''Melanobatrachus'' is a genus of narrow-mouthed frogs in the family Microhylidae. It is the only remaining genus in the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Melanobatrachinae. It contains a single species, ''Melanobatrachus indicus'', also known as the Indian black microhylid frog and Malabar black narrow-mouthed frog. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to wet evergreen forests of southern Western Ghats in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

and

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

states of India. It has been recorded from

Anaimalai Anaimalai is a taluk in Coimbatore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Agricultural day work is the main occupation. Paddy, banana, sugarcane and other crops are grown in the area. Anaimalai is a pilgrimage spot, due to the worship o ...

Munnar Munnar () is a town and hill station in the Idukki district of the southwestern Indian state of Kerala. Munnar is situated at around above mean sea level, in the Western Ghats mountain range. Munnar is also called the "Kashmir of South Indi ...

Palni hills The Palani Hills are a mountain range in the southern Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Palani Hills are an eastward extension of the Western Ghats ranges, which run parallel to the west coast of India. The Palani Hills adjoin the hi ...

Periyar Tiger Reserve Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (PNP) is a protected area located in the districts of Idukki and Pathanamthitta in Kerala, India. It is notable as an elephant reserve and a tiger reserve. The protected area encompasses , of whi ...

and

Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) located in the South Western Ghats montane rain forests in Tirunelveli district and Kanyakumari district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is the second-largest protected area in Tamil Nadu. It ...

''Melanobatrachus indicus'' is a rare species that was only rediscovered in 1997. It lives amongst leaf-litter, rocks and other ground cover of moist evergreen tropical forests. The subfamily Melanobatrachinae included two African genera, ''

Hoplophryne ''Hoplophryne'' is a genus of microhylid frogs. The genus is endemic to mountain forests of Tanzania. They are also known as three-fingered frogs or African banana frogs (not to be confused with ''Afrixalus'', another African genus known as "ban ...

'' Barbour & Loveridge, 1928 and ''

Parhoplophryne ''Parhoplophryne'' is a monotypic frog genus in the family Microhylidae. The sole species is ''Parhoplophryne usambarica'', sometimes known as the Usambara black-banded frog or Amani forest frog. It is endemic to the East Usambara Mountains in T ...

'' Barbour & Loveridge, 1928, in the past but they are now placed in the subfamily Hoplophryninae. ''Melanobatrachus indicus'' is an

Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species are animal species which have a high 'EDGE score', a metric combining endangered conservation status with the genetic distinctiveness of the particular taxon. Distinctive species have ...

(EDGE) species. It is classified as Vulnerable by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

References

External links

Global Amphibian Assessment
Monotypic amphibian genera Microhylidae Tetrapod subfamilies Frogs of India Endemic fauna of the Western Ghats Taxa named by Richard Henry Beddome Taxa named by Gladwyn Kingsley Noble EDGE species {{Microhylidae-stub

References

Further reading

External links