''Nyctibatrachus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

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 the Western Ghats of 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 ...

. Their common name is night frogs. Their

scientific name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

also means "night frog", in reference to their habits and dark color. They are the only extant members of 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 ...

Nyctibatrachinae. Currently, 35 species belong to ''Nyctibatrachus.''

Description

Members of the genus ''Nyctibatrachus'' are robust-bodied frogs that range in size from small (

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the most c ...

<13 mm in ''Nyctibatrachus robinmoorei'') to relatively large (up to 84 mm ''

Nyctibatrachus karnatakaensis The giant wrinkled frog (''Nyctibatrachus karnatakaensis'', arguably a junior synonym of ''N. hussaini'') is a species of frogs in the family Nyctibatrachidae endemic to the Western Ghats of India in the Kudremukh region. Its natural habitats ...

''). The especially small species are among the smallest of all Indian frogs. They have a concealed tympanum, dorsum with longitudinal skin folds, femoral glands, and expanded finger and toes disks. They occur near streams in hilly evergreen forests and are

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

. Most species have amplexus but ''

Nyctibatrachus humayuni The Bombay night frog (''Nyctibatrachus humayuni''), also known as Abdulali's wrinkled frog, Abdulali's night frog or Humayun's wrinkled frog, is a species of frog in the family Nyctibatrachidae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats of Maharash ...

'' does not; in this species the male moves over the eggs after the female has deposited them.

Species

The following species are recognised in the genus ''Nyctibatrachus'':

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2699473 Nyctibatrachidae Amphibians of India Endemic fauna of the Western Ghats Amphibian genera Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger