TAXONOMY, RELATIONSHIPS AND CONSERVATION OF A NEW GENUS AND SPECIES OF MYOBATRACHID FROG FROM THE HIGH RAINFALL REGION OF SOUTHWESTERN AUSTRALIA

We describe a frog, Spicospina flammocaerulea gen. et sp. nov., from t he high rainfall region of southwestern Australia. Spicospina is defin ed by spines on the transverse processes of presacral vertebrae III an d can be recognized by the massive parotoid glands and distinctive ora nge and blue ventral coloration. Immunological comparisons based on al bumin and karyotype suggest that this frog represents another major li neage in the subfamily Myobatrachinae, thus warranting generic status. This lineage is more closely related to Uperoleia, Pseudophryne, Myob atrachus, Arenophryne, and Metacrinia than to other Myobatrachine gene ra. The single species is only known from three dystrophic swamps (are a of occupancy 0.05 km(2), extent of occurrence 3.63 km(2)) in far sou thwestern Australia. This is the third, new, restricted frog species d escribed in the last 10 yr from the high rainfall region of southweste rn Australia and demonstrates the inadequacy of documentation of biodi versity in this region.