Common Name: Locust Coqui, Puerto Rican Small Eared Frog, Interior Robber Frog, Warty Coqui
Scientific Name:Eleutherodactylus locustus
Family: Eleutherodactylidae
Location: Puerto Rico
Size: 0.74 inches (19 mm)
The Locust Coqui lives only in broadleaf forests with a closed canopy. They don’t tolerate disturbances from human activities well.
The male frogs call from low vegetation to attract the female frogs. Once the female frog arrives, the male frog grasps her from behind in amplexus. Then, the female frog lays her eggs and the male frog fertilizes them. The eggs are laid directly on the ground. The frogs are a direct developing species, where the eggs hatch and froglets come out, skipping a free living larval phase.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Locust Coqui as Endangered with Extinction. Previous deforestation on the island have reduced the range of the frog to just the El Yunque National Forest Reserve and the Carite State Forest.