A herpetofauna with dramatic endemism signals an overlooked biodiversity hotspot

Abstract

The Milne Bay Region of southeastern most Papua New Guinea comprises a small portion of mainland New Guinea and several offshore islands, totaling 15,000 km2 in land area. I numerically summarize the literature and findings from my field surveys of the region’s herpetofauna and show that it contains the greatest known assemblage of range-restricted endemic herpetofauna globally for such a small area