Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Sri Lanka

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

This species was endemic to Sri Lanka, but its exact habitat and habitat requirements are not known (Stuart et al 2008).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
This species was thought to be extinct having been last seen and described in 1876 (Stuart et al 2008).

This species has been rediscovered after 137 years by Mendis Wickramasinghe and colleagues (J Threatened Taxa 2013 5:5181-5193) and its status as a distinct taxon reaffirmed. The status should be changed from extinct to critically endangered, and we do so here provisionally.

Trends and Threats
The exact reason for extinction is not known, but habitat loss is believed to have contributed to the declining population of this species.

Possible reasons for amphibian decline

General habitat alteration and loss

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2018 Pseudophilautus hypomelas: Webless Pygmy Tree Frog <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/4417> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Nov 22, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 22 Nov 2024.

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