The Dwarf Coqui, Elfin Coqui, Coqui Duende, or Duendecito (Eleutherodactylus unicolor) is a species of frog

Frog

Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...

 in the Leptodactylidae

Leptodactylidae

Leptodactylidae is a diverse family of frogs that probably diverged from other hyloids during the Cenozoic era, or possibly at the end of the Mesozoic. There are roughly 50 genera, one of which is Eleutherodactylus, the largest vertebrate genus, with over 700 species...

 family.
It is endemic to Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

.
Its natural habitat

Habitat

* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...

s are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

s and subtropical or tropical moist montane

Montane

In biogeography, montane is the highland area located below the subalpine zone. Montane regions generally have cooler temperatures and often have higher rainfall than the adjacent lowland regions, and are frequently home to distinct communities of plants and animals.The term "montane" means "of the...

s.The dwarf coqui is just a smaller version of the coqui frog. The “typical male snout-vent length (SLV) is 0.6 inches (17 millimeters), the females are slightly larger.” The dwarf coqui are also called the Eleutheridactylus unicolor. “In Puerto Rico all Eleutherodactylus frogs are generally called “Coqui” frogs…….”

History

The Eleutheridactylus unicolor is said to come from Puerto Rico, but there is talk about them originating from Florida. The Eleutheridactylus coqui was found in Hawaii but no one knows whether they came from Puerto Rico or Florida. “Because it appears that there are no longer any populations in Florida (Steven Johnson, pers. comm.), it would be difficult to determine genetically whether Eleutheridactylus coqui came from Florida or Puerto Rico”. As of today, the Eleutheridactylus unicolor can be found on the island of Puerto Rico. But although the Eleutherodactylus unicolor is found in Puerto Rico, they have also been found in the greenhouses of California, Hawaii, and Guam.

Description

The Eleutherodactylus unicolor, dwarf coqui, are small frogs with a grayish-brown back, a black-mask like face, and a series of light dots that follow through to the posterior of the frog. The females have a light line across the eyelid and usually have “white dots along the face, flanks, forelimbs, and thighs.” The Eleutherodactylus species do not have webbed feet. The Eleutherodactylus frogs, especially the dwarf coqui, have individual finger-like feet, with round disc-like toes.“Eleutherodactylus coqui is often referred to as the “Coqui,” which originates from its distinctive call.” The “Coqui” frogs are known for their unusual sound that they make. “The call of the Dwarf Coqui has been compared to the sound of a fingernail being dragged across the teeth of a comb or the winding of a watch.” The first part of the coqui call sounds like “ko” and then the second part of the call sounds like “Kee.” So when heard, the Eleutherodactylus unicolors call sounds like “Ko-Kee-Ko-Kee.” The call of the Eleutheridactylus unicolor can be heard on the island of Puerto Rico from sun-set to sun-rise. The dwarf coqui is most active at night and therefore their call is mostly heard at night. The Eleutherodactylus unicolor species is found to be stable as of right now. But even though there are no immediate threats to the dwarf coqui, the species is vulnerable to extinction. Because the dwarf coqui is restricted in range, some of the things that can cause extinction are invasive species, climate change, severe weather, and other impacts.

Habitat and Diet

Like the coqui, the Eleutherodactylus unicolor likes to live in places with moisture. They like to live under logs, caves, and even under trash. The dwarf coqui can also be found in the subtropical/ tropical moist lowland and moist montane. Schwartz and Henderson say that almost all Eleutherodactylus coqui can be found everywhere in Puerto Rico where there is high humidity and adequate cover. “Moisture has been found to greatly influence Eleutherodactylus coqui behavior.” Also, “The dwarf coqui lives under moss, rocks, and roots in the elfin forest of the Luquillo Mountains…….” Like the coqui, the dwarf coqui’s diet and food choices consists of crickets, moths, and spiders. While a young dwarf coqui eats mostly ants.

Reproduction

When it’s time to mate, the male Eleutherodactylus unicolor comes out of hiding and starts to call to the females. “Male fogs use the “ko” part of the call to interact with nearby males and the “kee” part to attract the females.” The male’s success in mating is directly related to his call effort. After the male has attracted the female, she lays her eggs on a leaf or an abandoned bird’s nest. The female dwarf coqui is chased away by the male. The male protects the eggs until they are hatch, which can take up to 17-26 days. Before the Eleutherodactylus coqui hatch, they undergo full development, which means when they hatch, they are already fully developed little frogs instead of tadpoles. The males stay with the baby frogs for a little while after they hatch and protect them. “Eleutherodactylus coqui frogs reproduce year-round. Males breed close to monthly and the females breed about once every two months.”

See also

• Fauna of Puerto Rico
  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 introduced by humans, and include species such as cats,...
  
  
• List of endemic fauna of Puerto Rico
• List of amphibians and reptiles of Puerto Rico

Source

• Hedges, B., Joglar, R. & Thomas, R. 2004. Eleutherodactylus unicolor. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 22 July 2007.