Craugastor pygmaeus (Taylor, 1937)

Species Nomenclature and Classification

Craugastor pygmaeus, commonly called the pigmy free-fingered frog or pigmy robber frog, is a species of frog in the family Craugastoridae.

Geographic Range

This species is found in western Guatemala, and in southern Mexico ranging from southern Sinaloa to Chiapas.

Coloration Trait

Craugastor pygmaeus exhibits strong color polymorphism.

Taxonomic Status

Multiple species originally described have since been synonymized with this species, but C. pygmaeus still requires taxonomic revision, and likely represents a complex of at least five distinct species.

Habitat Types

Craugastor pygmaeus lives in a wide variety of habitats, ranging from lowland forests to montane pine forests, pine-oak forests, and cloud forests.

Elevation Range

It occurs at elevations between 400 and 2,000 meters (1,300 to 6,600 feet) above sea level.

Habitat Tolerance

It can tolerate some degree of habitat modification, so long as shaded conditions remain, an example of this is shaded coffee plantations.

Reproductive Development

Its development is direct, meaning there is no free-living aquatic larval tadpole stage.

Population Abundance

This frog can be locally common within its range.

Primary Threats

It faces threats from habitat loss and climate change, specifically altered precipitation patterns that lead to the loss of shaded, humid, leaf-litter microhabitats it requires.

Potential Additional Threat

Chytridiomycosis is a potential additional threat to the species.

Protected Area Presence

It is known to occur within several protected areas.