Litoria infrafrenata

Richards, Stephen J., Oliver, Paul, Dahl, Chris & Tjaturadi, Burhan, 2006, A new species of large green treefrog (Anura: Hylidae: Litoria) from northern New Guinea, Zootaxa 1208, pp. 57-68 : 58

Systematics of Litoria infrafrenata

Litoria infrafrenata is a large green frog that is superficially similar to our new species and has a complicated taxonomic history. The new species is substantially smaller than L. infrafrenata but exhibits a rather poorly defined off white labial stripe, suggesting there is some potential for confusion with juvenile L. infrafrenata .

Based on published descriptions or examination of specimens, all names synonymised with L. infrafrenata represent animals clearly assignable to that taxon and easily distinguished from the new species by a number of morphological characters. The types of Litoria dolichopsis (Cope, 1867) , L. dolichopsis var. tenuigranulata ( Boettger, 1895) and L. spengeli (Boulenger, 1912) are a minimum of 90 mm SV and often longer, substantially larger than the species described herein; furthermore the type of L. dolichopsis and one other synonym of Litoria infrafrenata ( L. guttata (Macleay, 1878)) , have partially­webbed (vs fully webbed) hands and a prominent off white labial stripe ( Macleay 1878, Boettger 1895, Fry 1913, Loveridge 1948, Copland 1957). The males in the type series of Litoria dolichopsis var. pollicaris ( Werner, 1898) have a very hard and protruding pollex rudiment, absent in the new species ( Werner 1898). In addition this taxon is from New Britain where survey work has found no evidence of any Litoria similar to the new species (Richards pers. obs.). The name Litoria dolichopsis var. calcarifera (Vogt, 1912) was apparently applied erroneously to specimens from the type series of L. d. pollicaris, therefore it is regarded as a lapsus ( Zweifel 1960, Günther pers. com.); in addition, as mentioned above, the specimens involved clearly represent L. infrafrenata . Finally Tyler (1968) and Günther (pers. comm.) have both examined the types of Litoria trinilensis (Ahl, 1929) and found them to possess reduced webbing between the fingers, like Litoria infrafrenata and unlike L. graminea or the new species from Utai.