Pristimantis veletis

Adult males measure 26–28 mm (1.0–1.1 in) and adult females 32–37 mm (1.3–1.5 in) in snout–vent length. The head is as wide as the body and longer than it is wide. The snout is long, subacuminate in dorsal view and rounded in lateral view. The tympanum is prominent and round. The supratympanic fold is weakly developed, visible as a keel behind the tympanum. The fingers and toes are long and slender and have narrow lateral keels and terminal discs; the toe discs are smaller than those on the fingers. Dorsal skin is smooth. Dorsal coloration is pale brown to yellowish ochre with dark brown to nearly black markings. The venter is brown with fine cream mottling of pale gray or black with sepia or black reticulations.[3]

Pristimantis veletis inhabits cloud forests at elevations of 1,800–2,400 m (5,900–7,900 ft) above sea level. It is a nocturnal frog often found perching on medium to high vegetation near streams; by day, it is found in leaf litter on the forest floor.[1] Development is direct,[1] (i.e., there is no free-living larval stage[5]) with up to 18 eggs deposited in moss.[1]

Pristimantis veletis is a rare species—annual surveys to the type locality after 2013 have revealed only one specimen. It is threatened by habitat loss caused by subsistence wood collecting, pine plantations, and agricultural development. However, it occurs in the Selva de Florencia National Natural Park, a well protected-area.[1]