Until recently, there has been little focus on amphibian extinctions. Only 38 amphibian species are recorded as having become extinct by the 2008 IUCN red list of threatened species, 21 of these being endemics to Sri Lanka, most of which disappeared over 100 years ago. It is likely that there have been many undetected amphibian extinctions over the last two centuries, and the concentration in Sri Lanka, although real, is also a reflection of the detailed taxonomic studies of frogs that have taken place there. The subjoined list contains 39 recently extinct amphibian species.

A total of 122 amphibian species were listed as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct) by the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and 113 of these could have disappeared since 1980. Most of these took place in Central and South America, in particular from southern Mexico south to Ecuador, with others recorded from Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Venezuela, and southern Brazil. Other possible extinctions have been noted in Australia, Indonesia, China, Kenya, and Tanzania. Most of the disappearances happened very suddenly, and it seems increasingly likely that chytridiomycosis, linked to climate change, is the main cause. Proving extinction beyond reasonable doubt is often very difficult. A few species that were thought to be Extinct were subsequently rediscovered in remnant populations. For example, Atelopus cruciger was not seen in its native Venezuela after 1986, until a tiny population was found in 2003. Thus, the true number of amphibian extinctions since 1980 is somewhere between nine and 122 species.

Photograph of a male Golden Toad (Incilius periglenes). In 1989, a single male Golden Toad was found, this was the last record of the species.

Photographed by Charles H. Smith. This image or recording is the work of an U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee, taken or made during the course of an employee's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

These dramatic amphibian declines appear to be spreading, with recent reports from Dominica, Spain and New Zealand. The current catastrophic wave of amphibian extinctions is taking out major evolutionary lineages. Already, one entire family, the Gastric-brooding Frogs from Australia (Rheobatrachidae), has been lost, and another, the Darwin’s Frogs from Chile and Argentina (Rhinodermatidae) is at severe risk, as are the primitive New Zealand Frogs (Leiopelmatidae). Among the larger families, the toads (Bufonidae) have been hit particularly hard, most notably the beautiful harlequin toads (Atelopus spp.). Of 77 Atelopus species, three are Extinct (two since 1980), and 18 are Possibly Extinct (all since 1980). Amphibian extinctions are happening so rapidly, and so few scientists are monitoring them that it is hard to gain a clear, current picture of their status. But the indications are that this is the most serious wave of all extinctions currently taking place.