# General Topics > Fieldwork >  New Miniature Tree Frog??

## Honest John

I think I have found a new miniature tree frog species in South Florida. 

There's no mention of these tiny tree frogs that only grow to 5/8 of an inch, anywhere on the net. There color runs from a solid green to a solid brown, that I have noticed for 2.5 months now. 

I need to find out if the common Cuban tree frogs white strip is on these guys, but I think its the edge of the white stomach? It looks like a white stripe in the pictures? They're so small, and fragile, I would hate to hurt one trying to roll it. 

  
If it's the typical Cuban tree frog, and it's fully formed at this stage, stays small for long periods, then I have not seen any info on this. I think it's new. The lizards will just inhale them, so they would have a hard chance of survival.  

I have many of them that some-how were born in a built-in pool that I had drained, that gained about foot of water from rain storms. When I saw tadpoles I never finished draining the pool. I now have 4 types of frogs & toads maybe, being born, and leaving when mature. 

They're all over my screened in patio plants, and they must help keep the small insects down now that I cant spray insecticides on my plants, because of the frogs.

I also seen the coolest looking tree frog ever, with red, green, and white markings. I hope some of these tadpoles in the pool now are from it, because I only seen this frog once on the pools wall.. 

Last summer it was so loud from a toad or frog on the patio? Every night, all night long!  

I have tried to contact the University of Florida at (tadpole@ufl.edu) and still have not received any answer. Maybe someone here on the forum is at UF, and can help me? I'm willing to send some frogs there if it's a new species to be studied and I can name it. - That would be cool!! - Sales soon after! lol

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## Honest John

​This had the same markings as the frog I seen but with red and green. It was awesome!

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## Brian

They look like juvenile _H__yla cinerea_ or _​Hyla squirella_?

Have you looked at a guide of your locals?

Florida Wildlife Extension at UF/IFAS

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## Eric Walker

Putting them into a clear deli cup Will allow you to get a nice clear view of the underside and lower flanks if thats what you were trying to do.

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## AMKReptiles

looks like a Coqui belongs to the _Eleutherodactylus genus they are mostly endemic to Puerto Rico but not totaly. they have been found in FL,Mexico and Hawaii_

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## XxExoticPsychExX

If it's a coqui, I want it! I've been looking for one for the longest time.  :Big Grin: 

Sent from my SCH-R530U using Tapatalk 2

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## AMKReptiles

> If it's a coqui, I want it! I've been looking for one for the longest time. 
> 
> Sent from my SCH-R530U using Tapatalk 2


they are found in South FL if you know anyone thats down there start calling lol

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## Honest John

The DR from UF emailed me to say they are the Cuban Tree Frog. - If they are, they have not grown any, and do not get bigger than 5/8 of a inch! - Its been a week since I took these pics. Its well over 2 months that I been watching them now, and they have not grown! - I can sell them if they are coqui? - I would want to sell 6 at a time so you have a chance to bread them, and we don't lose this species if its rare! - These little guys have the loudest sound I ever heard! - All this time I thought it was a huge Toad's at night!
Email Honestmase@aol.com

The Puerto Rican coquí is a very small - tiny - tree frog about one inch long. Some coquíes look green, some brown and some yellowish - actually they are translucent. Coquíes have a high pitched sound and can be heard from far away. 

*The Coquí Dorado is the only specie in the world that bears live young. 

*Coquíes are in danger of extinction and actually two of them are already extinct - the Coquí Dorado and the Coquí Palmeado. Others are endangered species like the Coquí Caoba and the Coquí de Eneida. Why are coquíes in extinction? Because of deforestation. People have destroyed their habitat or homes (nests) destroying their eggs and destroying their source of food and nourishment.

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## Honest John

Thank You for finding my frogs name! - If these are the Golden Coqui Dorado, they are suppose to be extinct! 
There's one plant they love, a hybridized philodendron. 


I just want to mention again, They're very Loud! - I can't believe these little guys can make that much noise! - It started again 2 nights ago. For 2 to 3 months it's been quiet, but all summer it was very loud, and all night long! - I thought a cane toad got in there? - The picture in the previous thread is were they were born on my patio. I drained the pool and did not fill it because of the tad poles in the left over water from rain mostly, and these guys must be born in the plants? Because they come out fully formed, live!

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## XxExoticPsychExX

Coqui's are suppose to be tiny and loud at night! And yes, they give birth to live young. I'm not sure what it's suppose to look like since I've never seen them personally. My bf's Puerto Rican and he loves them. Apparently they're pretty elusive over there and difficult to catch. I've been trying to get some for him, but have had no luck. As long as it makes the same call as the one in this video, I'm willing to make some space and build another viv!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD3WdFJ2-9U&amp;sns=em

Edit: I didn't know only a certain species of coqui give birth to live young. I'll have to expand my research then!

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## Honest John

Hi *XxExoticPsychExX*, no I have not really noticed this sound out on my patio, and I do get a very loud Urt-RR sound. But I was not looking for this high pitch sound that's on the YT video. - I do get sounds like this thinking it's the birds? - I just must be sure it comes from these very tiny frogs.

I will have to pay close attention now that I heard the call.

Plus the frog in the video looks a lot bigger than mine? My pics of the one on the tape measure shows it's 5/8's of a inch, and there are none bigger than this. - I must have a toad making the very loud Urt-RR sound I hear on the patio, and I have seen toads out there before. 


My email is
Honestmase@aol.com
John Mason

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## AMKReptiles

I am Puerto Rican.. This little guy are HARD to find and are LOUD... I use to catch them when I was kid behing my house at night in side little plant that hold water in between the leafs...may be you could record the sound and post it..

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## Honest John

*Hi Julio, the type of plant is a Bromeliad. They are mosquito breeding plants, that I call them because they hold water. That water does get stinky, and it's not pleasant to get accidentally spilled on you!.. I used to have one in a pot on the patio, but I moved it to the back yard sometime last year. I have more of them in the back yard I bet have more of these Awesome little frogs. 

It's early AM now, and all I hear is the loud croker, Urt-RR.. - From the video coqui rincon puerto rico singing - YouTube that XxExoticPsychExX posted, I now know what to listen for. It's a high pitch sound, and not what I been hearing at night. - In this video, I think the guy filming it, is also mimicking the call? 

I had a hard time at first thinking these little guys made such a loud low pitch sound I been hearing, after learning they're loud. - A higher pitch would be more possible. It sounds like a bird, something I was NOT expecting? Birds do not sing at night around here, so I will pay more attention from now on. - Plus the frog in the video looks bigger then mine? Hard to tell.?. It's in a* *bromeliad plant for sure!**

I would think these little guy's would want to be quiet, so they do not get eaten by a bigger frog's,snake's, or lizard's? lol - 

Up north from here in South Miami, in Central Florida, the brown Cuban tree frog is very common, and easy to find because there's not many bigger lizards like the Cuban lizard, Skink's, Iguana's, Gecko's and Snake's that I have in the yard. - 

I once seen this good size lizard, 8 - 10 inches, that runs on it's back legs, I forgot the name, but it was a non-native! - 
 I think this slowed down the invasion of the regular Green Cuban tree frogs around here, because they can get eaten easily. They're very rare around here, and hard to find anymore! - There must be pockets here, and there of them, because you can still find one.

The green Cuban Tree Frogs can change color chameleon like, but I never noticed this with the brown ones. Maybe they drop a shade or two, but the greens can go completely brown! 

 I hunt in Central FL, and there's a lot of brown Cuban tree frogs. They were all over! - When I got home, they were coming off of my car in the driveway!  

I hope the wind dies down today so I can get more pictures. I think I spooked a pregnant female that jumped while I was trying to take a picture? She was very chubby, maybe from food,?, but no bigger in length!
*
*I have to pot up some bromeliads, and set them in the screened in patio. I have 2 small doggy doors, and a tear in the screen, here, & there that invites the wild life in that I enjoy very much! - No mosquitoes!* 

*Biological information:*  The golden coqui lives in bromeliads growing on trees, rocks and earth. Not much is known about their eating habits, but has been observed feeding on insects. Coquís no tadpole stage, but when frogs emerge from the eggs, are small replicas of adults. The gold is the only coquifrog species in the New World that is ovoviviparous, that is, to stop the live young. In this case the eggs develop inside the female's oviduct until then already formed froglets emerge from the genital opening (cloaca).

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## Honest John

*Dr J from the UF  has been kind enough to reply to my questions of what kind of frog do I have. 

WE can disagree to agree. Here is a copy of his last email with a picture of a frog he studied.
**Their growth depends on how much they get to eat?. * 

Put out some PVC pipes and you will find that you have lots of Cuban Treefrogs around—small ones and larger ones. 

And if you have Coquis you should hear their distinctive calls sometime. Listen for them and if you do happen to hear such a call please record and send me the file. Coquis used to be in Florida near Homestead but there are no confirmed records for 20 or so years. So, if by some chance you do have Coquis, in addition to Cuban Treefrogs, that would be something I would really like to know about. 

And by the way, there are numerous “species” of what are commonly called coqui in PR. But the ‘real’ species, and the one to which I am referring is Eleutherodactylus coqui—see attached image of one I took in PR several years ago.

Dr. J 
Dr J's Pic;

*
It's so obvious that  Dr J's frog has a white stripe thur it's eye, and mine are brown.  Of course this can be for many reasons. Without any guide of size, his looks bigger also? - I put my frogs on a tape measure where it's very easy to see the size, and believe me, they have not grown since! 

I just want someone to take these guys that is set up for keeping them alive, and I get get some-kind of reward from this discovery, and their yours. - I would never ask if I was not totally broke, after losing a business, home, and my wife losing her job of 32 years at John Deere. - If I can gain anything I would collect every frog and send it on for study, and make sure we do not lose this precious animal! . 

I cant really keep them for much longer, and soon they'll will be killed. - I really hate living in a society where nature don't mean a damn thing anymore!*

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## Honest John

Note: - I was very wrong as far as I can tell about the sound this tiny frog can make! - Theres's a frog/toad that must make the URt-Rr sound I mentioned on my patio.  I would need to hear the loud high pitch chirping sound like a bird to ID these frogs! - So far I have not. Knowing the breading season would help a lot as far when to listen!!

I will keep posting pictures! - We might never see these frogs ever again, and there's nothing more sadder than  that!

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## Honest John

This is Ziggy. He lived with us for almost 2 years. He was much bigger when he escaped, then the neighbor kid found him, and sold him. 
He ate a well balanced diet with supplements! He had the freedom to come & go thru the doggies doors. 

When it got cold, I thought he would never leave the inside of the home, and he stayed above the TV fpr months!. I had to pick him up to get outside when it got warm, but he would come back when it got cold thru the doggies doors.  

I also had a African tortoise that ex-capped, and the foreign people living next door with a full fenced in yard, ate him! - His name was dog.  - This is why I'm so careful about where these little frogs go!

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## Honest John

Please- someone show me the life cycle of a Cuban Tree Frog!

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## Nora

> 


This set of pictures really looks to be the Little Grass Frog, _Pseudacris ocularis/Limnaoedus ocularis  
_which tops out at about 5/8" and is native to your area.  Here are some links: 

AmphibiaWeb - Pseudacris ocularis  Amphibiaweb is my go to site for frog id & info.  many entries also include calls.
Florida Wildlife Extension at UF/IFAS
CalPhotos
SuperStock - Little Grass Frog (Limnaoedus ocularis) 1/2 Smallest Frog in NA/SE USA

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## Honest John

I have some new pictures I just took today, that I want to share here. The little brown/black specs is dirt that was in the potted plant where I chased this little guy to. - I do not see as many frogs because of a cold front that has hit us here in S Miami, on and off for a few weeks now;



I would really miss them if they left us! - I need to hear the mating call at night that would ID these little guy's for sure, but I don't know when the season is?

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## Honest John

I was very wrong, and I don't know where this "Urt-Rrr" frog sound at night is coming from now! - These little guys are suppose to make a high pitch whistle sound, and I have not heard that kind of sound yet? - Could be a season, and I have not had these guys long enough yet..? - I would have a hard time believing they are making this very loud deep "Urt-Rrr sound, when a whistle sound would be more believable because of their tiny size!

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## Honest John

I don't think they're "Coqui" now as they have not grown any more, and I should of heard them by now.?. I want to believe they are the typical Cuban Tree Frog, but I would think they would of grown some by now? 
I'm gonna share some new pictures here;

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## Honest John

Cute little guy's, but we still don't know what they are?

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## Honest John

How did I miss your reply??? - I guess I seen my pics and thought it was my reply?? - You might be right on with the little grass frog, but I just do not get the dark colors your photos show?? - I did not even see this grass frog on UF's list? - It must be it, and they might change color too being kinda transparent also? - Thanks so much! - It's too small to be the Coqui. I did get some high pitch chirps tonight! But not as loud as the Coqui. - 

We had a few cold snaps, and I do not see as many anymore, but I have a big area where they can hide. 

I give you Full permission to use any of my pics if needed. - Email if you want them as a full file. Thanks Again!

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## Honest John

Ha Ha - Tonight has been so loud with many frogs calling out while we still have the home open without AC. - Believe it or not the pool can be only used one month a year, here in South Miami because its on the north side of the home, and shaded. It does not get above 75 degrees F. but for only one month.

I had solar panels until 2005 when a hurricane took them off with most of the roof.! - I enjoy not having the pump running with the electric bill, plus chemicals.  

Now I would hate to remove this foot or 2 of green water at the bottom, now full of many size tad-poles. - I'm gonna have to save many of them and re-locate to the canals that are all over the area. Re-locating was my plan because of a job I was at, and was it was gonna be easy where I was, but I'm not there now, and this relocation project has taken too much time. 

Still I enjoy nature, and theres nothing like having it at your feet 24/7! - I really hate having a pool you cant use, and I rather have a frog, turtle & fish pond? - Realtor's don't want to hear that! 

My buddy has growing aquatic plants for 25 years, and I would have no problem loading it up with Lilly's that have 6 foot pads and all the other pond plants he grows, just checkout his plants at Luster Aquatic Nursery 
And tell him, (Craig) that  Honest John sent you for great plants!


This is my pool when it was full of water. I drained it to do some maintenance that started this whole episode! .

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## NancyC

These are Cuban tree frogs.  They start out small. Here is mine after a few months.  
But after about 6 months will be like this...
I raised mine from a tadpole I found in my pond. I am in Miami.  They are everywhere out here.

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## NancyC

more baby pictures of my Cubans just For reference.  If you have Cubans in your yard you will end up only having Cubans.  They will eat all the other native frogs.  I used to have all kinds of frogs in my yard but now just Cubans.  I love my frogs and care for them dearly but it is a bad idea to make them a perfect breeding sanctuary in your back yard.  I too thought I had a different tree frog when they were tadpoles and even for the first month.  Even so, they do make a hardy pet and are pretty active at night.

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## Honest John

Thanks for your reply, but I cant get these little guys to grow for all this time now when I also have Cuban browns and, some tri colored I call them. They must eat my little guys. Theres some fat lizards walking around now. - I also have solid green anolies! Pics soon! -- Too much fun to watch! - The bugs and spiders have moved in after I stopped spraying my orchids. Theres a eco system these things can always fill when we humans don't mess with it. It's so amazing to watch!

When we did mining in the Key's, I couldn't believe how fast these 50 foot deep pits would fill up with salt water life without any links to the ocean! There would be 4 foot barracuda's in 3 years! - My guess birds drop many of the fish, but it's so amazing how fast this happens! - 

When they dig a hole for a highway overpass, these fresh water ponds become so alive in just months! - Life = Just add water! - Sometimes farm raised Fish get added later, and a whole eco system is created. - Nature is so amazing how it will always survive even when we mess with it!! - Or main problem is the chemicals we inject into this system!

I just want to add here; Put a bucket of water in your yard, shaded, and let us know how much life is in there after a month!

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## Elizabeth

Coquies are illegal as pets!!

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## Honest John

> Coquies are illegal as pets!!


It now obvious they're not Coquies. - They are the Grass Frog that Nora pointed out.

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## melvin

do you still got the coqui frog

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