''Nasikabatrachus'' is a genus of frogs. It is presently treated as the only genus in the family Nasikabatrachidae, though previously it was included in the family

Sooglossidae Sooglossidae, the Seychelles frogs or Seychelles Island frogs, are a family of frogs found on the Seychelles Islands. Until recently, this family was believed to include the genera ''Sechellophryne'', ''Nesomantis'' and ''Sooglossus'', but follo ...

. Two species are recognized, ''

Nasikabatrachus bhupathi ''Nasikabatrachus bhupathi'', or Bhupathy's purple frog, is a frog species belonging to the family Nasikabatrachidae. It can be found in the Western Ghats in India and was discovered near the Srivilliputhur Grizzled Giant Squirrel Wildlife S ...

'' and ''

Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis ''Nasikabatrachus'' is a genus of frogs. It is presently treated as the only genus in the family Nasikabatrachidae, though previously it was included in the family Sooglossidae. Two species are recognized, ''Nasikabatrachus bhupathi'' and '' Nas ...

'', both

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 else ...

to southwestern

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Both Nasikabatrachidae and Sooglossidae are thought to be the only extant families of the superfamily

Sooglossoidea Sooglossoidea is a superfamily of frogs. It contains only two highly divergent families consisting of three genera with two species each, one family being found in southwestern India and the other in the Seychelles. Taxonomy The Sooglossoidea ...

. With its closest relatives in the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...

, ''Nasikabatrachus'' is thought to have evolved separately since the end of the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

. Its discovery added to the evidence that

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

and the Seychelles separated from the

n landmass sometime well after the breakup of Gondwana had started.

Reproduction

The purple frog is an explosive seasonal breeder species which completes its development in ephemeral streams. Its breeding activities typically take place during the months of April and May, which is during the pre-monsoon shower.

References

Taxa named by Sathyabhama Das Biju Amphibian genera Nasikabatrachidae {{Neobatrachia-stub