Semiaquatic Treefrog
CR

Semiaquatic Treefrog

Sarcohyla pachyderma

Declining

Photo: Photo: (c) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Division of Amphibians & Reptiles, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)

Overview

Sarcohyla pachyderma is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It is endemic to Mexico. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. Scientists know it from a single stream on the eastern side of the Sierra Madre mountains in Veracruz, 1600 meters above sea level.

Sarcohyla pachyderma faces severe population decline primarily due to habitat destruction from agricultural expansion and urban development in its limited montane forest 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, humid microclimate conditions essential for this cloud forest specialist.

Threat summary

Habitat

This species inhabits cool, humid cloud forests and montane pine-oak forests at elevations between 1,500-2,500 meters in the mountains of central Mexico. It requires pristine forest streams and adjacent vegetation for breeding and is highly dependent on the stable microclimate conditions found in undisturbed montane ecosystems.

Forest· majorForest - Subtropical/tropical moist montane· major

Conservation measures underway

Site/area protectionSpecies recoverySpecies reintroductionEx-situ conservation

Other threatened species in HYLIDAE

VU

Maracas Heart-tongued Frog

Phyllodytes tuberculosus

Declining
VU

Papallacta Treefrog

Hyloscirtus psarolaimus

Declining
VU

Scinax rupestris

Unknown
CR

Nyctimantis pomba

Declining

Threatened in Mexico

EN

Turbinicarpus horripilus

Declining
CR

Turbinicarpus mandragora

Declining
EN

Opuntia pachyrrhiza

Declining
EN

Arachnothryx tacanensis

Declining

Frequently asked questions

Why is Semiaquatic Treefrog classified as Critically Endangered?
Semiaquatic Treefrog 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. Sarcohyla pachyderma faces severe population decline primarily due to habitat destruction from agricultural expansion and urban development in its limited montane forest 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, humid microclimate conditions essential for this cloud forest specialist.
Where does Semiaquatic Treefrog live?
Semiaquatic Treefrog occurs in Mexico. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Semiaquatic Treefrog?
The main threats to Semiaquatic Treefrog are 1.1, 2.1, 4.1, and 8.1. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

Get weekly conservation intelligence

One short digest a week of the most striking species and country data we ship, plus breaking conservation news paired with our database where it matters.

Free, no spam. One-click unsubscribe in every email.