Vol. XXII, pp. 115-120 June 25, 1909 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE /^O 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON /S^c 



NOTES ON THE NARROW-MOUTHED TOADS (ENGYS 



TOM A) AND THE DESCRIPTION OF A NEW 



SPECIES FROM SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS. 



BY JOHN K. STRECKER, JR. 



Bayloe Univeesity, Waco, Texas. • 



In 1859 Girard described a narrow-mouthed toad from Rio 

 Seco, Texas, under the name of Engystoma texense. Cope and 

 his contemporaries failed to recognize the animal as distinct 

 from E. carolinense Holbrook and until quite recently it has been 

 confused with that species. 



In 1906 jNIiss Mary Dickerson* redescribed E. texense from a 

 series of living examples from Brownsville and called attention 

 to the fact that it is a very distinct and easily recognizable 

 species. 



The present writer was at first inclined to be a little doubtful 

 of the status of Engystoma texense, and, in order to fully satisfy 

 himself that the characters which were supposed to distinguish 

 the two species were constant, made an effort to accumulate 

 a sufficient number of examples of Engystoma from different 

 localities, that the question might be settled beyond a doubt. 



As a result, a large series from eight States has been brought 

 together. Acknowledgments are due to Dr. Leonhard Stejneger, 

 United States National Museum, for tlie loan of a series of E. 

 carolinense from Florida, Georgia and North Carolina and for 

 notes on Texas specimens of the genus; to Miss Mary Dickerson, 

 American Museum of Natural History, for the loan of two 

 examples of E. texense from Brownsville, Texas; to Mr. Julius 

 Hurter of St. Louis, Mo., for examples of E. carolinense from 

 Alabama, Louisiana, Missouri and Paris, Texas; and to Hon. 



• The Frog Book, New York, p. 168. 



17— Peoc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. XXII, 1909. (115) 



