Coquí
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Coquí is a common name for several
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of small
frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...
s in the genus ''
Eleutherodactylus ''Eleutherodactylus'' is a genus of frogs in the family Eleutherodactylidae.Hedges, S. B., W. E. Duellman, and M. P. Heinicke . 2008. New World direct-developing frogs (Anura: Terrarana): molecular phylogeny, classification, biogeography, and c ...
'' native to
Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
. They are onomatopoeically named for the very loud
mating call A mating call is the auditory signal used by animals to attract mates. It can occur in males or females, but literature is abundantly favored toward researching mating calls in females. In addition, mating calls are often the subject of mate choi ...
which the
male Male (Planet symbols, symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or Egg cell, ovum, in the process of fertilisation. A male organism cannot sexual repro ...
s of two species, the
common coqui Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, ...
and the
upland coqui ''Eleutherodactylus portoricensis'' (vernacular Spanish: ''coquí de la montaña'') is a frog native to Puerto Rico that belongs to the family Eleutherodactylidae. Its vernacular English names are forest coquí, upland coquí, mountain coquí, ...
, make at night. The coquí is one of the most common frogs in Puerto Rico, with more than 20 different species found within its territory, including 13 in
El Yunque National Forest El Yunque National Forest (), formerly known as the Caribbean National Forest (or ''Bosque Nacional del Caribe''), is a forest located in northeastern Puerto Rico. While there are both temperate and tropical rainforests in other states and terri ...
. Fossil and genetic evidence supports coquís having inhabited Puerto Rico for more than 30 million years. Other species of this genus can be found in the rest of the
Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
and elsewhere in the
Neotropics The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In biogeog ...
, in Central and
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
. The coquí is an unofficial national symbol of Puerto Rico; there is a Puerto Rican expression that goes, "Soy de aquí, como el coquí", which translates to "I'm from here, like the coquí."


Characteristics

''Eleutherodactylus'' spp. are small
tree frog A tree frog (or treefrog) is any species of frog that spends a major portion of its lifespan in trees, known as an arboreal state. Several lineages of frogs among the Neobatrachia suborder have given rise to treefrogs, although they are not clos ...
s that can vary in color. These frogs can be a mixture of brown, yellow, green, and gray on the top and either white or yellow on the bottom side of their body. The eye color is a variation of brown and gold. They can range in size from . The first word of the species' scientific classification is the genus name ''Eleutherodactylus'' which is
Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...
and
Modern Greek Modern Greek (, or , ), generally referred to by speakers simply as Greek (, ), refers collectively to the dialects of the Greek language spoken in the modern era, including the official standardized form of the language sometimes referred to ...
for "free toes", referring to the fact that this species has no webbing in between its toes. The coquí have special disks instead of webbing on their feet, differentiating them from many other types of frogs. These disks help the coquí climb and stick to trees and leaves.


Habitat

Coquís live in tropical areas and have been discovered in different elevation levels. They can be found at up to 1200m in elevation, usually in humid mountain forests or in dry forests. According to the
Invasive Species Compendium The Invasive Species Compendium (ISC) is an online, open access reference work covering recognition, biology, distribution, impact, and management of invasive plants and animals produced by CAB International alongside an international consortium ...
, the Eleutherodactylus coquí shares the nests of common native species of birds like the "
bananaquit The bananaquit (''Coereba flaveola'') is a species of passerine bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. Before the development of molecular genetics in the 21st century, its relationship to other species was uncertain and it was either placed with ...
(''Coereba flaveola portoricensis''), the Puerto Rican bullfinch (''Loxigilla portoricensis''), and the
Puerto Rican tody The Puerto Rican tody (''Todus mexicanus''), locally known in Puerto Rican Spanish, Spanish as ''San Pedrito'' ("little Saint Peter"), is a bird Endemism in birds, endemic to the Geography of Puerto Rico, main island of Puerto Rico. In 2022, the ...
(''Todus mexicanus'')". Coquís tend to be in their natural habitats in the forests but it is also common for the species to appear in human territories such as houses, parks, and near bodies of water.


Taxonomy

Coquís belong to the ''
Eleutherodactylus ''Eleutherodactylus'' is a genus of frogs in the family Eleutherodactylidae.Hedges, S. B., W. E. Duellman, and M. P. Heinicke . 2008. New World direct-developing frogs (Anura: Terrarana): molecular phylogeny, classification, biogeography, and c ...
''
genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
which in Greek means "free toes". ''Eleutherodactylus'' contains over 200 species that naturally occur in the southern
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
,
Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
, South America, and the Caribbean. All coquís are classified within the '' E. auriculatus'' group, a
species complex In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...
that includes numerous species from throughout the Caribbean. A fossil ''Eleutherodactylus'' bone is known from the
Early Oligocene The Rupelian is, in the geologic timescale, the older of two age (geology), ages or the lower of two stage (stratigraphy), stages of the Oligocene epoch (geology), Epoch/series (stratigraphy), Series. It spans the time between . It is preceded b ...
-aged
San Sebastián Limestone The San Sebastián Formation is a geologic formation in Puerto Rico. It preserves fossils dating back to the Oligocene period. It was primarily deposited as limestone in a marine environment, but some localities with a significant amount of ter ...
of Puerto Rico, suggesting that coquis have been present on the island for more than 29 million years. They likely arrived to Puerto Rico earlier in the
Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...
, around 33.9 million years ago, alongside many other vertebrate taxa. Seventeen described species of frogs named "coquí" inhabit Puerto Rico and neighboring islands. The following species are known: * Genus ''
Eleutherodactylus ''Eleutherodactylus'' is a genus of frogs in the family Eleutherodactylidae.Hedges, S. B., W. E. Duellman, and M. P. Heinicke . 2008. New World direct-developing frogs (Anura: Terrarana): molecular phylogeny, classification, biogeography, and c ...
'' Duméril and
Bibron Gabriel Bibron (20 October 1805 – 27 March 1848) was a French zoologist and herpetologist. He was born in Paris. The son of an employee of the Museum national d'histoire naturelle, he had a good foundation in natural history and was hire ...
, 1841
** ''
Eleutherodactylus antillensis ''Eleutherodactylus'' is a genus of frogs in the family Eleutherodactylidae.Hedges, S. B., W. E. Duellman, and M. P. Heinicke . 2008. New World direct-developing frogs (Anura: Terrarana): molecular phylogeny, classification, biogeography, and co ...
'' (Reinhardt and Lütken, 1863) (red-eyed coquí) ** '' Eleutherodactylus brittoni'' Schmidt, 1920 (grass coquí) ** '' Eleutherodactylus cochranae'' Grant, 1932 (whistling coquí) ** '' Eleutherodactylus cooki'' Grant, 1932 (rock coquí or guajón frog) ** ''
Eleutherodactylus coqui ''Eleutherodactylus'' is a genus of frogs in the family Eleutherodactylidae.Hedges, S. B., W. E. Duellman, and M. P. Heinicke . 2008. New World direct-developing frogs (Anura: Terrarana): molecular phylogeny, classification, biogeography, and co ...
'' Thomas, 1966 (common coquí) ** ''
Eleutherodactylus eneidae ''Eleutherodactylus'' is a genus of frogs in the family Eleutherodactylidae.Hedges, S. B., W. E. Duellman, and M. P. Heinicke . 2008. New World direct-developing frogs (Anura: Terrarana): molecular phylogeny, classification, biogeography, and co ...
'' Rivero, 1959 (Eneida's coquí) ** ''
Eleutherodactylus gryllus ''Eleutherodactylus'' is a genus of frogs in the family Eleutherodactylidae.Hedges, S. B., W. E. Duellman, and M. P. Heinicke . 2008. New World direct-developing frogs (Anura: Terrarana): molecular phylogeny, classification, biogeography, and co ...
'' Schmidt, 1920 (cricket coquí) ** ''
Eleutherodactylus hedricki ''Eleutherodactylus'' is a genus of frogs in the family Eleutherodactylidae.Hedges, S. B., W. E. Duellman, and M. P. Heinicke . 2008. New World direct-developing frogs (Anura: Terrarana): molecular phylogeny, classification, biogeography, and co ...
'' Rivero, 1963 (Hedrick's coquí) ** ''
Eleutherodactylus jasperi ''Eleutherodactylus'' is a genus of frogs in the family Eleutherodactylidae.Hedges, S. B., W. E. Duellman, and M. P. Heinicke . 2008. New World direct-developing frogs (Anura: Terrarana): molecular phylogeny, classification, biogeography, and c ...
'' Drewry & Jones, 1976 (golden coquí, likely
extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
) ** ''
Eleutherodactylus juanariveroi ''Eleutherodactylus juanariveroi'', the Plains coquí or Puerto Rican wetland frog (), is an endangered species of coquí, a frog species, endemic to Puerto Rico. It was discovered in 2005 by Neftalí Ríos-López, and was named after Puerto Ric ...
'' Ríos-Lopez & Thomas, 2007 (''coquí llanero'') ** ''Eleutherodactylus karlschmidti'' Grant, 1931 (web-footed coquí, likely extinct) ** ''
Eleutherodactylus locustus ''Eleutherodactylus'' is a genus of frogs in the family Eleutherodactylidae.Hedges, S. B., W. E. Duellman, and M. P. Heinicke . 2008. New World direct-developing frogs (Anura: Terrarana): molecular phylogeny, classification, biogeography, and co ...
'' Schmidt, 1920 (locust coquí) ** ''
Eleutherodactylus monensis The Mona coqui, ''coquí de la Mona'' or ''coquí de Mona'' (''Eleutherodactylus monensis''), is a species of frog in the family Eleutherodactylidae endemic to Mona, Puerto Rico. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and su ...
'' (Meerwarth, 1901) (Mona coquí) ** ''
Eleutherodactylus portoricensis ''Eleutherodactylus portoricensis'' (vernacular Spanish: ''coquí de la montaña'') is a frog native to Puerto Rico that belongs to the family Eleutherodactylidae. Its vernacular English names are forest coquí, upland coquí, mountain coquí, ...
'' Schmidt, 1927 (upland coquí) ** ''
Eleutherodactylus richmondi ''Eleutherodactylus'' is a genus of frogs in the family Eleutherodactylidae.Hedges, S. B., W. E. Duellman, and M. P. Heinicke . 2008. New World direct-developing frogs (Anura: Terrarana): molecular phylogeny, classification, biogeography, and co ...
'' Stejneger, 1904 (bronze coquí) ** ''
Eleutherodactylus unicolor ''Eleutherodactylus'' is a genus of frogs in the family Eleutherodactylidae.Hedges, S. B., W. E. Duellman, and M. P. Heinicke . 2008. New World direct-developing frogs (Anura: Terrarana): molecular phylogeny, classification, biogeography, and co ...
'' Stejneger, 1904 (dwarf coquí) ** '' Eleutherodactylus schwartzi'' Thomas, 1966 (Virgin Islands coquí) ** '' Eleutherodactylus wightmanae'' Schmidt, 1920 (Melodius coquí) Although some members such as ''E. antillensis'', ''E. brittoni'', ''E. coqui'' and ''E. cochranae'' are common and widespread, the majority of coquís have small ranges, and have become highly endangered due to habitat loss, invasive species, climate change, and chytrid fungus.


Reproduction

Although coquís can reproduce all year long, their breeding is at its peak during the wet season, which is around April to October. Female frogs tend to lay about 15 to 40 eggs roughly five times a year. Coquís differ from most other
frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...
species because coquís lay their eggs in terrestrial plants, whereas other frog species usually lay their eggs in water. The males gather up the eggs and provide protection in a nest, guarding them. Because the eggs must remain moist, male coquís will periodically leave the nest to collect moisture to keep the eggs hydrated when it appears they are beginning to dry out.


The coquís' call

The coquí frog gets its name from the mating call of the male, which sounds like coquí, or "co-kee". Male coquí frogs use their call to attract female frogs and establish their territory. When multiple male coquís are found in the same area, they challenge each other's domain by song. The coquí frog that loses usually flees and tends to relocate to another area or compete for territory elsewhere. Male coquís start singing around the time the sun sets and continue throughout the night, until dawn.


Life cycle stages

The coquís and their fellow members of the ''Eleutherodactylus'' genus have an unusual life cycle shared by only a few other frog genera (e.g. ''
Myobatrachus ''Myobatrachus'' is a genus of frogs found in Western Australia. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species, ''Myobatrachus gouldii'', also known as the turtle frog. It gets its name from the resemblance to a shell-less chelonian, ...
''). While most frogs begin their lives as tadpoles (complete with a small tail that aids the juvenile frog in swimming before they develop legs), the coquís are hatched as tiny frogs with short tails, thereby entirely skipping the free-living larval stage. This life cycle, in which the tadpole stage is completed within the egg itself, is referred to as direct development. Once they reach their adult stage, most coquís do not live longer than a year, although the National Wildlife Federation states that some coquís have been found to be as old as six years.


Hurricanes

The
environmental degradation Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, referring respectively to all living and non-living things occurring naturally and the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism ...
caused by
Hurricane Hugo Hurricane Hugo was a powerful tropical cyclone that inflicted widespread destruction across the northeastern Caribbean and the Southeastern United States in September 1989. The eleventh tropical cyclone, eighth Tropical cyclone naming, named st ...
in 1989,
Hurricane Georges Hurricane Georges () was a powerful and long-lived tropical cyclone which caused severe destruction as it traversed the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico in September 1998, making seven landfalls along its path. Georges was the seventh tropical storm ...
in 1998, and the two-year drought from 2015 to 2017 have all had a massive impact on the El Yunque rain forest in Puerto Rico, including the resident coqui frogs. An increase in average temperature has already increased the incidence in coqui frogs of '' Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis'', a chytrid fungus that reduces the reproductive capability and increases mortality of the Coqui frogs. The more recent hurricanes Irma and
Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
in 2017 also hit Puerto Rico. Irma did not directly strike Puerto Rico, but Maria impacted Puerto Rico directly two weeks later, and devastated the forest on a massive level. Specific conditions prevented some sites from massive destruction, but 53% of the Puerto Rican El Yunque rainforest was devastated.


Geographic distribution / invasive species

By 2009, the USGS established that the species had been identified in Puerto Rico,
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
, St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas,
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, and the
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
. Coquís have become established on
the Big Island of Hawai'i Hawaii is the largest island in the United States, located in the state of Hawaii, the southernmost state in the union. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of ...
, where they are considered an invasive species. The coquí population density in Hawaii can reach 20,000 animals per acre, affecting . Eradication campaigns are underway on
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
and
Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...
. The Eleutherodactylus coqui was introduced to Hawaii around the late 1980s. This species found its way to the Hawaiian Islands by hiding in plants that were being transported to the islands. Studies have shown that the species has increased
nutrient cycling A nutrient cycle (or ecological recycling) is the movement and exchange of inorganic and organic matter back into the production of matter. Energy flow is a unidirectional and noncyclic pathway, whereas the movement of mineral nutrients is cyc ...
rates, and actually helped some native species which previously existed in low-nutrient conditions. Eleutherodactylus coqui attains extremely high densities in Hawai‘i and can reproduce year-round, once every 1–2 months, and become reproductive around 8–9 months The coquís have a very small number of predators (rats and some lizards); as a result, the coquí population has increased over time. Another factor in the population increase is that they can breed continuously throughout the year. As a result, the Eleutherodactylus coquí has had a negative impact on native species by increasing competition with native birds, and other frogs. The expansion of the Eleutherodactylus coquí has forced other creatures such as bats to seek alternatives, as they compete for food at higher elevations. Birds and bats were not greatly affected by the introduction of coquís to the island until the frogs started appearing on higher ground. The species is also feeding on native spiders and insects that are close to extinction. Coquís have been officially listed as an invasive species of concern in
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
. The species has also been found in California, mostly in
plant nurseries A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to a desired size. Mostly the plants concerned are for gardening, forestry, or conservation biology, rather than agriculture. They include retail nurseries, which sell to the general ...
, though had not been known to have established a stable population.


Population control

Overall, attempts to limit or control the coquí population where they are invasive have been unsuccessful. In Hawaii, the intentional transportation of frogs is a class C
felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "''félonie''") to describe an offense that r ...
, and coquís are labeled as pests. One action that appears to be effective in decreasing the coquí population in commercial areas is a hot shower treatment on nursery plants. The hot shower works as a dis-infestation treatment for not only the Eleutherodactylus coquí eggs but also for adult coquís. Only a few chemical treatments are legal.
Citric acid Citric acid is an organic compound with the formula . It is a Transparency and translucency, colorless Weak acid, weak organic acid. It occurs naturally in Citrus, citrus fruits. In biochemistry, it is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, ...
can be legally used in Hawaii, though the chemical must directly contact coquís, perhaps even multiple times. However, the citric acid may adversely impact plants and cause unseemly spots. Other substances that are used to control the species are hydrated lime and caffeine. Eradication techniques include hand-capture, and spraying with a 12% solution of
citric acid Citric acid is an organic compound with the formula . It is a Transparency and translucency, colorless Weak acid, weak organic acid. It occurs naturally in Citrus, citrus fruits. In biochemistry, it is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, ...
, along with a certification program for nurseries to prevent them from acting as centers of contagion.


The coquí in Puerto Rico


The coquí and the Taino people


The coquí symbol

Researchers have found petroglyphic images of coquí, including in a cave on Puerto Rico's Mona Island, filled with 13th-century petroglyphs depicting
Taíno The Taíno are the Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, Indigenous peoples of the Greater Antilles and surrounding islands. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the principal inhabitants of most of what is now The ...
culture. With these images, archaeologists were able to understand certain aspects of their way of life, including customs, art, and beliefs. The repeated coquí symbol suggests the influence of the coquí on art, poetry, and decorative works such as pottery in Taino society. In these carvings, the positioning of frog-like hands represented "femaleness". In addition, coquí frogs, with their rich vocals before a rain, were said to be associated with women's fertility and children.


The Taino frog legend

In one legend about the origin of the coquí, a goddess fell in love with Coquí, the chief's son. She told him that she would come one evening, but she never came. Instead, the evil Juracán, the deity of chaos and disorder, arrived. The sky blackened as the winds quickened. The goddess tried to protect her lover, but Juracán grabbed him away and they never saw each other again. In order to cope with the loss of Coquí, she created a frog that will forever call out his name: "Co-kee! Co-kee!". Another legend states that a god named Guahoyona abducted all women from the island, leaving the men to take care of the children, who out of hunger began to cry "''toa toa''", or "mother-mother". When the children could not be consoled by the men, they turned into frogs.


In popular culture

Puerto Rican boy-band Menudo have a song named " Coqui", which they sang in their movie ''
Una Aventura Llamada Menudo ''Una aventura llamada Menudo'' (English: ''An Adventure Called Menudo'') is a 1982 film featuring teen boy band Menudo (band), Menudo and Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican actress Gladys Rodríguez. The film's soundtrack received a nomination for a Gram ...
'', in a scene where coquis can be heard. The sound of a coqui can be heard distinctly at the beginning and end of the songs "
Acércate "Acércate" ( is a song recorded by Puerto Rican reggaetón recording artist Ivy Queen and duo Wisin & Yandel for Queen's seventh studio album '' Drama Queen'' (2010). It was composed by Queen and Marcos Masis alongside the duo, while being pr ...
" and " Ángel Caído", by singer
Ivy Queen Martha Ivelisse Pesante Rodríguez (born March 4, 1972), known professionally as Ivy Queen, is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer and actress. She is considered one of the pioneers of the reggaeton genre, commonly referred to as the Queen of Reggae ...
. In the first movement of
The Mars Volta The Mars Volta is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership forms the core of the ban ...
's song " Miranda That Ghost Just Isn't Holy Anymore", 4 minutes of coqui frogs can be heard singing (credited as "The Coqui of Puerto Rico" on the album sleeve).


The coquí and climate change

A study published by the ''Proceedings of the Royal Society B'' states that long-term temperature rises from climate change have resulted in alterations to the coquí's calls: significant increases in pitch, and shortening of their duration. The increasing temperatures have also been shown to reduce their body size, while also reducing biomass population. This can lead to dire consequences because coquí frogs play an important role in the Puerto Rican ecosystem. If temperature continues to increase, coquís as a whole are predicted to sound and look different in the next century. The survival of the coquís depends on the female coquí's ability to adapt to these changes. If their inner ears are not able to adapt, then they will not be able to pick up higher-pitched calls, leading to mating issues. In addition to coquí populations decreasing, having smaller coquís to eat or be eaten by other organisms may destabilize the whole food web of Puerto Rico's rainforest.


See also

*
Common coquí The common coquí, widely known as the coquí (''Eleutherodactylus coqui''), is a species of frog Native_species, native to Puerto Rico belonging to the family Eleutherodactylidae. The species is named for the loud call the males make at night, w ...
*
Fauna of Puerto Rico The fauna of Puerto Rico is similar to other island archipelago faunas, with high endemism, and low, skewed taxonomic diversity. Bats are the only extant native terrestrial mammals in Puerto Rico. All other terrestrial mammals in the area were i ...
*
List of amphibians and reptiles of Puerto Rico This is a list of the amphibians of the archipelago of Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rican archipelago consists of the main island of Puerto Rico, two island municipalities, Vieques and Culebra, one minor uninhabited island, Mona and several smaller i ...


References


External links


Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR), ''Eleutherodactylus coqui''

ITIS

State of Hawaii, Department of Agriculture, Coqui Frog Information

University of Hawaii, Control of Coqui Frog in Hawaii
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coqui Amphibian common names Amphibians of Puerto Rico Eleutherodactylus National symbols of Puerto Rico fr:Coquí