Micrixalus fuscus (dusky torrent frog or brown tropical frog) is a species of small frog found in dense forested hill streams in the
Western Ghats of
India.[2][3]M. herrei was formerly
synonymized[4] within this species.[3]
Description
Males measure 27.9–28.8 mm (1.10–1.13 in) and females 30.0–33.1 mm (1.18–1.30 in) in snout–vent length.[3] Male Micrixalus fuscus have a single
vocal sac, a white patch on the lower jaw, and a prominent
nuptial pad on the first finger. Characteristic for the genus, they display the "foot-flagging" behavior, where males tap their hindfeet and extend it, then stretching it out and shaking the foot at prospective mates and rival males. Male-male combats also involve kicking.[3]
Description from G. A. Boulenger's (1890) "Fauna of British India":[5]
Snout pointed, prominent, generally longer than the orbital diameter; canthus rostralis angular: loreal region flat, vertical; nostril halfway between the eye and the tip of the snout; interorbital space as broad as the upper eyelid; tympanum small, indistinct. Toes nearly entirely webbed; disks moderate; subarticular tubercles small; a small inner metatarsal tubercle. The tibio-tarsal articulation reaches between the eye and the tip of the snout. Skin smooth above and beneath; a narrow glandular lateral fold; a fold from the eye to the shoulder. Brown or pinkish above; sides of head and body generally darker; limbs with dark cross bands; hinder side of thighs dark brown, with a more or less accentuated light median stripe; whitish beneath, marbled with brown. Male with two internal vocal sacs, the openings of which are very small. From snout to vent 1.2 inches.
Habitat
The natural
habitats of this species are fast-flowing streams covered by forest canopy. It is relatively abundant where it has been found.[3]
^Frost, Darrel R. (2016).
"Micrixalus fuscus (Boulenger, 1882)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
^Inger, R. F.; H. B. Shaffer; M. Koshy; R. Bakde (1984). "A report on a collection of amphibians and reptiles from the Ponmudi, Kerala, South India". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 81: 406–427.