AET. 11 NORTH AMERICAN TADPOLES — WRIGHT 15 



GASTBOPHRYNE CAROLINENSIS (Holbrook) 



Plate 6, figure 1 



Color description from life (July 7, 1921). — General color black, 

 overlaid with very fine light purplish gray or quaker drab or hair- 

 brown dots. Transverse stripe of belly divided in middle and 

 apricot yellow or buff yellow in color. Along either side of belly a 

 light buff stripe. Another such stripe on either side of the gill region. 

 Sometimes whole venter with small light buff" or pale orange yellow 

 spots heaviest on belly and sides and lightest on throat. The inter- 

 spaces are purplish gray, violet gray or plumbeous. 



Tail with light buff or white stripe along middle or muscular part 

 of tail. After the first one-half inch, the stripe breaks up into 

 spots, which finally disappear caudally. Above and below this con- 

 tinuous stripe is clear black. Above this black is light purplish gray 

 or quaker drab dots. Quaker drab not in lower crest. Lower and 

 upper crests on caudal half with muscular part heavily blotched with 

 black or rather light purplish gray or hair brown giving the tail tip 

 almost a black appearance. 



General appearance. — Tadpole small (26.4 mm.), flat, wide, ellip- 

 tical, snout sometimes somewhat truncate. Tail medium, obtuse or 

 rounded, sometimes with black tip. Dorsal and ventral crests not 

 equal to depth of the musculature. The dorsal crest scarcely extends 

 onto the body, reaching a vertical somewhat ahead of developing hind 

 legs. Spiracle median, closely associated with anus, just ahead of it, 

 not very apparent until hind legs begin to appear, when it becomes 

 separated from the anus. Ej^e is on the lateral axis, distinctly lateral 

 in position. From one eye to snout and around to the other eye the 

 tadpole has a prominent canthus made by the flat ventral and dorsal 

 sides of the head. Anus median at the end of the edge of the ventral 

 crest. Muciferous crypts indistinct. 



Mouth parts. — Teeth -§-. No horny mandibles; no labial teeth; no 

 papillae; upper labial edge dark and quite emarginate in the middle; 

 just below this emargination is a lower light-colored median beak 

 like prolongation on the margin of the lower labium. 



Measurements. — Length of body (9.2-10.8 mm.) in tail (9.8-16.4 

 mm.) L06-1.77, average L37. Width (6.8-8.0 mm.) of body in its 

 own length 1.3-1.65, average 1.43. Depth (4.4-5.0 mm.) of body 

 1.35-1.65 in body width, average 1.5. Depth of body 2.0-2.3 in 

 bod}" length, average 2.15. Depth (3.2-5.0 mm.) of tail in length 

 of tail 2.4-4.25, average 3.15. Muscular part (2.4-3.6 mm.) 1.16- 

 1.66 in depth of tail, average 1.32. Spiracle just in front of vent. 

 Nostril within lateral edge of mouth fold. Mouth (2.0-3.0 mm.) 

 contained 1.5-2.25 (average 1.93) in interorbital distance (4.5-6.5 mm). 



