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Eleutherodactylus planirostris planirostris  (Cope, 1862)

Common Name: Greenhouse Frog

Taxonomy: available through

Identification:

Eleutherodactylus planirostris is a tiny striped or variably mottled frog, with an adult SVL (snout-vent length) of 16-32 mm (5/8-1.25 in) (Conant and Collins, 1998).  Generally their dorsal color is brown, but often has distinct reddish or orange tones (Schwartz and Henderson, 1991; Conant and Collins, 1998).  Unlike Eleutherodactylus coqui, the coqui, and some of our indigenous hylids (treefrogs), greenhouse frogs have indistinct toe pads (disks) and reddish eyes (Conant and Collins, 1998; Powell et al., 1998).   The mostly developed young have a tiny tail at hatching (Behler and King, 1979; Conant and Collins, 1998).  The call of this diminutive frog is a soft, melodious, series of irregular chirps, usually 4-5 in a series (Deckert, 1921; Goin, 1955; Conant and Collins, 1998).  After rain or during balmy summer nights in Florida, these barely audible calls are easily mistaken for the sound produced by small crickets (Somma, personal observation).  Recordings of the calls of E. planirostris are available on a CD (Library of Natural Sounds, 1996) and online (Thomas and Speith, 2004).

Greenhouse frogs have been illustrated by several authors (Wright and Wright, 1949; Smith, 1978; Behler and King, 1979; Ashton and Ashton, 1988; Dundee and Rossman, 1989; Carmichael and Williams, 1991; Conant and Collins, 1998; Bartlett and Bartlett, 1999; Thomas and Speith, 2004).

Size: adult snout-vent length of 16-32 mm

Native Range:

Eleutherodactylus planirostris is indigenous to Cuba, and the northern Bahamas (Barbour and Ramsden, 1919; Schwartz, 1974; Schwartz and Thomas, 1975; Frost, 1985; Schwartz and Henderson, 1985, 1991; Powell et al., 1996; Estrada and Ruibal, 1999; Hedges, 1999).

Interactive maps: Continental US, Hawaii, Puerto Rico

Nonindigenous Occurrences:

In Florida, nonindigenous E. planirostris were first recorded by Cope (1875) from an undisclosed locality in southern Florida.  Later, Cope (1889) mentions a single specimen from Key West, Monroe County, Florida.  Barbour (1910) collected a single E. planirostris from Eau Gallie, Brevard County, Florida.  At this time Stejneger (in Barbour, 1910) mentioned four additional greenhouse frogs found in Lemon City (Miami), Miami-Dade County, Florida.  Ever since their initial discovery in Florida more than 128 years ago, E. planirostris has spread northward to include all of the counties in peninsular and northeastern Florida from the northern counties of Nassau, Columbia, Union, Gilchrist, and Levy, southward to include most of the Florida Keys (Deckert, 1921; Neill, 1951; Duellman and Schwartz, 1958; Schwartz, 1974; Wilson and Porras, 1983; Ashton and Ashton, 1988; Dalrymple, 1988; Dodd and Charest, 1988; Moler, 1988; Lazell, 1989; Carmichael and Williams, 1991: Witz and Wilson, 1991; Bartlett, 1994; Franz, 1995; Conant and Collins, 1998; Bartlett and Bartlett, 1999; Meshaka, 1999a, b; Wray and Owen, 1999; Christman et al., 2000; Krysko and King, 2000; Meshaka et al., 2000, 2004; Seigel et al., 2002; Florida Museum of Natural History records). In disjunct localities of the Florida panhandle E. planirostris has been found in Bay, Escambia, Franklin, Okaloosa, Leon, Gadsen, and Wakulla Counties (Jensen and Palis, 1995; Conant and Collins, 1998; Bartlett and Bartlett, 1999; Irwin, 1999; Krysko and Reppas, 1999; Irwin and Irwin, 2001; Johnson et al., 2003; Florida Museum of Natural History records).

In July 1998, greenhouse frogs (adults, juveniles, and eggs) were found in flowerpots kept outdoors at a residence in Chatham County, Georgia (Winn et al., 1999); although Seabrook (1998) claims the person who discovered the frogs was a "Brunswick resident," which is in Glynn County.

In Louisiana, E. planirostris were collected in New Orleans, Orleans Parish, after observations dating back to 1975 (Plotkin and Atkinson, 1979; Dundee and Rossman, 1989; Dundee, 1994).  Other nonindigenous records documenting the spread of greenhouse frogs in Louisiana include Jefferson Parish (Dundee, 1994), Plaquemines Parish (Dundee, 1994; Boundy, 2004), Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish (Platt and Fontenot, 1995), St. Bernard Parish (Boundy, 1998), St. John the Baptist Parish (Boundy, 1998), and Lafayette Parish (Boundy, 2004).

Schwartz and Henderson (1991) claim that E. planirostris has been introduced to Alabama without providing any details.

In Jefferson City, Cole County, Missouri, A. Hutton (personal communication 2001) discovered at least 40 juvenile Eleutherodactylus (apparently E. planirostris) living on the dirt floor beneath planting tables in a greenhouse of a commercial florist shop in 2001.

A large, dense population of E. planirostris has been unintentionally introduced to the Tropical Rainforest Building of Tulsa Zoo, Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma (B. Olsen, personal communication 2002).

In Hawaii, greenhouse frogs have recently been introduced to the islands of Oahu, Hawaii Island (Big Island) (Kraus et al., 1999), Maui, and Kauai (Kraus and Campbell, 2002; Thomas and Speith, 2004).  Kraus and Campbell (2002) speculate that the original introductions probably took place in the early 1990s.

Populations of nonindigenous E. planirostris are found in Veracruz, Mexico (Schwartz, 1974; Schwartz and Henderson, 1991; Flores-Villela, 1993; Smith and Smith, 1993), Jamaica (Schwartz and Henderson, 1991; Crombie, 1999; Hedges, 1999), Grenada (Hedges, 1999), the Cayman Islands, Caicos Islands, and possibly the southern Bahamas (Great Inagua Island) (Schwartz and Henderson, 1991).  Some authors list E. planirostris as indigenous to Cayman Islands and Caicos Islands (Frost, 1985; Powell et al., 1996).

Recently a E. planirostris population was discovered in Tumon, Guam (Hurley, 2003).

Means of Introduction:

The greenhouse frog is aptly named since it is usually introduced as a stowaway on imported tropical plants and landscaping materials (Neill, 1951; Bartlett and Bartlett, 1999; Kraus and Campbell, 2002; Kraus in Hurley, 2003), including plants shipped from Florida nurseries and Hawaii landscape shipments.  This seems to be how it was introduced to Georgia (Winn et al., 1999), Louisiana (Dundee and Rossman, 1989), Missouri (A. Hutton, personal communication 2001), Oklahoma (B. Olsen, personal communication 2002), Hawaii (Kraus et al., 1999; Kraus and Campbell, 2002), and Guam (Kraus in Hurly, 2003).

Status:

In Florida, E. planirostris is well established wherever it has been collected (Duellman and Schwartz, 1958; King and Krakauer, 1966; Stevenson, 1976; Smith and Kohler, 1978; Ashton and Ashton, 1988; Moler, 1988; Bartlett, 1994; Dalrymple, 1994; McCoid and Kleberg, 1995; McCann et al., 1996; Butterfield et al., 1997; Bartlett and Bartlett, 1999; Duellman and Sweet, 1999; King, 2000; Meshaka et al., 2004).  Undoubtedly greenhouse frogs eventually will be discovered in the rest of the counties in North Florida and the panhandle where it has not been recorded. They are somewhat invasive and gradually spreading further westward through the panhandle and probably north of Florida. 

The E. planirostris in Chatham County, Georgia, were clearly established and breeding when discovered (Winn et al., 1999).  This isolated population should be monitored to determine if they are negatively impacted by the colder winters this far north.  Seabrook's (1998) mention of a "Brunswick resident" finding the frogs does not clearly state the person was in Brunswick, Glynn County, when the frogs were discovered.  This is likely the same population of frogs recorded by Winn et al. (1999) or simply a mistake.  The northward spread of E. planirostris from adjacent Florida, will certainly lead to established populations of these frogs in the southern tier of counties of Georgia in the near future.

In Louisiana, E. planirostris is established and invasive (Dundee and Rossman, 1989; Dundee, 1994; Boundy, 1998, 2004; Conant and Collins, 1998).  They are spreading from their point of introduction in New Orleans.  They probably will continue to spread throughout the Gulf States.

There is no information on the status of E. planirostris in Alabama.  They do not seem to be established. (Yet.)

The populations of greenhouse frogs found in Cole County, Missouri, and Tulsa County, Oklahoma, are confined to indoors environments and do not represent true introductions to the ecosystem (A. Hutton, personal communication 2001; B. Olsen, personal communication 2002).  The Missouri E. planirostris might not survive cold winter weather in the greenhouse if it is unheated.  The Tulsa Zoo population in Oklahoma is a large, very dense population of frogs; they are so numerous they often wander into nearby offices located within the Tropical Rainforest Building (B. Olsen, personal communication 2002).  Obviously some frogs might some day find their way outside the confines of this building and invade the surrounding park grounds, but cold winters undoubtedly will eradicate them.

Eleutherodactylus planirostris is a well-established, invasive species on the Hawaiian islands of Kauai, Maui, Oahu, and Hawaii (Big Island) (Kraus et al., 1999; Kraus and Campbell, 2002; Thomas and Speith, 2004).  They may be more widespread within the Hawaiian Islands than currently realized, but have gone unnoticed due to their secretive habits and barely audible calls (Kraus and Campbell, 2002).  A variety of methods are being used to monitor and eradicate these rapidly spreading frogs (Kraus et al., 1999; Beltz, 2002; Kraus and Campbell, 2002; Thomas and Speith, 2004).  Efforts to strictly legislate and eradicate nonindigenous herpetofauna in Hawaii have been met with some strident, self-serving resistance from individuals associated with the pet trade and amateur herpetoculture (Vivarium Staff, 1998; Walls, 1998).  Measures to eradicate them or control their spread were not implemented in a timely fashion (Kraus and Campbell, 2002).

Nonindigenous greenhouse frogs are established in Veracruz, Mexico, and the Caribbean localities of Jamaica, Grenada, Cayman Islands, Caicos Islands, and possibly Great Inagua Island of the southern Bahamas (Schwartz and Henderson, 1991; Flores-Villela, 1993; Crombie, 1999; Hedges, 1999).

Impact of Introduction:

The impact of greenhouse frogs on indigenous ecosystems in Florida remains unclear, and may be further obfuscated by their long establishment in this state.  Some of the concerns (see below) addressed by Kraus et al. (1999), and Kraus and Campbell (2002) for Hawaiian populations may have some validity in Florida, with the caveat that unlike Hawaii, Florida ecosystems have numerous species of native frogs and more diverse terrestrial fauna.  Witz and Wilson (1991) found E. planirostris were burrow symbionts of Gopherus polyphemus, the gopher tortoise.  On at least three occasions I have observed E. planirostris in Florida, sharing ground cover with indigenous Gastrophryne carolinensis, eastern narrow-mouthed toads (Somma, personal observation).  The significance of these interactions is unknown.

The impact of E. planirostris in Georgia and Louisiana is unknown but the same concerns addressing populations in Florida may apply to these two states.

The nonindigenous greenhouse frogs found in Missouri and Oklahoma are indoors populations which are unlikely to survive if they escape confinement.

Hawaiian populations of these insectivores are invasive and spreading rapidly in a state that has no native frogs (Kraus et al., 1999; Kraus and Campbell, 2002).  Greenhouse frogs could potentially eat indigenous, endemic arthropods, including species of insects and spiders close to extinction (Kraus et al., 1999).  This also could have a negative impact on indigenous insectivorous birds that may be forced to compete with E. planirostris for food (Kraus et al., 1999; Thomas and Speith, 2004).  Nutrient flow through the native food web may be disrupted, and E. planirostris may serve as a source of food for nonindigenous, invasive predators (Kraus, 1999). 

Similar problems may be caused by established greenhouse frogs in Guam where they may additionally provide a source of food for nonindigenous invasive populations of rats, mongooses, and brown tree snakes (Boiga irregularis) (Campbell and Kraus in Hurley, 2003).

The impact of E. planirostris in Veracruz, Mexico, and the Caribbean localities of Jamaica, Grenada, Cayman Islands, Caicos Islands, and southern Bahamas, remains entirely unexplored.  Due to the similarity in fauna and habitat, so relatively close to their native range and ecology, they may present fewer problems on some of the Caribbean islands (Kraus et al., 1999).

Remarks:

The taxonomy and nomenclature of E. planirostris has been reviewed or summarized by Wright and Wright (1949), Schwartz (1974), Frost (1985, 2000), and Collins and Taggart (2002).  Of the four weakly described subspecies only one, E. p. planirostris, has nonindigenous populations (Schwartz and Henderson, 1991); Frost (2000) does not recognize any subspecies.  The natural history of E. planirostris has been studied or summarized by Deckert (1921), Goin (1947), Wright and Wright (1949), Dundee and Rossman (1989), and Schwartz and Henderson (1991). 

Greenhouse frogs are entirely terrestrial, secretive frogs that prefer habitats with plenty of shelter such as moist leaf-litter, fallen logs, bark, rocks, chunks of coral, grass clumps, Gopherus polyphemus (gopher tortoise) burrows, flowerpots and potted plants, well-planted gardens, and anthropogenic debris (C. Goin, 1947; O. Goin, 1955; Dundee and Rossman, 1989; Witz and Wilson, 1991; Schwartz and Henderson, 1991). In urban environments they may shelter in cracks and deep seems of cement sidewalks and porches (Somma, personal observation).  They feed on insects, other arthropods, and earthworms (Goin, 1947; Schwartz and Henderson, 1991).  While they are very adept at utilizing anthropogenic habitat around human dwellings, especially woodpiles, gardens and greenhouses, they easily invade indigenous ecosystems (Goin, 1947; Dundee and Rossman, 1989; Schwartz and Henderson, 1991: Bartlett and Bartlett, 1999).  The terrestrial eggs are deposited in moist sheltered sites, including planted flowerpots and bromeliad plants, and undergo direct development, skipping an aquatic tadpole stage (C. Goin, 1947; O. Goin, 1955; Dundee and Rossman, 1989; Schwartz and Henderson, 1991).  Unlike many species of Eleutherodactylus, E. planirostris exhibits no parental care of its eggs (Townsend, 1996).  Increased reproduction and dispersal may be facilitated by large storms such as hurricanes (Meshaka, 1993, 2001).  The terrestrial eggs of greenhouse frogs provide an additional means of allowing them to disperse as stowaways. 

References

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Wilson, L. D., and L. Porras. 1983. The ecological impact of man on the South Florida herpetofauna. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Special Publication (9):i-vi, 1-89.

Winn, B., J. B. Jensen, and S. Johnson. 1999. Geographic distribution: Eleutherodactylus planirostris (greenhouse frog). USA: Georgia: Chatham Co. Herpetological Review 30(1):49.

Witz, D. W., and D. S. Wilson. 1991. Distribution of Gopherus polyphemus and its vertebrate symbionts in three burrow categories. American Midland Naturalist 126(1):152-158.

Wray, K., and R. Owen. 1999. New records of amphibians and reptiles for Nassau County, Florida. Herpetological Review 30(4):237-238.

Wright, A. H., and A. A. Wright. 1949. Handbook of Frogs and Toads of the United States and Canada. Third Edition. Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London. 640 pp.

Other Resources:

Eradicators Concede Big Island To Frogs

Nonindigenous Species Website Links

Frogs and Toads of Florida

Ribbit Photography.com

Wildherps.com

Author: Louis A. Somma

Revision Date: 7/20/2004

Citation for this information:
Louis A. Somma. 2009. Eleutherodactylus planirostris planirostris. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL.
<http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=62> Revision Date: 7/20/2004

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U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey Page Contact Information: Pam Fuller - NAS Program URL: <http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=62> This File (/queries/FactSheet.asp) Last Modified On: 8/11/2008 1:36:47 PM