Clusterspike False Indigo vs Cochran Frog

Amorpha crenulata compared with Nymphargus cochranae

Key Differences

• Clusterspike False Indigo is Critically Endangered while Cochran Frog is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Clusterspike False Indigo	Cochran Frog
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Amphibia (Amphibians)
Order	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)	Anura (Frogs & Toads)
Family	Fabaceae	Centrolenidae
Genus	Amorpha	Nymphargus
Species	Amorpha crenulata	Nymphargus cochranae

Conservation Status

Clusterspike False Indigo

CR — Critically Endangered

Cochran Frog

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Clusterspike False Indigo	Cochran Frog
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Clusterspike False Indigo

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Cochran Frog

Habitat

Typically found in freshwater habitats, moist forests, and wetlands.

Range

Found in Colombia. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Clusterspike False Indigo

Amorpha crenulata, known as clusterspike false indigo or crenulate lead plant, is a critically endangered flowering shrub in the family Fabaceae with a highly restricted distribution confined to Miami-Dade County in southern Florida, USA. This species represents one of North America's rarest plants, with remaining populations numbering in the hundreds of individuals occurring in pine rockland habitat, an ecosystem itself ranked among the most imperiled in the United States. Pine rocklands are fire-dependent communities on exposed oolitic limestone, characterized by an open canopy of slash pine over diverse understory, and have been reduced to less than two percent of their historical extent by urban development in the Miami metropolitan area. Amorpha crenulata produces elongated spikes of small purple flowers typical of the genus and was historically more widespread across the Miami Rock Ridge before land development eliminated most habitat. Current populations exist primarily within Everglades National Park and a few private preserves. Its Critically Endangered status reflects the tiny remaining population, extreme habitat restriction, ongoing threats from urbanization, altered fire regimes, and sea-level rise that threatens low-elevation limestone habitats. Conservation efforts focus on habitat protection, controlled burning to maintain pine rockland structure, and ex situ seed banking.

Cochran Frog

The Cochran frog (Nymphargus cochranae) is a small glass frog in the family Centrolenidae, native to the cloud forests of the western and central Andes in Colombia. Like other centrolenid frogs, it is characterised by semi-transparent or translucent ventral skin through which internal organs — including the heart, liver, and digestive tract — are visible, a feature that gives the family its common name. The species inhabits humid montane rainforest along streams at elevations typically between 1,500 and 2,800 metres, where males call from vegetation overhanging fast-flowing streams to attract females. Eggs are deposited in gelatinous masses on leaves or rocks above the water; upon hatching, tadpoles drop into the stream below and develop in the current-swept environment. Nymphargus cochranae is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, primarily due to ongoing deforestation and degradation of cloud forest habitats driven by agricultural expansion, cattle ranching, and coca cultivation across its Colombian Andean range. Glass frogs are additionally sensitive to stream water quality, making them useful bioindicators of watershed health. The species was named in honour of the eminent American herpetologist Doris Mable Cochran of the Smithsonian Institution, who made foundational contributions to Central and South American amphibian taxonomy in the mid-twentieth century. Continued habitat protection and reforestation efforts are critical for its long-term survival.