Revision of the Austrelatuspapuensis group with descriptions of 42 new species from New Guinea (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Copelatinae).

The Austrelatuspapuensis group is the second species group of the New Guinean representatives of the recently described genus AustrelatusShaverdo et al., 2023. The group is mainly defined by distinct scale- and/or spinula-like surface structures of the dorsal sclerite of the median lobe. The species group already contains four described species and 42 new species and one subspecies treated here: Austrelatusaiyurensissp. nov., A.asteiossp. nov., A.bewaniensissp. nov., A.bosaviensissp. nov., A.bundunensissp. nov., A.centralensissp. nov., A.craterensissp. nov., A.decorissp. nov., A.dekaisp. nov., A.epicharissp. nov., A.flavocapitatussp. nov., A.fuscussp. nov., A.herzogensissp. nov., A.inconstanssp. nov., A.iriatoisp. nov., A.kalibumisp. nov., A.kebarensissp. nov., A.kokodensissp. nov., A.leptossp. nov., A.lolokisp. nov., A.lopintolensissp. nov., A.madangensissp. nov., A.maindaisp. nov., A.mamberamosp. nov., A.mianminensissp. nov., A.miltokarenossp. nov., A.noiadisp. nov., A.normanbyensissp. nov., A.ohusp. nov., A.posmanisp. nov., A.procerussp. nov., A.pseudogestroisp. nov., A.pseudomianminensissp. nov., A.robustussp. nov., A.sarartisp. nov., A.sumokedisp. nov., A.wanangensissp. nov., A.wasiorensissp. nov., A.wasurensissp. nov., A.weigelisp. nov., A.yamurensissp. nov., A.yeretuarsp. nov., A.xanthocephalusnabirensisssp. nov. A checklist and identification key to New Guinean species of the group are provided and important diagnostic characters are illustrated. Data on the species distributions and habiat preferences are given.

Limbodessus moni sp. nov., a new high altitudinal diving beetle from the Grasberg in West Papua, Indonesia (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae, Bidessini).

Limbodessus moni sp. nov. is described from Lake Anderson and from small, richly vegetated swampy areas around alpine lakes at 3,970 m a.s.l. near the Grasberg Mine (Carstensz Pyramid) in the Central Mountain Range of New Guinea. The record of the new species marks the altitudinal maximum of a diving beetle in New Guinea. The new species is morphologically similar to L. alexanderi Balke & Hendrich, 2015 in terms of body size and dark coloration; however, both species can be easily separated by the shape of the median lobe and the more moniliform female antennomeres, not forming a conspicuous club as in L. alexanderi. A modified key for all five Limbodessus species from New Guinea and adjacent islands is presented.

Austrelatus gen. nov., a new genus of Australasian diving beetles (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Copelatinae), with the discovery of 31 new species from New Guinea.

Herein, Austrelatusgen. nov. (type species: Copelatusirregularis W.J. Macleay, 1871) is described for a distinctive lineage of predominantly Australasian species previously assigned to Copelatus Erichson, 1832. The new genus was retrieved as well supported, monophyletic clade in phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences data using Bayesian and parsimony approaches. The main morphological diagnostic character of Austrelatus is a complex median lobe of the aedeagus, with evident dorsal and ventral sclerites usually divided in apical half into two lobes of different shape or otherwise modified. Morphological comparison of the new genus with other Copelatinae genera, especially with Copelatus and Exocelina Broun, 1886, and a generic key to the New Guinean Copelatinae are provided. New combinations are established for 31 already described species mainly from the Australian Region (all from Copelatus): Austrelatusadelbert (Megna, Atthakor, Manaono, Hendrich & Balke, 2017), comb. nov.; A.badeni (Sharp, 1882), comb. nov.; A.bakewelli (J. Balfour-Browne, 1939), comb. nov.; A.baranensis (Hájek, Shaverdo, Hendrich & Balke, 2021), comb. nov.; A.bougainvillensis (Hájek, Shaverdo, Hendrich & Balke, 2021), comb. nov.; A.boukali (Hendrich & Balke, 1998), comb. nov.; A.clarki (Sharp, 1882), comb. nov.; A.daemeli (Sharp, 1882), comb. nov.; A.davidi (Wewalka, 2017), comb. nov.; A.deccanensis (Sheth, Ghate & Hájek, 2018), comb. nov.; A.fidschiensis (Zimmermann, 1928), comb. nov.; A.gestroi (Régimbart, 1892), comb. nov.; A.irregularis (W.J. Macleay, 1871), comb. nov.; A.kaszabi (Guignot, 1956), comb. nov.; A.kietensis (Hájek, Shaverdo, Hendrich & Balke, 2021), comb. nov.; A.laevipennis (Hájek, Shaverdo, Hendrich & Balke, 2021), comb. nov.; A.luteomaculatus (Guignot, 1956), comb. nov.; A.maushomi (Sheth, Ghate & Hájek, 2018), comb. nov.; A.neoguineensis (Zimmermann, 1919), comb. nov.; A.nigrolineatus (Sharp, 1882), comb. nov.; A.papuensis (J. Balfour-Browne, 1939), comb. nov.; A.parallelus (Zimmermann, 1920a), comb. nov.; A.schuhi (Hendrich & Balke, 1998), comb. nov.; A.sibelaemontis (Hájek, Hendrich, Hawlitschek & Balke, 2010), comb. nov.; A.strigosulus (Fairmaire, 1878), comb. nov.; A.ternatensis (Régimbart, 1899), comb. nov.; A.uludanuensis (Hendrich & Balke, 1995), comb. nov.; A.urceolus (Hájek, Shaverdo, Hendrich & Balke, 2021), comb. nov.; A.variistriatus (Hájek, Shaverdo, Hendrich & Balke, 2021), comb. nov.; A.wallacei (J. Balfour-Browne, 1939), comb. nov. and A.xanthocephalus (Régimbart, 1899), comb. nov.Austrelatus species from New Guinea are divided into two informal species groups, the A.neoguineensis group and A.papuensis group, and A.fumatosp. nov. and A.setiphallussp. nov. standing aside of them. The A.neoguineensis group is introduced with three previously known species and 29 new species described here based on the morphological characters and Cox1 data: Austrelatusbaliemsp. nov., A.bormensissp. nov., A.brazzasp. nov., A.debulensissp. nov., A.fakfaksp. nov., A.febrisaurisp. nov., A.fojaensissp. nov., A.garainensissp. nov., A.innominatussp. nov., A.lembenensissp. nov., A.lisaesp. nov., A.manokwariensissp. nov., A.mimikasp. nov., A.mirificussp. nov., A.moreguinensissp. nov., A.nadjaesp. nov., A.oksibilensissp. nov., A.pseudoneoguineensissp. nov., A.pseudoksibilensissp. nov., A.rajaampatensissp. nov., A.rouaffersp. nov., A.rugosussp. nov., A.sandaunensissp. nov., A.sarmiensissp. nov., A.securiformissp. nov., A.testegensissp. nov., A.toricellisp. nov., A.vagauensissp. nov., and A.wanggarensissp. nov.Copelatusvagestriatus Zimmermann, 1919, syn. nov. is recognised as a junior subjective synonym of A.clarki (Sharp, 1882). The lectotypes of Copelatusgestroi Régimbart, 1892, C.neoguineensis Zimmermann, 1919 and C.xanthocephalus Régimbart, 1899 are designated. All species are (re)described, and their important species characters (genitalia, habitus, and colour patterns) are illustrated. Keys to all species are provided. The known distribution and habitat preferences of each species are outlined briefly. New Guinean Austrelatus occupy a variety of stagnant water habitats, either lentic sensu stricto, or standing water associated with lotic habitats (e.g., backflows, rockpools, intermittent / ephemeral stream pools).

Seven new species of the Exocelina ekari group from New Guinea central and coastal mountains (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Copelatinae).

Seven new species of the genus Exocelina Broun, 1886 are described from three different mountain ranges of New Guinea: E. foja sp. nov., E. riberai sp. nov., E. apistefti sp. nov., and E. waaf sp. nov. from the Foja Mountains; E. hudsoni sp. nov. from the Cyclops Mountains; E. ekpliktiki sp. nov. and E. oraia sp. nov. from Wano Land. All of them are placed into the E. ekari group based on the structure of their male genitalia. The species are characteristic dytiscid elements of the fauna of northern cost and the western part of central orogen of New Guinea. Two taxonomic notes are presented: Exocelina athesphati is a correct name for the recently described Exocelina athesphatos Shaverdo et al., 2020; Exocelina bacchus Balke, nom. nov. is a replacement name for Exocelina bacchusi (Balke, 1998), formerly Copelatus (Papuadytes) bacchusi Balke, 1998, a junior homonym of Copelatus bacchusi Wewalka, 1981.

New Guinean orogenic dynamics and biota evolution revealed using a custom geospatial analysis pipeline.

BACKGROUND: The New Guinean archipelago has been shaped by millions of years of plate tectonic activity combined with long-term fluctuations in climate and sea level. These processes combined with New Guinea's location at the tectonic junction between the Australian and Pacific plates are inherently linked to the evolution of its rich endemic biota. With the advent of molecular phylogenetics and an increasing amount of geological data, the field of New Guinean biogeography begins to be reinvigorated. RESULTS: We inferred a comprehensive dated molecular phylogeny of endemic diving beetles to test historical hypotheses pertaining to the evolution of the New Guinean biota. We used geospatial analysis techniques to compare our phylogenetic results with a newly developed geological terrane map of New Guinea as well as the altitudinal and geographic range of species ( https://arcg.is/189zmz ). Our divergence time estimations indicate a crown age (early diversification) for New Guinea Exocelina beetles in the mid-Miocene ca. 17 Ma, when the New Guinean orogeny was at an early stage. Geographic and geological ancestral state reconstructions suggest an origin of Exocelina ancestors on the eastern part of the New Guinean central range on basement rocks (with a shared affinity with the Australian Plate). Our results do not support the hypothesis of ancestors migrating to the northern margin of the Australian Plate from Pacific terranes that incrementally accreted to New Guinea over time. However, our analyses support to some extent a scenario in which Exocelina ancestors would have been able to colonize back and forth between the amalgamated Australian and Pacific terranes from the Miocene onwards. Our reconstructions also do not support an origin on ultramafic or ophiolite rocks that have been colonized much later in the evolution of the radiation. Macroevolutionary analyses do not support the hypothesis of heterogeneous diversification rates throughout the evolution of this radiation, suggesting instead a continuous slowdown in speciation. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our geospatial analysis approach to investigate the links between the location and evolution of New Guinea's biota with the underlying geology sheds a new light on the patterns and processes of lineage diversification in this exceedingly diverse region of the planet.

Limbodessus skalei sp. nov., a new diving beetle species from the west Papuan Archipelago (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae, Bidessini).

Here we describe Limbodessus skalei sp. nov. from the island of Waigeo, off the coast of West Papua. It can be easily distinguished from the nearby New Guinea mainland species as well as the other members of the genus by its small size and testaceous elytra with conspicuous darker broad basal and subapical patches. Altogether four Limbodessus species are now known from the New Guinea region.

New Guinea highland wild dogs are the original New Guinea singing dogs.

New Guinea singing dogs (NGSD) are identifiable by their namesake vocalizations, which are unlike any other canid population. Their novel behaviors and potential singular origin during dog domestication make them an attractive, but elusive, subject for evolutionary and conservation study. Although once plentiful on the island of New Guinea (NG), they were presumed to currently exist only in captivity. This conclusion was based on the lack of sightings in the lowlands of the island and the concurrent expansion of European- and Asian-derived dogs. We have analyzed the first nuclear genomes from a canid population discovered during a recent expedition to the highlands of NG. The extreme altitude (>4,000 m) of the highland wild dogs' (HWD) observed range and confirmed vocalizations indicate their potential to be a wild NGSD population. Comparison of single-nucleotide polymorphism genotypes shows strong similarity between HWD and the homogeneous captive NGSD, with the HWD showing significantly higher genetic diversity. Admixture analyses and estimation of shared haplotypes with phylogenetically diverse populations also indicates the HWD is a novel population within the distinct evolutionary lineage of Oceanic canids. Taken together, these data indicate the HWD possesses a distinct potential to aid in the conservation of NGSD both in the wild and under human care.

Two new species of the Exocelina ekari group from New Guinea with strongly modified male antennae (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Copelatinae).

Two new species of the genus Exocelina Broun, 1886: E. athesphatos sp. nov. and E. tsinga sp. nov. are described from New Guinea and placed into the E. ekari group based on the structure of their male genitalia. The two species are very similar with respect to their external morphology and characterised by almost identical, strongly modified male antennae. However, they can easily be separated by the shape and setation of the median lobe and paramere. Based on morphological similarity and results of a molecular phylogenetic analysis, we suggest these are sister species. Both of them have been collected on the southern slopes of the Central Range (the spine of New Guinea), with a distance of ca. 380 km straight line between the collecting localities.

Three new species of Exocelina Broun, 1886 from the southern slopes of the New Guinea central range, with introduction of the Exocelina skalei group (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Copelatinae).

Three new species of the genus Exocelina Broun, 1886: E. brazza sp. nov., E. amabilis sp. nov. and E. mimika sp. nov. are described from New Guinea. The former two species are placed into the E. ekari group, while the latter is suggested to be a member of a separate lineage, the newly introduced E. skalei group. The only other species of that group is E. skalei Shaverdo & Balke, 2014. The group is phylogenetically sister of the E. ekari group. All species have been collected on the southern slopes of the New Guinea central range, a region that remains mostly unsampled.

Nine new species groups, 15 new species, and one new subspecies of New Guinea diving beetles of the genus Exocelina Broun, 1886 (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Copelatinae).

Nine new species groups of Exocelina Broun, 1886 from New Guinea are introduced with keys to their representatives. Four groups are monotypic and include three new species: the E. aipomek group, the E. koroba group: E. koroba sp. nov., the E. mekilensis group: E. mekilensis sp. nov., and the E. morobensis group: E. morobensis sp. nov. The remaining five species groups include 18 species with 12 new species and one new subspecies: the E. bacchusi group: E. akameku sp. nov., E. oiwa sp. nov., E. oksibilensis sp. nov., and E. bacchusi herzogensis ssp. nov.; the E. jaseminae group: E. aseki sp. nov., E. kailaki sp. nov., and E. pseudojaseminae sp. nov.; the E. larsoni group: E. warahulenensis sp. nov.; the E. takime group: E. mianminensis sp. nov.; and the E. warasera group: E. haia sp. nov., E. kobau sp. nov., E. pulchella sp. nov., and E. warasera sp. nov. Diagnoses of five already described species of these groups are provided, as well as comparatives notes on all species. Exocelina santimontis (Balke, 1998) syn. nov. is a junior synonym of E. aipomek (Balke, 1998). Data on the distribution of the species are given, showing that most of the species of these groups occur in the Papua New Guinea.

One hundred and one new species of Trigonopterus weevils from New Guinea.

A species discovery and description pipeline to accelerate and improve taxonomy is outlined, relying on concise expert descriptions, combined with DNA sequencing, digital imaging, and automated wiki species page creation from the journal. One hundred and one new species of Trigonopterus Fauvel, 1862 are described to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach: Trigonopterus aeneipennis sp. n., Trigonopterus aeneus sp. n., Trigonopterus agathis sp. n., Trigonopterus agilis sp. n., Trigonopterus amplipennis sp. n., Trigonopterus ancoruncus sp. n., Trigonopterus angulatus sp. n., Trigonopterus angustus sp. n., Trigonopterus apicalis sp. n., Trigonopterus armatus sp. n., Trigonopterus ascendens sp. n., Trigonopterus augur sp. n., Trigonopterus balimensis sp. n., Trigonopterus basalis sp. n., Trigonopterus conformis sp. n., Trigonopterus constrictus sp. n., Trigonopterus costatus sp. n., Trigonopterus costicollis sp. n., Trigonopterus crassicornis sp. n., Trigonopterus cuneipennis sp. n., Trigonopterus cyclopensis sp. n., Trigonopterus dentirostris sp. n., Trigonopterus discoidalis sp. n., Trigonopterus dromedarius sp. n., Trigonopterus durus sp. n., Trigonopterus echinus sp. n., Trigonopterus edaphus sp. n., Trigonopterus eremitus sp. n., Trigonopterus euops sp. n., Trigonopterus ferrugineus sp. n., Trigonopterus fusiformis sp. n., Trigonopterus glaber sp. n., Trigonopterus gonatoceros sp. n., Trigonopterus granum sp. n., Trigonopterus helios sp. n., Trigonopterus hitoloorum sp. n., Trigonopterus imitatus sp. n., Trigonopterus inflatus sp. n., Trigonopterus insularis sp. n., Trigonopterus irregularis sp. n., Trigonopterus ixodiformis sp. n., Trigonopterus kanawiorum sp. n., Trigonopterus katayoi sp. n., Trigonopterus koveorum sp. n., Trigonopterus kurulu sp. n., Trigonopterus lekiorum sp. n., Trigonopterus lineatus sp. n., Trigonopterus lineellus sp. n., Trigonopterus maculatus sp. n., Trigonopterus mimicus sp. n., Trigonopterus monticola sp. n., Trigonopterus montivagus sp. n., Trigonopterus moreaorum sp. n., Trigonopterus myops sp. n., Trigonopterus nangiorum sp. n., Trigonopterus nothofagorum sp. n., Trigonopterus ovatus sp. n., Trigonopterus oviformis sp. n., Trigonopterus parumsquamosus sp. n., Trigonopterus parvulus sp. n., Trigonopterus phoenix sp. n., Trigonopterus plicicollis sp. n., Trigonopterus politoides sp. n., Trigonopterus pseudogranum sp. n., Trigonopterus pseudonasutus sp. n., Trigonopterus ptolycoides sp. n., Trigonopterus punctulatus sp. n., Trigonopterus ragaorum sp. n., Trigonopterus rhinoceros sp. n., Trigonopterus rhomboidalis sp. n., Trigonopterus rubiginosus sp. n., Trigonopterus rubripennis sp. n., Trigonopterus rufibasis sp. n., Trigonopterus scabrosus sp. n., Trigonopterus scissops sp. n., Trigonopterus scharfi sp. n., Trigonopterus signicollis sp. n., Trigonopterus simulans sp. n., Trigonopterus soiorum sp. n., T sordidus sp. n., Trigonopterus squamirostris sp. n., Trigonopterus striatus sp. n., Trigonopterus strigatus sp. n., Trigonopterus strombosceroides sp. n., Trigonopterus subglabratus sp. n., Trigonopterus sulcatus sp. n., Trigonopterus taenzleri sp. n., Trigonopterus talpa sp. n., Trigonopterus taurekaorum sp. n., Trigonopterus tialeorum sp. n., Trigonopterus tibialis sp. n., Trigonopterus tridentatus sp. n., Trigonopterus uniformis sp. n., Trigonopterus variabilis sp. n., Trigonopterus velaris sp. n., Trigonopterus verrucosus sp. n., Trigonopterus violaceus sp. n., Trigonopterus viridescens sp. n., Trigonopterus wamenaensis sp. n., Trigonopterus wariorum sp. n., Trigonopterus zygops sp. n.. All new species are authored by the taxonomist-in-charge, Alexander Riedel.

Australasian sky islands act as a diversity pump facilitating peripheral speciation and complex reversal from narrow endemic to widespread ecological supertramp.

The Australasian archipelago is biologically extremely diverse as a result of a highly puzzling geological and biological evolution. Unveiling the underlying mechanisms has never been more attainable as molecular phylogenetic and geological methods improve, and has become a research priority considering increasing human-mediated loss of biodiversity. However, studies of finer scaled evolutionary patterns remain rare particularly for megadiverse Melanesian biota. While oceanic islands have received some attention in the region, likewise insular mountain blocks that serve as species pumps remain understudied, even though Australasia, for example, features some of the most spectacular tropical alpine habitats in the World. Here, we sequenced almost 2 kb of mitochondrial DNA from the widespread diving beetle Rhantus suturalis from across Australasia and the Indomalayan Archipelago, including remote New Guinean highlands. Based on expert taxonomy with a multigene phylogenetic backbone study, and combining molecular phylogenetics, phylogeography, divergence time estimation, and historical demography, we recover comparably low geographic signal, but complex phylogenetic relationships and population structure within R. suturalis. Four narrowly endemic New Guinea highland species are subordinated and two populations (New Guinea, New Zealand) seem to constitute cases of ongoing speciation. We reveal repeated colonization of remote mountain chains where haplotypes out of a core clade of very widespread haplotypes syntopically might occur with well-isolated ones. These results are corroborated by a Pleistocene origin approximately 2.4 Ma ago, followed by a sudden demographic expansion 600,000 years ago that may have been initiated through climatic adaptations. This study is a snapshot of the early stages of lineage diversification by peripatric speciation in Australasia, and supports New Guinea sky islands as cradles of evolution, in line with geological evidence suggesting very recent origin of high altitudes in the region.

DNA barcoding for community ecology--how to tackle a hyperdiverse, mostly undescribed Melanesian fauna.

BACKGROUND: Trigonopterus weevils are widely distributed throughout Melanesia and hyperdiverse in New Guinea. They are a dominant feature in natural forests, with narrow altitudinal zonation. Their use in community ecology has been precluded by the "taxonomic impediment". METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We sampled >6,500 specimens from seven areas across New Guinea; 1,002 specimens assigned to 270 morphospecies were DNA sequenced. Objective clustering of a refined dataset (excluding nine cryptic species) at 3% threshold revealed 324 genetic clusters (DNA group count relative to number of morphospecies = 20.0% overestimation of species diversity, or 120.0% agreement) and 85.6% taxonomic accuracy (the proportion of DNA groups that "perfectly" agree with morphology-based species hypotheses). Agreement and accuracy were best at an 8% threshold. GMYC analysis revealed 328 entities (21.5% overestimation) with 227 perfect GMYC entities (84.1% taxonomic accuracy). Both methods outperform the parataxonomist (19% underestimation; 31.6% taxonomic accuracy). The number of species found in more than one sampling area was highest in the Eastern Highlands and Huon (Sørensen similarity index 0.07, 4 shared species); ⅓ of all areas had no species overlap. Success rates of DNA barcoding methods were lowest when species showed a pronounced geographical structure. In general, Trigonopterus show high α and ß-diversity across New Guinea. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: DNA barcoding is an excellent tool for biodiversity surveys but success rates might drop when closer localities are included. Hyperdiverse Trigonopterus are a useful taxon for evaluating forest remnants in Melanesia, allowing finer-grained analyses than would be possible with vertebrate taxa commonly used to date. Our protocol should help establish other groups of hyperdiverse fauna as target taxa for community ecology. Sequencing delivers objective data on taxa of incredible diversity but mostly without a solid taxonomic foundation and should help pave the road for the eventual formal naming of new species.

Introduction of the Exocelina ekari-group with descriptions of 22 new species from New Guinea (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Copelatinae).

The Exocelina ekari-group is here introduced and defined mainly on the basis of a discontinuous outline of the median lobe of the aedeagus. The group is known only from New Guinea (Indonesia and Papua New Guinea). It contained four species to date: Exocelina astrophallus (Balke, 1998), Exocelina atowaso (Shaverdo, Sagata & Balke, 2005), Exocelina munaso (Shaverdo, Sagata & Balke, 2005), and Exocelina polita (Sharp, 1882). Twenty two new species are described herein: Exocelina alexanderisp. n., Exocelina anggiensissp. n., Exocelina arfakensissp. n., Exocelina bifidasp. n., Exocelina brahminensissp. n., Exocelina bundiensissp. n., Exocelina edeltraudaesp. n., Exocelina ekarisp. n., Exocelina emesp. n., Exocelina evelyncheesmanaesp. n., Exocelina hansferyisp. n., Exocelina irianensissp. n., Exocelina kakapupusp. n., Exocelina knoepfchensp. n., Exocelina oceaisp. n., Exocelina pseudosoppisp. n., Exocelina soppisp. n., Exocelina uniposp. n., Exocelina utowaensissp. n., Exocelina waigeoensissp. n., Exocelina weylandensissp. n., and Exocelina wondiwoiensissp. n. The lectotype of Copelatus politus Sharp, 1882 is designated. A checklist and identification key to all species of the group are provided and important diagnostic characters (habitus, color, male antennae and protarsomeres 4-5, median lobes and parameres) are illustrated. Data on the distribution and habitat requirements are given. Representatives of the Exocelina ekari-group are so far mostly known from lowland to lower montane habitats of the northern and central parts of New Guinea, the group is less diverse in higher altitudes.