changes, while pollution from agricultural runoff and pesticides further degrades its aquatic breeding habitats. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the temperature and humidity conditions essential for this high-altitude amphibian's survival.
Where does Colostethus jacobuspetersi live?
Colostethus jacobuspetersi 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 Colostethus jacobuspetersi?
The main threats to Colostethus jacobuspetersi are 1.1, 2.1, 5.3, and 8.1. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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