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{{Short description|Species of amphibian}}
{{About|an Asian frog species|the South American frog family, genus, and species known as Darwin's frog(s)|Rhinodermatidae}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Charles Darwin's frog
| image =
| status = CR
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 17 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Indraneil Das, Sushil Dutta, S.P. Vijayakumar |date=2004 |title=''Ingerana charlesdarwini'' |volume=2004 |article-number=e.T58571A11805014 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T58571A11805014.en |access-date=17 November 2021}}</ref>
| taxon = Minervarya charlesdarwini
| authority = ([[Indraneil Das|Das]], 1998)
| synonyms = ''Rana charlesdarwini'' Das, 1998 
''Ingerana charlesdarwini'' Dinesh, Radhakrishnan, Gururaja, and Bhatta, 2009
| synonyms_ref = <ref name=Frost/>
}}

'''''Minervarya charlesdarwini''''' (vernacular name: '''Charles Darwin's frog''') is a species of [[frog]]s in the family [[Dicroglossidae]]. It is [[Endemism|endemic]] to the [[Andaman Islands]], [[India]], and is known from the [[South Andaman Island]], [[Long Island (Andaman and Nicobar Islands)|Long Island]], and [[North Andaman Island]].<ref name=Frost/><ref name="Chandramouli 2017"/>

==Taxonomy==
''Minervarya charlesdarwini'' was [[species description|described]] in 1998 as ''Rana charlesdarwini'' by [[Indraneil Das]], but was moved to the genus ''Ingerana'' in 2006. However, this taxonomic placement was always considered uncertain.<ref name=Frost/><ref name="Chandramouli 2017"/> In 2022, a phylogenetic study found it to be a [[Sister group|sister species]] to the [[Minervarya andamanensis|Andaman frog]] (''M. andamanensis''), another endemic frog of the Andamans, and it was thus reclassified into the genus ''[[Minervarya]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Minervarya charlesdarwini (Das, 1998) {{!}} Amphibian Species of the World |url=https://amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org/Amphibia/Anura/Dicroglossidae/Dicroglossinae/Minervarya/Minervarya-charlesdarwini |access-date=2022-05-15 |website=amphibiansoftheworld.amnh.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Garg |first1=Sonali |last2=Chandrakasan |first2=Sivaperuman |last3=Gokulakrishnan |first3=G. |last4=Gopika |first4=C. |last5=Das |first5=Indraneil |last6=Biju |first6=S. D. |date=2022-10-05 |title=The curious case of Charles Darwin's frog, Rana charlesdarwini Das, 1998: Phylogenetic position and generic placement, with taxonomic insights on other minervaryan frogs (Dicroglossidae: Minervarya) in the Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago |url=https://vertebrate-zoology.arphahub.com/article/79496/ |journal=Vertebrate Zoology |language=en |volume=72 |pages=169–199 |doi=10.3897/vz.72.e79496 |issn=2625-8498|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Following the description of this species, specimens labelled as ''Rana doriae andamanensis'' collected by [[Nelson Annandale]] were found from the [[Zoological Survey of India]]. However, Annandale never formally described a taxon using that name, so it is an [[unavailable name]].<ref name="Chandramouli 2017" />

==Description==
Adult males measure {{convert|25|-|29|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} and adult females {{convert|29|-|38|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} in [[snout–vent length]]. The snout is rounded and has a blunt tip. The [[Tympanum (anatomy)|tympanum]] is distinct and exposed; the supra-tympanic fold is well-developed and forms a thick, fleshy ridge. The fingers have no webbing whereas the toes are partially webbed. The finger and toe tips bear swollen discs, without circum-marginal grooves. Skin has minute granules scattered all over the dorsum; the venter is smooth. Colouration is variable with three different morphs:
* The first morph is dull olive brown but has a bright orange butterfly-like marking on the [[Dorsum (anatomy)|dorsum]] behind the [[occiput]], and a smaller spot of the same colour above the [[Sacrum|sacral]] region. Only very feeble black subocular spots are present, and the limbs lack barred pattern.
* The second type is light tan and has very distinct black bars on the limbs. The dorsum has only a feeble W-like marking on the mid-dorsum and two indistinct orange spots. A mid-dorsal stripe might be present. Under moist conditions, the colour turns dark brown. Males have a dark [[Gular skin|gular]] [[vocal sac]].
* The third morph, which is similar to the [[holotype]], is bright creamy white but with a dark brown patch on the dorsum as well as very thin, creamy white mid-dorsal stripe and two distinct, white subocular spots. Again, males have a dark gular vocal sac.<ref name="Chandramouli 2017"/>

==Habitat and conservation==
''Minervarya charlesdarwini'' have been found in primary evergreen and secondary forests at elevations below {{convert|500|m|abbr=on}}. The eggs are laid in water-filled tree holes.<ref name="iucn status 17 November 2021" /><ref name="Chandramouli 2017"/> It is threatened by [[habitat loss]] (clear-cutting). The [[type series]] was collected in the [[Mount Harriet National Park]], and the species is also known from the [[Saddle Peak National Park]].<ref name="iucn status 17 November 2021" />

==Reproduction==
In 2024, scientists Sathyabhama Das Biju and Sonali Garg, both of [[Harvard University]], conducted a study on the reproduction habits of ''M. charlesdarwini'' and found that the frogs mate upside down. During mating the male frog grasps the female frog in the amplexus at which point the female frog leaves the pool of water and turns around. The female frog then backs up and lays her eggs on the inner wall of a tree.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2442566-charles-darwins-frogs-turn-mating-upside-down/ | title=Charles Darwin's frogs turn mating upside down }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name="Chandramouli 2017">{{cite journal |last1=Chandramouli |first1=S. R. |year=2017 |title=Rediscovery and redescription of a little known, insular endemic frog, ''Ingerana charlesdarwini'' (Das, 1998) (Amphibia: Anura: Dicroglossidae) from the Andaman Islands, Bay of Bengal |journal=Alytes |volume=33 |issue=1–4 |pages=47–54 |url=http://www.amphibians.org/alytes/manuscripts/chandramouli-20170317/ }}</ref>

<ref name=Frost>{{cite web |url=http://research.amnh.org/vz/herpetology/amphibia/Amphibia/Anura/Dicroglossidae/Occidozyginae/Ingerana/Ingerana-charlesdarwini |title=''Ingerana charlesdarwini'' (Das, 1998) |author=Frost, Darrel R. |year=2018 |work=Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0 |publisher=American Museum of Natural History |access-date=23 March 2018}}</ref>
}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1594589}}

[[Category:Minervarya|charlesdarwini]]
[[Category:Frogs of India]]
[[Category:Endemic fauna of the Andaman Islands]]
[[Category:Amphibians described in 1998]]
[[Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot]]

Minervarya charlesdarwini - Revision history

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