SPHENOPHRYNE - American Museum of Natural History
SPHENOPHRYNE - American Museum of Natural History
SPHENOPHRYNE - American Museum of Natural History
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62 BULLETIN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY NO. 253<br />
Fig. 33. Liophryne dentata, SAMA R11824,<br />
SVL 35 mm. J. Menzies photo.<br />
Liophryne dentata (Tyler and Menzies),<br />
new combination<br />
Figure 33<br />
Sphenophryne schlaginhaufeni: Zweifel, 1956: 18<br />
(tentative identification <strong>of</strong> initial specimen <strong>of</strong> L.<br />
dentata).<br />
Sphenophryne dentata Tyler and Menzies, 1971:<br />
79 (type locality, ‘‘Alotau, Milne Bay, Territory<br />
<strong>of</strong> Papua’’ [Milne Bay Prov., Papua New Guinea];<br />
holotype SAMA R12063, collected on November<br />
11, 1970, by J. I. Menzies).<br />
DIAGNOSIS: Liophryne dentata shares with<br />
L. rubra and L. schlaginhaufeni an intermediate<br />
range <strong>of</strong> adult body size between the<br />
smaller allisoni (20–30 mm SVL) and the<br />
larger similis and rhododactyla (48–60 mm).<br />
The rounded canthus rostralis and sloping loreal<br />
region <strong>of</strong> dentata contrasts to the sharp<br />
canthus rostralis and nearly vertical lores <strong>of</strong><br />
schlaginhaufeni. Both rubra and schlaginhaufeni<br />
have a straight postocular fold passing<br />
diagonally to the flank, whereas dentata<br />
has a short, curved fold passing down behind<br />
the ear, and rubra differs in its shorter eye–<br />
naris span (maximum EN/SVL 0.076 vs.<br />
minimum in dentata <strong>of</strong> 0.082).<br />
MORPHOLOGY: Body size moderately large,<br />
up to 38 mm SVL, with long legs (TL/SVL<br />
mean, 0.55) and broad head (HW/SVL mean,<br />
0.43) almost as wide as the body. Snout seen<br />
from above rounded but not blunt, slightly<br />
rounded in pr<strong>of</strong>ile; nostrils visible from<br />
above, closer to tip <strong>of</strong> snout than to eye; loreal<br />
region a gentle, almost flat slope, canthus<br />
rostralis rounded. Eyes large, just visible<br />
from beneath, eyelid 80% interorbital span;<br />
ear distinct, 60% eye diameter. Relative<br />
lengths <strong>of</strong> fingers 3 4 2 1, first finger<br />
long, tip reaching to base <strong>of</strong> disc <strong>of</strong> second;<br />
all fingers with expanded, grooved discs, that<br />
<strong>of</strong> third finger about 1.5 width <strong>of</strong> penultimate<br />
phalanx; subarticular and metacarpal elevations<br />
rounded, moderately prominent.<br />
Toes unwebbed, relative lengths 4 3 5<br />
2 1; all toes with expanded, grooved<br />
discs, that <strong>of</strong> fourth toe about 2.3 width <strong>of</strong><br />
penultimate phalanx; subarticular elevations<br />
rounded but prominent, a small, elongate inner<br />
metatarsal tubercle, no outer. Dorsum rugose;<br />
a narrow postocular fold passing down<br />
behind ear; a W-shaped fold in scapular region;<br />
numerous (1–4 per mm 2 ) small, conical<br />
warts, some running together to form short<br />
folds; lateral region with flatter elevations;<br />
central dorsal region <strong>of</strong> thigh and top <strong>of</strong><br />
shank with warts like those on back; ventral<br />
surfaces smooth.<br />
COLOR AND PATTERN: A preserved specimen<br />
is brown dorsally with a dark interocular<br />
bar and dark pigment associated with the Wshaped<br />
scapular fold. There are other indistinct<br />
dark marks on the back and legs, and<br />
the tiny warts have pale tips. The ear is conspicuously<br />
paler than its surroundings. The<br />
anterior surfaces <strong>of</strong> the thighs are dusky but<br />
distinctly mottled toward the knee, with the<br />
posterior surfaces being dusky with tiny light<br />
spots. The throat and chest are lightly mottled<br />
with brown, the abdomen is clear, the<br />
undersides <strong>of</strong> the thighs have a few indistinct<br />
brown marks, and the shank is more heavily<br />
infuscated. A second specimen is paler dorsally<br />
with a distinct dark line on the canthus<br />
rostralis and postocular fold, and it has a pale<br />
midvertebral pinstripe with spotty black border.<br />
Tyler and Menzies (1971) described the<br />
dorsal color in life as sandy brown to reddish<br />
brown, stippled or mottled with darker and<br />
lighter brown, with occasional orange patches<br />
irregularly distributed, scapular W-mark<br />
occasionally reddish; back <strong>of</strong> thighs usually<br />
gray, finely stippled with white, but sometimes<br />
pink; ventral surface white with sparse<br />
gray mottling on sides <strong>of</strong> throat; groin and<br />
lower side <strong>of</strong> hind limbs reddish, sometimes<br />
bright red; a light diagonal stripe through ear;<br />
iris greenish gold.<br />
VARIATION IN SIZE AND PROPORTIONS: The<br />
largest <strong>of</strong> 13 specimens I measured is a grav-