Leiopelma pakeka, n sp (Anura: Leiopelmatidae), a cryptic species of frog from Maud Island, New Zealand, and a reassessment of the conservation status of L-hamiltoni from Stephens Island

Patterns of allozyme variation reveal that frogs from Maud Island, New Zealand, here designated Leiopelma pakeka, n. sp., are specifically distinct from L. hamiltoni from Stephens Island. Previously, the two populations had been thought to be conspecific. Leiopelma pakeka shows limited morphological differentiation from L. hamiltoni, but is highly distinct genetically. Among 12 allozyme loci resolved from toe tissue, the two taxa showed fixed differences at two loci and one significant frequency difference. L. hamiltoni was genetically more similar to L. archeyi (Nei's D = 0.18) than to L. pakeka (D = 0.24). The discovery that Maud Island and Stephens Island frogs are distinct species increases the conservation significance of both as the single known population of each species. L. hamiltoni is one of the world's rarest frogs and warrants the highest level of conservation protection.