Eleutherodactylus Johnstonei Caresheet

[Yusil]

Hi all. Before I start, I'd like to say that, although Arboreal, this particular frog isn't as Arboreal as the ones you all probably own. Some of you [who do not study frogs extensively] are probably scratching your heads saying, "what type of frog is that?" . Well, here it is . It's not as common as the Litoria Caerulea or other tree frogs owned here, but I think if you had one, you would love them .

This is basically to give you information on this frog [based on my experiences & some wikipedia-ing], as I know for a fact how hard it was to find information on this frog for myself. You don't have to get one, but the information is just out there now .

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Eleutherodactylus Johnstonei

[Coqui Antillano| Robber Frog| Jonstone’s Robber Frog]
-Yusil
[O.K Robinson Jr.]



Synonym;

Eleutherodactylus barbudensis (Lynch, 1966)

Binomial Name;
Eleutherodactylus johnstonei
Barbour, 1914

Range;
The Coqui Antillano (Eleutherodactylus johnstonei) is a species of frog in the Leptodactylidae family. It is found in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bermuda, Colombia, Dominica, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.

Habitat(s);

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, arable land, pastureland, plantations , rural gardens, urban areas, and heavily degraded former forest.

Family;
Leptodactylidae

Genus;
Eleutherodactylus


Information; [Note- This is from personal experience and observation]

The Coqui Antillano, being of the Genus Eleutherodactylus, does lay eggs, but do not have a tadpole stage, but rather hatch into functioning froglets[miniature frogs]. They also seem to be very tolerant of others of their kind and do not engage in cannibalism or attempt cannibalism.

It seems co-habitation is not an issue for these frogs, as they are not aggressive and frequently touch one another without aggravation. In addition to not being cannibalistic, they actually seem to be parental to a minimal extent, “guarding” their young and tolerating their presence, even attending to them occasionally.

These frogs are primarily nocturnal, active majoritively at night, though in captivity, are somewhat active during the day, though not very much. They prefer to hide under leaf litter or even a rock or piece of wood during the day, coming out at night to hunt and climb.

They seem even more active, the more moist and warm it is, so frequent misting [Every other day – 2/3 sprays of the enclosure- varies depending on your local temperatures] should suffice, perhaps a very shallow dish/bowl of water, no higher than their front legs/ throat.

Males will call every night, all year; especially after rain/when it’s moist & warm, while females are quiet.


Food;
Basically anything that can fit into their mouth and does not bite.
Ø Small Roaches
Ø Small Moths
Ø Small Crickets
Ø Ants


Set-up / Enclosure;
These frogs, though not territorial or aggressive, do like space, so perhaps 20 gallons can hold 5-7 Coqui Antillano, as long as they have their own place to call “home”, as they seem to like going back to the same spot they slept in previously.

Additionally, these frogs, although are very adept climbers, are majoritively low climbers, preferring to stay closer to the ground than at the top of trees, so tall tanks aren’t necessarily imperative, though it would not hurt. Ground space is important for hunting and “relieving” themselves [Soil would be a must for this frog], and males also prefer to call from the ground or any place where his call will be amplified.

So having vines/branches for them to climb and sleep on is necessary, and having a good amount of ground space is quite good.

Handling;
You cannot technically "handle" these frogs, as they are very flighty and will jump from you the moment they have a chance, not to mention, they are extremely delicate and you risk contaminating them or even in some instances, give them a heart attack from panic.

Best not to move them unless you have to, but if you do want to hold them, it has to be brief and you cannot startle them. You can try rubbing their backs to get them hopping forward, but beware of backward jumping, as they are quite capable.


Tank-Mates;

As long as they cannot fit whatever it is in their mouths or have them fit into the mouth of the tank mate, then it should be fair game [within logical reason]. I personally use Isopods [Armadillidium Vulgare], as they clean up the enclosure and add a little life to the enclosure. Though, I believe the Coqui Antillano would eat their babies if they got the chance, as they are quite tiny, which would actually be a good thing to prevent over population of Isopods.


Lighting;
Being chiefly nocturnal, they do not require lighting and actually shy away from bright lights. Also, some bright lights may actually harm their eyes. Perhaps a dull light, which does not put out too much heat, can be used.

Heating;
They prefer it more moist/humid, rather than dry warmth or hot, so heating is not primarily required and you should avoid very high temperatures/ leaving them in the sun.

Health Issues;
Not a generally unhealthy species, the only concern would probably have to be with how fragile their hearts are. They get extremely stressed if you tap their glass or shake them and can suffer from a heart attack, seizing and ultimately dying.

Not to say they drop at a moment’s notice, but prolonged stress or high stress would be potentially fatal, differing degrees of tolerance amongst differing frogs.

Characteristics;
They are more "curious" then anything else and will watch you, but will hop away if you scare them.

In addition to being “curious”, and as stated previously, they are more sociable or tolerable of each other’s presence, frequently sitting on one another or just passing over, with no aggression.

They don’t grow to be very large, perhaps as long [front and back legs extended] as the average adult thumb [tip of the pad to the last knuckle] and don’t grow much more. Accurately; the male is about 2.2 cm (0.9״) and the female reaches 2.8 cm (1.1״).

They vary in colour, orange-brown being the common colour, while other colours such as; Mild Yellow and hazel brown occurring intermittedly, with triangular “V’s” on their backs.

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Sources;

Ø Wikipedia
Ø Personal Observations/Experiences
* All pictures other than the one of the Armadillidium Vulgare, belong to someone else. I got the first one from a local conservation website and the other two were from Google.

So credit goes to their respective owners.