HAWAII's HATED FROGS Tiny Invaders Raise a Big Ruckus -BY JANET RALOFF
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
HAWAII'S HATED FROGS Tiny invaders raise a big ruckus -BY JANET RALOFF uerto Rico's beloved mascot is a miniature tree don't have lots of calling insects, if you go to where the frogs aren't at night, it's dead quiet," observes herpetologist William frog named for its distinctive call: ko-KEE. All J. Mautz of the University of Hawaii at Hilo. "Then enter an area night long, choirs of love-starved males sere- with a big infestation, and you hit this wall of sound." nade would-be mates, who respond with quiet But it's not only the noise that has federal officials up in arms. The proliferating coqui and greenhouse frog populations on guttural chuckles. "To me, it's pleasant-just islands that evolved in the absence of amphibians threaten to likeP birds singing," says Bryan Brunner, a University of overwhelm native ecosystems. That's why USDA has teamed up with the State of Hawaii and FWS to control-and, if possible, Puerto Rico plant breeder in Mayaguez. "Here, every- eradicate-the tiny hoppers. body loves the coquies." And legend has it, he says, that coquies- The scientists are developing tools, including caffeinated sprays native only to Puerto Rico-die of sadness when removed from and scalding showers, for holding back what they see as an their island. advancing plague of frogs. Hawaiians are lamenting that that fable isn't true. In the mid-l980s, potted plants from the Caribbean began HOPPING HATCHLINGS For the many frogs and toads that arriving in Honolulu carrying frogs. Some were 5-centimeter-long spend their youths as tadpoles, early survival and development coquies (Eleutherodactyluscoqui), and others, a quieter and even depend on access to water in which they can swim and feed. But tinier cousin, the green- for members of Eleuth- house frog (Eleuthero- dactylus, the world's dactylus planirostris). largest genus of verte- These stowaways reveled brates, young emerge from in their new setting: a the egg or from Mom as largely amphibian-free tiny, fully formed frogs. land with a bountiful This opens up a broader smorgasbord of insects, range of habitats than is tiny spiders, mites, and available to tadpoles. other delectables-and no Water-soaked moss deco- snakes, tarantulas, or I rating a potted plant will other natural do, as will the humid By the end of 1998, - - packaging around plants, seven populations of 1 or a spoonful of water coquies had established themselves on the Big 1 Island of Hawaii, recalls Eggs, which coquies Earl Campbell of the Fish and greenhouse frogs lay and Wildlife Service (FWS) in Honolulu. And the number has on the soil, are hard to detect. Normally, male coquies guard rocketed. "We now have over 400 populations on the Big their eggs for 2 to 3 weeks-not to fend off predators so much Island," reports Campbell, the FWS Pacific Basin coordinator as to keep them moist, explains ecologist Larry Woolbright of for invasive-species issues. He also notes a few coqui outposts Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y. Like a sponge, Dad's under- on Maui, Kauai, and Oahu. belly efficiently absorbs water and then releases it onto the eggs. Local wildlife-protection officials have no trouble recogniz- But fatherless eggs could survive transit to Hawaii if they're ing new coqui populations. On the Big Island, public officials attached to damp plant material, he says. receive about 10 complaints a day from homeowners who, unlike At hatching, baby coquies are green and only 5 millimeters Puerto Rican residents, get fed up with the racket, notes Tim J. long, about the size of a rice grain. Because they're nocturnal Ohashi of the Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services and don't begin bellowing their telltale serenades until they're Branch in Honolulu. about a year old, the youngsters tend to remain undetected, A backyard full of the frogs can reach 70 to 90 decibels-the Woolbright says. + volume of moderate-to-heavy street traffic or the din in neigh- The frogs' catholic tastes facilitate their integration into the 2 borhoods along aircraft takeoff and landing corridors. Indeed, Hawaiian environment. After sleeping under leaf litter all day, 75 decibels is the maximum sound volume that people can the tiny amphibians come out after dark to dine. Some stay near $ encounter at work throughout their careers without risking hear- the ground, while others ascend into a tree's canopy. Then they 2 ing loss (SN: 5/22/82,p. 347). sit patiently and await the arrival of the evening's entrees-insects Hawaiians aren't used to such nighttime noise. "Because we or any other small creature that crawls within pouncing range. JANUARY 4, 2003 VOL. 163 11 Hawaii'sotherCariiintrudem,the~ousefrogs,also permissiontotry a 2-percent-dkine solution as an experimen- concernscientists. So far,thefve conducted nlatively Ihstud- tal pesticide sprayfor 1year. iesofthose@et~ts,whichhaveprwed~dttohd Pitt says that tests on small plots ofinkted greeneryp d and count. thatthesprayisindeedaan~~ude.ifyouwiU'Bestof Though axpies invaded Florida roughly a century ago, they all, he says, caffieine exhibited %ry Ih impacts on other, non- haven't spread far there, Campbell notes, probably because they taqpt 0- For instance,insect populations in sprayed had plenty of competitorsfor foodand shelter. plots declined a bit, but within a week had rehmed to normal. But in Hawaii, heobserves, 'we don't have as many creatures Thetests turned up another potential ben& Garden slugs,the as doecosystems on the mainland, sowe stillhave a lot of what ~eoftheo~dind~,~tothetheofrfaceaftreatedmd people might term open niches." When the coquies and green- died (h#pJ//bcimanccas.420020706~asp). house frogs arrived,they set claim to onesuch niche. In September,the temporary EPA permission for testing expired. USDA has now applied for a &year extension to con- BEYOND THE RACKETDuring matingseason-which can du&MerreseaFehthatmighte~en~leadto~e'sfed- run year round, dependingon theclimate-crooning males eral approval as a fiosantrol agent. from ground to treetops produce a three-dimen- 'But we don't want tolimitoursehrestoone tool,- sional fog of sound. To drown it out at bed- A Pitt says, so his laboratory has continuedtest- time, many Hawaiiansrun air condition- A - L ing other unusual candidatehgicides. It ers as a source of white noise. Others recently un-red one that's so tx& a don earplugs. foodproductthatEPAdoesn'tregulate It's gotten so bad, Ohashi notes, , it. It's citric acid, the primary con- that realtors have been forced to stituent of lemonjuice. disclosethepresence ofooquieson Preliminary tests, begun in listed properties, much as they August,usedacitric-acidformu- would evidenceoftermiteswater I lationroughlycomparabletodm- damage, or structural tlaws. ble-strength lemon juice. The But of even biirconcern to ' spray isn't quite as potent as caf- USDA and Hawaii's Department I feineforkillingfrogs,PitttoldSci- of Agriculture is the frogs' em- cnaNcme.Nevwtheless,eadydata nomic threat to Hawaiian plant oncitricacidlmlcveryprombing," growers, notes Ohashi's colleague hesays,aandweseewrylittleimpact Will Pitt at USDAk WildlifeServices . on plants." research center in Hilo. Sales of In July, the Honolulu Star BuUdin orchidsandothertropicalplantsamount reported that the Hawaii Department of toa huge exportindustry. Buy- Agriculturehadfoundthathydratedlime,the ers on the Hawaiian islands 1 GOTCHA! -Falrfyindlscrlmlnate powder used toreduce the acidity ofsoil, also kills thatarestillfieeofcoquiesand I d~nnrmpuhw eat ,most anything frogs. Ohashi confirms this, but he points out that greenhouse frogs are now llke this bug. Matenters thelr range. I hydrated lime couldn't legally be used against frogs rejecting some potted plants I unless it were toreceivefederalapprwalas a pesticide. grown on the Big Island. It may not be long, Piit speculates, Andthat's unlikely, he adds. Man&wtwem don't view as worth- before the frog scare affkctsforeign trade or plant shipments while the prospect of carryiog out the necessary safety and &- to the U.S. mainland. Any impact on Hawaii's $80-million- cscy~heexplab,%ecausetheymakeenoughmoneyd- per-year cut-flower-export industry would be especially trou- ingitforits~urrentlylabeleduse.~ blesome. Pittsaysthatplantgrowem might also resist limebecauseit Rather than simply imposing a quarantineon plants in frog- can leave a white residue on treated plants. =Ifyou're an orchid infestedareasofHawaii,l'ittsays,~ent~eswantto grower selling $200 or$300plants, a littleleafspottingmay not o& gnmem tools for coping with the problem. The propod be dle,=hesays. al??eMlis remahblylow-tech. mdly,ddcentersareinvestigatinganexperi- Westarted, about2yean,ago,lookingattrapping-handcap mental nurserytechniqueto prevent the spread of@ in pot- tams-butitwasn0tataIlefiiective:saysPitr tedplantaEdBrodieofHawaii'sDivisionofpol.estryandWildlife So, CampbeQwhowasthen with USDA,beganscmm@d- in Hilo, for instance,has he-tuned an $11,000 computercon- the-sMfagenta that might poisonthe*withoutharmingtheir tdeddevicethatsprayshotwaterontoahpo#edplantsat ~nment.lstartedbylookhgathedidesforuseonoma- atimetoIdlpeets.A&miautesprayof46JOC(ll64P)waterloills mentals,probably2Oto25~0m~he~Nonekilled~any coquies and greenhouse frogs present. As a bonus, he says, at penniUed applicationrates. theeeatmcntkills~centipede8,andabOUt~else Then Campbellheard that acetaminophen-the active ingre!- in the soil except ants. dientinQlenol-works as a poison tocontroltheinvasivebmwn Brodie's lab includes a nursery for endangered and native tree snake on Guam(SN: 8/10/02,p. m.He redirectedhis