Atelopus cruciger (Lichtenstein & Martens, 1856)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Photo of Atelopus cruciger uploaded from iNaturalist.
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Open encyclopedia reference
Atelopus cruciger, also known as the Veragua stubfoot toad or Rancho Grande harlequin frog, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Venezuela and is mainly found in the central Venezuelan Coastal Range. Despite considerable effort, no specimens of Atelopus cruciger could be found for seventeen years after 1986. The species was believed extinct until, in 2003, researchers found a small population at the Cordillera de La Costa. A few other locations were later discovered. Atelopus cruciger is mainly threatened by chytridiomycosis. It is locally called sapito rayado.
Wikipedia contributors, Atelopus cruciger; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T15:16:33.243079+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Atelopus cruciger (Lichtenstein & Martens, 1856)
- Name authority
- (Lichtenstein & Martens, 1856)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Anura
- Family
- Bufonidae
- Genus
- Atelopus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAmphibia
- orderAnura
- familyBufonidae Gray, 1825
- genusAtelopus Duméril & Bibron, 1841
- speciesAtelopus cruciger (Lichtenstein & Martens, 1856)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Atelopus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Atelopus exiguus (Boettger, 1892) | BufonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Panamanian Golden FrogAtelopus zeteki Dunn, 1933 | BufonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Atelopus ardila Coloma, Duellman, Almendáriz, Ron, Terán-Valdez & Guayasamin, 2010 | BufonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Atelopus erythropus Boulenger, 1903 | BufonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Atelopus angelito Ardila-Robayo & Ruiz-Carranza, 1998 | BufonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Atelopus arthuri Peters, 1973 | BufonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Atelopus bomolochos Peters, 1973 | BufonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Atelopus boulengeri Peracca, 1904 | BufonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Atelopus carauta Ruiz-Carranza & Hernández-Camacho, 1978 | BufonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Atelopus certus Barbour, 1923 | BufonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Atelopus chirripoensis Savage & Bolaños, 2009 | BufonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Atelopus chocoensis Lötters, 1992 | BufonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Phryniscus cruciger (Lichtenstein & Martens, 1856) (Lichtenstein & Martens, 1856) | synonym |
| Atelopus varius cruciger (Lichtenstein & Martens, 1856) (Lichtenstein & Martens, 1856) | synonym |
| Atelopus cruciger cruciger (Lichtenstein & Martens, 1856) (Lichtenstein & Martens, 1856) | synonym |
| Phrynidium crucigerum Lichtenstein & Martens, 1856 Lichtenstein & Martens, 1856 | synonym |
| Atelopus crucigerum (Lichtenstein & Martens, 1856) (Lichtenstein & Martens, 1856) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=207210 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:J8Y3. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.