THE SALAMANDERS OF THE GENERA DESMOGNATHUS 

 AND LEUROGNATHUS. 



By Emmett R. Dunn, 



Of Eaverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Although one of the species of Desmognaihus is the commonest of 

 the eastern salamanders, it was not observed by scientists until 18 IS, 

 when Green described Salamandra fusca. This name was preoccu- 

 pied by a name of Lauren ti's. Li the same paper Green described 

 Salamandra nigra, which name has been used for a species of Des- 

 mognathus that Green probably never saw. In 1820 Rufiiiesque 

 described Triturus fuscus, which is the earliest tenable name for a 

 species of Desmognaihus, This name of Rafinesqiic's remained un- 

 noticed until 1849, the names 'plcta (Harlan 1825), nigra (Green 1818), 

 and intermixta (Green 1825), all being applied to the species now 

 known as fusca. In 1838 Holbrook described auriculata, and in 1840 

 quadramaculata. He was the first to apply Green's nigra to the large 

 black adult of quadramaculata. hi 1849 Baird describ(>d the genus 

 Desmognaihus recognizing three species: D. fusca (Rafinesque), D, 

 auriculata (Holbrook), and D. nigra (Green).' He placed quadra- 

 maculata in the synouomy of fusca where it stayed until Stejneger 

 resurrected it in 1903. 



Cope described ochrophaea in 1859. In 1866 he created a family, 

 Desmognathidae, with only one genus. In 1868 he made auriculata 

 a subspecies oi fusca. In 1882 Boulenger added the genus Thorius 

 Cope to the Desmognathinae. In 1892 Stejneger described Typhlo- 

 triton placing it in tliis family. So also in 1893 Cope in descnbmg 

 Eaptoglossa included it in the Desmognathidae. Stejneger described 

 D. brimleyorum in 1895. Li 1899 Moore described Leurognalhus as 

 of the family Desmognathidae. In 1900 Moore showed clearly that 

 this family had no standing if based on the opisthocoelous vertebrae. 



In 1901 Allen claimed that ochrophaea should be a synonym of 

 fusca and Fowler in 1900 supported his claim. In 1903 Stejneger 



' The "only" specimen of nigra seen by Baird was No. 14001 in the Academy of Natural Sciences ol 

 Philadelphia. It was presented by Holbrook and the locality Is given as "Penn." 



Proceedinqs U. S. National Museum, Vol. 63-No. 2211. 



