Pristimantis stipa Venegas & Duellman 2012

Pristimantis stipa is a robust bodied frog with a snout-vent-length ranging from 15.6-24.4 mm for males, and 35.1 mm for females. The head is narrow and wider than it is long, though it is not as wide as the body. The snout is short and round at both lateral and dorsal views. The canthus rostralis (or rostral crest) appears somewhat curved in profile view but straight at dorsal view. The tympanic annulus, though present, is weakly defined. Tympanic membrane is present and distinct. A large thick fold over the tympanum partially obscures its edges on the posterodorsal sides. The tympanic membrane diameter is 35.8% that of the eye diameter. Upper eyelid lacks nodules. The dorsum is fairly smooth. The ventral side of the thighs, belly, chest, and throat are not as smooth as the dorsal surface and are a little more granular. The dorsolateral fold is distinct, thick, and discontinuous. The hind limbs are slender. The heel and the outer surfaces of the tarsus lack tubercles. A short, inner-tarsal ridge is present. The inner metatarsal is prominent, elliptical and twice as large as than those in the low tubercles. The toes lack lateral fringes and webbing. Both fingers and toes have narrow discs with rounded tips and the discs on the toes lack circumferential grooves. The relative toe lengths are: 1

P. stipa has been found only at the type locality in northwestern Peru, in humid high-elevation montane puna grassland above tree line at 3596 m above sea level. This species occurs in the same habitat as P. mariaelenae (Venegas and Duellman 2012).

Habitat destruction, especially through deforestation, agriculture, and environmental contamination, is the main threat to strobomantid frogs, according to Duellman and Lehr (as cited in Venegas and Duellman 2012). This species inhabits puna habitat, grasslands that are slow to recover, which are especially sensitive to overgrazing by cattle. The recent pressure for mineral exploration means a high probability of future mining in the area, which is also likely to be a big threat (Venegas and Duellman 2012).