Indian scientists discover sand eating tadpole

Q.  Which family does a sand eating tadpole living in total darkness discovered on March 30, 2016 belong to?
- Published on 31 Mar 16

a. Indian Dancing frog family
b. Indian Jumping frog family
c. Micrixalidae
d. Both a and c

ANSWER: Both a and c
 
The researchers have discovered a sand-eating tadpole that lives in total darkness, until it fully develops into a young frog. S.D. Biju from the University of Delhi said in a statement: “We provide the first confirmed report of the tadpoles of Indian Dancing frog family. These tadpoles probably remained unnoticed all these years because of their fossorial nature, which in itself is a rare occurrence in the amphibian world.”
  • Researchers from University of Delhi, the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and Gettysburg College, California discovered and documented the tadpole in the peer-reviewed PLOS One, an open-access journal.
  • Tadpoles belong to Micrixalidae or Indian Dancing Frog Family
  • They are called so because of their habit of waving legs as a sign of territorial or sexual display while sitting on boulders in streams

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