Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis ( Biju & Bossuyt, 2003 )

S16. Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis ( Biju & Bossuyt, 2003) View in CoL ( fig. 34 View Figure 34 )

Larval series examined. WT 001A1.22707 ( Karean Shola , Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamilnadu, India; 10.97095 N, 76.83297 E). Tadpoles of this species inhabit torrential streams where they were found moving over rocks and feeding on filamentous algae GoogleMaps .

Notes. The tadpoles used in the current study belong to those used in Raj et al. (2012). External morphological descriptions for tadpoles of the species were given in detail by Annandale (1918), Dutta et al. (2004) and Raj et al. (2012). Detailed chondrocranial descriptions for tadpoles of this species were made by Ramaswami (1944) and Senevirathne et al. (2016 b).

External morphology. External morphological description for this species was provided by Raj et al. (2012).

Buccopharyngeal morphology. Buccal roof ( fig. 34a‒b View Figure 34 ). Prenarial arena of roof with a broad and elevated ridge; a tiny pustule present medially. Internal nares opening parallel to one another and near to lateral walls of buccal roof; oriented anteromedially; gap between nares broad, about length of an individual nare; anterior and posterior narial walls low with anterior wall slightly more raised than posterior; both narial walls free of pustules or papillae. Postnarial arena with two short pustulose papillae on each side angled medially along with a short pustule medially. Median ridge papilla tall and conical; bifid lateral ridge papillae with a rugose anterior margin perpendicular to median ridge papilla. BRA smooth and defined with four long conical BRA papillae. Few tiny pustules spread evenly on BRA. Glandular zone wide. Dorsal velum low and continuous with no projections.

Buccal floor ( fig. 34c‒d View Figure 34 ). Prelingual arena composed of three diminutive papillae at anterolateral corners and a broadly flattened, medially depressed palp at posterolateral corners of the jaw sheath; margin of palp with six pustulated projections. Tongue anlage prominent and ovoid; lingual papillae absent. BFA not well defined and smooth with few pustules; three to four short branched papillae present along lateral corners of the arena but not meeting posteriorly; posterior region of BFA smooth. Buccal pocket opening transverse and wide; region between tongue anlage and buccal pockets smooth, comprising only few tiny postulations. Ventral velum smooth with about six projections spread widely; medial notch absent. Margin of velum smooth. Glottis exposed posterior to velum.