192 PELOBATIDiE. 



5. Pelobates. 



Wagler, Sjst. Amph., p. 206 (1830). 



Pupil vertical. Vomerine teeth in short transverse 

 series between the choanse. Tongue circular, entire 

 or slightly nicked, and free behind. Tympanum 

 absent. Fingers free, toes webbed ; outer metatarsals 

 separated by web. Inner metatarsal tubercle shovel- 

 shaped. Vertebrae proccelous ; diapophyses of sacral 

 vertebra very strongly dilated ; urostyle usually fused 

 with sacrum. Omosternum cartilaginous ; sternum 

 with a bony style. 



Three species of this essentially fossorial genus 

 are known : two from Europe, and one, P. syriacus, 

 Boettger, from Asia Minor and Syria. 



The European species are easily distinguished from 

 each other. In P. fuscus the occiput is humped, the 

 orbit is not completely closed by bone behind, and the 

 metatarsal spur or shovel is yellowish or pale brown. 

 In P. cultrvpes the occiput is plane or gently arched, 

 the cranial roof completely surrounds the orbit, and 

 the metatarsal spur is black. 



P. syriacus agrees with P. cultrvpes in the form of 

 the head and the structure of the skull, with P. fuscus 

 in the colour of the spur. 



The genus Didocus, Cope (type Bana calcarata, 

 Michahelles), is founded on a young Pelobates cultripes, 

 and is therefore a synonym of Pelobates, as pointed 

 out further on in a foot-note. The adult Pelobates 

 cultripes has also been raised to generic rank by the 

 same author, but quite unnecessarily in my opinion, 

 the only distinctive feature being the greater develop- 

 ment of the cranial roof — a mere difference of degree, 

 the importance of which is outweighed by the close 

 resemblance which this species bears in all other re- 

 spects to its ally P. fuscus. 



