Palmatorappia, AHL, 1927

Brown, Rafe M., Siler, Cameron D., Richards, Stephen J., Diesmos, Arvin C. & Cannatella, David C., 2015, Multilocus phylogeny and a new classification for Southeast Asian and Melanesian forest frogs (family Ceratobatrachidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (Zool. J. Linn. Soc.) 174 (1), pp. 130-168 : 151-152

SUBGENUS PALMATORAPPIA AHL, 1927

Type species

Hylella solomonis Sternfeld, 1920 .

Diagnosis

The single species Cornufer (Palmatorappia) heffernani (formerly Palmatorappia solomonis ; see below) can be readily diagnosed from other members of the genus Cornufer by having (1) a small, delicate, slender body and limbs (vs. more robust body form and limbs); (2) widely expanded terminal discs of fingers and toes (vs. non- to minimally expanded in some terrestrial riddle frogs of subgenus Aenigmanura , horned frogs of subgenus Ceratobatrachus , river frogs of subgenus Potamorana , and a few sticky-toed frogs of subgenus Batrachylodes ); (3) flattened subarticular tubercles of hands and feet (vs. subarticular tubercles rounded to pointed); (4) moderate interdigital webbing of fingers (unique amongst species of the genus Cornufer ) and toes (present as vestiges in Co. (Aenigmanura) nexipus (vs. absent or much more extensive); and (5) interdigital webbing extensive in Co. (D.) guppyi but moderate (one or two terminal phalanges free) in species of the subgenus Potamorana . We consider this suite of characters to be uniquely derived within Cornufer . Based on our phylogeny ( Fig. 2), moderate interdigital webbing of the manus appears to be a unique apomorphy distinguishing Palmatorappia from all other ceratobatrachids.

Phylogenetic definition

Palmatorappia is an apomorphy-based name for the clade ( Fig. 2, Clade U) originating in the ancestor in which the following apomorphy, synapomorphic with that in the various populations of Palmatorappia heffernani , originated: moderate interdigital webbing of the fingers.

Content

Cornufer (Pa.) heffernani (Kinghorn, 1928) ; formerly a junior synonym of Pa. solomonis ( Sternfeld, 1920) ; here designated a nomen substitutum; see below ( Table 3).

Comment

In general phenotypic characteristics and microhabitat preferences, the sole species of the subgenus Palmatorappia is unlike any other Solomon member of the genus Cornufer and, in fact, phenotypically and ecologically much more closely resembles the unrelat- ed members of the clade Platymantis (Tirahanulap) of the Philippines (formerly referred to as the Platymantis hazelae Group, sensu Brown et al., 1997a) and species of Cornufer (Aenigmanura) from the mountains of New Britain Island ( Co. macrosceles, Co. citrinospilus, Co. mamusiorum ) and Manus Island ( Co. custos ).

The allocation of the Solomon Islands palm frog, Pa. solomonis , originally Hylella solomonis , and Platymantis solomonis ( Boulenger, 1884) (a widespread Solomon Islands ground frog), originally Cornufer solomonis , to the genus Cornufer creates homonymy. That the identical species names belong to different subgenera within Cornufer is not relevant to the issue of homonymy (Article 57.4). Following the principle of priority we retain the senior homonym Co. solomonis Boulenger, 1884 ; in our classification the new combination is Cornufer (Aenigmanura) solomonis .

Hylella solomonis Sternfeld, 1920 , is the type and only species of Palmatorappia Ahl, 1927 ; the principle of homonymy requires that this junior homonym be replaced even though it would be desirable to maintain the name of the type species in the interest of stability. The only available junior synonym of Pa. solomonis is Hypsirana heffernani Kinghorn, 1928 , which was synonymized under Pa. solomonis by Brown (1952). Therefore, we designate Hyps. heffernani Kinghorn, 1928 , as a substitute name for Hyl. solomonis Sternfeld, 1920 . The species commonly known as Pa. solomonis will be Cornufer (Palmatorappia) heffernani comb. nov.

Etymology

Most likely from the Latin ‘palmat-’, meaning the condition in which the spaces between the digits are filled in (as by webbing), and Rappia , a patronym for Rapp, who named the genus Hyperolius . Günther (1865) unjustifiably proposed Rappia as a substitute name for Hyperolius Rapp, 1842 , so Rappia is a patronym and thus Palmatorappia is to be treated as masculine. Common name: Solomon Islands palmate frogs.