CR

Tabasara Rainfrog

Craugastor tabasarae

Declining

Overview

Craugastor tabasarae is a species of frog in the family Craugastoridae. It is endemic to Panama and known from a few isolated records in the Veraguas, Coclé, Colón, and Panamá Provinces. The range includes the eponymous Serranía de Tabasará.

Craugastor tabasarae faces severe population decline primarily due to the devastating chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, which has caused widespread amphibian mortality throughout Central America. Habitat destruction from agricultural expansion and urban development in Costa Rica's montane regions has further fragmented the species' already limited range. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the cool, moist conditions essential for this high-elevation specialist's survival.

Threat summary

Habitat

This species inhabits cool, humid montane forests at elevations between 1,200-2,000 meters in Costa Rica's Cordillera de Talamanca. It requires pristine forest conditions with abundant leaf litter and consistent moisture levels typical of cloud forest environments.

Forest· majorForest - Subtropical/tropical moist montane· major

Conservation measures underway

Species recoveryEx-situ conservation

Other threatened species in CRAUGASTORIDAE

CR

Craugastor castanedai

Declining
EN

Craugastor gutschei

Declining
EN

Blair's Dirt Frog

Craugastor blairi

Declining
EN

Sagui Dirt Frog

Craugastor sagui

Declining

Threatened in Panama

VU

Copper Shark

Carcharhinus brachyurus

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EN

Baird's Tapir

Tapirus bairdii

Declining
VU

Black Petrel

Procellaria parkinsoni

Stable
EN

Flame Rivulus

Cynodonichthys uroflammeus

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is Tabasara Rainfrog classified as Critically Endangered?
Tabasara Rainfrog 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 tabasarae faces severe population decline primarily due to the devastating chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, which has caused widespread amphibian mortality throughout Central America. Habitat destruction from agricultural expansion and urban development in Costa Rica's montane regions has further fragmented the species' already limited range. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the cool, moist conditions essential for this high-elevation specialist's survival.
Where does Tabasara Rainfrog live?
Tabasara Rainfrog occurs in Panama. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Tabasara Rainfrog?
The main threats to Tabasara Rainfrog are 2.1, 2.3, 3.2, and 5.3. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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