Endangered
Osornophryne occidentalis
Osornophryne occidentalis
Osornophryne occidentalis is a toad in the family Bufonidae (order Anura), recorded as Endangered and tied to Ecuador.
Appearance
The back is dark brown, and has ochre-brown warts and ridges. The underside is white in females, and pale pink in males, and has dark brown marks, that is distinct from most other species of Osornophryne. The throat is brown in males, and brown and white in females.
Males have a maximum snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 2.2 centimetres (0.87 in), and females have a maximum SVL of 3.6 centimetres (1.4 in).
Range and habitat
Osornophryne occidentalis is found on the western slopes of Ecuador's Cordillera Occidental, and is likely to be present in Colombia. The species has an extent of occurrence of around 3,858 square kilometres (1,490 sq mi), and is found in three to five locations. It occurs at elevations of 2,095–2,815 metres (6,873–9,236 ft).
Populations of Osornophryne occidentalis exist in the Chocó Andino de Pichincha biosphere reserve, and several protected forests. Some subpopulations are found near the Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve, but these are threatened by resource extraction and agriculture.
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
The species is endangered, and at risk from habitat destruction, although it occurs in protected areas. In 2021, the IUCN listed Osornophryne occidentalis as Endangered. The species is uncommon, and the population is likely to be decreasing.
One subpopulation may have been rendered extinct by habitat destruction.
Chytrid fungus, collection, and wet-forest loss are the usual pressures on frogs with a high threat category.
Osornophryne occidentalis is 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 Osornophryne occidentalis, Wikidata item Q3357312. 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.
