Disappearance of the Tarahumara frog

In the spring of 1983 the last known Tarahumara frog in the United States was found dead. Overall, the species seems to be doing well in Mexico, although the decline of more northern populations are of concern. The Tarahumara frog (Rana tarahumarae) inhabits seasonal and permanent bedrock and bouldery streams in the foothills and main mountain mass of the Sierra Madre Occidental of northwestern Mexico. It ranges from northern Sinaloa, through western Chihuahua and eastern and northern Sonora, and until recently into extreme south-central Arizona (Fig. 1). Arizona localities, all in Santa Cruz County, include three drainages in the Atascosa-Pajarito Mountains (Campbell 1931; Little 1940; Williams 1960) and three in the Santa Rita Mountains (Hale et al. 1977).