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COURTESY DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
This coqui frog was captured in a dry-docked boat in Kahaluu. (courtesty department of agriculture)
The state Department of Agriculture caught two coqui frogs in Kahaluu and Waimanalo this week, and three others were captured at a Kauai nursery.
On Oahu, one coqui was found on a dry-docked boat at a home in Kahaluu, the same place where another coqui was caught on Apr. 2. A Department of Agriculture crew captured the frog Monday. Another tiny, screeching frog was captured by a member of the Oahu Invasive Species Committee at a Waimanalo nursery Tuesday.
On Tuesday evening, a Kauai Invasive Species Committee field crew captured three coqui frogs at a nursery, but were unable to capture at least one more frog at the site.
Up to a foot away, the mating call of a male coqui frog can reach up to the decibel level of 90 to 100, comparable to the noise level made by a lawnmower, table saw or helicopter.
“It is important to report suspected coqui frogs as soon as possible,” said Scott Enright, chairman of the Hawaii Board of Agriculture, in the news release. “Our experience proves that the sooner we hear about it, the easier it is for us to eradicate coqui infestations.”
The Agriculture Department said invasive species should be reported to the state’s toll-free pest hotline at 643-PEST (7378). To hear what a coqui frog sounds like, go to http://www.hear.org/AlienSpeciesInHawaii/species/frogs/.
