Partition Of The Australopapuan Microhylid Frog Genus Sphenophryne With Descriptions Of New Species
Author
ZWEIFEL, RICHARD G.
text
Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History
2000
2000-05-22
2000
253
1
130
http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1206%2F0003-0090(2000)253%3C0001%3APOTAMF%3E2.0.CO%3B2
journal article
10.1206/0003-0090(2000)253<0001:POTAMF>2.0.CO;2
0003-0090
12774941
Austrochaperina aquilonia
,
new species
Figure 5
HOLOTYPE
:
AMNH
A78186
, collected by
Jared Diamond
during
July 3–8, 1966
, in
West Sepik Province
,
Papua New Guinea
, on
Mount Somoro
,
9.5 km
N,
10.5 km
E of Lumi
at an elevation between 730 and
1420 m
.
PARATYPE
:
AMS
R130405, collected by Tim Flannery on
June 11, 1988
, in
West Sepik Province
,
Papua New Guinea
, at Wilbeite Village,
3°25′S
,
142°07′E
(
6.5 km
N,
10 km
E of Lumi,
800 m
, on
Papua New Guinea
Topographic Survey 1:100,000 sheet no. 7391).
ETYMOLOGY
: The specific name, a Latin adjective meaning ‘‘northern,’’ refers to its habitat in the north coast mountains.
DIAGNOSIS
: The following combination of characters distinguishes this species: size moderate, males to
31 mm
(no female specimens); toes unwebbed; hands small (HD/ SVL 0.22–0.23); finger discs small (3rd finger disc/SVL
0.021
–0.026
), not or scarcely broader than penultimate phalanges;
internarial span broad (
IN
/SVL
0.111
–0.118
)
.
Fig. 5. Holotype of
Austrochaperina aquilonia
, AMNH A
78186, SVL 31.0 mm.
DESCRIPTION
OF
HOLOTYPE
: Adult male (vocal slits present) with the following measurements and proportions (those of the
paratype
given in parentheses): SVL 31.0 (23.3), HW 11.2 (9.0), TL 12.7 (11.1), EY 3.4 (3.15), EN 2.3 (1.6), IN 3.45 (2.75), HD 7.1 (5.2), FT 13.6 (11.1), third finger disc 0.8 (penultimate phalanx 0.55) (0.6, phalanx 0.4), fourth toe disc 1.1 (0.6) (1.0, phalanx 0.5), TY 1.7 (1.9); HW/SVL 0.361 (0.386), TL/SVL 0.410 (0.476), EY/SVL 0.110 (0.135), IN/SVL 0.111 (0.118), EN/SVL 0.074 (0.069), EN/IN 0.667 (0.582), HD/ SVL 0.229 (0.223), FT/SVL 0.439 (0.476), FD/SVL 0.026 (0.021), TD/SVL 0.035 (0.043).
Body relatively slender, head as wide as body, snout bluntly pointed as seen from above, protruding slightly in lateral view; nares just visible from above; canthus rostralis evident but rounded, loreal region a steep, flat slope; eyelid slightly narrower than interorbit, tympanic ring scarcely visible. Relative lengths of fingers 3> 4> 2> 1, the first half the length of second, all with grooved terminal discs at most only slightly wider than penultimate phalanges, subarticular elevations low, rounded (fig. 55F). Relative lengths of toes 4> 3> 5> 2> 1, all with grooved terminal discs wider than the penultimate phalanges, that of the fourth toe broadest. Subarticular elevations low, round- ed, the inner metatarsal elevation elongate, rounded (fig. 55F). Dorsal skin surface slightly granular; a faint, curved, postorbitalsupratympanic fold.
The dorsal ground color is pale gray-brown, dominated by darker brown irregular spotting and mottling. On the limbs the pattern has more the appearance of pale spotting on a dark ground. The snout and face are dark brown with a faint lighter pattern on the upper lips. The anterior and posterior surfaces of the thighs are mottled; the palms and soles are essentially unmarked. The chin and chest are brown with coarse white spotting and mottling; the abdomen is pale with faint indication of darker patterning. The undersides of the hind limbs are pale with a slight darker pattern.
VARIATION
IN
TYPE
SERIES
: The
paratype
is an adult male (vocal slits present) whose measurements and proportions are noted above. In color and pattern it closely resembles the
holotype
except that the patterning is even less distinct.
ILLUSTRATIONS
: Hands and feet, fig.
55F.
CALL
: The call is unknown.
COMPARISONS
WITH
OTHER
SPECIES
: Only two other species of
Austrochaperina
are known from the Torricelli Mountains,
A
.
basipalmata
and
A
.
adamantina
. Basally webbed toes, narrower internarial distance, and broader finger discs distinguish
basipalmata
from
aquilonia
.
Austrochaperina aquilonia
and
A
.
adamantina
are similar in most respects but differ strikingly in the larger finger discs of the latter (fig. 55). This does not appear to result from difference in the state of preservation, as the two
aquilonia
, with smaller discs, are well preserved. Confirmation of other possible differences in proportions must await additional specimens.
HABITAT
AND
HABITS
: Nothing is on record.
DISTRIBUTION
: Known only from the type and
paratype
localities, about
3 km
apart in the Torricelli Mountains of north-coastal
Papua New Guinea
(fig. 7).