Nasikabatrachidae

2 species in 1 genus

Commonly Called Purple Frog, Pignosed Frogs	Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis Photo by Biju Das (Click for family gallery)
A recently discovered frog family in 2003, nasikabatrachids are restricted to southern India in the Western Ghats. It is most closely related to the Sooglossidae of the Seychelles Islands. These round-bodied, small-headed frogs are specialized for a burrowing lifestyle. Written by AmphibiaWeb
Notable Family Characteristics Morphological distinguished by: 1) smooth, thick skin; 2) small heads; 3) a long snout with a white, knoblike protrusion; 4) palms and digits are hardened presumably to aid in digging; 5) elongate, shovel-like inner metatarsal tubercle; 6) highly ossified skull; 7) no tympanum, no columella Fossorial Breeds in the heavy rains of monsoon season Feeds mainly on termites Inguinal amplexus Tadpoles are aquatic Distribution only known from the southern Western Ghats in India
Cartography Credit: Zoe Yoo, UC Berkeley Range maps sources: AmphibiaWeb, UC Berkeley, and IUCN RedList Download PDF
Relevant Reference Biju, S. D., and F. Bossuyt. 2003. New frog family from India reveals an ancient biogeographical link with the Seychelles. Nature. London 425: 711–714. Janani SJ, Vasudevan K, Prendini E, Dutta SK, Aggarwal RK 2017 A new species of the genus Nasikabatrachus (Anura, Nasikabatrachidae) from the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats, India. Alytes 34: 1-19.

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Genus Nasikabatrachus (2 species)

Nasikabatrachus bhupathi	account	no photos	no sound/video
Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis	account	photos	no sound/video

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