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Where to look for Coquis
As this genus has no free tadpole stage, its members do not need to go to the water
to reproduce and they are never found in the waters of rivers, streams or ponds unless they fall in by accident. The
one exception is E. karlschmidti, which is generally found sitting on rocks and boulders along mountain
streams and may enter the water to cross from one boulder to the other. All the other species are found in bromelaids
(wild pines), in the axillae of banana plants or under the cortex ("hollejo") of their trunks, under the loose bases of palm
leaves, under the loose bark of trees, in holes and crevices of living and dead trees and under clumps of epiphytic (growing
on trees) plants or in the nests of some birds like the honey creeper. Terrestrial speies and some individuals of the
arboreal species may be found under rocks, logs, palm leaf trash, leaf litter, under the roots of trees and palms, under moss,
in crevices and holes in the mud banks, inside the curled sheaths of palm leaves, under wooden planks, galvanized iron sheets
or piles of rocks, and in holes and crevices within caves and grottoes.
At night all species come out in the open and males call from the ground or from
leaves or branches, up to 30 or 40 ft. from the ground. E. henricki calls from within holes and crevices
in trees or nearby surroundings. E. karlschmidti and E. cooki are almost always on boulders and rocks,
the former in mountain streams, the latter in or near grottoes in the southeastern section of the Island.
As I have learned from experience, the best time to find and photograph coquis
are around midnight and when a rain has just passed. This is particularly true for all parts of the El Yunque
rainforest on the northeastern side of the Island. Elevation and Island location are also key elements in
which kind of coqui you wish to find. Below is a list of coquis and the elevation type of where to find them.
Common Name
Elevation
Call
Mona Island Coki
Low like
water drops
Churi coki
Low
churi churi
Whistling coki
Low whistle
then clicks
Grass coki Low cricket
sound
Mountain coki
High fast
kokee
Common coki
Low-High slower kokee
Palmate coki
High ki-ki,
ki-ki
Hedrix coki
High ping, ping,
ping
Cricket coki
High cricket sound
Hammer coki
High whistle then
clicks
Melodious coki
High 3-10 high
pitched
Eneida coki
High whistle then
clicks
Mahogany coki
High tick sound
Dwarf coki
High fingernail
on comb
Golden coki
High tuit, tuit,
tuit
Demon coki
Intermediate low pitch melodious
Llanero coki
Low 2-4 high
pitched ticks
jscabani1988@yahoo.com
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