Summary of the Rule to List the Coquí Llanero as Endangered
Listing process history The coquí llanero is in danger of
extinction mostly because of habitat destruction and
modification. Also, the species has very low population numbers
and its distribution is restricted to a single seasonally
flooded wetland in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service listed this species as endangered under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, effective on November 5, 2012
“Endangered” is defined by the Act as “in danger of extinction
throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” The coquí
llanero is a small frog, the smallest of the 17 coquí species in
Puerto Rico. Unlike most amphibians, it spends its entire life
in a herbaceous wetland. The plants in that space, ferns,
bulltongue arrowhead, flatsedges, spike rushes, vines, and
grasses are essential for its survival. Species experts estimate
the frog’s population within its wetland habitat is about 192
individuals per acre. This estimate is based on