Taxonomic notes: Hyalinobatrachium lemur was synonymized under Hyalinobatrachium pellucidum by Castroviejo-Fisher et al. (2009).

This species is known from three localities in Napo province on the Amazonian slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes, at 1,740 m asl (Río Azuela, Río Reventador and Río Salado), and from the west slope of Abra Tangarana, 7 km (by road) north-east of San Juan de Pacaysapa, Lamas Province, region of San Martín, Peru (Duellman and Schulte 1993). Its elevational range in Peru is from 500-1,080 m asl (von May et al. 2008). Its range, taken as a proxy for extent of occurrence (EOO), is estimated at 1,148 km². It is possible that it may occur more widely, in the intervening area between the known sites in Ecuador and Peru.

It lives in lower montane rainforest and cloud forest as well as old-growth and secondary forests. Individuals have been found at night on the upper surfaces of leaves of trees or herbs, about 1.5-2.0 m above streams. Reproduction is presumed to occur via eggs laid on vegetation, with the larvae developing in streams. 

In Ecuador it was last recorded in 1979, when five specimens were collected from one site. The Río Azuela site has been revisited several times without locating any individuals. The subpopulation in Peru is known only from three specimens. In the Cainarachi Valley, San Martín, from 2004 to 2007, searches over 20 person/days found three individuals (von May et al. 2008). 

There are no reports of this species being utilized.

Habitat destruction and degradation is the main threat to this species, primarily due to smallholder farming and logging. At this stage it is not clear whether or not this species might have declined within pristine habitats. A study aiming to predict glassfrog distributions and the impact of deforestation in western Ecuador suggests that, in this country, almost half of the habitats suitable for this species have been deforested (Cisneros-Heredia 2008). In addition to the threats of agriculture and logging, building of residential areas and roads, as well as tourism have been reported from the Peruvian site (Duellman and Schulte 1993). The available habitat surrounding the Peruvian locality is very fragmented. 

It is not known to occur in any protected areas, although its Ecuadorian range overlaps with Cayambé-Coca Ecological Reserve and Sumaco Napo Galeras National Park, so it could potentially occur there. In addition, if it does occur in between the known Ecuadorian and Peruvian subpopulations it could potentially occur in intervening protected areas. However, additional protection of remaining cloud forest habitats, especially close to known sites, is needed. Further research is needed into its distribuition, population status, ecology and threats.

Listed as Near Threatened because its extent of occurrence is estimated at 1,148 km² and there is a continuing decline in the extent and quality of its habitat in the Amazonian slopes of both the Ecuadorian and Peruvian Andes.

• Cisneros-Heredia, D.F. 2008. Seven new species of Ecuadorian glassfrogs discovered: Future uncertain.
• Duellman, W.E. and Schülte, R. 1993. New species of centrolenid frogs from northern Peru. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural History of the University of Kansas: 1-33.
• Lynch, J.D. and Duellman, W.E. 1973. A review of the Centrolenid frogs of Ecuador, with descriptions of new species. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural History of the University of Kansas: 1-66.
• Ruiz-Carranza, P.M. and Lynch, J.D. 1991. Ranas Centrolenidae de Colombia I. Propuesta de una nueva clasificación genérica. Lozania (Acta Zoológica colombiana): 1-30.
• von May, R., Catenazzi, A., Angulo, A., Brown, J.L., Carrillo, J., Chávez, G., Córdova, J.H., Curo, A., Delgado, A., Enciso, M.A., Guttiérez, R., Lehr, E., Martínez, J.L., Martina-Müller, M., Miranda, A., Neira, D.R., Ochoa, J.A., Quiroz, A.J., Rodríguez, D.A., Rodríguez, L.O., Salas, A.W., Seimon, T., Seimon, A., Siu-Ting, K., Suárez, J., Torres, C. and Twomey, E. 2008. Current state of conservation knowledge on threatened amphibian species in Peru. Tropical Conservation Science 1(4): 376-396.