108 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1898. 



immigrants. In herpetology this is not the case, nor may we expect 

 fossil material so abundant. Here zoogeographical data may help. 

 Thus, I believe, no one could understand the geographical distri- 

 bution of Hyla without supposing it a pliocene immigrant to 

 Brazil from the north. We may be sure that Hyla or its allied 

 forms will never be found in South America in the older tertiary 

 formation. Taking Hyla as a northern intrusive element which 

 passed by way of Central America to the Amazonian region and 

 southward, we may easily understand the complete absence of these 

 tree frogs from the Chilian forests. The Andean barrier of Chili 

 and Peru is a very old one, and that of Ecuador a very recent one. 

 This explains the fact hitherto not observed, that the Cordilleras 

 are a zoological dividing line in Chile and Peru, but not in Ecuador. 

 It seems to me quite probable that the American Teiidce and Iguan- 

 idce, are originally from South America, and the Solenoglyphce, 

 Boidce, etc. from North America. 



It is not my intention to fully discuss these questions here; I 

 would only call attention to them as new problems which we have 

 to solve. 



DESCRIPTION OF A NEW FISH FROM SAO PAULO. 

 PAULICEA gen. nov. 



Head broader then deep, flattened, with the upper jaw little pro- 

 jecting beyond the lower, covered with skin, granulated behind. 

 Occipital process reaching the dorsal plate. Dorsal spine nearly 



equidistant from snout and adipose fin. 

 Pectoral spine long, broader than the dorsal 

 spine, serrate behind. D. 1-6. Caudal not 

 deeply forked. Villiform teeth on upper 

 jaw, palate and vomer. Palatine teeth 

 forming with the vomerine patches a shal- 

 low band immediately behind the inter- 

 Maxillary, vomerine ... , , - . , . , . , , , 

 and palatine teeth of P. maxillary band of teeth, which is broad and 



jahu. scarcely or not at all narrowed in the middle. 



P. jahu sp. n. 



A large species reaching a weight of 100 Kilo, and a length of 

 1.5-1.8 M. Width of head at the mouth two-thirds of its greatest 

 width. D. 1-6. A. 1-10. Adipose fin equal to the anal fin. 

 Maxillary barbel short, somewhat flattened, not longer than the 

 head. Dirty gray with indistinct dark spots on back and sides. 



