SPHENOPHRYNE - American Museum of Natural History

46 BULLETIN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY NO. 253
one-half length of second, all with somewhat
pointed, grooved terminal discs slightly
broader than the terminal phalanges, subarticular
and metacarpal elevations barely indicated
(fig. 57B). Toes unwebbed, relative
lengths 4 3 5 2 1, discs larger than
those on fingers, slightly pointed and
grooved, subarticular elevations barely evident,
a small inner but no outer metatarsal
elevation (fig. 57B). A brief, weak postocular
fold; other dorsal and ventral body surfaces
smooth.
A color transparency furnished by Harold
Cogger shows a frog with a dark, almost
black ground color, an abundance of small
white spots, and between these are numerous
smaller, brick-red spots.
The dorsal ground color in preservative is
tan with no regional differentiation except
that the loreal region is slightly duskier. A
pattern of tiny pale spots on all the dorsal
surfaces, including the legs, is uniform except
for greater density on the eyelids. The
ventral surfaces are slightly paler with a uniform
pattern of pale spots larger and sparser
than those of the dorsum.
VARIATION IN TYPE SERIES: Variation in
proportions is set forth in table 2, and regression
data are in table 3. The largest of
61 specimens I measured is a female, SVL
21.9 mm. Females as small as 18.2 mm are
gravid, whereas one at 17.1 mm appears just
to be maturing. The largest male measured
19.0 mm. Tyler (1967) reported adult males
15.5–17.2 mm SVL and adult females 17.0–
20.1 mm SVL.
There is little variation in color pattern.
The dorsal ground color of preserved specimens
may range from light to dark brown
with the top of the snout and loreal region
even darker, and the light spots may be less
abundant medially on the back, snout and
eyelids.
ILLUSTRATIONS: 3rd finger terminal phalanx,
fig. 71K; premaxilla, fig. 64B; vomer,
fig. 65J; hand and foot, fig. 57B.
CALL: The call has not been described.
COMPARISONS WITH OTHER SPECIES: Tyler
(1967: 188) characterized the coloration of
specimens from Keravat as agreeing ‘‘in all
respects with that of the holotype’’ of Sphenophryne
mehelyi, which Parker (1934: 156)
described as ‘‘uniformly brown above, the
flanks with scattered lighter dots; lower surfaces
dirty white, the throat and chest washed
with pale brown and irregularly spotted with
white.’’ Méhely¨’s (1901: pl. 12, fig. 3) illustration
of the ventral surface of mehelyi (as
Chaperina fusca) agrees with Parker’s description
rather than with the light brown,
white spotted chin, chest, and abdomen of
novaebritanniae. For additional comparison
with mehelyi, see the account of that species.
A. novaebritanniae and the similar yelaensis
are compared the account of the latter.
HABITAT AND HABITS: Tyler (1967) described
the Keravat locality as one that three
months prior to the collection of the frogs
had been cleared of virgin rainforest. Large
numbers of frogs were aggregated beneath
piles of decomposing vegetation—rotting
grass and reeds laid upon ground covered
with leaf mould. Numerous frogs were in
small depressions, sitting on clumps of five
or six eggs. The frogs in attendance were
said to be females, although it is not clear
whether the collector segregated the associated
individual specimens with their egg
clutches or if sex was merely assumed.
DISTRIBUTION: The only known localities
for this species (see Holotype and Paratypes,
above) are at the northern end of New Britain
(fig. 30).
Austrochaperina palmipes (Zweifel),
new combination
Figure 31F
Sphenophryne palmipes Zweifel, 1956: 15 (type
locality, ‘‘north slope of Mt. Dayman, Maneau
Range, Territory of Papua [Milne Bay Province,
Papua New Guinea], at an elevation of 700 meters’’;
holotype AMNH A57331, collected by
G. M. Tate on the Fourth Archbold Expedition
to New Guinea, July 16, 1953.
DIAGNOSIS: This species differs from other
Austrochaperina in its extensively webbed
toes and usually in having a prominent,
downward-directed, spikelike projection on
each vomer.
MORPHOLOGY: The holotype, an adult male
36.1 mm SVL, is described in detail in Zweifel
(1956: 15–17). Size moderately large
among Austrochaperina, maximum about 40
to 49 mm SVL, evidently varying among
populations (see Variation, below), with