SPHENOPHRYNE - American Museum of Natural History

64 BULLETIN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY NO. 253
cality given in the synonymy is taken from
the title of Boulenger’s paper, which provides
no other information. Wichmann (1912, p.
608) indicates that Anthony collected on Mt.
Victoria between April and June 1896, and
as Anthony operated out of Port Moresby, it
is likely that collections were made on the
western rather than the eastern side of the
Owen Stanley Range in what is now the Central
Province of Papua New Guinea. The title
of a paper by Rothschild and Hartert (1896)
treating birds collected by Anthony on the
same trip (Wichmann, 1912) includes the
phrase ‘mostly at elevations of from 5000 to
7000 feet.’’’
DIAGNOSIS: The largest species of Liophryne
(adult SVL 48–60 mm), comparable (and
possibly identical) in size to L. similis, from
which it differs in that the male possesses
vocal sac apparatus (slits and sac) and in the
advertisement call—a single note rather than
a series of rapidly repeated notes.
MORPHOLOGY: Head slightly narrower than
the rather flat-sided body. Snout rounded to
bluntly pointed seen from above, rounded
and scarcely projecting in profile; nostrils lateral,
barely visible from above, slightly closer
to tip of snout than to eye; canthus rostralis
angular but not sharp, loreal region
nearly vertical, slightly concave. Eyes moderately
large, corneal outline visible from below,
eyelid about 80% of interorbital span.
Tympanum distinct, about 49% of orbit
length, closer to eye than its own diameter.
Relative lengths of fingers 4 3 2 1,
first finger long, greater than half length of
second; all fingers with terminally grooved
discs, that of first least developed, others
barely broader than penultimate phalanges;
subarticular and metacarpal elevations
rounded, moderately prominent. Toes unwebbed,
relative lengths 4 3 5 2
1, all with terminally grooved discs broader
than those of fingers, that of first toe smallest
but slightly broader than penultimate phalanx;
subarticular elevations rounded, moderately
prominent, inner metatarsal elevation
rounded, elongate. Skin smooth; indistinct
convergent scapular folds sometimes present;
a narrow postorbital fold passing across upper
edge of tympanum, expanding into a
broad, flat region behind tympanum, narrowing
again above arm, continuing onto flank
as a dorsolateral fold, usually disappearing
anterior to groin.
COLOR AND PATTERN: The top of the head
and body are moderate to pale brown, sometimes
with small, obscure, irregular darker
spots. The loreal region, especially near the
canthus rostralis, and the area below the
postorbital and dorsolateral folds are dark
brown, excepting the tympanum, which has
the same lighter shade as the dorsum. A thin,
pale vertical line on the tip of the snout divides
to pass along each canthus rostralis. In
some individuals a fairly discrete line continues
along the edge of the eyelid, following
the postorbital-dorsolateral fold, but in others
there is little or no trace of the line posterior
to the nostrils. A few specimens have pale
eyelids and a swath of the same light pigment
between the dorsolateral folds and the
remaining light brown of the dorsum. The
arms and legs are darker, purplish brown
with some light spotting on the arms. The
rear of the thigh is unmarked and colored
like the middorsal region. The ventral surfaces
are brown with numerous small, light
irregular spots. In many specimens the light
spots are enlarged and coalesce to some extent
so that the pale color dominates. The
throat and chest are generally somewhat
darker than the abdomen.
VARIATION IN SIZE AND PROPORTIONS: The
two largest male specimens both measure
52.3 mm SVL; the two largest females are
59.0 and 59.8 mm. Males evidently mature
at about 48–49 mm: three measuring 44–47
mm lack vocal slits, whereas two measuring
48.9 mm and four larger specimens have
them. Females apparently mature at about the
same size as males. A 48.4-mm individual is
gravid, as are larger specimens. Body proportions
are summarized in table 6, and regression
statistics are presented in table 7.
ILLUSTRATIONS: See Boulenger (1897: pl.
2), for illustrations of body form, inside of
mouth, and tongue, and Green and Simon
(1986) for SEM photographs of the finger
discs. For all practical purposes, the illustration
of L. similis (fig. 31G) will suffice to
illustrate the overall appearance. Terminal
phalanx of third finger, fig. 71G; premaxilla,
fig. 63F; hyoid, fig. 69C; sacral region, fig.
72F; vomer, fig. 65F; skull, fig. 68B; palatal