SPHENOPHRYNE - American Museum of Natural History

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54 BULLETIN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY NO. 253 note above on a recorded individual, nothing else is known about the habits of this species. DISTRIBUTION: The known localities are in or on the fringe of the central mountainous region of western Papua New Guinea in Western, West Sepik, East Sepik, and Southern Highlands Provinces (fig. 29). The species undoubtedly occurs in eastern Irian Jaya, as the type locality is only 22 km from the border. The known range in elevation is about 600 to 1600 m. For locality records and specimens examined, see above under Holotype, Paratypes, and Referred Specimens. REMARKS: The question of whether A. rivularis is a species distinct from A. derongo is answered by their distinction in sympatry in Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea as well as by differences in advertisement calls. See the account of A. derongo for details of the sympatric locality. Another question is whether rivularis includes more than one species. The larger body size seen in the Mt. Hunstein sample is suggestive, but there are no other morphological characters sufficiently trenchant to mark species lines. Also, geographic variation in body size is seen in the related species derongo and palmipes. Information on advertisement calls might be helpful in resolving the question if more populations can be sampled. Austrochaperina yelaensis, new species HOLOTYPE: AMNH A135406, collected by R. F. Peterson on the Fifth Archbold Expedition between October 12 and 20, 1956, at an elevation of 700 m on the south slopes of Mt. Rossel, Yela ( Rossel) Island, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. PARATYPES: There are no paratypes. ETYMOLOGY: The Latin adjectival suffix -ensis (origin) reflects the provenance of the holotype, the name of which has been changed from Rossel Island to Yela Island. DIAGNOSIS: A small Austrochaperina— SVL 20.5 mm in the single specimen, a female at or close to adulthood—with moderately well-developed digital discs, an obscurely mottled dorsal color pattern, small pale spots prominent on the face and side of body, and mottled abdomen. DESCRIPTION OF HOLOTYPE: A female, at or close to maturity (ova 1.5 mm in diameter), with the following measurements and proportions: SVL 20.5, HW 7.9, TL 9.3, EY 2.8, EN 1.6, IN 2.3, HD 4.2, FT 9.3, disc of third finger 0.6 (penultimate phalanx 0.4), disc of fourth toe 0.8 (0.4); HW/SVL 0.385, TL/ SVL 0.454, EY/SVL 0.127, EN/SVL 0.078, IN/SVL 0.112, EN/IN 0.696, HD/SVL 0.205, FT/SVL 0.454, FD/SVL 0.029, TD/ SVL 0.039. Head scarcely narrower than body, snout obtusely rounded, barely projecting in profile; loreal region sloping and flat, canthus rostralis rounded; nostrils barely visible from above, nostril closer to tip of snout than to eye. Eyes relatively large, visible from beneath, interorbital distance about 80% of an eyelid width; tympanum hidden. Relative lengths of fingers 3 4 2 1, first finger well developed, about half length of second, all fingers with small, grooved terminal discs; subarticular and inner metacarpal elevations low and rounded (fig. 57A). Toes unwebbed, relative lengths 4 3 5 2 1, all with grooved terminal discs, those of third and fourth toes about twice width of penultimate phalanges; subarticular and inner metatarsal elevations low but discrete, no outer metatarsal elevation (fig. 57A). Skin smooth above and below, a faint trace of a postocular-supratympanic fold. The dorsum is brown and faintly mottled. Small white spots are prominent atop the snout, on the upper lips and sides of the face through the tympanic region, and along the side of the body. The upper surfaces of the hands, arms, and front legs and hind legs are similarly spotted. The throat and chest are brown with white spots, the abdomen and undersides of hind legs mottled. The groin and anterior surface of the thigh are brown with irregular, small light marks; the posterior surface is similar but with slightly larger markings. VARIATION IN TYPE SERIES: There is only the single specimen, so the extent and nature of variation are unknown. That the specimen is mature at less than 21 mm SVL indicates that this is one of the smallest species of Austrochaperina. ILLUSTRATIONS: Hand and foot, fig. 57A.
2000 ZWEIFEL: PARTITION OF SPHENOPHRYNE 55 Fig. 29. Distribution of Austrochaperina palmipes (circles) and A. rivularis (triangles) in Papua New Guinea. CALL: The vocalizations, if any, are unknown. COMPARISONS WITH OTHER SPECIES: Austrochaperina yelaensis is most similar to another insular species, A. novaebritanniae, found 700 km distant on a geologically unrelated island, New Britain. The single specimen of yelaensis has the middorsal region unspotted (spotted in novaebritanniae), the abdomen mottled rather than spotted, and slightly longer hind legs than in any of the series of 29 adult novaebritanniae (TL/SVL 0.454 vs. 0.452). No other species of Austrochaperina is known from Yela Island. There is also similarity in size, proportions, and color pattern between yelaensis and mehelyi, a species slightly more remote geographically from yelaensis but on the New Guinea mainland. Slightly larger finger discs, longer EN and smaller IN spans may also characterize yelaensis, although confirmation will require more specimens of that species. HABITAT AND HABITS: No information particular to the specimen is available. The surroundings of the camp included a mountain ridge with ‘‘mossy, wind-clipped forest’’ and ‘‘an abundance of woody undergrowth’’ (Brass, 1959: 57). DISTRIBUTION: Known only from the type locality (fig. 30). Genus Liophryne Boulenger Liophryne Boulenger, 1897: 11. Type species not specified between the two new species Boulen-
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SPHENOPHRYNE - American Museum of Natural History

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