Vertebrate Zoology 61 (3) 2011 343 343 – 372 © Museum für Tierkunde Dresden, ISSN 1864-5755, 22.12.2011 Five new microhylid frog species from Enga Province, Papua New Guinea, and remarks on Albericus alpestris (Anura, Microhylidae) RAINER GÜNTHER 1 & STEPHEN J. RICHARDS 2 1 Museum für Naturkunde, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany 2 Herpetology Department, South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia, and Conservation International, P. O. Box 1024, Atherton, Queensland 4883, Australia Accepted on September 22, 2011. Published online at www.vertebrate-zoology.de on December 13, 2011. > Abstract Five new species of microhylid frogs in the genera Albericus, Cophixalus and Oreophryne are described from high altitudes in the Kaijende Highlands of Enga Province, central Papua New Guinea. A population of short-legged, terrestrial Albericus discovered in grasslands on the Kaijende Highlands seems to be very close to the recently described A. alpestris. Because the systematic status of our new frogs is not yet clear, they are referred to as Albericus cf. alpestris in our paper. Information about the advertisement call of this population, its colour in life, and its habitat is presented for the fi rst time and enables possible inferences about Albericus alpestris sensu stricto. > Kurzfassung Auf der Basis von Aufsammlungen im August/September 2005 werden fünf neue microhylide Froscharten der Gattungen Albericus, Cophixalus und Oreophryne aus der alpinen Zone der Kaijende Highlands, Enga Province, zentrales Papua Neu- guinea, beschrieben. Im gleichen Gebiet wurde eine Population kurzbeiniger und terrestrisch lebender Frösche der Gattung Albericus entdeckt, die der kürzlich nur anhand von wenigen Museumsexemplaren beschriebenen Art Albericus alpestris stark ähneln. Informationen zum Paarungsruf, zur Lebendfärbung und zum Habitat dieser Frösche werden erstmalig gege- ben. Da ihre endgültige systematische Stellung noch zu klären ist, werden sie hier als Albericus cf. alpestris bezeichnet. > Key words Amphibia, Anura, Microhylidae, Albericus, Cophixalus, Oreophryne, new species, Papua New Guinea. Introduction The high-altitude frog fauna of New Guinea is domi- Oreophryne, and Oxydactyla, successfully inhabiting nated by members of the family Microhylidae, with habitats above 3,000 m (e.g. Zweifel, 2000; Zwei- the highest known record of a frog from the island fel, Cogger & Richards, 2005). Many of these spe- being for an Oxydactyla stenodactyla that was col- cies exhibit adaptations to a terrestrial life in montane lected at 4,000 m above sea level on Mount Wilhelm meadows, having short limbs and reduced fi nger and (Zweifel, 2000). Although relatively few species in- toe discs in comparison to their lower-elevation for- habit New Guinea’s alpine environments, the faunas est-dwelling congeners. there are phylogenetically diverse, with representa- In August-September 2005 the Conservation In- tives from various genera, including Aphantophryne, ternational Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) con- 344 GÜNTHER & RICHARDS: Five new microhylid frog species from Papua New Guinea Fig. 1. Maps of Papua New Guinea and of Enga Province, PNG, showing the locations of collection sites mentioned in the text. ducted a biological inventory of alpine environments to 75 % ethanol for permanent storage. Samples of in the Kaijende Highlands near Porgera in Enga liver tissue were extracted from up to fi ve specimens Province, Papua New Guinea (Richards, 2007) (Fig. of each species and stored in 95 % ethanol to permit 1). During that survey a number of new species of future DNA analysis. Clearing and double staining amphibians were discovered, including at least seven of one specimen of each new species as an osteo- frogs in the family Microhylidae. Two of those spe- logical preparation according to a modifi ed method cies, Oreophryne anamiatoi Kraus & Allison, 2009 of Dingerkus and Uhler (1977) was carried out in and Albericus alpestris Kraus, 2010 have subse- order to identify their generic allocation. quently been described from nearby mountain ranges Measurements of SUL, TaL, and TL to the nearest and here we present descriptions of another fi ve spe- 0.1 mm were made with a digital calliper, all others cies. were made with an ocular micrometer in a dissecting microscope: SUL snout-urostyle length, from tip of snout to distal tip of urostyle bone (SUL and snout-vent length differ insigni- Material and methods fi cantly, but SUL is more accurately measured); TL tibia length, external distance between knee and heel (calliper gently pressed); TaL length of tarsus, external distance, tarsal and heel joints Most frogs were detected at night by tracking their held at right angles; advertisement calls. Some females were also en- L4T length of fourth toe, from tip of toe to proximal end countered with the aid of head-torches, and a small of inner metatarsal tubercle; number of individuals were collected from beneath L3F length of third fi nger; stones and logs on the forest fl oor. Frogs were anaes- F3D transverse diameter of third fi nger disc; thetized with chlorobutanol and most were fi xed in 10 F1D transverse diameter of fi rst fi nger disc; % formalin in the fi eld for 1 – 2 days and transferred T4D transverse diameter of fourth toe disc; Vertebrate Zoology ■ 61 (3) 2011 345 T1D transverse diameter of fi rst toe disc; PNGNM National Museum and Art Gallery, Port Moresby; HL head length, from tip of snout to posterior margin SAMA South Australian Museum, Adelaide; of tympanum; UPNG University of Papua New Guinea, HW head width, taken in the region of the tympana; Port Moresby; END distance from anterior corner of orbital opening ZMA Zoologisch Museum, Universiteit van Amsterdam; to centre of naris; ZMB Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (formerly IND internarial distance between centres of nares; Zoologisches Museum Berlin). ED eye diameter, from anterior to posterior corner of orbital opening; TyD horizontal diameter of tympanum; SL snout length, from an imaginary line connecting the Albericus pandanicolus sp. nov. centres of the eyes to tip of snout; EST distance from eye corner to tip of snout. Plate I, Figs. 2 – 4 and Table 1 Calls were recorded in the fi eld with a Sony TCM- Holotype. SAMA R66102 (Field number=FN SJR 9712), 5000 Tape Recorder and a Sennheiser ME66 micro- adult male, Paiela Road (05°30.183’S, 143°04.866’E; 2,900 m phone and analysed with Avisoft-SAS Lab Pro soft- asl), near Porgera Town, Enga Province, Papua New Guinea, ware. Specimens are housed in the herpetological col- collected by S. Richards on 5 September 2005. lections of the Natural Sciences Resource Collection Paratypes. SAMA R66101 (FN SJR 9697), ZMB 76958 (FN of the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG), the SJR 9696) and ZMB 76959 (FN SJR 9713). Same details as South Australian Museum, Adelaide (SAMA), and in holotype but SAMA R66101 and ZMB 76958 collected on 4 the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin (ZMB) and bear September 2005. All three paratypes are males; ZMB 76959 is now an osteological preparation. registration numbers of these institutions. Diagnosis. A relatively large (SUL of males 18.0 – Material compared 19.6 mm) species of Albericus with short legs (TL/ SUL 0.34-0.38), rather narrow head (HW/SUL 0.35 – We examined the type series of Albericus laurini and A. tu- 0.41), medium-sized fi nger and toe discs, fi nger discs ber culus and the following additional Albericus type speci- somewhat wider than toe discs (T4D/F3D 0.86 – 0.92) mens: A. alpestris (paratypes BPBM 5626 – 5627); A. brun - and eye-naris distance the same as internarial distance hil dae (holotype UPNG 7192, paratypes UPNG 7188 – 7191, (END/IND 0.88 – 1.06). Colour of dorsal surfaces off- 7193 – 7196); A. darlingtoni (eight paratopotypes MCZ 25931 – 25939); A. ex clamitans (paratypes PNGM A23997 – 24002); A. white to brown with dark brown and a few light spots fafniri (ho lo type UPNG 5562, paratypes UPNG 5563 – 5566); and a whitish interocular bar. Advertisement calls A. gu dru nae (holotype UPNG 8124, paratypes UPNG 8123, are uttered in series with irregular distances between 8125); A. gunnari (holotype UPNG 5240, paratypes UPNG 4153 – calls. The call itself is a buzz of 229 – 275 ms duration 4154); A. rhenaurum (holotype UPNG 4417, para type UPNG with 188 – 243 pulses per second and a dominant fre- 4418); A. siegfriedi (holotype UPNG 3480, para types UPNG quency of 3.3 kHz. 3481, 3483 – 85, 3487 – 93); A. swanhildae (holo type UPNG 5572, paratypes UPNG 5573-5576, 5591 – 5592); A. valkuria- rum (ho lotype UPNG 9454, and about 80 para types); A. varie- Description of the holotype. For morphological ga tus (holo type ZMA 5706). We also referred to the paper by char acters see Plate I and for body measurements and Kraus & Al lison (2005) who present measure ments of all Al- body ratios see Table 1. Head width (in the region of be ri cus spe cies described to that date. tympana) greater than head length (HL/HW 0.91); Material of the genus Cophixalus examined by us is listed in neck region clearly constricted; snout in dorsal view the papers by Richards, Johnston & Burton (1992), Gün- rounded with a small tip and truncate in profi le; loreal ther (2003a, 2006a) and Richards & Oliver (2007, 2010). region oblique, no canthus rostralis; nostrils antero- Specimens of the genus Oreophryne studied by us are listed laterally directed and near tip of snout, visible from in the papers by Richards & Iskandar (2000); Günther, Richards & Iskandar (2001); Günther (2003b and 2003c); above but not from below; internarial distance slight- Zweifel, Cogger & Richards (2005); and Günther et al. ly greater than distance between eye and naris; pupil (2009). horizontally oval. Tongue broad, scarcely notched and its posterior and lateral parts free; no clearly serrated prepharyngeal ridge, long vocal slits on both sides of Abbreviations of collections the tongue.