Two new species of microhylid frogs (Cophixalus, Oreophryne) from the Purari River Basin, Papua New Guinea
- 14 March 2025
- journal article
- Published by Magnolia Press in Zootaxa
- Vol. 5604 (3) , 234-254
Abstract
We describe two new species of asterophryine microhylid frogs from the Gulf Province lowlands of south-central Papua New Guinea. Cophixalus flavopunctatus sp. nov. is a small member of the genus (SUL 13.5–15.5 mm) that is most commonly encountered on stream banks. It can be distinguished from all congeners by its small size and the presence of yellow tubercles on the dorsum. Calling activity appears to peak in the early morning and evening when males produce a train of melodious peeping notes from within litter on the forest floor. Oreophryne purari sp. nov. is a medium-sized member of the genus (SUL 24.0 mm in the only male) that calls at night from high in the forest canopy with a series of harsh honking notes. Its morphology and call structure closely resemble O. loriae (Boulenger, 1898), a species known from eastern Papua New Guinea, but it differs from that species by having a cartilaginous connection between the procoracoid and the scapula (vs. a ligamentous connection), and by several aspects of morphometrics and colouration. The discovery and description of these two species adds to an already impressive known frog diversity in the lowland forests of southern Papua New Guinea.Keywords
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