Description of six new species of Xenorhina Peters, 1863 from southern Papua New Guinea (Amphibia, Anura, Microhylidae)

By

Günther, Rainer
Richards, Stephen

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2021

Original Publication

Zoosystematics and evolution

Volume

97

Pages

355--382

Subjects

ACOUSTICS , Asterophryinae , central cordillera , fossorial frogs , Morphology , odontoid spike , rainforest , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia Pensoft

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.97.59696

 

Abstract

We describe six new species of the microhylid frog genus Xenorhina from the southern slopes of Papua New Guinea’s central cordillera and adjacent lowlands, based on a combination of morphological (including osteology) and bioacoustic features. All of the new species are fossorial or terrestrial inhabitants of tropical rainforest habitats and belong to a group of Xenorhina having a single, enlarged odontoid spike on each vomeropalatine bone. Advertisement calls and habitat preferences are described for each species, one of which is amongst the smallest hitherto members of the genus. Description of these six species brings the total number of Xenorhina known to 40 and emphasises the importance of the high-rainfall belt that extends along the southern flanks of New Guinea’s central cordillera as a hotspot of Melanesian amphibian diversity.