紫蛙

紫蛙
	一隻紫蛙
保护状况
	; 瀕危（IUCN 3.1）
科学分类
界：	动物界 Animalia
门：	脊索动物门 Chordata
纲：	两栖纲 Amphibia
目：	无尾目 Anura
科：	紫蛙科 Nasikabatrachidae
属：	紫蛙屬 Nasikabatrachus
种：	紫蛙 N. sahyadrensis
二名法
	Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis; Biju & Bossuyt, 2003
	紫蛙的分佈地區以橙色標出

紫蛙（學名：Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis），亦稱西高止山鼻蛙，是紫蛙屬中被发现的第一種蛙，生活在印度西高止山脈地區。雖然紫蛙是在2003年10月正式描述的，^[2]但其蝌蚪在1918年就已發現、命名。^[3]這種蛙幾乎一年到頭都待在地底。

描述

一只鸣叫的雄蛙

2003年，該物種的正模標本由S·D·比朱（S.D. Biju）和布魯塞爾自由大學的佛郎機·博敘（Franky Bossuyt）發現於喀拉拉邦的伊都基縣。不過在此之前當地人就知道有這種生物的存在，且確實有出版過相關文獻、收藏有其標本。^[4]

紫蛙的身體肥壯，四肢以無尾目生物的典型方式張開。與其他的大多數蛙相比，紫蛙的頭部較小，鼻部較尖。成年體呈紫灰色，雄性的長度只有雌性的三分之一。^[5]其正模標本由鼻部至尾部的長度為7厘米（2.8英寸），其幼年體在1917年由尼爾森·安南戴爾和C·R·那拉揚·拉奧描述，他們發現這種蝌蚪有用以在激流中固定身形的口吸盤。^[3]^[6]因為與紫蛙幼體一起生活的某些魚類也有同樣的吸盤，這種現象被認為屬於趋同演化。^[5]^[7]

分佈

早期科學家認為這種蛙只分佈於西高止山脈的巴爾卡德山口，後來有證據顯示在山口的北部也有紫蛙存在。^[8]^[9]實際上這種蛙已被認為廣泛分佈於西高止由南至北的各個地區。^[5]

生態

紫蛙常年生活在地底，只在雨季才會出現在地面活動約兩週。因此生物學家們也一直都沒有注意到牠們。繁殖季節主要在雨季來臨之前的五月，雄性的其洞穴中鳴叫求偶，雌性到來之後與之抱合。牠們會將卵產在溪流裡的岩石縫隙中，一次的產卵量為3000枚左右。蝌蚪在100天後變成蛙。^[5]

雖然也有一些別的蛙類會打地穴并在地下生活，但牠們大多數會在地表覓食。然而紫蛙連覓食都是在地底進行的，其食物主要是白蟻。^[10]

參考文獻

^ S.D. Biju. Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2004. [25 May 2013].
^ Biju, S. D.; Bossuyt, F. New frog family from India reveals an ancient biogeographical link with the Seychelles. Nature. 2003, (425): 711–714. doi:10.1038/nature02019.
^ ^3.0 ^3.1 Annandale, N. & Rao, C.R.N. Indian tadpoles. Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 1917, 13: 185–186.
^ Das, Indraneil. Some forgotten descriptions of Nasikabatrachus (Anura - Sooglossidae). Herpetological Review. 2007, 38: 291–292.
^ ^5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 ^5.3 Zachariah, A; RK Abraham; S. Das; KC Jayan & R Altig. A detailed account of the reproductive strategy and developmental stages of Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis (Anura: Nasikabatrachidae), the only extant member of an archaic frog lineage. Zootaxa. 2012, 3510: 53–64.
^ Annandale, N. Some undescribed tadpoles from the hills of southern India. Records of the Indian Museum. 1918, 15: 17–23.
^ Annandale, N. & Hora, S.L. Parallel evolution in the fish and tadpoles of mountains torrents. Records of the Indian Museum. 1922, 24: 505–510.
^ Das, K. S. Anoop 2006 Record of Nasikabatrachus from the Northern Western Ghats. Zoos' Print Journal 21(9):2410 PDF （页面存档备份，存于互联网档案馆）
^ Radhakrishnan, C; K.C. Gopi and K.P. Dinesh. Zoogeography of Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis Biju and Bossuyt (Amphibia: Anura; Nasikabatrachidae) in the Western Ghats, India. Records of the Zoological Survey of India. 2007, 107: 115–121.
^ C. Radhakrishnan, K. C. Gopi and Muhamed Jafer Palot (2007) Extension of range of distribution of Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis Biju & Bossuyt (Amphibia: Anura: Nasikabatrachidae) along Western Ghats, with some insights into its bionomics. Current Science, 92(2):213-216 PDF （页面存档备份，存于互联网档案馆）

外部連結

[IUCN-1] S.D. Biju. Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2004. [25 May 2013].

[2] Biju, S. D.; Bossuyt, F. New frog family from India reveals an ancient biogeographical link with the Seychelles. Nature. 2003, (425): 711–714. doi:10.1038/nature02019.

[Annandale,_N._&_Rao,_C.R.N._1917_185–186-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Annandale, N. & Rao, C.R.N. Indian tadpoles. Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 1917, 13: 185–186.

[4] Das, Indraneil. Some forgotten descriptions of Nasikabatrachus (Anura - Sooglossidae). Herpetological Review. 2007, 38: 291–292.

[life-5] 5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 ^5.3 Zachariah, A; RK Abraham; S. Das; KC Jayan & R Altig. A detailed account of the reproductive strategy and developmental stages of Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis (Anura: Nasikabatrachidae), the only extant member of an archaic frog lineage. Zootaxa. 2012, 3510: 53–64.

[6] Annandale, N. Some undescribed tadpoles from the hills of southern India. Records of the Indian Museum. 1918, 15: 17–23.

[7] Annandale, N. & Hora, S.L. Parallel evolution in the fish and tadpoles of mountains torrents. Records of the Indian Museum. 1922, 24: 505–510.

[8] Das, K. S. Anoop 2006 Record of Nasikabatrachus from the Northern Western Ghats. Zoos' Print Journal 21(9):2410 PDF （页面存档备份，存于互联网档案馆）

[9] Radhakrishnan, C; K.C. Gopi and K.P. Dinesh. Zoogeography of Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis Biju and Bossuyt (Amphibia: Anura; Nasikabatrachidae) in the Western Ghats, India. Records of the Zoological Survey of India. 2007, 107: 115–121.

[10] C. Radhakrishnan, K. C. Gopi and Muhamed Jafer Palot (2007) Extension of range of distribution of Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis Biju & Bossuyt (Amphibia: Anura: Nasikabatrachidae) along Western Ghats, with some insights into its bionomics. Current Science, 92(2):213-216 PDF （页面存档备份，存于互联网档案馆）

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