Officials captured an non-native frog that jumped from a Christmas tree a couple had just bought Tuesday at a Walmart in Lihue, the Kauai Invasive Species Committee reported.

Committee personnel caught and identified the Pacific chorus frog, which is not known to exist in the islands, at the couple’s Wai­lua Houselots residence and reported the incident to the state Department of Agriculture.

"We want the public to be on the lookout for these types of creatures," Keren Gundersen, KISC project manager, said in a news release. "(The Agriculture Department) is doing everything humanly possible to inspect these trees, but it is a huge task and things are bound to slip through.

"We are really encouraging people to buy locally to avoid importation of unwanted invasive species."

State plant quarantine inspectors last week blocked distribution of 74 of 150 containers of Douglas and noble firs from the Pacific Northwest because of pest infestation.

Inspectors have found banana slugs, wasps, frogs and other non-native pests.

Before being released to distributors, pest-infested trees must undergo a manual shaking or hot water treatment.

About 100 more containers of Pacific Northwestern trees are expected to arrive in the islands, said Janelle Sane­ishi, department spokes­woman.

Any unusual pests found in non-local Christmas trees should be reported to the department at 643-PEST (643-7378).