Franky's narrow-mouthed frog (''Mysticellus franki'') is a species of

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

in the family

Microhylidae The Microhylidae, commonly known as narrow-mouthed frogs, are a geographically widespread family (biology), family of frogs. The 683 species are in 57 genera and 11 subfamilies. Evolution A molecular phylogenetic study by van der Meijden, et al. ...

. It is the only member 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 "unisp ...

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''Mysticellus'', the mysterious narrow-mouthed frogs. It is endemic to the Western Ghats of India, where it is only known from

Wayanad District Wayanad () is a district in the north-east of the Indian state of Kerala, with its administrative headquarters at the municipality of Kalpetta. It is the only plateau in Kerala. The Wayanad Plateau forms a continuation of the Mysore Plateau, ...

in northern

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

state. Taxonomic evidence indicates that its closest relatives are the ''

Micryletta ''Micryletta'' is a genus of Microhylidae, microhylid frogs. Prior to 2018, only 3 species were recognized, but phylogenetic studies since then have found a much higher species diversity within the genus. Species References

* Micryl ...

'' frogs of Southeast Asia.

Etymology

The genus name, ''Mysticellus'', is a masculine noun derived from the Latin ''mysticus'' (meaning "mysterious") + ''ellus'' (a diminutive), highlighting the ability of this small frog to remain out of sight despite its presence in wayside areas surrounding human settlements. The species name, ''franki'', is a Latin genitive honoring evolutionary biologist professor Franky Bossuyt of

Vrije Universiteit Brussel The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Dutch language, Dutch, ; lit. Free University of Brussels; abbreviated VUB) is a Dutch- and English-speaking research university in Brussels, Belgium. It has four campuses: Brussels Humanities, Science and Engine ...

, recognizing his role in global amphibian research and education, and particularly for his contribution to the study of Indian amphibians.

Behavior

This species is only visible during the first two days of monsoon showers, when it tends to congregate in temporary water puddles, including in abandoned roadside quarries, where the type specimens were discovered. During courtship, the male tends to raise the hind part of its body, displaying a pair of black "false eyes" or eyespots. This action is also performed when individuals are disturbed, indicating that they may also be used to ward off predators. After 4 or 5 days, all adult frogs disappear from the breeding site, leaving just the eggs.

References

Microhylidae Endemic fauna of the Western Ghats Fauna of Kerala Frogs of India Amphibians described in 2019 Taxa named by Sathyabhama Das Biju {{Microhylidae-stub