An Oahu group is adding a high-technology alternative in its war against coqui frogs, an alien species that has infested an estimated 60,000 acres on Hawaii island, threatened its native environment and lowered some property values and visitor occupancy.

The Oahu Invasive Species Committee is organizing a night vigil to detect and report on the presence of coqui frogs through smartphones.

The committee is asking the public to take time from 7:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday to go outside their homes and listen for the distinctive "ko-KEE" mating call of the frog.

Committee manager Rachel Neville said the city is providing a free app on smartphones to file a report about coquis.

The free app may be obtained by searching the Internet for "Honolulu 311 app."

Oahu residents are then asked to use the Hono­lulu 311 app to report if they did or did not hear the coqui frog.

"We wanted to see how many people would download the app and use it," Neville said.

Residents may report also by calling the hotline number 643-7378 or sending an email to oisc@hawaii.edu.

A photograph and recording of the coqui frog is available by going to coqui311. blogspot.com.

Neville said while there is no known settlement of coqui on Oahu, her group receives about three reports a month and group employees are sent out to capture the frogs — the latest Tuesday night in Waimanalo.

Waimanalo resident Harry Hayler, interviewed Wednesday, said he had heard the sound of the coqui frog at a neighbor’s house across the road for a couple of weeks and he didn’t know at the time what it was.

"We thought the neighbors had bought a bird," he said.

Hayler said the sound was loud and annoying in its repetitiveness.

"It just repeats and repeats," he said. "It has a short melody."

The group has also received a report of a coqui frog in Makaha and will be investigating, Neville said.

Neville said in the past there have been colonies of coqui frogs in Wahiawa and Hauula, but her group was able to help eradicate them.

She said coqui frogs are a continual problem on Oahu in light of established populations on Hawaii island and travel between islands.

"Some of them come over in plants. They come over in cars and trucks," she said. "The reality of the situation is that they’re being constantly introduced into the island."

On Hawaii island, some areas are so dense with coqui that eradication efforts have been abandoned.

Lori Buchanan, acting manager for the Big Island Invasive Species Committee, said there are coqui frog colonies in Puna, Hamakua and Hilo, and that residents are still fighting to eradicate coqui frogs in Volcano and Kohala.

She said the coqui frogs’ loud, incessant calls at night have discouraged some visitors from renting accommodations in some areas.

"It’s so prolific," she said.

Neville said invasive species often don’t start to cause problems until they are established.

"That’s why detection is important," she said.

She said coqui frogs eat anything within range of their mouths, including native insects.

The species is native to Cuba, the Cayman Islands and Northern Bahamas and has no natural predators in Hawaii, according to government wildlife officials.

FOUND ON OAHU
Map indicates where officials collected coqui frogs from 2008 to 2012.
 

LISTEN AND REPORT

The Oahu Invasive Species Committee is asking Oahu residents to report coqui frogs during “Go Out and Listen Night” next week. Here’s what you can do:

>> On Wednesday, go outside and listen for 15 minutes between 7:30 and 8 p.m. for the distinctive sound of the coqui frog.
>> Report your findings, whether you hear a coqui or not.
>> Report to 643-7378, oisc@hawaii.edu or via the free Honolulu 311 smartphone app. Download the app at can-do.honolulu.gov/apps/14.
>> For more information, go to coqui311.blogspot.com.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
To hear a coqui frog online, go to coqui311.blogspot.com