Taxonomic notes: Phrynopus spectabilis was placed in the synonymy with Pleurodema marmoratum by Lehr (2006).

This species occurs from central Peru to central Bolivia, northeastern Chile and marginally into northwestern Argentina. In Peru the species is present in the regions of Ancash, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Lima, Cusco, Huancavalica, Junín and Pasco. In Bolivia it occurs in the departments of Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Tarija and Potosi (De la Riva et al. 2000). In Chile the species is known from Putre, Portezuelo de Putre, Parinacota and Chungará Lake, close to the Peruvian border, as well as from Tarapacá, mountains of Caquena (Cei 1962, Veloso et al. 1982). In Argentina the species was collected in six localities in Jujuy between 1970-1980 (Ferraro 2012). It is present at an altitudinal range of 3,200-5,400 m asl.

It is generally a locally common species; in Chile it has a small, decreasing population. It is a rarely recorded species in Argentina but few herpetologists venture to its inaccessible habitat. In Peru in 2005 2,619 tadpoles and adults were found over four person/days and in 2008, 187 tadpoles and adults were recorded over four person/days (von May et al. 2008). Most of the 2005 records were tadpoles in ponds. The number of tadpoles in 2008 was severely reduced, and local farmers reported finding both dead individuals and a population decline over the previous five years in Marcapata, Cusco (von May et al. 2008).

It is a terrestrial species of open montane puna, grassland and páramo habitats. It is frequently found under rocks close to small seasonal waterbodies and peat bogs, or at the sides of streams (Cortez 2001). It has also been found under rocks and in or around ponds formed by glacial melt and cushion bogs (von May et al. 2008). It breeds explosively in slow-moving streams and small ponds. It is present in irrigated agricultural land.

There are no reports of this species being utilized.

In Chile livestock are considered to be a threat. The species has tested positive for the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis  infection, although it did not exhibit clinical signs of chytridiomycosis. However, it is possible that the chytrid may have been implicated in reported mortality events and declines reported by local farmers (see von May et al. 2008). In addition, there is evidence of upward expansion of this and another two anuran species to newly available habitat brought about by recent deglaciation in the Andes of Peru. The large increase in the upper limit of known infections (from 4,112 to 5,348 m asl) also expands the spatial domain of potential chytrid pathogenicity (Seimon et al. 2006).

In Bolivia it is present in the Apolobamba and Eduardo Avaroa Natural Reserves, Cotapata National Park and Natural Area of Integrated Management and Carrasco and Sajama National Parks. In Peru it has been recorded from the Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve and Pampa Galeras National Reserve in Junin. It occurs in the Laguna de Pozuelos Biosphere Reserve in Argentina (Ferraro 2012). Given the apparent declines in Chile and Peru population monitoring of this species is recommended, as well as research on the potential impact of chytrid fungus.

Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution and presumed large global population. However, localized population declines suggest that population monitoring is needed to determine if this may be a more widespread phenomenon across its range.

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