The idea behind it was that a tadpole retains most of its features including just the bottom legs and develops a means to paralyze its prey, similar to the skin excretion in some frogs like the dart frog or cane toad.
If you're interested in the high res illustration, D&D 5e rules or 3D printing it, please join me on Patreon! www.patreon.com/solkesh