1856.] 7 



latum, Gray, (Cat. Br. Mas. Amphib. p. 31, No. 5,) is represented as lead colored, 

 and u'kite beneath with distant scattered white dots upon the cheek and upper 

 part of sides. Its habitat is Monterey, California. It is unknown to us. Am- 

 bystonoa laterale is somewhat similar in coloring to Sal. niger, Green, but that 

 is a Plethodon, having a head and tail, and an arrangement of teeth altogether 

 diflferent; viz., two small arched rows behind the internal nares, the convexity 

 presenting forward, converging toward each other, and separated by an interval, 

 with two series of thickly set, longitudinal sphenoidal teeth, closely approximated, 

 arranged somewhat like a brush, and separated from the vomerine by an inter- 

 space without teeth. The Ambystoma nigrum of Dum. and Bib., is also a Ple- 

 thodon, and is, no doubt, identical with Plethodon fuscum as the synomymes 

 show ; (Sal. niger, Green, Desmognathus niger, Baird,) and Plethodon fusium* 

 being the same, they not having seen the animal. Salam. erythronota, 

 Green is erroneously placed by Gray, (Cat. Br. Mus. Amphib. Grad, p. 37. No. 9.) 

 among the Ambystomata. It is a Plethodon as Dumeril and Bibron have it. 

 Ambystoma quadrimaculatum and Ambystoma salmoneum, Dum & Bit. belong 

 to other genera. The first is a Plethodon, the latter has the transverse and 

 longitudinal rows of teeth in a continuous series, in this respect resembling 

 none other of our Urodeles with the exception of Sal. rubra. Green, (Bolitoglossa 

 rubra, D. & B.) Pseudotriton rubra, Tschudi. Dum. & Bib. have also put glulin- 

 osum and auriculatum in the genus Cylindrosoma. They are both Plethodonts.f 



1 he genus Salamandra does not exist, so far as is known, on the American Con- 

 tinent. On the other hand, Ambystoma is an exclusively American genus, 

 and has a wide range. Its most northern limit at present, is Lake Superior ; 

 its southern. New Mexico. It is found in Maine, Pennsjlvania and South 

 Carolina, (punctatum or venenosum Bart.) Massachusetts, Ohio, Maryland, 

 Virginia, Georgia, Mississippi, (opacum Grav. or fasciatum, Gr.) New York and 

 New Jersey, (tigrinum,) Oregon, (macrodactylum, Bd.) Michigan, Wisconsin 

 and Illinois, (luridum) ingens (Xiphonura Tsch.) New Orleans. 



It is a remarkable fact that none of the animals belonging to the sub-order 

 Batrachia gradientia of Merrem and Gray, (Batrachia urodela, Dum. and Bib.,) 

 and especially the Urodeles atretoderes or Salamandrides, have been discovered 

 in America south of Mexico, although so numerous in the northern part of that 

 great continent. Nor are any of the caducibranchiate-tailed batrachians known 

 to exist in the East Indies, Persia, China, Australia, Borneo, Sumatra, Java, 

 New Zealand, the Phillipines, New Holland, New Guinea, West or Southern 

 Africa, or, so far as is known, with the exception of Japan and Loo Cboo, in any 

 of the numerous islands of the AtlanticJ and Pacific Oceans. They are found in 

 the south of Spain and northern part of Africa, (Pleurodeles,) the islands of the 

 Mediterraneam, various parts of England, France, Germany and Italy, (Salaman- 

 dra, Triton, Geotriton, Euproctus,) the north of Africa, Syria, (Triton ?) and 

 Japan, (Cynops, Onychodactylus, Ellipsoglossa,) but appear to be more abun- 

 dant in North America, and comprise genera not yet observed in other parts of 

 the world, viz., Ambystoma, Tsch., which contains many species, Plethodon, 

 Tsch., Desmognathus, Bd., Spelerpes, Raf., Taricha, Gray, Pseudotriton, Tsch., 

 Hemidactylium, Tsch., Batrachoceps, Bonap., Ensatina, Gray, and Diemyctylus, 

 Raf 



There is not only not any true Salamandra in the United States, but no Triton, 



"*" As universally yellowish brown or black," Eights, Dekay, Nat. Hist, of 

 New York, Reptiles, p. 85 ; the brown specimens, the young according to Dr. 

 Holbrook. 



j-The Salamandra Jeffersoniana of Prof. Holbrook is no doubt a Plethodon, per- 

 haps identical as well as S. Jeffersoniana, Green, with Plethodon glutinosus, 

 Tschudi represents the teeth as transverse in his Xiphonura Jeffersoniana. Is X. 

 JefJersoniana, Tsch. identical with Ambystoma ingens? 



JProf. Schlegel states that a species approaching S. longicauda was brought 

 from Martinique by Mr. Plee, Fauna Japonica, Reptiles, p. 119. 



