Conservation Efforts for the Puerto Rican Mountain Coqui
Submitted on 18 January 2016 - 12:58pm
This article is reproduced by CienciaPR with permission from the original source.
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Conservation Efforts for the Puerto Rican Mountain Coqui (Anura: Eleutherodactylidae: Eleutherodactylus portoricensis Schmidt, 1927): Reproductive Biology in Captivity
Neftalí Ríos-López, Eliacim Agosto-Torres, Rayza M. Hernández-Muñíz, Coralys Vicéns-López, Ashley Bernardi-Salinas, Waleska N. Tirado-Casillas, Yvonne M. Flores-Rodríguez
Abstract: Local and international herpetologists assert that the Puerto Rican Mountain Coqui, Eleutherodactylus portoricensis, has become locally extinct in all historic geographic distribution in the mountain forests of the Cordillera Central to western Puerto Rico, and that the species still experiences drastic population declines in the Sierra de Luquillo, eastern Puerto Rico. A species once though abundant throughout high elevation forests in Puerto Rico, these declines and local extirpations are difficult to explain, which resulted in the species listed vulnerable (local level) and endangered (IUCN) in need for immediate ex situ conservation efforts. We established the first ex situ conservation plan for E. portoricensis and herein document the first reproductive
events of the species in captivity. We describe its amplexus, developmental period of clutches, oophagy, and use various elements provided in terrariums. We also discuss our trial and error events, and provide husbandry guidelines for this species that may expand our knowledge on keeping and breeding Eleutherodactylus frogs in need for ex situ conservation efforts.
