- Coquí
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Coquí (Puerto Rican Frog) 
Common Coquí, Eleutherodactylus coqui Scientific classification Domain: Eukaryotic Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Class: Amphibia Subclass: Lissamphibia Order: Anura Family: Leptodactylidae Subfamily: Eleutherodactylinae Genus: Eleutherodactylus
Duméril and Bibron, 1841Species - Eleutherodactylus antillensis
- Eleutherodactylus brittoni
- Eleutherodactylus cochranae
- Eleutherodactylus cooki
- Eleutherodactylus coqui
- Eleutherodactylus eneidae
- Eleutherodactylus gryllus
- Eleutherodactylus hedricki
- Eleutherodactylus jasperi
- Eleutherodactylus juanariveroi
- Eleutherodactylus karlschmidti
- Eleutherodactylus locustus
- Eleutherodactylus monensis
- Eleutherodactylus portoricensis
- Eleutherodactylus richmondi
- Eleutherodactylus unicolor
- Eleutherodactylus wightmanae
Coquí is the common name for several species of small frogs endemic to the island of Puerto Rico, onomatopoeically named for the loud sound males of two species make at night, the common coqui and the mountain coqui. The coquí is one of the most common frogs in the small island of Puerto Rico. Many different species of small frogs create the family of the coquí.
More than 16 different species live in the island, 13 of which occur in the Caribbean National Forest. Other species of this genus can be found around the world: in Central and South America; and the Caribbean. Almost 600 coquí species live in Puerto Rico.
Contents
Taxonomy
Coquís belong to the Eleutherodactylus genus which in Greek means free toes. Eleutherodactylus contains over 700 different species that occur in the southern United States, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.
Seventeen described species of coquís inhabit Puerto Rico. In 2007 a new species, the Coquí Llanero, was officially named Eleutherodactylus juanariveroi.[1]
Geographic distribution
The current record from the USGS[2] establishes that it has been identified in: Puerto Rico, Hawaii, St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, Vieques, and Florida.
At one point Louisiana was identified as another location but according to the USGS the Louisiana record was erroneous and was based on two pet coqui, both males, kept in a greenhouse for 2–3 years until killed off by a winter freeze [5].
Coquies have become established in Hawaii, where they are considered an invasive species. Coqui population density in Hawaii can reach 20,000 animals per acre and affects 50,000 acres (20,000 ha). Eradication campaigns are underway on Hawaiʻi and Maui.[3][4][5] Some groups favor its adoption.[6]
Eradication techniques include hand capture and spraying with a 12% solution of citric acid along with a certification program for nurseries to prevent them from acting as centers of contagion.[3]
See also
- Common Coquí
- Fauna of Puerto Rico
- List of amphibians and reptiles of Puerto Rico
- Coqui Francolin, also onomatopoeically named
References
- ^ Rios-López, N. and R. Thomas. 2007. A new species of palustrine Eleutherodactylus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from Puerto Rico. Zootaxa 1512: 51–64
- ^ [1]
- ^ a b Shafer, Jacob (November 18, 2010). "On the Front Lines of the Coqui Battle With Maui Invasive Species Committee". http://www.mauitime.com/Articles-i-2010-11-18-75172.113117-On-the-Front-Lines-of-the-Coqui-Battle-With-Maui-Invasive-Species-Committee.html. Retrieved November, 2010.
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
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