| Golden coquí | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Eleutherodactylidae |
| Genus: | Eleutherodactylus |
| Subgenus: | Eleutherodactylus |
| Species: | E. jasperi |
| Binomial name | |
| Eleutherodactylus jasperi Drewry & Jones, 1976[3] | |
Thegolden coquí (Eleutherodactylus jasperi) is a rare, possiblyextinctspecies of frogendemic toPuerto Rico.[1][4]
Golden coquís are roughly 17–22 mm (0.67–0.87 in) in snout-vent length and are olive-gold to yellow-gold without pattern. The juveniles resemble adults.[3]
All Coqui species are very active throughout the night and are the most studied species in Puerto Rico.[5] Both males and females are extremely territorial and they rarely move more than five meters (16 ft) away from their retreat spot.[5]
The four discoverers (George E. Drewry, Kirkland L. Jones, Julia R. Clark and Jasper J. Loftus-Hills) planned to name the species for its color. However, when Dr. Loftus-Hills was killed in 1974 in an automobile accident, his colleagues chose instead to name it in his honor:jasperi.[3]
First reported to science in 1976, the golden coquí isovoviviparous,[3] the only live-bearing species known from the familyEleutherodactylidae.[6] Female frog gives birth to 3–6 fully developed young after a pregnancy lasting less than one month.[3]
The species is restricted to a fewgenera of water-containingbromeliads in certain moist tropical/subtropical forests and rocky areas.[1][3]
Golden coquís have only been found in areas of dense bromeliad growth in theSierra de Cayey of Puerto Rico between 647 and 785 m (2,123 and 2,575 ft) above sea level. The species was last observed in 1981, and surveys of suitable habitat have not found individuals since then. 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 theIUCN Red List asCritically Endangered[1] and byNatureServe as GH (possibly extinct). Burrowes et al. (2004)[7] presumed the golden coquí extinct. The species is listed as threatened by theUnited States under theEndangered Species Act.[8] In 2022, theUS Fish and Wildlife Service recommended delisting the coquí as extinct.[9]
Researchers have suggested the fungal diseasechytridiomycosis, in combination withclimate change, as a likely cause of the species' decline. However, since no direct link has been found, and not all species are affected by thefungus, the causes 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, theCarite Forest Reserve.
