PROC. BIOL. SOC. WASH. 91(4), 1978, pp. 965-971 A NEW PLATYMANTIS (AMPHIBIA: RANIDAE) FROM NEW IRELAND, WITH NOTES ON THE AMPHIBIANS OF THE BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO Walter C. Brown and James I. Menzies Abstract. — A new species of Platymantis, P. nuignus, is described from New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago, and its probable relationship to other platymantids in the Bismarck, Solomon, and Fiji Islands is discussed. Lists of amphibians recorded from New Ireland and New Britain are also given. Zweifel (1960) noted the apparent impoverished nature of the amphibian fauna of the Bismarck Archipelago when the number of known species ( 8 ) was compared with the Solomon Islands to the southeast (16 species at that time, now 24) and New Guinea to the southwest (123 species). He suggested that more species, but not a large number, might be added as a result of further exploration. He further suggested that a more recent geologic origin of the Bismarck group might account for the impoverished fauna. It is of interest, therefore, to summarize briefly the history of our knowledge of this faunal element in the Archipelago prior to 1960 and of additions to our knowledge since 1960. Werner (1900) listed a total of 5 species of amphibians, all 5 from New Britain, one each from Mioka and New Lanenburg (=Duke of York), small islands at the east end of New Britain, and none from New Ireland or New Hanover. Actually, he placed Pelodryas militarius Ramsay, for which the type locality is New Ireland, in the synonymy of Hyla dolichophis Boulenger, but failed to note this in his distributional summary. Zweifel corrected this in his 1960 paper. Sternfeld (1920) referred a specimen from New Ireland to Cornufer punctata, but from his brief description we suspect that it was an example of Platymantis papuensis schmidti. Hediger (1934, p. 537 ff) also listed 5 species of amphibians for New Britain with some differences. His Hst did not include Hyla brachypus or Platymantis boulengeri, but he recognized Hyla (=Litona) militaria and Hyla {=Litona) infrafrenata as distinct species and included Rana (—Disco-deles) bufoniformis. Zweifel (1960), as noted above, recognized 8 species on New Britain, in-cluding Discodeles guppyi and a new Platymantis, P. gilliardi. He listed only one species, Hyla {=Litona) infrafrenata militaria, as occurring on New Ireland. More intensive field work in the Bismarcks since 1960 has added greatlv
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