A New Species of Liophryne (Anura: Microhylidae) from Papua New Guinea
I describe a new species of Liophryne from Cape Nelson, southeastern New Guinea, that is unique in its combination of rather large size, a single-note call emitted from an underground burrow, and absence of vocal slits. This species also has a variety of morphometric and color-pattern features that distinguish it from one or more congeners. The new species is among the more-variable species of Liophryne in dorsal color pattern, being either brown, ochre, or a combination of the two. It is known currently only from the upper elevations of an extinct volcano and may be restricted in distribution to the broader volcanic massif that includes the type locality, inasmuch as this massif appears to have evolved in situ.Abstract
(A) Top of head, (B) side of head, (C) palmar view of left hand, and (D) plantar view of left foot of holotype of Liophryne miniafia sp. nov. (BPBM 40128). Scale bar = 5 mm.
Portraits in life of dorsal color-pattern variation in adult (A) Liophryne miniafia sp. nov., holotype (BPBM 39929), (B) Liophryne miniafia sp. nov. (BPBM 39950), (C) Liophryne miniafia sp. nov. (BPBM 39930), compared to (D) ochre color type of Liophryne schlaginhaufeni (BPBM 22754).
(A) Waveform, (B) amplitude spectrum, and (C) spectrogram of three calls of Liophryne miniafia sp. nov. (BPBM 39951 or 39952) recorded at Mt. Trafalgar, 12 November 2011, air temperature 21°C. The first call is from Animal 1, the last two from Animal 2, recorded together in a collection bag.
Expanded waveform of single call of Liophryne miniafia sp. nov. showing pulsed beginning of call.
Map of southeastern New Guinea and adjacent islands showing type locality for Liophryne miniafia sp. nov. (filled star) on S slope of Mt. Trafalgar, Oro Province, Papua New Guinea.
