AmphibiaWeb - Nasikabatrachidae
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(Translations may not be accurate.)

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
Nasikabatrachidae Richness map

Cartography Credit: Zoe Yoo, UC Berkeley
Range maps sources: AmphibiaWeb, UC Berkeley, and IUCN RedList

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.

Genus Nasikabatrachus (2 species)
Nasikabatrachus bhupathi account no photos no sound/video
Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis account photos no sound/video


Citation: AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. Available: https://amphibiaweb.org/. (Accessed:

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