ORDER IV 



AXURA 



137 



To this group probably belong the unique Hylaeobatrachus croyi, Dollo, 

 from the Wealden of Bernissart, Belgium, 

 earliest known Urodele ; and also the giant 

 salamander from the Miocene of Oeningen, 

 Baden (Andrias scheuchzeri, Tschudi, Fig. 230), 

 originally described by Scheuchzer as Homo 

 diluvii testis. The latter genus attains a length 

 of about 1 m., and differs but slightly from 

 the recent Cryplobrauchus, v.d. Hoeven (Megalo- 

 batrachus, Tschudi), of Japan. A somewhat 

 smaller species (Andrias tschudii, v. Meyer) 

 occurs in the Miocene lignite of Rott, near 

 Bonn. 



Sub-Order B. SALAMANDRINA. 



Vertebrae opisthocoelous, completely ossified. 

 Without gills or gill aperture; well-developed eye- 

 lids always present. Maxillae present ; both jaws 

 toothed. 



Several genera resembling recent newts and 

 salamanders occur sparsely in the Upper Eocene 

 (or Oligocene) of Quercy and Sansan in France ; 

 Lower Miocene of Rott and Erpel, near Bonn ; 

 and the Bohemian Tertiary. Among these may 

 be mentioned Polysemia, Heliarchon, and Arch- 

 aeotriton, v. Meyer ; Megalotriton, Zittel ; and 

 possibly Molge (Triton) itself. 



Fig. 230. 



Andrias scheuchzeri, Tschudi. 

 Miocene ; Oeningen, Baden. Vg. 



Order 4. ANURA. (Ecaudata, Batrachia salentia. 1 ) 



Naked, tailless amphibia of compact form, and with usually procoeluns 

 vertebrae. Caudal ve rtebrae coalesced into a slender elongate piece, or coccyx. Pubis 

 and ischium fused. Carpus and tarsus ossified, and the two bones forming the 

 proximal row of the latter greatly elongated. Development by metamorphosis. No 

 gills in the adult. Ilio-sacral attachment extremely pre-acetabular. 



The vertebral column consists in the adult of from ten to twelve usually 

 procoelous vertebrae, all of which with the exception of atlas and coccyx bear 

 stout transverse processes. Short ribs are present in the Discoglossidae, but 

 are elsewhere wanting in this order. All the post-sacral vertebrae become 

 fused during metamorphosis into a single caudal piece, or coccyx or urostyle 

 (Fig. 231). 



The skull (Fig. 232) is flattened, with very large orbits. Parietals and 

 frontals are fused into an elongated pair of median elements, in front of 

 which lie the ring-shaped sphenethmoid (or orbitosphenoid) and nasals. 



1 Meyer, II. von, Zur Fauna der Vorwelt, pt. 1. Frankfort, 1845. — Also articles in Palaeontogr. 

 vol. II. p. 70 ; vol. VII. p. 46 ; and Neues Jahrb. far 1843, pp. 395, 580 ; 1845, p. 798 ; 1846, 

 p. 351 ; 1847, p. 192; 1851, p. 7S ; 1852, pp. 57, 465 ; 1853, p. 162 ; 1858, p. 202 ; and 1S63, 

 p. 187. — Wolterstorff, IF., Ueber fossile Frdsche insbesondere Palaeobatrachus [with complete 

 bibliography]. (Jahresb. naturw. Vereins Magdeburg fur 1885, '86), 1886-87. 



