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This species is known only from the type locality: Parque Nacional Natural Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in the department of Cesar, Colombia. It has been recorded between 2000 and 3500 m asl. It might occur a little more widely on the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

It occurs in sub-Andean and Andean forests, sub-páramo and páramo. Egg chains are placed in fast-flowing water, and the tadpoles develop in the water.

Only six specimens of this species are known, and there have been no records since 1991. It is not yet clear whether or not this reflects lack of survey effort, or a genuine rarity or decline.

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The major threat is likely to be chytridiomycosis, leading to a catastrophic population decline, as has occurred in many other montane species of Atelopus. Habitat loss caused by agricultural expansion and logging is also a major threat, as is pollution resulting from the fumigation of crops.

• 9.3.3 Herbicides and pesticides
• 2.1.2 Small-holder farming
• 5.3.5 Motivation Unknown/Unrecorded
• 8.1.2 Named species

Its range includes Parque Nacional Natural Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Further survey work is required to determine the population status of this species, especially in light of the recent drastic declines observed in other montane Atelopus species. Given the likely threat of chytridiomycosis, disease management and captive-breeding programmes might be required.

• 3.2 Species recovery
• 2.1 Site/area management
• 3.4.1 Captive breeding/artificial propagation

Listed as Critically Endangered because of a projected population decline, estimated to be more than 80% over the next ten years, inferred from declines in other high altitude Atelopus species in the same region, probably due to chytridiomycosis.

• Acosta-Galvis, A.R. 2000. Ranas, Salamandras y Caecilias (Tetrapoda: Amphibia) de Colombia. Biota Colombiana: 289-319.
• La Marca, E., Lips, K.R., Lötters, S., Puschendorf, R., Ibáñez, R., Rueda-Almonacid, J.V., Schulte, R., Marty, C., Castro, F., Manzanilla-Puppo, J., Garcia-Perez, J.E., Toral, E., Bolaños, F., Chaves, G., Pounds, J.A. and Young, B. 2005. Catastrophic population declines and extinctions in Neotropical harlequin frogs (Bufonidae: Atelopus). Biotropica: 190-201.
• Lötters, S. 1996. The Neotropical Toad Genus Atelopus. Checklist - Biology - Distribution. Vences, M. and Glaw, F. Verlags GbR, Köln, Germany.
• Pounds, J.A., Bustamante, M.R., Coloma, L.A., Consuegra, J.A., Fogden, M.P.L., Foster, P.N., La Marca, E., Masters, K.L., Merino-Viteri, A., Puschendorf, R., Ron, S.R., Sánchez-Azofeifa, G.A., Still, C.J. and Young, B.E. 2006. Widespread amphibian extinctions from epidemic disease driven by global warming. Nature 439: 161-167.
• Rueda-Almonacid, J.V. 1994. Una nueva especie de Atelopus A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron 1841 (Amphibia: Anura: Bufonidae) para la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Trianea (Acta Científica y Tecnológica INDERENA): 101-108.
• Ruiz-Carranza, P.M., Ardila-Robayo, M.C. and Lynch, J.D. 1996. Lista actualizada de la fauna de Amphibia de Colombia. Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales 20(77): 365-415.