Frogs - Artensterben

Amphibians in crisis: Bob's Robber Frog (Craugastor punctariolus)

Craugastor punctariolus has been listed as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct) since 2019. Endemic to Panama, the species was last seen in 2010; chytrid fungus and habitat loss have (almost) wiped out its populations. (© Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

News

29. November 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

Global amphibian crisis: New study shows declines in 788 species over 40 years

Amphibians are among the most sensitive vertebrates on Earth – and among the most endangered. As early warning systems for the health of freshwater bodies and entire ecosystems, they respond particularly quickly to environmental change. According to the IUCN, 41% of all amphibian species worldwide are already considered threatened. A

Früher Allobates olfersioides, nun Teil der Gattung Dryadobates

This fingernail-sized frog, once considered widespread, was listed under the name Allobates olfersioides—but we now know that there were at least twelve species. The animal shown here probably belongs to a surviving species of the new genus Dryadobates. Three other species from this group are now considered extinct. (© Renato Augusto Martins, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

News

17. July 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

Museum DNA reveals: Three frog species from the Atlantic Forest have long been extinct

A recent study shows that three Brazilian amphibian species are now considered extinct—decades after their disappearance. A formal assessment by the IUCN is still pending, but the genetic and historical evidence leaves little doubt about the loss of these species. Published in the Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural

Alsodes vittatus with a dorsal stripe, photographed during the rediscovery. (© Correa, Riveros-Riffo & Donoso 2025, ZooKeys)

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10. March 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

Alsodes vittatus: Rare frog species rediscovered in Chile after 130 years

For more than a century it was considered lost, but now it is back: Alsodes vittatus, an endemic amphibian species from Chile, has been rediscovered in the Región de La Araucanía. There had been no confirmed sightings of this rare frog species for around 130 years. Its rediscovery could not

Regenfrosch Atelopus longirostris - 2015 wiederentdeckt

The longnose stubfoot toad (Atelopus longirostris) was also rediscovered in Ecuador in 2015 after being missing for 30 years. (© Luis Aurelio Coloma, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

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19. September 2024 Doreen Fräßdorf

Pristimantis ruidus: Frog Species Missing for 100 Years Rediscovered in Ecuador

During a 2022 expedition to the Molleturo forest in the Ecuadorian Andes, biologist Juan Sánchez-Nivicela and his team made a remarkable discovery: two tiny frogs that could not be immediately identified. Now, as the researchers report in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution, the frogs belong to the species Pristimantis ruidus,

Pseudophilautus hypomelas - wiederentdeckt 2013

Pseudophilautus hypomelas from Sri Lanka was considered missing for more than 130 years before being rediscovered in 2010. The species is classified as endangered because it is known from only a small area. (© L.J. Mendis Wickramasinghe, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

News

16. July 2024 Doreen Fräßdorf

Incredible Rediscovery of the Brown-eared Shrub Frog in India

A recent study published in the journal Zootaxa reports the rediscovery of the brown-eared shrub frog (Pseudophilautus regius) – approximately 700 kilometers away from its previously known distribution range. The brown-eared shrub frog, originally native to the forests of Sri Lanka, was found by researchers in the Indian state of

Male Chiriqui harlequin frogs reached a size of 2.8 to 3.4 centimeters; females were somewhat larger, with a body length of 3.6 to almost five centimeters. (© Brian Gratwicke from DC, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Amphibians

22. January 2022 Doreen Fräßdorf

Chiriqui harlequin frog

Poisonous stubfoot toad from Chiriquí Province The Chiriqui harlequin frog was once widespread in the Cordillera de Talamanca, a mountain range in Costa Rica, and in western Panama. The species was last seen in 1996. The IUCN Red List has listed the frog from the stubfoot toad genus (Atelopus) as

The splendid poison frog reached a body length of 2.8 to 3.1 centimeters. This made it one of the medium-sized poison frogs. Its skin was smooth and shiny. (© DiMoNiAk, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Amphibians

11. September 2021 Doreen Fräßdorf

Splendid Poison Frog

Wanted: Oophaga speciosa The not particularly shy, diurnal, strikingly red splendid poison frog was hard to miss, especially since its range in western Panama was quite small. This is probably exactly what proved fatal for the amphibian from the family of poison frogs (Dendrobatidae): The splendid poison frog was extremely popular

Rabbs Fransenzehen-Laubfrosch Ecnomiohyla rabborum

The brown or brown-green Rabb's fringe-limbed treefrog was relatively large, with a snout-vent length of six to ten centimeters. It had strong legs and strikingly large fingers and toes with extensive webbing. (© Brian Gratwicke from DC, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Amphibians

29. June 2021 Doreen Fräßdorf

Rabb’s Fringe-limbed Treefrog

Toughie—another endling A few treefrogs — among them a male named Toughie—arrived in 2005 from the montane cloud forest of central Panama at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, where they were cared for and where attempts were made to breed them. In vain: the tadpoles died every time before metamorphosing into

This is what the Corquin robber frog, now probably extinct, looked like. Its speckled back and dark banding on the legs are characteristic. (© 2003 Wilson and McCranie in The Conversation Status of the Herpetofauna of Honduras)

Amphibians

10. April 2021 Doreen Fräßdorf

Corquin Robber Frog

Honduran frog species with a small range The Corquin robber frog lived in the constantly misty and humid montane rainforest, at an elevation of 1,400 to 1,840 meters above sea level, in Montaña de Celaque National Park in western Honduras. Its former range in the Cordillera de Celaque mountain range,

Craugastor longirostris: A frog native to Ecuador that also belongs to the genus Craugastor. (© Mauricio Rivera Correa, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons)

Amphibians

18. March 2021 Doreen Fräßdorf

McCranie’s robber frog

McCranie’s robber frog: An unfortunate name The biologist James McCranie was not at all happy with the common name McCranie’s robber frog or McCranie’s Robber Frog that was given to the frog species Craugastor chrysozetetes. He would have preferred a name that reflected the species’ locality, such as Cerro Búfalo Streamside Frog. The