206 PELOBATID.E. 



Head as in P. fuscus, but rather larger in propor- 

 tion, and not humped on the occiput nor behind the 

 eyes, the skull forming a complete, evenly curved 

 rugose casque entirely surrounding the orbits ; inter- 

 orbital space nearly flat, usually much broader than 

 the distance between the nostrils. 



Shape and proportions of the limbs much as in 

 P. fuscus, but digits more obtuse, and metatarsal 

 shovel sharper and larger, always exceeding the 

 leno'th of the inner toe. 



Skin smooth or densely covered above with very 

 small round warts. 



Yellowish, whitish, or greenish-yellow above, 

 speckled, spotted or marbled with brown, olive, or 

 greyish-olive, the spots small or large, and but rarely 

 confluent into longitudinal bands. A small male 

 specimen, collected by M. Lataste at Greilhan, 

 Gironde, has four perfectly regular dark dorsal 

 stripes, the median pair extending forwards to the 

 interorbital region, where they meet a dark cross-bar. 

 White beneath, uniform or speckled with greyish- 

 olive ; metatarsal spur black ; toes often tipped with 

 a black horny layer. Iris silvery or greenish-grey, 

 vermiculate with black. 



External male sexual characters as in P. fuscus. 



In describing Pelobates syriacus, Boettger (' Zool. 

 Anz.,' 1889, No. 302) mentions breeding specimens of 

 Pelobates cultripes to be possessed of nuptial asperities 

 on the inner side of the three inner fingers and on the 

 tips of the toes. This extraordinary statement is based 

 on a confusion with the American Scaphiopus liam- 

 monclii, Baircl (dugesii, Brocchi), breeding males of 

 which were erroneously labelled ' Pelobates cultripes, 

 Spain,' in the Senckenberg Museum. The so-called 

 nuptial asperities of the tips of the toes are nothing 

 but the blackish horny sheaths which cap them, as 

 well as the tarsal spur, at all seasons. I am indebted 

 to the kindness of Prof. Boettger for an opportunity 

 of examining these specimens. 



