SPHENOPHRYNE - American Museum of Natural History

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80 BULLETIN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY NO. 253 10 for statistics on proportions and table 11 for regression data. ILLUSTRATIONS: 3rd finger terminal phalanx, fig. 71C; hand and foot, fig. 53C. CALL: The call is unknown. COMPARISONS WITH OTHER SPECIES: Oxydactyla brevicrus has been confused with high montane species of Papua New Guinea that have either less (alpestris, stenodactyla) or greater (coggeri) development of toe discs. The only somewhat similar species known in the mountains of Irian Jaya is Austrochaperina kosarek, which has well-developed toe discs and longer legs (TL/SVL 0.409). HABITAT AND HABITS: There is nothing specific published concerning this species. Archbold et al. (1942: 258–266) described in detail the region in which the AMNH specimens were collected, an area of steep mountain slopes and valleys, with tall forests where not disrupted by native agricultural practices. DISTRIBUTION: Oxydactyla brevicrus is known from elevations of 2200–3000 m in a restricted region of the central dividing range of Irian Jaya (fig. 10). Published records for brevicrus 600 km or more to the east in Papua New Guinea are based on other species (see O. coggeri, O. alpestris, and O. stenodactyla). LOCALITY RECORDS AND SPECIMENS EXAM- INED: IRIAN JAYA: Hellwig Mtns., 2500 m (ZMA 5714, lectotype); Wichmann Mtns., 3000 m (ZMA 5715, 5716, lectoparatypes); 9 km NE Lake Habbema, 2800 m (AMNH A43696, A43698); Bele River, 2200 m, 18 km N Lake Habbema (AMNH A43761– 43763); Doorman River, ca. 2400 m (MZB 448, one of several specimens under this number, the remainder are Oreophryne sp.). Oxydactyla coggeri, new species Sphenophryne brevicrus: Bulmer and Tyler, 1968: 342. Menzies and Tyler, 1977: 457. HOLOTYPE: AMS R22851, obtained by Papuan collectors for Harold G. Cogger in the vicinity of Fungoi, Kaironk Valley, 2000 m elevation, about 3 km north, 6 km west of Simbai, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, between Dec. 15, 1963, and Jan. 2, 1964. PARATYPES: All specimens from Papua New Guinea. Madang Prov.: AMNH A140871–140874 (the last C&S), same data as holotype; AMS R22647, R22815–22817, 22819–22821, 22823–22837, 22839–22850, R22852–22857, R22860, R22861, R22863– 22880, R23121, R23182–23184, R23207, same data as holotype; AMS 32116–23118, Bismarck Range, 2200 m, north of Fungoi, collected by H. G. Cogger, Dec. 28, 1963; UPNG 837, 838, collected by J. Menzies, Aug. 30, 1969 at Kaironk, Schrader Range, 2300 m. Southern Highlands Prov.: UPNG 5559, collected by J. Menzies, July 9, 1976, at 16 km north of Mendi, 2400 m. ETYMOLOGY: This species is named for Dr. Harold Cogger of the Australian Museum in recognition of his important contributions to Australasian herpetology, among them collecting the initial specimens of the species. DIAGNOSIS: Distinguished from other Oxydactyla except O. crassa in that the fingertips are rounded to slightly flattened but not clearly disclike, and the toe tips are disclike with terminal grooves but not or scarcely broader than the penultimate phalanges. The vocalizations of crassa and coggeri differ, the former having a single-note call, the latter a call of similar quality but with several notes uttered in rapid succession. See Comparisons for other morphological differences. DESCRIPTION OF HOLOTYPE: Adult male (vocal slits present) with the following measurements and proportions: SVL 23.5, HW 9.4, TL 8.4, EY 2.65, EN 1.65, IN 2.2, HD 4.6, FT 8.6, tip of third finger 0.55 (penultimate phalanx 0.525), disc of fourth toe 0.7 (0.65); HW/SVL 0.400, TL/SVL 0.357, EY/ SVL 0.113, EN/SVL 0.070, IN/SVL 0.094, EN/IN 0.750, HD/SVL 0.196, FT/SVL 0.366, third finger tip/SVL 0.023, fourth toe disc/SVL 0.030 Head slightly narrower than body. Snout rounded viewed from above, rounded and scarcely projecting in lateral view; nostrils visible from above; loreal region a flat, gentle slope, canthus rostralis not well defined. Eyes relatively large, corneal outline visible in ventral view, eyelid almost as wide as interorbital space. Tympanic annulus inconspicuous. Relative lengths of fingers 3 4 2 1, first about one-half length of second; tips of fingers rounded to slightly flattened, not clearly disclike, minutely broader
2000 ZWEIFEL: PARTITION OF SPHENOPHRYNE 81 than penultimate phalanges, only third with faint terminal groove (fig. 53D); subarticular and metacarpal elevations low, rounded, inconspicuous. Toes unwebbed, relative lengths 4 3 5 2 1, first short, its tip barely reaching to subarticular elevation of second; tips of second to fourth flattened with terminal grooves but little or no wider than penultimate phalanges, first and fifth less flattened, fifth sometimes weakly grooved (fig. 53D); subarticular elevations low, rounded, inner metatarsal elevation low, elongate, rounded. Dorsal region with many small, inconspicuous tubercles but no folds; a weak postocular-supratympanic fold curving downward behind ear; venter smooth. The color in preservative is various shades of brown. The facial region is purple-brown, being more concentrated in the canthal area. The area behind the eye is dark, bordered above on a diagonal line directed to the insertion of the arm. A dark postocular streak extends posterior from the eye as a dark band passing above the foreleg and then discontinuously to the groin. The region beneath this band is vaguely mottled brown, paler than the postocular streak. A pale vertebral hairline passes from the snout to just anterior to the cloaca, where it divides and runs along the rear of the thigh and weakly onto the shank. On the back, a narrow streak of dark brown borders the hairline and is in turn bordered by a wider swath of lighter brown, slightly darker than the side of the body below the dark dorsolateral streak. A prominent black spot lies just anterior to the cloaca. The upper sides of the legs are brown with darker spotting, and the back of the thigh below the light line is indistinctly mottled dark and light brown. The chin and chest bear dense, even melanic stippling, which gives way abruptly on the abdomen to a sparser stipple, often with scattered dark spots. VARIATION IN TYPE SERIES: See table 10 for variation in proportions and table 11 for regression data. The largest specimen is a female, 28.2 mm SVL. The size of females at maturity is about 20–21 mm, as three frogs 19.3–20.6 mm appear to be immature, whereas two at 20.6 mm are gravid. The range in size of mature males (vocal slits present) is 19.0–26.7 mm SVL. The back may be unicolor, may have small dark spots, and may have, as does the holotype, a light, midvertebral hairline. Nearly half the specimens tabulated (15 of 38) show at least a trace of the vertebral hairline, which is not always as well developed as described for the holotype. ILLUSTRATIONS: 3rd finger terminal phalanx, fig. 71D; premaxilla, fig. 63C; sacral region, fig. 72C; vomer, fig. 65C; skull, fig. 67B; hand and foot, fig. 53D. CALL: James I. Menzies recorded this species at an elevation of 2300 m at Kaironk where the frog (UPNG 837) called from the leaf litter at noon. The two recorded calls each have 11 pure-toned, unpulsed musical notes given over about 2.3 sec at a rate 4.4– 4.5 notes per second (fig. 78B). Notes are 0.04–0.05 sec long and are slightly frequency modulated, dropping about 50 Hz from an initial 900 Hz. Menzies and Tyler (1977) published an audiospectrogram of part of one of these calls in connection with a discussion of vocalization of burrowing microhylids. COMPARISONS WITH OTHER SPECIES: Oxydactyla coggeri is distinguished from the other species of Oxydactyla known in the same general area of New Guinea—alpestris and stenodactyla—in possessing toe discs. Similar in morphology, although widely separated geographically, coggeri and crassa differ in advertisement calls and sufficiently in certain proportions to permit correct assignment of a large majority of specimens in a mixed sample without reference to geography (fig. 40). HABITAT AND HABITS: Dr. Harold Cogger (personal commun.) reported finding this species under logs at 2200 m just inside primary rainforest (above grassland). DISTRIBUTION: Oxydactyla coggeri is known only from two regions. All but one specimen came from the Kaironk Valley– Schrader Mountains area of Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, at the northern edge of the highlands region. A single specimen is from near Mendi, Southern Highlands Province, 120 km to the southwest. Possibly the species may have an extensive range in Enga Province, west of the Schrader Range and north of Mendi, where there has been little collecting (fig. 41). See Holotype and Paratypes for localities and specimens examined.
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