Description
E. cooki is a medium sized species, averaging 37mm. The color is brown and the males have a yellow patch in the throat. The eyes and the digital disks are large compared with other Eleutherodactylus (Rivero 1998) .

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Puerto Rico

	View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.
	View Bd and Bsal data (1 records).

This species is limited to southeast Puerto Rico. It inhabits caves that are formed in the spaces between large granite boulders and some rivers with rocky shores. (Rivero, 1998; Vega-Castillo, 2000).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
The male guards the egg clutches of an average size of 17 eggs. Up to four clutches from different females are guarded together, evident by the development stage of the eggs. (Burrowes, 2000).

Trends and Threats
Stable populations have been found and one study found high genetic variabilty, possibly due to movement of individuals between populations (Vega-Castillo, 2000; Burrowes & Joglar, 1999). Urban developments and road constructions could threat the limited habitat of this species.

References

Burrowes, P. A. (2000). ''Parental care and sexual selection in the Puerto Rican cave-dwelling frog, Eleutherodactylus cooki.'' Herpetologica, 56, 375-386.

Burrowes, P. A. and Joglar, R. J. (1999). ''Population genetics of the Puerto Rican cave-dwelling frog, Eleutherodactylus cooki.'' Journal of Herpetology, 33, 706-711.

Rivero, J.A. (1998). Los Anfibios y Reptiles de Puerto Rico. University of Puerto Rico Press

Vega-Castillo, S. I. (2000). Habitat description and comparison of the Puerto Rican Demon or Guajón, (Eleutherodactylus cooki) at two localities in the eastern part of Puerto Rico, Unpublished Masters Thesis. University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2008 Eleutherodactylus cooki: Puerto Rican Cave Frog <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/2857> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Dec 12, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 12 Dec 2024.

AmphibiaWeb's policy on data use.