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Issue: Vol. 1334 No. 1: 16 Oct. 2006
Type: Articles
Published: 2006-10-16
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1334.1.3
Page range: 45–68
Abstract views: 44
PDF downloaded: 2

A new morphologically cryptic species of forest frog (genus Platymantis) from New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center, University of Kansas, Dyche Hall, 1345 Jayhawk Blvd, Lawrence, KS 66045-7561, USA.
Vertebrates Department, South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, S.A. 5000, Australia
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center, University of Kansas, Dyche Hall, 1345 Jayhawk Blvd, Lawrence, KS 66045-7561, USA
School of Natural Resources and Environment, Dana Hall, 440 Church St. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1041, USA
Amphibia forest frogs wrinkled frogs Platymantis Bismarck Archipelago SW Pacific advertisement calls cryptic species diversity

Abstract

We describe a new species of forest frog in the genus Platymantis from New Britain Island, Bismark Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. The new species is a morphologically cryptic form that has masqueraded for almost four decades under the name P. schmidti (formerly P. papuensis schmidti, Brown & Tyler, 1968). The new species is microsympatric with the geographically widespread P. schmidti at two known localities. We diagnose the new species on the basis of its distinctive advertisement call and slight but consistent differences in body size and proportions. Calling males of the new species appear to prefer more elevated perches than do males of P. schmidti and the new species may exhibit a greater extent of sexual size dimorphism.

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