OISC target species
coqui frogs

coqui frogs

Eleutherodactylus coqui (Leptodactylidae)

The Oahu Invasive Species Committee (OISC) controls coqui in residential areas. If you think you have coqui, call 643-PEST. Coqui can often be confused with the greenhouse frog. More information about coqui and greenhouse frogs is available on the HEAR Coqui & greenhouse frogs species page.

The coqui frog is one of the most well-known of OISC's target species. A single coqui is loud enough to disturb sleep, and on the Big Island choruses of frogs keep tourists and residents awake. The presence of coqui frogs has been included on disclosure statements in real estate transactions (Wu 2005). Preliminary research by Kaiser, Burnett and Pitt (2006) shows that the presence of the frog may impose localized damages to real estate values on the Big Island. Nurseries may have trouble exporting plants to the mainland and elsewhere if coqui becomes uncontrollable. Guam already requires nursery shipments to be treated for coqui before importation. Infested bromeliads from Florida that originated in Puerto Rico and were transported to residential areas in landscaping or nursery materials are the presumed source for coqui in Hawaii.

Although coqui are most widely known for their loud sleep-disturbing calls, they also present a threat to Hawaii's native ecosystems. The frogs are voracious insect eaters, putting pressure on already threatened native insect populations, including native plant pollinators, and swallowing the prey base of the endangered 'elepaio. The frogs may increase populations of already established invasives such as rats and mongoose, allowing the predators to reach even higher densities. They may also serve as a potential food source for snakes.

Management:
On Oahu coqui eradication is a collaboration of several committed partners that make up the coqui working group (CWG). The CWG includes: Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA), Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), U.S. Army Department of Public Works, Environmental Division (DPW), the City and County of Honolulu, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and OISC. OISC serves as the coordinating entity of the CWG and subsequent clearing house of all coqui data on Oahu.

Learn more:
Kaiser, B., K. Burnett, and W. Pitt. 2006. "Economic Impacts of Coqui Frogs in Hawaii, Ecological Society of America's Ecology in an Era of Globalization Meeting, Merida, Mexico, January 8-12, 2006. A published abstract is available online at: http://abstracts.co.allenpress.com/pweb/esai2006/document/?ID=59145.

Wu, Nina. "You Never Told Me About Those Noisy Frogs". Pacific Business News. June 10, 2005. http://www.pacificbusinessnews.com. Accessed January 30, 2006.

For more information:

• coqui and greenhouse frogs information from Hawaii Ecosystems at Risk (HEAR)