Ranidae 



four or five black or dark brown cross-bars. Foot and hand 

 dark; tubercles of hands and feet light in colour. Underparts 

 spotted, especially anteriorly. (See Colour Plate XIV.) 



Measurements: Size medium to large, i. e. length 2\ to 4 

 inches; female larger than male. Head long, its length con- 

 tained two and a half times in total length. (Fig. 226.) Head 

 of a frog 3 inches long measures \\ inches wide and i^ inches long. 

 Length of leg to heel equal to length of body forward to ear or 

 eye. Femur and tibia about equal. Foot long, fourth toe ex- 

 tremely long; web medium in size. (See Fig. 228.) 



Structure: Body peculiarly short and squat. Skin leathery, 

 and corrugated with elongated wart-like folds on back and sides. 

 Tibia ridged lengthwise. Lateral folds broad and elevated. 

 The glandular folds of the jaw end above the shoulder in peculiar 

 large warts. Ridge from eye to shoulder (over ear) inconspicuous. 

 Eye unusually large and prominent. Nostril equidistant between 

 eye and jaw. Ear a vertical oval, half to two-thirds size of eye. 

 Space between eyes less than width of eyelid. Fingers long and 

 slender; the thumb of the male is thickened and horny at its 

 base (Fig. 228) ; hand tubercles not notable for size. Legs stout 

 and strong; inner sole tubercle relatively large and long, outer 

 small or lacking; tubercles under joints of toes rather conspicuous 

 (Fig. 228). 



Range: Rana asopus Cope is reported from Florida only 

 (Micanopy, Orlando, Ozona, Lake Jessup, Clarcona). 



The Gopher frog of Florida is very different from other 

 frogs in its general appearance. It is squat and toad-like, having 

 an unusually large head, with a prolonged muzzle, and eyes prom- 

 inent and bulging even for a frog. Because of the unusual length 

 and breadth of head, this frog has a mouth relatively larger than 

 those of other North American frogs. (Fig. 227.) These struc- 

 tural characteristics give the frog so peculiar an appearance that 

 although it may agree with Rana palustris and with Rana pipiens 

 in colour and in being prominently spotted, there would never 

 be any difficulty in distinguishing it as a different species. (See 

 Colour plates XI, XIII and XIV.) 



The male frog has two large vocal pouches (one at each 



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