DESCRIPTION OF HELEOl'HRYNE NATALENSIS. 475 



Description of Heleophryne natalensis, a 

 New Batrachian from Natal; and Notes on 

 Several South African Batracliians and 

 Reptiles. 



By 



John Hewitt, B.A.Caiiib., 



Director of the Albany Museum, Grahamstown. 



With Plate XXXIX. 



On October 22nd, 1912, the Rev. Father P. Boneberg, of 

 Mariannhill Monastery, Pinetown, discovered some remark- 

 able tadpoles at Krantzkloof, Natal, some of which he pre- 

 served alive until, about a month afterwards, one of them had 

 become a moderate-sized frog. This he forwarded to me as a 

 species of Heleophryne. 



On comparing with typical specimens of H. regis Hewitt 

 from Knysna I believe it to be a very distinct species, for 

 which I propose the name of Heleophryne natalensis. 

 This is the second new species of frog discovered in Natal 

 by Fr. Boneberg within the last year; his first discovery, 

 Natalobatrachus bonebergi Hewitt and Methuen,^ repre- 

 senting a hitherto undescribed genus. 



It is worthy of remark that these two Natal frogs, though 

 members of different families, share a peculiarity not found 

 in any other S. African frog, viz. the possession of triangular 

 or sub-triangular discs at the tips of the fingers. 



The present record is interesting as it considerably extends 

 the known range of this isolated genus, which is the only 

 Cystignathid known to occur in Africa, and hitherto has 



^ Hewitt, J., and Methuen, P. A., 'Trans. Roy. Soc. South Africa,' 

 vol. iii, p. 107. pi. vii, 1912. 



