Purple Frog
Encyclopedia
Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis is a frog
species belonging to the family Sooglossidae
. It can be found in the Western Ghats
in India
. Common names for this species are Purple Frog, Indian Purple Frog, Pignose Frog or Doughnut Frog. It was discovered by S.D. Biju and F. Bossyut in October 2003 and was found to be unique for the geographic region.
With its closest relatives in the Seychelles
, the Nasikabatrachus is thought to have evolved separately for millennia. Its discovery also adds to the evidence that Madagascar
and the Seychelles separated from the India
n landmass sometime well after the breakup of Gondwanaland had started. Owing to its ancient lineage, the purple frog has also been called "the coelacanth
of frogs".
in color. The specimen
with which the species was originally described was seven centimeters long from the tip of the snout
to the tip of the urostyle. Also, its cry sounds more like one from a chicken
.
by S.D. Biju from the Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute in Palode
, India and Franky Bossuyt from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel
(Free University of Brussels). However it was well known to the local people before and several earlier specimens had been ignored.
Earlier thought to be restricted to the Western Ghats
south of the Palghat gap, new records have extended its known range further north of the gap.
, for purposes of mating. The frog's reclusive lifestyle is what caused the species to escape earlier notice by biologists.
Unlike many other burrowing species of frogs that emerge and feed above the ground, this species has been found to forage underground feeding mainly on termites using their tongue and a special buccal groove. They show inguinal amplexus
when mating afloat in temporary rainwater pools.
word nasika (nose) referring to the pointed snout, batrachus Greek
for frog, and Sahyadri as the local name of the mountain range where it was found - the Western Ghats
.
The frog is a living fossil
and was initially assigned to a new family of its own, Nasikabatrachidae, but has been more recently assigned to the family Sooglossidae
which is found on the Seychelles
islands.
Being a member of the family Sooglossidae
, the species' origins lie in close consort with the Seychelles
islands where the family was previously solely known from. The origin of the disjunct distribution goes back to about 100 million years ago, during which time India, the Seychelles and Madagascar
formed a single landmass which split due to continental drift
.
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
species belonging to the family Sooglossidae
Sooglossidae
The Seychelles Frogs are a family of frogs found on the Seychelles Islands and India. Until recently this family was believed to include the genera Nesomantis and Sooglossus, but following a major revision of amphibians in 2006 the genus Nesomantis was named a junior synonym of Sooglossus;...
. It can be found in the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Common names for this species are Purple Frog, Indian Purple Frog, Pignose Frog or Doughnut Frog. It was discovered by S.D. Biju and F. Bossyut in October 2003 and was found to be unique for the geographic region.
With its closest relatives in the Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
, the Nasikabatrachus is thought to have evolved separately for millennia. Its discovery also adds to the evidence that Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
and the Seychelles separated from the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n landmass sometime well after the breakup of Gondwanaland had started. Owing to its ancient lineage, the purple frog has also been called "the coelacanth
Coelacanth
Coelacanths are members of an order of fish that includes the oldest living lineage of Sarcopterygii known to date....
of frogs".
Description
The body of Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis is shaped similarly to that of most frogs, but is somewhat rounded compared to other more dorsoventrally-flattened frogs. Its arms and legs splay out in the standard anuran body form. Compared to other frogs, N. sahyadrensis has a small head and an unusual pointed snout. Adults are typically dark purplePurple
Purple is a range of hues of color occurring between red and blue, and is classified as a secondary color as the colors are required to create the shade....
in color. The specimen
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
with which the species was originally described was seven centimeters long from the tip of the snout
Snout
The snout, or muzzle, is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw.-Terminology:The term "muzzle", used as a noun, can be ambiguous...
to the tip of the urostyle. Also, its cry sounds more like one from a chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
.
Distribution
The species was discovered in the Idukki district of KeralaKerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
by S.D. Biju from the Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute in Palode
Palode
Palode is a village in Thiruvananthapuram district in the state of Kerala, India.-About Palode: India census, Palode had a population of 14795 with 7053 males and 7742 females....
, India and Franky Bossuyt from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is a Flemish university located in Brussels, Belgium. It has two campuses referred to as Etterbeek and Jette.The university's name is sometimes abbreviated by "VUB" or translated to "Free University of Brussels"...
(Free University of Brussels). However it was well known to the local people before and several earlier specimens had been ignored.
Earlier thought to be restricted to the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
south of the Palghat gap, new records have extended its known range further north of the gap.
Ecology
The frog spends most of the year underground, surfacing only for about two weeks, during the monsoonMonsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
, for purposes of mating. The frog's reclusive lifestyle is what caused the species to escape earlier notice by biologists.
Unlike many other burrowing species of frogs that emerge and feed above the ground, this species has been found to forage underground feeding mainly on termites using their tongue and a special buccal groove. They show inguinal amplexus
Amplexus
Amplexus is a form of pseudocopulation in which a male amphibian grasps a female with his front legs as part of the mating process...
when mating afloat in temporary rainwater pools.
Taxonomy and systematics
The scientific name derives from the SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
word nasika (nose) referring to the pointed snout, batrachus Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
for frog, and Sahyadri as the local name of the mountain range where it was found - the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
.
The frog is a living fossil
Living fossil
Living fossil is an informal term for any living species which appears similar to a species otherwise only known from fossils and which has no close living relatives, or a group of organisms which have long fossil records...
and was initially assigned to a new family of its own, Nasikabatrachidae, but has been more recently assigned to the family Sooglossidae
Sooglossidae
The Seychelles Frogs are a family of frogs found on the Seychelles Islands and India. Until recently this family was believed to include the genera Nesomantis and Sooglossus, but following a major revision of amphibians in 2006 the genus Nesomantis was named a junior synonym of Sooglossus;...
which is found on the Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
islands.
Being a member of the family Sooglossidae
Sooglossidae
The Seychelles Frogs are a family of frogs found on the Seychelles Islands and India. Until recently this family was believed to include the genera Nesomantis and Sooglossus, but following a major revision of amphibians in 2006 the genus Nesomantis was named a junior synonym of Sooglossus;...
, the species' origins lie in close consort with the Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
islands where the family was previously solely known from. The origin of the disjunct distribution goes back to about 100 million years ago, during which time India, the Seychelles and Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
formed a single landmass which split due to continental drift
Plate tectonics
Plate tectonics is a scientific theory that describes the large scale motions of Earth's lithosphere...
.
External links
- Continental drift and the Sooglossidae
- National Geographic
- NatureNature (journal)Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
425, 711 - 714 (16 October 2003) - Abstract - BBC News article
- Pictures