ins NEW GENUS OF BATRACHIAN — STE.INEGER. 



This interesting: novelty is dediciited to Dr. David S. Jordan, presi- 

 dent of the Lehmd Stanford Junior University of California. 



Although evidently nearly related to Triprion, it differs from all 

 known Uylidce in i)ossessing teeth on the palatines, a character which 

 in itself seems suflQcient to warrant its generic separation. With Tri- 

 prion and Diaglcna it shares the i)ossession of teeth on the i)arasphenoid. 

 The latter are firmly fixed to the bone, while the palatine teeth, which 

 form a slightly s-curved line on each side posterior to the choana', only 

 adliere to the membrane covering the jialatine bones. We are thus 

 confronted with an entirely nni(jue dentition, for it seems that not even 

 in the family Ilemiphraciidiv, which is composed of genera with both 

 palatine and parasidienoid teeth, do we find a genus in which they 

 occur simultaneously. The presence of parasphenoid aiul ]>alatine teeth 

 in otherwise undoubtedly ITylid genera, coui)led with the occurrence 

 of claw-shaped terminal phalanges in Ceratohyla, makes it doubtful 

 whether the ])resence of mandibular teeth in the AmphignathodoniUUv 

 and Uemiphr((ctifl(c really have the value now attributed to them as 

 constituting a family character. That the non-dilatation of the diapo- 

 l)hyses of the sacral vertebra in the Hemiphractida' in itself is of but 

 little consequence seems evident from the variability of this character 

 within the family Hylidw. 



It is stated above that in Tctraprion the outer metatarsals are not 

 bound together. This would be an important character, but I am not 

 sure that the very soft condition of the type is not responsible for this 

 state of affairs. 



The tongue was found removed by some accident in the hitherto 

 unique type of this species. 



Owing to the bad preservation of the specimen it is imi)ossible to 

 say with absolute certainty what is the shape of the pupil, but Mr. 

 Test thinks that he once made it out to be horizontal. 



The figures on the accompanying ])late will illustrate and supple 

 ment the above descrii)tion. It will be noted that the epicoracoid 

 <!artilages overlap considerably, and that the precoracoids and cora- 

 (;oids so far from being parallel, as they are said to be in the Hemi- 

 phractidWy on the contrary are greatly divergent. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE III. 

 Tetkaprion .tordani. 



Drawn by Frotlerick C. Test. 



Fig. 1, Top of head; 2, Palate, eliowiug dentition; 3, Pectoral arch; 4, Pelvis; 

 5, Dorsal view of right liand ; (!, Dorsal view of right foot; 7, Distal phalanx of lin- 

 ger: rt, dorsal view; h, veiitr.il view; c, iateralview. 



(Figs. 1-G, enlarged one-third. Fig. 7, enlarged two-thirds.) 



