Critically Endangered
Colostethus chalcopis
Allobates chalcopis
This conclusion is also supported by morphological and ecological evidence, thereby strengthening the position that it is a true endemic.
Appearance
Colostethus chalcopis is a small frog with males measuring about 17 mm (0.67 in) in snout–vent length and females about 16–18 mm (0.63–0.71 in). Its dorsum is light brown with darker markings. Males have a distinctive, black throat, tapering off to a dark gray, whereas females have uniformly pale orange throat and venter.
Range and habitat
Colostethus chalcopis was originally described from forested ravines of Mount Pelée at an elevation of about 500 m (1,600 ft) asl. Extensive search in 2011 failed to spot the species in this habitat, but it was discovered higher up on the mountain, at about 800–1,400 m (2,600–4,600 ft) asl, that is, to the summit of the mountain. The current range starts from the transition zone between forest and savanna, the latter being the vegetation type found higher up on the mountain.
Colostethus chalcopis is the only aromobatid species endemic to an oceanic island. This has led to a suggestion that it is not native but an introduced species, synonymous with some mainland species.
Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.
Breeding
Calling males and egg sites define most frog field work. A species known from one ridge is as narrow as it sounds.
Eggs and damp skin make amphibians quick to vanish from a drained wetland or a forest stripped of litter.
In crisis
It is threatened by climate change, that has led to it being extirpated from the lower-lying reaches of its already-small range, and may lead to a continued population decline and range contraction. Even so, in light of its disappearance from the lower altitudes due to climate change and the very small remaining range (and the evidence of endemicity), it was reclassified as Critically Endangered in 2021.
Chytrid fungus, collection, and wet-forest loss are the usual pressures on frogs with a high threat category.
Colostethus chalcopis is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.
Sources
Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Colostethus chalcopis, Wikidata item Q1343441. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.
