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

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.

We describe a new-species of high elevation rainforest shrub frog (genus Platymantis) from the Nakanai Mountains of eastern New Britain (Bismarck Archipelago), Papua New Guinea. The distinctive new species possesses a moderate body size (29.5-32.2 mm in four males), widely expanded finger and toe disks, smooth to slightly granular dorsal skin, low but distinctly protuberant supraocular and tarsal tubercles, a conspicuous series of bright yellow flank areolations, a low but distinct intraocular sagittal crest, bronze-brown iris, and a unique advertisement call. We compare the new species with congeneric New Britain taxa and to other phenotypically similar species from the Solomon-Bismarck-Admiralty archipelagos. The new species is phenotypically most similar to P macrosceles Zweifel 1975, and has been collected at only one high elevation site (Tompoi Camp). The available data suggest that the new species, known from 1700 m, is elevationally segregated from P. macroscles (to date, only recorded from 800-900 m in the Nakanai Mountains). New Britain Island has emerged as a major center of endemic ceratobatrachid species diversity. Additional species are anticipated to result from ongoing field work, especially in the western portion of the island, which remains largely unexplored.

We describe a new species of high-elevation rainforest tree frog (genus Platymantis) from the Nakanai Mountains, New Britain Island, Bismarck Archipelago, Southwestern Pacific. The new species is characterized by moderate body size (34.2–35.8 mm for four males), widely expanded terminal digital disks of the fingers and toes, smooth skin of the dorsum, a distinctive color pattern, and a complex, amplitude-modulated advertisement call produced in groups of 3–6 notes. We compare the new species to all known species of Platymantis from New Britain and to additional phenotypically similar species from the Solomon Islands and Fiji. It is most similar to P. nexipus, a species known previously from only a single specimen. We rediagnose and redescribe P. nexipus on the basis of the holotype and ten recently collected specimens, provide the first descriptions of the advertisement calls of both species, and comment on an additional suspected undescribed species from the Nakanai Mountains of New Britain Island.

We describe a new species of high-elevation rain-forest tree frog (genus Platymantis) from New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. It is characterized by moderate body size (males 27.4–30.7 mm), widely expanded finger and toe disks, smooth dorsal skin, a distinct reticulate dorsal color pattern, and numerous spectral and temporal characteristics of the advertisement call. The new species inhabits shrub layer vegetation in canopy gaps in primary montane rain forests of the Nakanai Mountain Range above 1500 m. We compare the new species to all known Platymantis from New Britain and to other morphologically similar species from the Bismarck archipelago, Solomon Islands, and Fiji. We also redescribe Platymantis macrosceles from the holotype and two new specimens from the Nakanai Mountains. We suspect that anuran species diversity on the large and topographically complex island of New Britain is currently underestimated.

We describe a new species of forest frog (genus Platymantis) from Mt. Malinao, Bicol Peninsula, southern Luzon Island, The Philippines. The new species is distinguished from congeners by a moderate body size (28.3–39.1 mm for eight males; 49.8–52.7 in two females), slightly expanded terminal finger and toe disks, a distinct color pattern, a unique microhabitat preference, and various spectral and temporal aspects of the advertisement call. The new species is known only from 950–1160 m above sea level on Mt. Malinao and, as such, accentuates this mountain's unrecognized conservation significance as a minor center of herpetological diversity and endemism on southern Luzon. We compare the new species to all presumably related (phenotypically similar) species of Platymantis from the Philippines and comment on apparent trends in morphological evolution and habitat preference in Philippine members of the genus Platymantis. Current understanding of Platymantis species diversity throughout this topograph...

We describe a new species of forest frog (genus Platymantis) from 180-300 m above sea level on Mt. Lihidan in the northwestern part of Panay Island, Philippines. It is assigned to the Platymantis dorsalis species group and is distinguished from congeners by external morphology, various spectral and temporal components of the advertisement call, and a preference for terrestrial, limestone microhabitat. Unique morphological characters include a moderately large body (27.7-34.3 mm SVL for 15 males), slightly expanded terminal finger and toe discs, distinctly rugose dorsal and lateral skin, pronounced supratympanic fold, protuberant rictal tubercle cluster, hidden dorsal and posterior edges of tympanum, and unique coloration.

One significant challenge to biodiversity assessment and conservation is persistent gaps in species diversity knowledge in Earth’s most biodiverse areas. Monitoring devices that utilize species-specific advertisement calls show promise in overcoming challenges associated with lagging frog species discovery rates. However, these devices generate data at paces faster than it can be analyzed. As such, automated platforms capable of efficient data processing and accurate species-level identification are at a premium. In addressing this gap, we used TensorFlow Inception v3 to design a robust, automated species identification system for 41 Philippine frog species (genus Platymantis), utilizing single-note audio spectrograms. With this model, we explored two concepts: (1) performance of our deep-learning model in discriminating closely-related frog species based on images representing advertisement call notes, and (2) the potential of this platform to accelerate new species discovery. TensorFlow identified species with a ~ 94% overall correct identification rate. Incorporating distributional data increased the overall identification rate to ~ 99%. In applying TensorFlow to a dataset that included undescribed species in addition to known species, our model was able to differentiate undescribed species through variation in “certainty” rate; the overall certainty rate for undescribed species was 65.5% versus 83.6% for described species. This indicates that, in addition to discriminating recognized frog species, our model has the potential to flag possible new species. As such, this work represents a proof-of-concept for automated, accelerated detection of novel species using acoustic mate-recognition signals, that can be applied to other groups characterized by vibrational cues, seismic signals, and vibrational mate-recognition.

A new species of forest frog of the genus Platymantis is described from an elevation of 140 m in the Taft Forest Reserve in eastern Samar Island, Philippines. It is assigned to the Platymantis guentheri Species Group, a group of primarily arboreal species, and is distinguished from these and other congeners by features of its external morphology and its preferred terrestrial, limestone microhabitat. Several striking morphological characters include a large body (34.2–39.1 mm SVL for 9 males and 44.3–49.8 mm SVL for 9 females), greatly expanded finger and toe discs, large eyes, spotted flanks, and sparsely-distributed, salmon-colored dorsal dermal tubercles. The new species represents the second largest Philippine Platymantis, the third terrestrial species in the P. guentheri Group, and the only known species of Platymantis from the Mindanao Faunal Region with a preference for forested, karst habitats.

We describe a new species of Cornufer, subgenus Batrachylodes, from high-elevation forests of New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Eastern Melanesia. The new species, Cornufer exedrus sp. nov., is a biogeographically disjunct member of the Batrachylodes clade, representing the first record of the subgenus from outside of the Solomon Archipelago. The new species is a small terrestrial form from dense, closed-canopy forests above 1500 meters elevation in the Nakanai Mountains of eastern New Britain. It differs from its closest relatives, the other members of the subgenus Batrachylodes, on the basis of its minute body size, degree of digital disc expansion, reduced subdigital tuberculation, color pattern, and other traits related to its small size. We also provide a description of the new species' simple advertisement call. The diversity of ceratobatrachid frogs of the Bismarck Archipelago is most likely still underestimated despite several recent surveys. Our understanding of evolutionary trends and species boundaries in the subgenus Batrachylodes currently is hampered by lack of genetic samples and call recordings corresponding to voucher specimens of the endemic species of Bougainville Island.

We describe a fantastic new species of forest frog (Mantellidae: Gephyromantis: subgenus: Laurentomantis) from moderately high elevations in the vicinity of Andasibe, Madagascar. This region has been surveyed extensively and has a remarkably high anuran diversity with many undocumented species still being discovered. Surprisingly, by exploring areas around Andasibe that lacked biodiversity surveys, we discovered a spectacular and clearly morphologically distinct species, previously unknown to science, Gephyromantis marokorokosp. nov., documented for the first time in 2015. The new species is well characterised by a very rugose and granular dorsum, dark brown skin with bright red mottling, sparse light orange to white spots on the ventre, vibrant red eyes and femoral glands present only in males that consist of eight medium-sized granules. Bioacoustically, the new species has a quiet advertisement call that differs from related species by having a moderate call duration, 2–4 strongly pulsed notes and a slow note repetition rate. Furthermore, it has substantial differentiation in mitochondrial DNA, with pairwise distances of 7–9% to all other related species in sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA marker. Additional evidence is given through a combined four mitochondrial markers and four nuclear exons concatenated species tree, strongly supporting G. striatus as the sister species of the new species in both analyses. The discovery of this new species highlights the need for continued inventory work in high elevation rainforests of Madagascar, even in relatively well-studied regions.

We describe two new species of forest frogs in the genus Platymantis from the Isabel Island group, Solomon Islands. One new species is a medium-sized, terrestrial form that is morphologically most similar to P. weberi (a widespread Solomon Islands species). The other new species is an arboreal frog that is morphologically similar to Platymantis neckeri (known from Bougainville, Choiseul, and Isabel islands). Both new species possess unique advertisement calls that distinguish them from all sympatric congeners. Because acoustic characteristics function as the primary mate-recognition signals for anuran species, and are therefore an excellent indicator of the status of unique evolutionary lineages, we recognize each as new species. We diagnose both new species on the basis of their distinctive advertisement calls and in the case of the terrestrial form, by differences in body size, body proportions and skin texture. The diversity of ceratobatrachid frogs of the Solomon islands and Bougainville is underestimated and in need of a comprehensive taxonomic review coupled with a standardized survey of acoustic characters.

Many herpetofauna species in the Pacific region have undergone dramatic declines due to invasive species, primarily introduced predators. Fiji has two species of endemic frogs (Family Ranidae, Genus Platymantis) one of which, the Fiji Ground Frog, P. vitianus, has been extirpated from much of its original range due to the mongoose Herpestes javanicus. We conducted a short-term follow up survey to confirm an earlier report (September 2003) of the co-existence between mongoose and the ground frog on mainland Fiji (Vanua Levu). We used systematic nocturnal and diurnal surveys to census the frog fauna of Waisali Reserve and described microhabitat and threatening processes. A series of key management actions are outlined to facilitate the long-term conservation of this frog in the reserve.

T is a great honour to be asked by the Royal Geographical Society to deliver this lecture and, particularly, to have the opportunity of showing coloured films of some of the phases of the campaign in the south-west Pacific under General MacArthur and also the naval activities under Admiral Nimitz, in both of whose commands I have had the honour to serve during the last three years. By the treacherous blow which the Japanese Navy struck at Pearl Harbour in the Hawaiian islands on 7 December 1941, the Japanese hoped to be able to spread so far across the Pacific that before the British Empire and United States forces could challenge their initiative they would, at least, have ensured that the homelands of Japan were out of range of our strategic bombers. That advantage was maintained until, in recent months, by the reoccupation of Guam, Tinian, and Saipan in the Marianas islands, we were able to establish bases for Super-Fortresses within range of Japan. The extent to which the Japanese spread throughout the Pacific has not been appreciated in Great Britain, so long preoccupied by events nearer home. From Japan and Formosa they spread through China, Malaya, Singapore, the East Indies, New Guinea, the Bismarck archipelago, and the Admiralty islands; and they also spread through the Solomons. They possessed the Carolines under mandate and the Marianas, but they took Guam, which was United States territory. Farther east they possessed the Marshalls, but they spread into the Gilbert islands which were British, and threatened the Phoenix and Ellice islands farther south. By 15 February 1942 the Japanese had taken Singapore. Four days later they were bombing Darwin from Timor island, the limit of their southern advance, only some 500 miles distant. By early March they had entered Lae and Salamaua on the north New Guinea coast and were attempting to cross to Port Moresby, to form a base for the invasion of Australia. They had mustered an army of about 250,000 for that invasion and at that time could easily have taken Darwin, for, with the British Navy engaged elsewhere and the U.S. Navy temporarily out of action, the seas lay open. The Japanese did not take Darwin because it led only into the Australian bush. Nearly 1000 miles south of Darwin lies Alice Springs in the heart of Australia. Except for a light-gauge railway for the first 200 or 300 miles there was no communication except by bush track. Australian and American engineers were allowed ninety days in which to build a highway along that track for convoys carrying troops and equipment to defend Darwin, as it was not then possible to defend the town from the sea. That great highway was completed in eighty-eight days and is an outstanding engineering achievement of the war in the south-west Pacific. Along it since 1942 three great convoys have left Alice Springs each morning, carrying troops, equipment, and supplies over the 1000 miles to Darwin.

ABSTRACTAs the most abundant, and frequently the only, archaeological evidence preserved within the volcanic soils of the Willaumez Peninsula, Papua New Guinea, stone artefacts carry a heavy burden for scholars seeking to write the prehistory of subsistence and land use. Efforts to squeeze information from these recalcitrant informal assemblages of obsidian tools have produced contradictory and unsatisfactory results. Although alternative approaches should certainly be sought to find ways to make these silent stones speak about topics that archaeologists want to hear, other important stories concerning social process and exchange are beginning to be told by ongoing research being developed in West New Britain. These new results raise broader questions about the social functions of humble stone tools in other parts of the world.

Two new species of the ceratobatrachid frog genus Platymantis are described from the Admiralty Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. Platymantis admiraltiensis sp. nov. and P. latro sp. nov. have been confused with P. gilliardi Zweifel, 1960 which is known with certainty only from New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago. Platymantis admiraltiensis sp. nov. differs from P. gilliardi in its much longer legs (TL/SV 0.54–0.60 vs 0.51 in the holotype of P. gilliardi), and from all species of the morphologically conservative P. papuensis complex by its advertisement call, a long series of slowly-repeated (~ 0.4–1.9/s) yapping notes lasting up to 44 seconds. Platymantis latro sp. nov. differs from P. gilliardi and all other members of the P. papuensis complex in having a broad dark stripe laterally on the head and an advertisement call consisting of a single biphasic note with 10–20 short, irregularly spaced pulses followed by one long, musical pulse. Both new species are known only from the Admiralty Archipelago. This study confirms the utility of advertisement call structure for distinguishing among morphologically similar ceratobatrachid taxa.