Common coquí

Coquí is the common name for a small, tree frog native to Puerto Rico. It gets its name from the sound the males makes at night. This sound serves two purposes. CO-serves to repel males and establish territory while the QUI- serves to attract females.

The Coquí is a national symbol of Puerto Rico.

General Description

Fully grown male coquís measure, from snout to vent, from 30-37mm with an average of 34mm while fully grown mature females measure from 36-52mm with an average of 41mm. Coquís, commonly, are gray or gray-brown in color.

Regarding their toes coquís do not possess swimming membranes between its fingers and toes. Thus coquís 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.

Coquís are born with a small tail but they quickly lose it soon afterwards.

Taxonomy

The 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 are located in the south of the United States, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

There are 16 species of coquí's in Puerto Rico. They are:

Eleutherodactylus antillensis Eleutherodactylus brittoni Eleutherodactylus cochranae Eleutherodactylus cooki

Eleutherodactylus coqui Eleutherodactylus eneidae Eleutherodactylus gryllus Eleutherodactylus hedricki

Eleutherodactylus jasperi Eleutherodactylus karlschmidti Eleutherodactylus locustus Eleutherodactylus monensis

Eleutherodactylus portoricensis Eleutherodactylus richmondi Eleutherodactylus unicolor Eleutherodactylus wightmanae

Reproduction

Coquís reproduce over the entire year but breeding activity peaks around the wet season. The female coquí usually lays between 16 and 40 eggs. The female lays eggs from 4-6 times each year. The gestation period of coquís is from 17-26 days. The time between egg lays is close to 8 weeks. The maturation period , or time from egg to reproductive coquí, is around eight months.

Contrary to frogs, which lay their eggs on water, coquís lay their eggs on palm tree leafs or other terrestrial plants. 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 undergo was is known as the "tadpole" stage within their eggs rather than as a larvae in water. Thus, a fully independent froglet emerges from the egg.

Males begin their mating call by perching above ground level.

Habitat

Coquís are highly adaptable animals. Since they have no need of water to reproduce they can be found on most altitudes provided there is sufficient moisture. In their native land of Puerto Rico they are found from sea level to a maximmum of 1200m while in Hawaii, where they were accidentally introduced through imported plants, they have been found at a maximum of 1700m [1]. Adults generally tend to be found at higher altitudes than juveniles.

References

• The Coquí of Puerto Rico
• The Coquí