Malabar Tropical Frog

M. saxicola is endemic to the Western Ghats mountain range in India, specifically within the south Indian states of Kerala and Karnataka. Reports indicate this frog is typically found at altitudes between 11° and 14°N and at elevations between 400 and 1400 m above mean sea level. Populations of the species are found throughout the Western Ghats, but they are widely separated. The species inhabits moist semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests, and can often be found on the rocks along streams and riverbanks in the hills. While M. saxicola is most commonly found near clear torrential streams. Leaf litter on the forest floor may also offer an important place of refuge for frogs during dry seasons. M. saxicola prefers areas with lower air, water, and soil temperatures. Such low air and water temperatures tend to be associated with thicker forest canopy cover as well, indicating this species prefers areas with low penetration of light onto the forest floor. A study conducted in 2001 also showed that M. saxicola tends to favor slightly acidic water and soil that also have high concentrations of dissolved oxygen and low concentrations of carbon dioxide. This species tends to co-occur with the amphibians Nyctibatrachus major, N. aliciae, Rana beddomi, and Rana temporalis.

M. saxicola is a diurnal species that can often be found attached to flat surfaces of rocks in fast-moving streams. They have also been observed to move away from the torrents during the height of the monsoon season to avoid being swept away by the current. Adults communicate with one another in large social groups.

Courtship. Males of this species occupy elevated rock perches – about 2 to 8 cm above the water level – near streams and waterfalls to attract females, which they do primarily by calling. This call has been described as sounding like "Chir… chir… chir… chir… ri… ri… ri… ri ri.." and can be heard by humans up to 10 to 14 m away. On average, males call at a rate of 13.25 calls per minute, with the highest calling rates being observed during the breeding season during the monsoon months between July and October. Males call for 3 to 8 minutes in one direction, then rotate 90 to 180 degrees and call in that direction continuously before repeating the process. Longer calls are thought to attract females while also demonstrating a male's ability and willingness to defend his territory. Females do not have any known vocalizations. M. saxicola's habitats are characterized by high amounts of ambient noise from both the environment and other males' calls, so the species has evolved multimodal stimuli to improve specific communication beyond just the auditory calls. …