The coqui zoological name is Eleutherodactylus which means free toes. They had no interdigital membrane, meaning they are not adapted to swim. The coqui is between 15mm to 80mm long. Its color can vary from green to brown to tones of yellow. The coqui reproduces mostly in the wet season and utilizes internal fertilization.
There are more than 16 species of coquies in Puerto Rico. Thirteen of these can live only at El Yunque, the Caribbean National Forest and the only rain forest in the United States.
The coqui gets his typical name from the sound they make (Ko-kee). The little frog starts making this sound in the early hours of the evening and when it is raining. You will not hear the typical coqui sound in the middle of the day nor in the mornings. The male coqui sings to attract the female to mate.
There is a legend where Ignacio, the native parrot from Puerto Rico, and the King of the Forest call for a meeting because the animals of the forest have gotten lazy. They call for a race among the animals and the winner will get a gift. All the animals continue being lazy except for the silent tree frogs, as the coqui was called by the others animals of the forest, and their leader Pepito. . Pepito knew he was the smallest of the animals and so he trained harder, with the silent cheers of the other tree frogs since they could not emit a sound. Pepito won the race and Ignacio blessed the tree frogs with the ability to sing. According to legend that is where the “ko kee” sound comes from.
The folklore of Puerto Rico, and even some scientists, believe that the coqui can only live in Puerto Rico. However, the little frog has recently appeared in Hawaii. The problem is that coquies do not have natural enemies in Hawaii and so there is nothing to keep the population in check. There have been some areas in Hawaii with more than 10,000 frogs per acre. Since coquies eat insects this may endanger native Hawaiian insect population including pollinators and birds. Another problem is the noise they make, which residents of Hawaii are not used to. The noise levels have been measured up to 90 decibels. The residents and the goverment of Hawaii are so annoyed by the sound of the coqui that it has become a main concern for authorities to make sure to capture and kill this amphibian.
Some people in Hawaii even refers to this animals as pest:
1. Resident of Hawaii “I don’t see the need to worry about losing the coqui frogs in Puerto Rico. They have become a pest here in Hawaii. And I understand they have been introduced to several other Caribbean islands and are doing just fine.”
2. “Non-native Caribbean frogs ( spp.; not true ‘tree frogs’, as some have called them) have become established in small areas in Hawaii. They cause both environmental and ‘people’ problems. These creatures may have a special appeal to some people; and, as many people know, frogs and other amphibians are having problems on a global scale. However, these frogs do not belong in Hawaii: their existence here causes serious problems to Hawaii’s special native flora and fauna, and the extremely loud noise they make may cause sleepless nights for Hawaii residents and visitors.” Hawaii Ecosystems at Risk
3. T S. Campbell, The Puerto Rican Coqui, Eleutherodactylus coqui; Institute for Biological Invasions Invader of the Month
“this small amphibian affects humans in their pursuit of happiness, and their loud call is the main reason they are considered pests. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, the exotic but familiar coqui is just one more in a large suite of vociferous anurans.”
In Puerto Rico some species are been considered extinct while others are near extinction. Most scientist believe that is due to residential development and deforestation since 1900,s. Efforts are been made to keep the sound of el coqui at night in the island of Puerto Rico but it is not clear how effective these efforts have been. Many believe they have failed. “We love to hear the sounds of the coqui frogs at night. We used to hear them all over Puerto Rico; now they are only at El Yunque.” Source: (Resident near El Yunque U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Endangered Species, Species Accounts: Golden Coqui (Eleutherodactylus jasperi) ).
