ECOLOGY, SYSTEMATICS A N D EVOLUTION OF AUSTRALIAN FROGS 69
The c d l of the breeding male is distinctive for all Western Aiistralian
species. M'here two, three or four speciea occur in the one locality no
intergrading calls have been found, indicating that hybridbation and
introgression between the species do not occur.
The calls have been analysed by oscilloempe (Littlejohn, 1965) and
sound spectrograph (Littlejohn and Main, 1959). The status of each of
the populations having distinctive male call typea has been analysed
by means of the techniques of in vitro crosses. The results are as follows:
N . centralis crossed to N . pelobatoides - one experiment, 58 eggs of
N. pebbatoidea were crossed to N. centralia male and 5 larvae hatched;
in the control cross 53 larvae hatched from 55 eggs. In another experiment 43 eggs from the above N. pelobatoides female were crossed to
male N . pictus from Seymour, Victoria; 31 larvae hatched. However,
although these hybrids were diploid and survived for four months, none
grew. N. wilsnmrei male crossed to N. sutor female; from 3 crosses involving 547 eggs, 7 normal frogs transformed. N. centralis male crossed
with N. sutor female; in one cross of 98 eggs, 14 hatched and one transformed into an apparently normal frog (Main, 1962 and unpublished).
In Western Australia the species of Neobatrachwr are separable on
morphology and male call which remains distinctive in both allopatry
and sympatry. The above hybridisation experiments suggest that the
populations tested do not share the same gene pool and it is concluded
that the four species recognised as occurring in Western Australia are
reproductively isolated populations and thcrefore biological ;t8 well aa
morphological species. Furthermore it is concluded that N. piCtU8 from
Victoria is distinct from N. pelobatoides from Western Australia.
C . Crinia
The genw Crinin Tschudi is composed of small to very small frogs
and perhaps because of this it is represented in museum collections by
only very few specimens; this is even more notable since it is a widespread and ubiquitous genus.
Currently eightecn speries are recognised in the genus. The genus
falis into two broad groups:
(i) The Crinia hevis group: C . laevis (Cunther), C . victoriana (Boulenger),
C . tmmanieneis (Gunther), C . leai, C. rmea, C . lutea, C . haswelli Fletcher,
C . darlingtoni Loveridge. Eggs are laid out of water where development
proceeds until they are flooded into ponds. Indeed C . rmea, C. lutea and
C . durliwgtoni of this group spend the larval life without entering water
at all. All species recognised in this group are morphologically distinct.
All were recognised by Parker (1940) with the exception of C. lutea,
which was then uncollected. A detailed study of C. victoriana and
C. hevJi.9 has been made by Littlejohn and Martin (1964).
The c d l of the breeding male is distinctive for all Western Aiistralian
species. M'here two, three or four speciea occur in the one locality no
intergrading calls have been found, indicating that hybridbation and
introgression between the species do not occur.
The calls have been analysed by oscilloempe (Littlejohn, 1965) and
sound spectrograph (Littlejohn and Main, 1959). The status of each of
the populations having distinctive male call typea has been analysed
by means of the techniques of in vitro crosses. The results are as follows:
N . centralis crossed to N . pelobatoides - one experiment, 58 eggs of
N. pebbatoidea were crossed to N. centralia male and 5 larvae hatched;
in the control cross 53 larvae hatched from 55 eggs. In another experiment 43 eggs from the above N. pelobatoides female were crossed to
male N . pictus from Seymour, Victoria; 31 larvae hatched. However,
although these hybrids were diploid and survived for four months, none
grew. N. wilsnmrei male crossed to N. sutor female; from 3 crosses involving 547 eggs, 7 normal frogs transformed. N. centralis male crossed
with N. sutor female; in one cross of 98 eggs, 14 hatched and one transformed into an apparently normal frog (Main, 1962 and unpublished).
In Western Australia the species of Neobatrachwr are separable on
morphology and male call which remains distinctive in both allopatry
and sympatry. The above hybridisation experiments suggest that the
populations tested do not share the same gene pool and it is concluded
that the four species recognised as occurring in Western Australia are
reproductively isolated populations and thcrefore biological ;t8 well aa
morphological species. Furthermore it is concluded that N. piCtU8 from
Victoria is distinct from N. pelobatoides from Western Australia.
C . Crinia
The genw Crinin Tschudi is composed of small to very small frogs
and perhaps because of this it is represented in museum collections by
only very few specimens; this is even more notable since it is a widespread and ubiquitous genus.
Currently eightecn speries are recognised in the genus. The genus
falis into two broad groups:
(i) The Crinia hevis group: C . laevis (Cunther), C . victoriana (Boulenger),
C . tmmanieneis (Gunther), C . leai, C. rmea, C . lutea, C . haswelli Fletcher,
C . darlingtoni Loveridge. Eggs are laid out of water where development
proceeds until they are flooded into ponds. Indeed C . rmea, C. lutea and
C . durliwgtoni of this group spend the larval life without entering water
at all. All species recognised in this group are morphologically distinct.
All were recognised by Parker (1940) with the exception of C. lutea,
which was then uncollected. A detailed study of C. victoriana and
C. hevJi.9 has been made by Littlejohn and Martin (1964).