Wayanad Night Frog

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Wayanad Night Frog (Nyctibatrachus grandis) | Kabbinakad Hills, Kodagu district, Karnataka

This is a large night frog known from Wayanad and adjoining areas. The males of this species boldly guard their egg clutches (as this one was doing), and have been known to bite if the site is approached too closely.
This male was guarding egg clutches (presumably laid by multiple mates, as seen in night frogs) in a narrow crevice behind a small waterfall. Getting a close-up portrait was quite a task- the frog kept backing off deeper into the crevice, the angle of the built-in flash missed the target several times due to the the very narrow gap, and my lens kept getting wet with the droplets, not to mention losing my foothold on the mossy rocks.

Canon 500D, Canon 100mm Macro USM
SS 1/40
Av 14
ISO 400
Flash EC +2
Cropped from top and bottom to remove dark/OOF areas

I would have liked a little more space on the left, but this was the only decent frontal close-up I could click before the frog backed off again.

Thanks, C&C awaited.