Details
Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis
The purple frog is a round, burrowing frog of India's Western Ghats. Purple skin, short legs and a pointed snout reflect a life spent mostly underground.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It is endemic to the southwestern Western Ghats, living in soft soil beneath evergreen forest and nearby plantations. Breeding brings adults to rain-fed streams and torrents.
Adults are about 5.3-9 cm long. The body is swollen and rounded, with short limbs, a small head and a pointed snout adapted for burrowing.
Most of the year is spent underground, with surface activity concentrated in the brief monsoon breeding season. Strong limbs help it dig and forage below the soil.
Termites and ants form much of the diet. The pointed snout probes tunnels, and a sticky tongue captures small prey.
Males call with the monsoon, and eggs are laid near flowing water. Tadpoles cling to rocks with sucker-like mouths while developing in fast streams.
This ancient endemic lineage is threatened by forest change, roads and plantation expansion. Its short surface season makes the species hard to survey.
