CR

San Vicente Rocket Fro

Hyloxalus pumilus

Declining

Overview

Hyloxalus pumilus is a species of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae. It is endemic to southern Ecuador where it is only known from its type locality in the Azuay Province.

Hyloxalus pumilus faces severe population decline primarily due to habitat destruction from agricultural expansion and urban development in its restricted Andean range. The species is particularly vulnerable to chytrid fungal infections, which have devastated amphibian populations throughout the Neotropics. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the cool, humid microhabitats essential for this poison dart frog's survival and reproduction.

Threat summary

Habitat

This small poison dart frog inhabits cloud forests and montane rainforests in the Andes, typically found in leaf litter and low vegetation near streams and seepages. It requires cool, humid microhabitats with consistent moisture levels between 1,500-2,500 meters elevation.

Forest· majorForest - Subtropical/tropical moist montane· major

Conservation measures underway

Resource & habitat protectionSpecies recovery

Other threatened species in DENDROBATIDAE

Blessed Poison FrogVU

Blessed Poison Frog

Ranitomeya benedicta

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Colostethus ucumari

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Ameerega pepperi

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Darwin Wallace Poison-Frog

Epipedobates darwinwallacei

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Threatened in Ecuador

EN

Puya fastuosa

Unknown
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Diospyros esmereg

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Copper Shark

Carcharhinus brachyurus

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Baird's Tapir

Tapirus bairdii

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Frequently asked questions

Why is San Vicente Rocket Fro classified as Critically Endangered?
San Vicente Rocket Fro 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. Hyloxalus pumilus faces severe population decline primarily due to habitat destruction from agricultural expansion and urban development in its restricted Andean range. The species is particularly vulnerable to chytrid fungal infections, which have devastated amphibian populations throughout the Neotropics. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the cool, humid microhabitats essential for this poison dart frog's survival and reproduction.
Where does San Vicente Rocket Fro live?
San Vicente Rocket Fro 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 San Vicente Rocket Fro?
The main threats to San Vicente Rocket Fro are 2.1, 5.3, 8.1, and ai-1. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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