Conservation: Priapella olmecae is evaluated by the international union for the conservation of nature in the iucn red list of threatened species as (EN) endangered (2018). The assessment documents the species’ extremely restricted distribution. Its evaluation as Endangered reflects on its narrow range and ongoing decline in habitat quality. The assessment identifies habitat degradation as the principal threat, driven by construction-related pollution, sand extraction from waterways, deforestation, and increased sedimentation within the watershed. While part of the species’ range lies within a protected area, no species-specific conservation actions are currently in place (Espinosa-Pérez, 2019).

During the early summer of 2025, a visit to the Río de la Palma revealed the apparent absence of fish in the river (Melo Salazar González, personal communication). This contrasted sharply with observations made during a visit only a few months earlier, with the author participating, when numerous fishes were present, although Priapella was already scarce. Inquiries among local residents indicated that the river had been deliberately poisoned with tick-control chemicals to facilitate the capture of large crayfish for consumption. Given the species’ extremely restricted distribution, together with the lack of recent monitoring at other historically known localities, this event raises serious concern that a substantial portion of the population may have been lost.