CR

Voiceless Treefrog

Sarcohyla siopela

Declining

Overview

Sarcohyla siopela, also known as the voiceless treefrog or mute treefrog, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It is endemic to Mexico and only known from the west slope of the Cofre de Perote Mountain, in Sierra Madre Oriental, central Veracruz. It is feared that the species might be extinct.

Sarcohyla siopela 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, humid microclimate conditions essential for this cloud forest specialist.

Threat summary

Habitat

This species inhabits montane cloud forests and pine-oak forests at elevations between 1,200-2,400 meters in the Sierra Madre del Sur of Mexico. It requires cool, humid conditions with persistent fog and dense canopy cover, typically found near streams and in areas with abundant epiphytic vegetation.

Forest· 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

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Threatened in Mexico

EN

Turbinicarpus horripilus

Declining
CR

Turbinicarpus mandragora

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EN

Opuntia pachyrrhiza

Declining
EN

Arachnothryx tacanensis

Declining

Frequently asked questions

Why is Voiceless Treefrog classified as Critically Endangered?
Voiceless 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 siopela 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, humid microclimate conditions essential for this cloud forest specialist.
Where does Voiceless Treefrog live?
Voiceless 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 Voiceless Treefrog?
The main threats to Voiceless Treefrog are 4.2, 8.1, ai-1, and ai-2. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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