NO. 2205. CUBAN AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES— STEJNEGER. 265 



between the two is not one of coloration only, but the Haitian speci- 

 men has decidedly larger scales than the Cuban. This observation 

 I also had occasion to verify in the Museum at Vienna on two speci- 

 mens from Gonaives, Haiti, so that I have no doubt that the name 

 Gonatodes notatus can not be applied to the Cuban form. These 

 Haitian specimens, moreover, had the lateral black band of G. alho- 

 gularis. The Cuban form consequently differs both from notatus and 

 from true alhogularis and vittatus in the smaller abdominal and sub- 

 femoral scales. The coloration appears also quite characteristic, 

 especially that of the old males. I have before me a color sketch by 

 Mr. J. H. Riley, made in 1900 from a living specimen taken in Habana. 

 The male is of a bluish black with head and neck of bright ochra- 

 ceous 3^ellow. There is a distinct sky-blue narrow line on the labials 

 under the eye, a small spot of the same color above the ear, and 

 a crimson spot on the side of the neck on the yellow where it joins 

 the black body-color. Unfortunately the bright colors of the living 

 animal fade in alcohol, and I know of no good color description of 

 of typical Gonatodes fiiscus taken from living specimens, but we have 

 specimens from Nicaragua in alcohol, for instance. No. 19646, a 

 male collected by Dr. C. W. Richmond at Greytown, Nicaragua, on 

 February 12, 1892, which both in color and scutellation exactly 

 match Mr. Riley's Habana specimens as they now appear in alcohol. 



I can not throw much light on the question of the identity of 

 G. alhogularis and G. vittatus. The United States National Museum 

 has numerous specimens from Curasao which, from the large sub- 

 femoral scales and the characteristic coloration, I have no hesitation 

 in identifying as G. alhogularis; that is, the males have the broad 

 dark blue band on the side of the neck, uniform grayish back and 

 white throat. There are also two typical G. vittatus from Venezuela.^ 

 I am unable to appreciate any marked difference in scutellation or 

 proportions, but the coloration is certainly very different in both sexes. 

 What puzzles me is that Boulenger refers a male from Curasao to 

 G. vittatus.^ He afterwards expressed the opinion that G. vittatus is 

 only a "variety" of G. alhogularis. 



Barbour, in his Contribution to the Zoogeography of the West 

 Indies (p. 256), hints at the possibility of this species having been 

 introduced fortuitously into Cuba. It is true that most specimens 

 recorded have been from Habana and Santiago, but Barbour men- 

 tions a couple of occurrences from other localities, and Palmer and 

 Riley collected fom* specimens at Mariel. 



» Stejneper, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 24, 1901, p. 181. 

 « Cat. Liz. Brit. Mus., vol. 1, 1885, p. 60. 



