In June 2023, a group of naturalists in Karnataka, southern India, made a fascinating discovery during their observation of amphibians and reptiles at a roadside pond. They found a live golden-backed frog with a tiny mushroom sprouting from its side, a sight that left researchers amazed and intrigued.
The miniature frogs, known as Rao's intermediate golden-backed frog, are native to the southwestern Indian states of Karnataka and Kerala. The researchers refrained from touching or collecting the frog, leaving its fate and the cause of the phenomenon unknown.
Published in January 2024, a note in the journal Reptiles and Amphibians detailed the unprecedented finding. Mycologists later identified the mushroom as a common bonnet from the Mycena genus, a saprotrophic decomposer that typically feeds on decaying organic matter.
A postdoctoral associate suggested that the adaptive capabilities of the mushroom could explain its presence on the frog. While a healthy frog may withstand mild colonization by the fungus, extensive growth could lead to fungal disease.
As fungal infections are common among frogs, scientists are cautious about potential interactions between unknown fungi and frogs. One hypothesis suggests that the live mushroom may have grown from wood lodged under the frog's skin.
While the fungus on the frog is not related to chytrid disease, a deadly fungal infection affecting amphibians globally, researchers are exploring the possibility of altered susceptibility to such infections in frogs with Mycena. The authors plan to revisit the pond during the next monsoon season to further investigate this rare phenomenon.
Given the uniqueness of the golden-backed frog's case, researchers are hesitant to draw definitive conclusions about the attached fungus species, emphasizing the need for more in-depth studies beyond photographs.
