Golden coquí
Encyclopedia
The Golden coquí is a rare and possibly extinct leptodactylid
frog species endemic
to Puerto Rico
.
The four co-discoverers (George E. Drewry, Kirkland L. Jones, Julia R. Clark and Jasper J. Loftus-Hill) planned to name the species for its color. However, when Dr. Loftus-Hill was killed in 1974 in an automobile accident, his colleagues chose instead to name it in his honor: Jasperi.
, the only live-bearing species known from the family Leptodactylidae
and the first New World anuran reported to be ovoviviparous. The species is restricted to a few genera
of water-containing bromeliads in certain moist tropical/subtropical forests and rocky areas.
as Critically Endangered and by NatureServe
as GH (Possibly Extinct). Burrowes et al. (2004) presumed the golden coquí extinct. The species is listed as Threatened by the United States
under the Endangered Species Act
.
Researchers have suggested the fungal disease chytridiomycosis
in combination with climate change
as likely causes of the species' decline. However, since no direct link has been found, and not all species are affected by the fungus, the cause for the decline are still not clear. Habitat loss to homes and agriculture is the major ongoing threat. The areas where the species was discovered have been deforested. These factors, in combination with the species' low reproductive rate, limited dispersal ability, narrow geographic range, and obligate bromeliad-dwelling existence, may be responsible for the species' precarious existence, if not its outright extinction. The species' range includes privately owned land and one protected area, the Carite Forest Reserve. Additional surveys are required to determine if golden coquís survive.
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...
frog species endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
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...
.
General description
Golden coquís are roughly 3/4 inch (~1.9 cm) long (snout-vent length) and are olive-gold to yellow-gold without pattern. The juveniles resemble adults.The four co-discoverers (George E. Drewry, Kirkland L. Jones, Julia R. Clark and Jasper J. Loftus-Hill) planned to name the species for its color. However, when Dr. Loftus-Hill was killed in 1974 in an automobile accident, his colleagues chose instead to name it in his honor: Jasperi.
Biology
First reported to science in the 1970s , the golden coquí is ovoviviparousOvoviviparity
Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, or ovivipary, is a mode of reproduction in animals in which embryos develop inside eggs that are retained within the mother's body until they are ready to hatch...
, the only live-bearing species known from the family 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...
and the first New World anuran reported to be ovoviviparous. The species is restricted to a few genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of water-containing bromeliads in certain moist tropical/subtropical forests and rocky areas.
Distribution and Status
Golden coquís have only been found in areas of dense bromeliad growth in the Sierra de Cayey of Puerto Rico between 647 and 785 metres above sea level. The species was last observed in 1981, and surveys of suitable habitat have not found individuals since this date. However, many of the surveys have covered only historical sites and areas next to roads. Due to the apparent disappearance of the population from sites where the species was formerly found, the golden coquí is listed by the IUCN Red ListIUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
as Critically Endangered and by NatureServe
NatureServe
NatureServe is a non-profit conservation organization whose mission is to provide the scientific basis for effective conservation action. NatureServe and its network of natural heritage programs are the leading source for information about rare and endangered species and threatened ecosystems in...
as GH (Possibly Extinct). Burrowes et al. (2004) presumed the golden coquí extinct. The species is listed as Threatened by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
under the Endangered Species Act
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and...
.
Researchers have suggested the fungal disease chytridiomycosis
Chytridiomycosis
Chytridiomycosis is an infectious disease of amphibians, caused by the chytrid Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, a non-hyphal zoosporic fungus. Chytridiomycosis has been linked to dramatic population declines or even extinctions of amphibian species in western North America, Central America, South...
in combination with climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
as likely causes of the species' decline. However, since no direct link has been found, and not all species are affected by the fungus, the cause for the decline are still not clear. Habitat loss to homes and agriculture is the major ongoing threat. The areas where the species was discovered have been deforested. These factors, in combination with the species' low reproductive rate, limited dispersal ability, narrow geographic range, and obligate bromeliad-dwelling existence, may be responsible for the species' precarious existence, if not its outright extinction. The species' range includes privately owned land and one protected area, the Carite Forest Reserve. Additional surveys are required to determine if golden coquís survive.
See also
- List of amphibians and reptiles of Puerto Rico
- Fauna of Puerto RicoFauna of Puerto RicoThe 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