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Issue: Vol. 3476 No. 1: 10 Sep. 2012
Type: Articles
Published: 2012-09-10
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3476.1.4
Page range: 69–85
Abstract views: 78
PDF downloaded: 1

A new species of Pseudophryne (Anura: Myobatrachidae) from the central Australian ranges

The South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, 5000, Australia Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Newcastle, 2308, Australia
The South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, 5000, Australia
Amphibia mitochondrial DNA frog Myobatrachidae Pseudophryne phylogeny species systematics

Abstract

The myobatrachid frog genus Pseudophryne is highly variable in color pattern in eastern Australia where many species are distinguished by distinctive dorsal patterns. In contrast Pseudophryne from the western half of the continent are morphologically conservative. Two nominal species are widespread in south-western Australia and north-western South Australia, with one, P. occidentalis, being found in semi-arid and arid regions. Using mitochondrial DNA and morphological characters we establish that populations in the ranges of north-western South Australia assigned to P. occidentalis are a separate species. The new species comprises one of four major lineages of Pseudophryne while P. occidentalis falls within another lineage confined to south-western Australia.

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