Details
Eleutherodactylus coqui
The common coqui is a small frog and a cultural symbol of Puerto Rico, named for the male's two-note ko-kee call. It skips a free-swimming tadpole stage, hatching directly as a tiny frog.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It is widespread in Puerto Rico in forest, gardens, farms and urban edges, using damp leaves, bark and crevices. Introduced populations are established in places such as Hawaii.
Adults are about 2.5-5.5 cm long, with females larger than males. Color varies from brown to gray or tan, sometimes with fine dorsal lines or mottling.
Nocturnal males call loudly from elevated perches. The first co note acts mainly as a territorial signal to males, while the kee note attracts females.
Small insects, spiders, mites and ants are eaten. The frog waits on leaves and trunks at night, snapping up small animals that pass nearby.
Females lay eggs in damp terrestrial shelters, and males guard them. Embryos develop inside the egg and hatch as fully formed froglets.
In its native range the coqui is beloved, but introduced populations can become noisy and dense. Direct development lets it breed without standing water.
