A new montane microhylid frog from Papua New Guinea, and comments on the status of the genus Aphantophryne. American Museum novitates ; no. 2723

Abstract

"Discovery of an undescribed, ground-dwellingspecies of the largely scansorial genus Cophixalus led to the re-evaluation of the monotypic genus Aphantophryne to see if this genus, presently synonymized within Cophixalus, should be revived to accommodate its terrestrial type species, C. pansus, and the new form. The two species share some presumably derived features, but these are ones common to many microhylid species of similar ground-dwelling habits and do not necessarily indicate closeness of relationship. Evaluation of previously unstudied features of the anatomy of C. pansus does not support revival Aphantophryne either as a monotypic genus or to include the new species. The latter is described as Cophixalus sphagnicola, new species"--P. [1].