CR

Rio Claro Robber Frog

Craugastor emcelae

Declining

Overview

Craugastor emcelae is a species of frog in the family Craugastoridae. It is found in Panama and possibly Costa Rica. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Craugastor emcelae faces severe population decline primarily due to habitat destruction from agricultural expansion and urban development in its limited montane range. The species is particularly vulnerable to chytrid fungal infections, which have devastated amphibian populations throughout Central America. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the cool, moist conditions essential for this species' survival in cloud forest environments.

Threat summary

Habitat

This species inhabits montane cloud forests and humid pine-oak forests at elevations between 1,200-2,000 meters in the mountains of Honduras and Guatemala. It requires cool, moist microhabitats with abundant leaf litter and moss cover for breeding and foraging.

Forest· majorForest - Subtropical/tropical moist montane· major

Conservation measures underway

Site/area protectionSpecies recoveryEx-situ conservation

Other threatened species in CRAUGASTORIDAE

CR

Craugastor castanedai

Declining
EN

Craugastor gutschei

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EN

Blair's Dirt Frog

Craugastor blairi

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Sagui Dirt Frog

Craugastor sagui

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Threatened in Costa Rica

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Passiflora chimuensis

Unknown
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Palicourea brenesii

Unknown
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Baird's Tapir

Tapirus bairdii

Declining
CR

Mespilodaphne paradoxa

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is Rio Claro Robber Frog classified as Critically Endangered?
Rio Claro Robber Frog 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. Craugastor emcelae faces severe population decline primarily due to habitat destruction from agricultural expansion and urban development in its limited montane range. The species is particularly vulnerable to chytrid fungal infections, which have devastated amphibian populations throughout Central America. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the cool, moist conditions essential for this species' survival in cloud forest environments.
Where does Rio Claro Robber Frog live?
Rio Claro Robber Frog occurs in Costa Rica, and Panama. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Rio Claro Robber Frog?
The main threats to Rio Claro Robber Frog 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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