I PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol 74 



Some may attempt to use this synopsis as a key. It may work and 

 at times it will not. To any worker who has had much field experience 

 it is apparent that tadpoles of closely related species like other animate 

 things are no respecters of man-made keys. Variations in individuals 

 will occur. This is a synopsis of mature larvae. Half-grown larvae 

 or larvae close to transformation or almost transformed are often quite 

 abnormal in the usual characters used in larval descriptions. For 

 example, we raised Rana virgatipes larvae from eggs, but they did not 

 attain a large enough size to get the labial teeth well developed. We 

 had to secure another series of mature larvae to complete the descrip- 

 tion. 



The tadpoles and eggs of most of the United States species are 

 known. The Pacific coast forms have been thoroughly studied by 

 Dr. Tracy I. Storer. We have collected in the field the tadpoles 

 and eggs, or both, of over 40 of the species of the United States and 

 are hopeful of seeing in life the eggs and tadpoles of the remaining 

 forms before final summaries are undertaken. In this synopsis the 

 only real presumptive identification is th&t of Rana onca, and a correc- 

 tion is made when ScapJiiopus hammondii is given as having stalked 

 eggs at times. In 1920 ^ we published a figure of stalked eggs with 

 the identification "Desert Tree Toad (?) Eggs," i. e. Hyla arenicolor. 

 The question mark saves the situation. Later we found them to be 

 ScapJiiopus hammondii eggs, and Dr. A. I. Ortenburger had also 

 independently come to the same judgment. 



All the drawings of the mouth parts have been made by my wife, 

 Mrs. Anna Allen Wright, who has also seen many of these tadpoles in 

 life and who has helped to photograph most of them. 



a'. Moutii disk absent; no labial teetli; no papillae; no hornj' beaks; spiracle 

 median near anus; nostril within edge of mouth fold; eye on a canthus; 

 tadpoles (23-26.4 mm.) small; black or grajnsh olive tadpoles with a stripe 



on the middle of the tail musculature (Brevicipitidae). 



bK Tail tip always black; eyes just visible from ventral aspect; back of upper 

 labial edge with black pointed excrescences; lower mandibular prolongation 

 gray; general coloration citrine drab or grayish olive, with mid dorsal of 

 dark grayish olive; venter with white or pale pinkish cinnamon spots; 

 sides of body without striking longitudinal light bands; light baud at base 

 of tail musculature not prominent (in alcohol) . 

 Outer egg envelope not truncate, mass seldom showing distinct outline of 



each egg envelope in a mosaic fashion. 

 Texas westward to Fort Davis Mountaijis. (Pi. 1, fig. 1.) 



Gastroparyne texensis. 



1 U. S. Bar. of Fisheries, Doc. No. 888, 1920, pi. 17, fig. 2. 



