Common Name: Pichincha Giant Glass Frog, Bumpy Glassfrog
Scientific Name: Centrolene heloderma
Family: Centrolenidae – Glass Frogs
Location: Colombia and Ecuador
Size: 1.2 inches (30.48 mm) max
The Pichincha Giant Glass Frog lives in the Andes in the cloud forests in Colombia and Ecuador, though no one has recorded seeing one of the frogs in Colombia since 1996. Even though it’s name says “giant”, its a small frog but its large compared to the other frogs in it’s genus. The Pichincha Giant Glass Frog is a rare frog and is listed as vulnerable. It’s nocturnal and see thru so it’s hard to find in the wild.
The Pichincha Giant Glass Frog is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List because of a few different things. Climate change has moved the clouds in the habitat farther up the mountain, which reduces humidity. Habitat destruction through deforestation for increasing agricultural area, lumbar, and cities is also a major cause of their decline. Last, chytrid fungus could be harming the frogs. Introduced predatory fish have been introduced to streams in their habitat and those fish eat the tadpoles.
