A new species of Leiopelma frog (Amphibia: Anura: Leiopelmatidae) from the late Pliocene of New Zealand

The fossil record of Leiopelma frogs in New Zealand is patchy, with remains previously reported only from the early Miocene (16–19 Mya) and late Quaternary (past 20 Ka). Here we describe Leiopelma bishopi n. sp. from the late Pliocene (3.7–2.4 Ma) of the eastern South Island. The subsequent extinction of frogs in this region is likely due to increased aridity following uplift of the Southern Alps and cooling associated with the Pleistocene Ice Ages. Discoveries from this unique Pliocene terrestrial fossil locality provide new and significant insights into how the dynamic climatic and geological history of Zealandia has shaped the evolution of its recent biota, especially for groups with a poor pre-Quaternary fossil record. LSID:urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:457F4C99-A561-4C3B-802C-3412EA3D7D42 Abbreviations: SVL: snout-vent length; NMNZ: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, New Zealand; WO: Waitomo Caves Museum, Waitomo, New Zealand

新西兰滑跖蟾属（Leiopelma）青蛙的化石记录较为零散，此前仅见于中新世早期（1600万至1900万年前）与晚第四纪（距今2万年以内）的地层报道。本文记述了产自南岛东部上新世晚期（370万至240万年前）的新种毕晓普滑跖蟾（Leiopelma bishopi n. sp.）。该区域滑跖蟾的后续灭绝，大概率源于南阿尔卑斯山抬升后干旱程度加剧，以及更新世冰期伴随的气候变冷。这一独特的上新世陆生化石点的发现，为探究西兰迪亚（Zealandia）动态变化的气候与地质历史如何塑造其现代生物群的演化提供了全新且关键的见解，尤其针对那些前第四纪化石记录匮乏的生物类群。
LSID：urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:457F4C99-A561-4C3B-802C-3412EA3D7D42
缩写说明：
SVL：吻肛长（snout-vent length）；
NMNZ：新西兰惠灵顿特·帕帕汤加雷瓦国家博物馆（Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa）；
WO：新西兰怀托摩洞穴博物馆（Waitomo Caves Museum）