SPHENOPHRYNE - American Museum of Natural History

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48 BULLETIN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY NO. 253 those from Normanby are the largest: three from Normanby are 36 to 38 mm, contrasted to a maximum of 37 mm in all other samples. The smallest frogs are those of the Huon Peninsula, where adult females (N 21) measure from 32 to 40 mm and adult males from 28 to 33 mm (N 7). Samples intermediate between these extremes, but not necessarily identical among themselves, include those from Goodenough Island, Mt. Dayman, the Wau-Garaina area, and Simbu Province. Visual comparison of regression lines for several proportions in four samples of palmipes shows little geographic variation. Only in the case of slightly larger eyes in the Normanby Island sample does one line stand out much from the rest. Regression and proportion statistics are in tables 2 and 3. ILLUSTRATIONS: 3rd finger terminal phalanx, fig. 71P; premaxilla, fig. 64G; sacral region, fig. 73C; vomer, fig. 65O; finger disc, fig. 51; hand and foot, fig. 56D. Kuramoto and Allison (1989) illustrated the karyotype. CALL: Menzies (1976: 55) mentioned ‘‘a quiet clicking noise which I believed was made by a palmipes by the side of a forest stream.’’ Verification that palmipes calls (though lacking vocal slits) is needed. COMPARISONS WITH OTHER SPECIES: Within its geographic range there is no Austrochaperina species with which palmipes could readily be confused, as the combination of extensive toe webbing and relatively large digital discs is unique. The closely related species rivularis, macrorhyncha, and basipalmata are allopatric to palmipes, so far as is known, and either lack or have only slight toe webbing. HABITAT AND HABITS: This is a riparian species of foothill and lower montane rainforest, ranging in elevation from less than 100 m to at least 1700 m. I have found these frogs by day under streamside rocks and at night on mossy rocks in small streams. Menzies (1976: 55) reported that frogs ‘‘were clinging to wet rocks, especially near waterfalls . . . . When disturbed, they dived into the water and reappeared a little distance away.’’ For descriptive accounts of areas where this species occurs, see Brass, 1956 (Mt. Dayman and Goodenough Island) and 1959 (Normanby Island). Although it probably is the most aquatic of the New Guinean microhylids, A. palmipes still must resort to land for breeding. Dr. Allen Allison (personal commun.) reports an individual attending eggs ‘‘in a depression under leaf litter along the bank of a small stream.’’ A female about 35 mm SVL contained 19 ova each of which was 3 mm in diameter. DISTRIBUTION: This species occupies the Huon Peninsula, the northeast slopes of the mountains from the Huon Gulf to the eastern tip of New Guinea, and the D’Entrecasteaux Islands (not yet recorded from Fergusson Island). In addition, there is an apparently isolated population on the west side of the central ranges in the Purari River drainage of Gulf and Simbu Provinces (fig. 29). This isolated area is more than 200 km from the nearest locality for the species to the east in Morobe Province. Additional collecting may be expected to narrow the gap, but there are few passes as low as the maximum elevation that palmipes is known to attain. It is likely that the populations truly are disjunct. A similar apparent range disjunction occurs in another microhylid frog, Cophixalus cheesmanae (Zweifel: 1979, fig. 8). Records range in elevation from 60 to 1750 m. LOCALITY RECORDS AND SPECIMENS EXAM- INED: PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Gulf Prov.: Camp III, Nimi River, 13.5 km S, 1 km E Soliabedo, 425 m (AMNH A79973; MCZ A111901–111914). Simbu Prov.: Camp I, 13.5 km S, 2 km E Karimui, 1070 m (MCZ A111918); Soliabedo, 550 m (MCZ A111916, 111917); Camp II, Pio River, 6.5 km S, 1 km E Soliabedo, 300 m (MCZ A111919–111922); between Camp II, 6.5 km S, 1 km E Soliabedo, and Weiana, 8 km S, 1 km E Soliabedo, 430–730 m (MCZ A133017); Haia Village, 720 m, 14500, 642(AM 32257); Haia Bush Camp, 880 m, 14501, 640 (AMS R32443, R32450, R32451, R32471–32476). Morobe Prov.: Ulap, 800–1100 m (BPBM 5322); Boana, 880 m (MCZ A111874–111895); Areganang (AMNH A81200–81209); Gang Ck., 1340 m (AMNH A75048–75053 [75050 and 75053 dry skeletons], A76038–76047); near Zangaren, 1370 m (AMNH A76031, A76032); Masba Ck. (AMNH A76033); Numbut, 1220 m (AMNH A76034–76037); Tewep, 1350 m, 11 km E, 8 km N Boana (BPBM 1048);
2000 ZWEIFEL: PARTITION OF SPHENOPHRYNE 49 Finschhafen (SAM 5684 [8 specimens]); Rari Village, Mt. Shungol, 1250 m (BPBM 5157, 5167); Mt. Missim, about 10 km NE Wau, 1600 m (BPBM 6409–6416, 6494, 6495; 9352); Black Cat Gap, Mt. Missim, 1700–1750 m (BPBM 4142, 4153); Coldwater Ck., 1055 m, Mt. Missim (BPBM 9645); Wau, 1700 m (BPBM 3054); Kunai Ck., 1350 m, 2 km W Wau (AMNH A81219, A81220, A130550); 3 km E, 5 km S Wau, 1400 m (AMNH A81218, A83067, A83068; YPM 5316); Garaina, 700 m (AMNH A83059, A83060, 83064–83066; YPM 5315); Gapaia Ck., 1360 m, 1 km N Saureli (AMNH A81213). Northern Prov.: Kokoda, 370 m (AMNH A75047). Milne Bay Prov.: North slope Mt. Dayman, 700 m (AMNH A56602–56604, A57062, A57066, A57074– 57076, A57079, A57104, A57105, A57115, A57122–57124, A57131–57134, A57146– 57148, A57162–57164, A57168–57170, A57213–57215, A57232–57236, A57331 holotype, A57335, A57339, A57340); Goodenough Island, 900 m (AMNH A56885, A56893, A57343–57346); Goodenough Island, 1600 m (AMNH A56586–56594, A56895–56901, A56948–56955, A56959, A56961–56963, A56968–56970, A56974, A56975, A56977–56983, A56985, A56987– 56996, A57055, A57056); Normanby Island, Mt. Pabinama, 820 m (AMNH A60172– 60181, A92805–92807 (C&S), A135370– 135396); Alotau, 60–150 m (Tyler and Menzies, 1971: 81). Austrochaperina parkeri, new species Figure 27 Sphenophryne mehelyi: Zweifel, 1980: 411 (part). HOLOTYPE: MCZ A89220 (Field No. F14424), collected by Fred Parker on March 7, 1974, in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea, at 4 km north of Lae. PARATYPES: The holotype is the only specimen of the species. ETYMOLOGY: The patronym honors Fred Parker who, through his collecting activities, is the peerless contributor to knowledge of the Papuan herpetofauna. DIAGNOSIS: A species of moderate size (SVL 30.6 mm, one specimen) with relatively small eyes (EY/SVL 0.105), small hands (HD/SVL 0.209), and well- developed digital Fig. 27. Holotype of Austrochaperina parkeri, MCZ A89220, SVL 30.6 mm. discs of moderate size (3rd finger disc/SVL 0.031). DESCRIPTION OF HOLOTYPE: Adult female (ova 3 mm in diameter) with the following measurements and proportions: SVL 30.6, HW 10.7, TL 13.6, EY 3.2, EN 2.15, IN 3.2, HD 6.4, FT 13.0, width of disc of third finger 0.95 (penultimate phalanx 0.55), width of disc of fourth toe 1.3 (0.65); HW/SVL 0.350, TL/SVL 0.444, EY/SVL 0.105, EN/SVL 0.070, IN/SVL 0.105, EN/IN 0.672, HD/ SVL 0.209, FT/SVL 0.425, third finger disc/ SVL 0.031, fourth toe disc/SVL 0.042. Head conspicuously narrower than body, snout rounded, slightly more bluntly so and projecting a little in lateral view; nostrils lateral, slightly visible from above; loreal region a flat, steep slope passing into the gently rounded canthal region. Eyes moderate, size
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