Common Coquí

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Coquí

Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Leptodactylidae
Subfamily: Eleutherodactylinae
Genus: Eleutherodactylus
Species: E. coqui
Binomial name
Eleutherodactylus coqui
Thomas, 1966

The Common Coquí or Coquí (Eleutherodactylus coqui) is a frog native to Puerto Rico belonging to the Eleutherodactylus genus of the Leptodactylidae family. The species is named for the loud sound (sometimes reaching as high as 100 dB at a distance of 0.5 m) the males make at night. This sound serves two purposes. 'CO' serves to repel males and establish territory while the 'QUI' serves to attract females. The Common Coquí is a very important aspect of Puerto Rican culture and it has become an unofficial national symbol of Puerto Rico.

Contents

[edit] Taxonomy

The Common Coquí belongs to the Eleutherodactylus genus which in Greek means free toes. The Eleutherodactylus genus contains over 700 different frog species. Species of this genus can be found in the south of the United States, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

There are 16 recognized species of coquís in Puerto Rico. A new species discovered in 2005 named Coquí Llanero (Eleutherodactylus juanriveroi) has yet to be officially accepted.[2]

[edit] General Description

Fully grown male coquís measure, from snout to vent, from 30 to 37 mm with an average of 34 mm, while fully grown females measure from 36 to 52 mm with an average of 41 mm. The size differences between genders are a result of additional energy consumption related to breeding behavior by males.[3]

Contrary to popular belief and artistic renditions which depicts the species green coquís commonly have a gray or gray-brown coloration. Unlike many frogs, coquís do not possess swimming membranes between their fingers and toes, and thus are not adapted to swim. However, like all tree frogs they possess small pads on the tips of their toes which help them adhere to moistened or slippery surfaces.

[edit] Habitat and distribution

Common Coquís are native to the islands of Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra where they are widespread and abundant; the only notable exception occurring in Puerto Rican dry forests where the species is rarer. The species has been introduced to the Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic,[4] Florida, and Hawaii.

The Common Coquí is the most abundant frog in Puerto Rico with densities estimated at 20,000 individuals/ha.[5] Densities fluctuate depending on the season and habitat. Generally, densities are higher during the latter half of the wet season and decrease during the dry season.[6]

The species is considered a habitat generalist, occurring in a wide range of habitats including mesic broadleaf forests, mountains, urban areas, bromeliads, tree holes, and under trunks, rocks or trash.[7] Since the species does not require bodies of water to reproduce they can be found on most altitudes provided there is sufficient moisture. In Puerto Rico they are found from sea level to a maximum of 1200 m while in Hawaii, where they were accidentally introduced through imported plants and are becoming more widespread, they have been found at a maximum of 1170 m.[8] Adults generally tend to be found at higher altitudes than juveniles.

[edit] Diet

The Common Coquí is a general nocturnal predator which can consume 114,000 invertebrates per ha each night.[5] Diet varies depend on age and size but is primarily composed of arthropods. Juveniles consume smaller prey such as ants while adults consume a more varied diet that includes spiders, moths, crickets, snails, and small frogs.[5]

[edit] Reproduction

Common Coquís reproduce over the entire year but breeding activity peaks around the wet season. Females usually lays between 16 and 40 eggs from 4-6 times each year at approximately 8 week intervals. Eggs are guarded from predators—other common coquís, Subulina snails—by males.[9] The gestation period of coquís is from 17-26 days. The maturation period, the time from egg to reproductive coquí, is around eight months.

Contrary to many frogs, which lay their eggs in water, coquís lay their eggs on palm tree leafs or other terrestrial plants. Abandoned bird nests are also used as nests by E. coqui. The Bananaquit, Puerto Rican Bullfinch and Puerto Rican Tody share nests with the coquí.[8] This method of reproduction allows the coquí to live in forests, mountains and other habitats without direct dependency on water. Since eggs are laid on land, coquís bypass the tadpole stage, proceeding to develop limbs within their eggs, rather than going through a metamorphosis as a larvae in water. Thus, a fully independent froglet emerges from the egg, with a small tail that is lost shortly after.

Males begin their mating call by perching above ground level.[10]

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Hedges et al (2006). Eleutherodactylus coqui. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is of least concern.
  2. ^ Rivas Bermúdez, Yaritza. "Urge amparo el Coquí Llanero", El Nuevo Día. Retrieved on July 3, 2006. (in Spanish)
  3. ^ Henderson and Schwartz, p.42.
  4. ^ Joglar, R.L. and Rios, N. (1998). "Eleutherodactylus coqui (Puerto Rican Coqui, Coquí Común) in Dominican Republic". Herpetological Review 29 (107). 
  5. ^ a b c in Douglas P. Reagan and Robert B. Waide: The Food Web of a Tropical Rain Forest. University Of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226706001. Retrieved on October 15, 2006. 
  6. ^ Jarrod H. Fogarty and Francisco J. Vilella (June 2002). "Population dynamic of Eleutherodactylus coqui in Cordillera Forest reserves of Puerto Rico". Journal of Herpetology 36 (2): 193-201. 
  7. ^ Henderson and Schwartz, p.41.
  8. ^ a b The Ecology of Eleutherodactylus coqui. issg Database. Retrieved on October 15, 2006.
  9. ^ Henderson and Schwartz, p.42.
  10. ^ Listen to this species's mating call here.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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