Common Name: Chiriqui Harlequin Frog and Lewis’ Stubfoot Toad
Scientific Name: Atelopus chiriquiensis
Family: Bufonidae – True Toad family
Locations: Costa Rica and Panama
Female Size: 1.9 inches (49 mm)
Male Size: 1.3 inches (34 mm)
The Chirique Harlequin Frog is sadly, probably extinct. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessed the toad as Extinct. The toad has not been seen since the 1990s. What happened to this beautiful frog? There are multiple different reasons for the decline. Chytrid Fungus, a deadly pathogen, has wiped out a majority of the population. The Chiriqui Harlequin Frog is not the only frog to be killed off by the fungus. Other frogs to become extinct from the fungus includes the Panamanian Golden Frog. The rest of the frogs didn’t do well against introduced trouts and the destruction of their habitat.
