A key to the microhylid frogs of Australia, and new distributional data

The frog family Microhylidae is represented in Australia by Cophixalus (14 species) and Austrochaperina (5 species). The majority of these species have small rainforest distributions in north-east Queensland, primarily at higher altitude. Research on Australian microhylid frogs is increasing due to recognition of their importance in assessments of biodiversity and evolutionary history of rainforest areas, and due to their predicted susceptibility to global climate change. Accurate species identification is therefore imperative. Most of the Australian species are morphologically very similar, making identification (even between the two genera) difficult. A key to identify all 19 Australian microhylid species is provided, based on a combination of morphology, colour and pattern, calls, and distributions. The key is suitable for use in the field as well as for preserved specimens. Distributional data incorporating new records from recent fieldwork is also presented