The former species
Pseudapisthocalamus nymani Lönnberg, 1900;
Apisthocalamus pratti Boulenger, 1904;
A. loennbergii Boulenger, 1908; and
A. lamingtoni Kinghorn, 1928; are synonyms of
T. loriae,
Vanapina lineata De Vis, 1905 is a synonym of
T. longissimus, and
Ultrocalamus latisquamatus Schüz, 1929 is a synonym of
T. preussi. Most of the described species are poorly known and rarely encountered. The most widely distributed, and most commonly encountered, species is
T. loriae (itself a possible
species complex), which accounts for 66% of all
Toxicocalamus specimens in museum collections.
T. loriae is frequently encountered in the
Highlands, where large numbers have been collected in village gardens along the Wahgi River valley of
Simbu Province, PNG. The next most frequently encountered and widely distributed species are
T. preussi and
T. stanleyanus. All the other species are much less well known and localised in distribution. Also on mainland New Guinea,
T. buergersi is known from only six specimens, from the
Torricelli Mountains in the
Sepik region (
Sandaun and
East Sepik Provinces), PNG;
T. spilolepidotus is known from two specimens, from the
Kratke Range,
Eastern Highlands Province, PNG;
T. pachysomus is known from its
holotype, from the Cloudy Mountains,
Milne Bay Province; PNG,
T. cratermontanus from its holotype, from Crater Mountain,
Simbu Province, PNG, while
T. ernstmayri was only known from its holotype in the
Star Mountains of
Western Province, PNG, until a second specimen was observed crawling across mine-workings at the
Ok Tedi Mine, in the Star Mountains.
Toxicocalamus grandis is also only known from its holotype, collected on the Setakwa River, western New Guinea, in 1912, (the only species represented by a type specimen west of the WNG/PNG border), and
T. pumehanae is also only known from its holotype, from the Managalas Plateau,
Oro Province, PNG,. On the islands of
Milne Bay,
T. holopelturus is known from 19 specimens from
Rossel Island, also known as Yela;
T. misimae is known from six specimens from
Misima Island; and
T. mintoni is only known from its holotype, from
Sudest Island, also known as Vanantai or Tagula Island, all in the
Louisiade Archipelago.
Toxicocalamus nigrescens is only known from its holotype and paratype, from
Fergusson Island, in the
d'Entercasteaux Archipelago, while
T. longissimus is known from 12 specimens from
Woodlark Island. ==References==