Acris gryllus 159 



back as a vertical line to the anus. This line is usually brown but may be white 

 or green. One full grown (No. 6000) example deep reddish brown in color had 

 no triangular spot, the usual recognition mark of the species. On the upper 

 lip are three dark bars. Another leads from the eye across the angle of the 

 mouth to the base of the shoulder. Separated from this by a prominent white 

 line, another black bar passes over the tympanum from the eye to the shoulder. 

 Back of the shoulder a dark obhque bar extends two-thirds of the distance to 

 the hindlimbs. In the adults this mark is likely to remain longer and in young 

 specimens more likely to appear sooner than the characteristic triangular spot, 

 at least in the Okefinokee series. Along the back on either border of the 

 vertebral line are two continuous or interrupted bars which extend almost to 

 the hind-Hmbs. The hind-limbs are cross-barred, the femur, tibia, tarsus and 

 foot all having them as in typically colored forms. In the fore-hmbs the 

 brachium seldom has any bars though the antebrachium may have them. In 

 the Okefinokee series the most constant color character in transformed in- 

 dividuals to adults is the coloration of the posterior surface of the thighs. 

 The typical pattern is upper part with body color with dark cross-bars. Then 

 follows a series of four parallel longitudinal bands, the first three very promi- 

 nent, white, brown, white. The fourth brown band may be obscured or absent. 

 In all the specimens at least one white band shows though the others may be 

 missing. The under-parts are whitish. Most of the younger individuals are 

 almost entirely white, but in adults usually the under-surface of the hind legs 

 is flecked with dark, in a few it becomes very cloudy. Very frequently the 

 adults have the throat regions also with fine dark dots. Occasionally the 

 thoracic region and rarely the belly are so marked. The males have yellowish 

 on the throat. One of the party reported a live specimen with a greenish 

 white venter. 



STRUCTURAL CHARACTERS (WRITTEN IN 19 1 2) 



Above, the skin is usually more or less tubercular; some adults have the 

 dorsal surface smooth as in the young; underneath, gular and thoracic regions 

 usually smooth, rarely granular or areolate; normally areolation of the belly 

 is quite distinctly marked off and in some specimens the granulations may form 

 transverse ridges; thighs are also areolate; nostrils equidistant or slightly 

 nearer snout than eye; tympanum indistinct; tympanic fold present, fold 

 across the breast present in about three-fourths of the adults and absent 

 usually in the young; inner and outer tubercle of foot quite prominent; sub- 

 articular tubercles moderate ; discs small. The tongue is broad usually notched 

 behind. In some the notch may be very slight, in others very prominent and 

 the tongue is then cordate. In one the notch was very broad and was a 

 shallow depression to each back corner. In several the tongue was round be- 

 hind or abruptly truncate or obliquely truncate. In one the tongue was 

 rounded but has a notch at either back corner. The vomerine teeth are 

 usually two oval patches between or shghtly behind the nares; sometimes the 

 longitudinal axes are shghtly inclined backward and sometimes not. 



