Amero-Australian Treefrogs: Hylidae

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists one species that is Extinct, which means that it is no longer in existence; fifty-three species that are Critically Endangered and facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild; seventy-seven species that are Endangered and facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild; fifty-four that are Vulnerable and facing a high risk of extinction in the wild; twenty-seven that are Near Threatened and at risk of becoming threatened with extinction in the future; and 183 that are Data Deficient, which means that scientists do not have enough information to make a judgment about the threat of extinction.

The one Extinct species was from Brazil. Known as the spiny-knee leaf frog, the first—and only—one was seen more than eighty years ago. Scientists have looked for others since then, but have found none. Many of the fifty-three Critically Endangered species in this family have had die-offs because of infection with a fungus, called chytrid (KIT-rid) fungus. This fungus has also killed frogs from many other species in different frog families around the world. Morelet's treefrog, which is found in Central America and Mexico, is one of the species of Amero-Australian treefrogs that has had a loss in numbers because of the fungus. Some individuals have probably also died as their forests have been destroyed. This frog was once quite common, but now it has disappeared from many places. Scientists believe that its population will drop by another 80 percent by the year 2014.