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This species is endemic to the eastern Atlantic versant of central Panama, although it is believed to occur much more widely. It is a low-altitude species, occurring at 10-730m asl.

This is a terrestrial species of tropical lowland forest. Breeding and larval development takes place in forest streams.

This species is reasonably common at a number of localities, and there is little evidence of a decline. However, at Filo de Santa Rita, Provincia de Colón, while relatively abundant in October 2000, only one individual was seen in December 2002 (R. Ibáñez pers. obs.).

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The deforestation of habitat for agricultural use and general infrastructure development, as well as water pollution and stream sedimentation, are the main threats to this species. A number of congeners have recently disappeared over much of their range due to the effects of chytrid, although this species probably occurs below the altitude at which chytridiomycosis is prevalent.

• 9.1.3 Type Unknown/Unrecorded
• 8.1.2 Named species
• 2.2.1 Small-holder plantations
• 1.1 Housing & urban areas
• 2.1.1 Shifting agriculture
• 9.3.4 Type Unknown/Unrecorded
• 9.3.2 Soil erosion, sedimentation
• 2.2.2 Agro-industry plantations
• 2.1.2 Small-holder farming
• 3.2 Mining & quarrying

The species has been recorded from Parque Nacional Chagres, but expanded habitat protection is recommended. Further survey work is needed to establish the limits of the species' range, and close monitoring of existing populations is necessary.

• 2.1 Site/area management
• 5.4.2 National level
• 5.1.2 National level

Listed as Endangered because its Extent of Occurrence is less than 5,000 km2, its distribution is severely fragmented, and there is continuing decline in the extent and quality of its forest habitat in Panama.

• Ibanez-D.R., Jaramillo, C.A. and Solis, F.A. 1995. Una especie nueva de Atelopus (Amphibia: Bufonidae) de Panama. Caribbean Journal of Science: 57-64.
• Ibáñez, R., Solís, F., Jaramillo, C. and Rand, S. 2000. An overwiew of the herpetology of Panama. In: J.D. Johnson, R.G. Webb and O.A. Flores-Villela (eds), Mesoamerican Herpetology: Systematics, Zoogeography and Conservation, pp. 159-170. The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas.
• 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.
• Savage, J.M. 1972. The harlequin frogs, genus Atelopus, of Costa Rica, and western Panama. Herpetologica: 77-94.
• Young, B., Sedaghatkish, G., Roca, E. and Fuenmayor, Q. 1999. El Estatus de la Conservación de la Herpetofauna de Panamá: Resumen del Primer Taller Internacional sobre la Herpetofauna de Panamá. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia.