Common Name: Molleturo Robber Frog
Scientific Name: Pristimantis ruidus
Family: Strabomantidae
Location: Ecuador
Size: 0.78 – 1.5 inches (20 – 38 mm)
Since 1922, researchers have been searching the west Andes mountain sides searching for the the Molleturo Robber Frog. The frog hasn’t been seen since 1922 when naturalist George Henry Hamilton Tate first collected them. That is until researchers found two frogs in 2022. The frogs were found at the Reserva de Conservación Quitahuaycu in Molleturo Parish, Azuay Province, Ecuador. It is a montane forest ecosystem between 2400 and 2900 m elevation.
Not much is known about the life history of the frog. They appear to nocturnal due to the frogs being active at night when they were caught. Members of the genus Pristimantis are direct developing species, skipping a free living larval phase (being tadpoles).
The Molleturo Robber Frog gets its name from the town of Molleturo, where the type specimen of the frog was found. The scientific name ruidus means rough, in the context of their skin.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Molleturo Robber Frog as Critically Endangered. It was assessed before the the new frogs were found. It takes a long time for scientists to declare an animal officially extinct.
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