ZOBODAT - www.zobodat.at Zoologisch-Botanische Datenbank/Zoological-Botanical Database Digitale Literatur/Digital Literature Zeitschrift/Journal: Herpetozoa Jahr/Year: 2006 Band/Volume: 19_1_2 Autor(en)/Author(s): Günther Rainer Artikel/Article: Two new tiny Cophixalus species with reduced Thumbs from the west of New Guinea (Anura: Microhylidae) Zwei neue kleine Cophixalus-Arten mit reduzierten Daumen aus dem Westen von Neuguinea (Anura: Microhylidae) 59-75 ©Österreichische Gesellschaft für Herpetologie e.V., Wien, Austria, download unter www.biologiezentrum.at HERPETOZOA 19 (1/2): 59 - 75 59 Wien, 30. Juli 2006 Two new tiny Cophixalus species with reduced thumbs from the west of New Guinea (Anura: Microhylidae) Zwei neue kleine Cophixalus-Arten mit reduzierten Daumen aus dem Westen von Neuguinea (Anura: Microhylidae) RAINER GÜNTHER KURZFASSUNG Aus dem westlichen Teil der Insel Neuguinea, der heutigen indonesischen Provinz Papua, sind bisher erst drei Arten der Gattung Cophixalus bekannt. Hier werden zwei weitere eng miteinander verwandte Arten anhand von Aufsammlungen in den Jahren 1999-2003 beschrieben. Mit Kopf-Rumpf-Längen der Männchen von 14-17 mm gehören beide zu den kleinsten Spezies der Gattung Cophixalus. Ihr charakteristischstes Merkmal sind die völlig reduzierten Daumen (erste Finger). Im Gegensatz zu den meisten anderen Arten haben sie schnarrende (schwirrende) Anzeigerufe, die im Wesentlichen aus Doppelimpulsen bestehen, und sie halten sich nicht auf Gräsern, Kräutern, Büschen oder Bäumen, sondern auf dem Erdboden auf. Beide neuen Arten unterscheiden sich voneinander im Färbungsmuster, in den Anzeigerufen und in der Basensequenz des mitochondrialen 12S rRNS Gens. Am nächsten mit ihnen verwandt ist Cophixalus bewaniensis aus dem Westen von Papua Neuguinea. Von ihm unterscheiden sich die neuen Arten durch bestimmte Körpermaße (TL/SUL und END/IND), die Anzeigerufe (C. bewaniensis äußert Pfiffe) und den Aufenthaltsort (Erdboden statt Blattwerk). ABSTRACT Three species of the genus Cophixalus are currently known from the western part of the island of New Guinea, today the Indonesian province of Papua. Here, two new, closely-related species are described based on collections made between 1999-2003. With a snout-urostyle length in males from 14-17 mm, both belong to the smallest species of the genus Cophixalus. Their main characteristic is a completely reduced thumb (first finger). In contrast to most other species they have a rattling (whirring) advertisement call consisting mainly of double pul- ses, and they are not found on grass, herbage, bushes or trees, but rather on the ground. Both new species can be differentiated from one another based on their colour pattern, advertisement call and base sequence of the mito- chondrial 12S rRNA gene. The closest related species is Cophixalus bewaniensis from western Papua New Guinea. The two new species differ from this one in certain body proportions (TL/SUL and END/IND), their advertisement calls (C. bewaniensis utters whistles/peeps) and habits (ground-dwelling rather than climbing in vegetation). KEY WORDS Amphibia: Anura: Microhylidae: Cophixalus; new species, morphology, osteology, biology, behaviour, advertisement call, habitat, mitochondrial (mt) 12S rRNA, Papua Province, Indonesia, New Guinea INTRODUCTION The curious history of the genus Guinea and in north-eastern Australia. One name Cophixalus was discussed at length species is known from the island of Halma- in a recent paper by GÜNTHER (2003). hera and only three from the Papua Pro- Today, 34 species of this genus are recog- vince of Indonesia, the former Irian Jaya nized (FROST 1998-2004). With a few ex- (GÜNTHER 2003). The smallest adult size ceptions, all live in the eastern part of New (snout-vent-length) is 14 mm in some spe- ©Österreichische Gesellschaft für Herpetologie e.V., Wien, Austria, download unter www.biologiezentrum.at 60 R. GÜNTHER cies and the largest is about 50 mm in C. KRAUS & ALLISON (2000), on the basis riparius (ZWEIFEL 1962). Almost all spe- of two specimens, recently described the cies live scansorial, whereby the leaves of new tiny species C. bewaniensis with only bushes in montane tropical rain forests are three fingers and a characteristic colouration preferred. Exceptions are C. saxatilis from central northern New Guinea. During which inhabits the interspaces of treeless short periods of field work in western New granite boulders in north-eastern Australia Guinea in the years between 1999 and 2003 (ZWEIFEL & PARKER 1977) and C. sphagni- I found among others two microhylid forms cola which settles leaf litter, moss and fern which are very similar to C. bewaniensis. clumps or grass tussocks in higher altitudes Some conspicuous differences prompted and also outside forests (ZWEIFEL & ALLI- me, however, to describe them as two new SON 1982). species here. MATERIALS AND METHODS Most frogs were collected at night of eyes to tip of snout; END - distance from after locating them by their advertisement anterior corner of orbital opening to centre calls. A few specimens were collected of naris; IND - internarial distance between during the day or at night when they were centres of nares; ED - eye diameter: from accidentally found. Some specimens were anterior to posterior corner of orbital ope- photographed in life and many specimens ning; OCD - distance between posterior were fixed in 2 % formalin. Part of the orbital "corners". frogs were stored in about 80 % ethanol to Advertisement calls were recorded enable later DNA sequencing. All speci- under natural conditions with a Sony® mens were transferred to 75 % ethanol in Digital Audio Tape (DAT) Walkman TCD- the museum's collection. Two specimens D 100 and a Sennheiser® microphone MKE were cleared and stained as osteological 300 and analysed with Avisoft-SAS® Lab preparations according to a method modi- software. All specimens are currently sto- fied from DINGERKUS & UHLER (1977). red in the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin The following measurements were (ZMB) and bear registration numbers of this taken with a sliding calliper (> 10 mm) or institution. Part of the type series will be with a binocular dissecting microscope fit- transferred to the Museum Zoologicum ted with an ocular micrometer (< 10 mm) to Bogoriense (MZB) after completion of the the nearest 0.1 mm: studies. SUL - snout-urostyle length: from tip For morphological comparisons were of snout to distal tip of urostyle-bone; SUL studied: the holotype and one paratype of is about 1 mm shorter than snout-vent Cophixalus bewaniensis (BPBM 13740 and length (SVL). As the measurement error is 13741) stored in the collection of the Ber- higher in the latter, I prefer the former cha- nice Bishop Museum in Honolulu; a series racteristic. In general, both measurements of 8 specimens of C. shellyi (AMNH 67610- can be treated as more or less identically; 12, 81147, 81654, 87202-04), of 4 C. pipi- TL - tibia length: external distance between lans (AMNH 83000, 83001, 83003 and knee and ankle; TaL - length of tarsus: 83006), of 10 C. cheesmanae (AMNH external distance, tarsal and ankle joints 74916-20, 101882-886) and of 5 C. biroi held at right angles; T4D - transverse dia- (AMNH 78108-112) stored in the American meter of disc of 4th toe; F3D - transverse Museum of Natural History in New York diameter of disc of 3rd finger; TyD - hori- and specimens of C. balbus, C. tetzlaffi and zontal diameter of tympanum; HL - head C. riparius in the ZMB-collection. length: from tip of snout to posterior margin Figures 1 and 7 were drawn and fig. of tympanum; HW - head width, taken in 11 was digitised by NILS HOFF (ZMB), all the region of tympana; SL - snout length: others are by the author. from an imaginary line connecting centres ©Österreichische Gesellschaft für Herpetologie e.V., Wien, Austria, download unter www.biologiezentrum.at Two new tiny Cophixalus species with reduced thumbs from the west of New Guinea 61 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW SPECIES Cophixalus tridactylus spec. nov. Holotype: ZMB 62338 (field num- ber = FN 7044). Adult male, collected by R. GÜNTHER and S. MARANI in the Wondiwoi Mountains 7 km west of the coast of the Umar Bay, base of the Wandammen Pen- insula, 540 m a.s.l., 2°58'S and 134°38'E, Papua, Province of Indonesia, 28 August 1999. Paratypes: ZMB 62331 (FN 6999, now an osteological preparation), ZMB 62332 (FN 6935), ZMB 62333 (FN 6954), ZMB 62334 (FN 6972), ZMB 62335 (FN 6980), ZMB 62336 (FN 6981), ZMB 62337 (FN 6998) and ZMB 62339 (FN 7048); these paratypes were collected between 22 and 29 August 1999. ZMB 62594 (FN 7209), ZMB 62595 (FN 7210), ZMB 62596 (FN 7211) 62597 (FN 7235), all collected on 7 and 8 May 2000. ZMB 69696 - 69703 (FN 7615, 7630, 7631, 7632, 7726, 7727, 7728 and one specimen without FN), collec- ted from 23 June to 26 June 2003. All para- types lived on the eastern slopes of the Wondiwoi Mountains at the base of the Wandammen Peninsula between 400 and 800 m a.s.l. Collectors were R. GÜNTHER, M. KAPISA, S. MARANI and G. MAREKU. Most specimens are adult males (n = 16), ZMB 62333, 62594 and 62596 are adult females, ZMB 62339 is a juvenile of 10.4 mm SUL. Diagnosis: With 14.3-16.2 mm SUL in males (n = 17) and 18.3-20.1 mm SUL in females (n = 3) the new species belongs to the smallest of its genus. The complete absence of first fingers (thumbs) in combi- nation with toe tips wider than finger tips and a terrestrial pattern of life distinguishes the new species from all other members of the genus except Cophixalus bewaniensis. The latter has longer tibiae (TL/SUL 0.52- 0.53 vs 0.45-0.52) and a lower ratio END/ IND (0.74-0.75 vs 0.83-1.00). Moreover, the new species is a ground dweller and utters fast rattling (whirring) advertisement Fig. 1 : Holotype of Cophixalus tridactylus spec.