Variable harlequin toad

Its only known predator is a parasitic fly, Notochaeta bufonivora. The fly lays larvae on the frog's thigh, and the larvae burrow inside and eat the frog from within.1

A census between 1990 and 1992 near Monteverde, Costa Rica, found zero individuals where the population had once peaked at 751 adults.1

By 1996 it was believed to be extinct throughout Costa Rica, but a 2019 assessment found two subpopulations in the country.1

It was rediscovered near Quepos, Costa Rica, in 2003.1

The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis can spread between individuals through shed skin cells and harms the skin, which affects breathing and the balance of water and salts in the body.1

In March 2021 the species was bred in captivity outside Panama for the first time.1