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Tadpoles are deposited in the Zoological Survey of India–Western Ghats Regional Station (ZSI/WGRS) Kozhikode, Mumbai and Systematics Lab, University of Delhi (SDBDU). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.ĭata Availability: The GenBank accession number is KU833220. Received: JanuAccepted: MaPublished: March 30, 2016Ĭopyright: © 2016 Senevirathne et al. PLoS ONE 11(3):Įditor: Brian Gratwicke, Smithsonian's National Zoological Park, UNITED STATES

This discovery builds the knowledge base for further comparative analyses and conservation of Micrixalus, an ancient and endemic lineage of Indian frogs.Ĭitation: Senevirathne G, Garg S, Kerney R, Meegaskumbura M, Biju SD (2016) Unearthing the Fossorial Tadpoles of the Indian Dancing Frog Family Micrixalidae. herrei in the context of convergence with other well-known fossorial tadpoles. We discuss the eel-like morphology and feeding habits of M. The tadpole gut contains mostly fine sediments and sand. We describe their internal and external morphological characters while highlighting the following features: eel-like appearance, extensively muscularized body and tail, reduced tail fins, skin-covered eyes, delayed development of eye pigmentation in early pre-metamorphic stages (Gosner stages 25–29), prominent tubular sinistral spiracle, large transverse processes on vertebrae II and III, ankylosed ribs on transverse processes of vertebra II, notochord terminating before the atlantal cotyle-occipital condyle junction, absence of keratodonts, serrated well-formed jaw sheaths, and extensive calcified endolymphatic sacs reaching sacrum posteriorly. These actively burrowing tadpoles lead an entirely fossorial life from eggs to late metamorphic stages. Here we report the discovery of the elusive tadpoles of Micrixalus herrei from the sand beds of a forested stream in southern Western Ghats, and confirm their identity through DNA barcoding. Tadpoles of the monotypic Indian dancing frog family Micrixalidae have remained obscure for over 125 years.