The Kottigehar dancing frog, Micrixalus kottigeharensis (Rao, 1937) is an evolutionarily distinct and Critically Endangered frog (Biju et al., 2004; Gumbs et al., 2018) endemic to the central Western Ghats of India. Its common name derives from characteristic foot-flagging behaviour used in mating and territorial displays (Fig. 1). The primary habitat of this species is fast to slow flowing stretches of rocky streams at an elevation of 500–800 m (Biju et al., 2014). These frogs breed in first and second order perennial freshwater streams in evergreen to semi-evergreen forests as well as in the Myristica swamps of Karnataka (Chandran et al., 2010). As a part of a larger research project into the life history and ecology of the species, a conservation action that is highlighted in the IUCN Red List assessment for this species, we found the tadpole of M. kottigeharensis at two locations and we describe it herein.