26 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.74 



RANA SYLVATICA LeConte 



Plate 7, figure 4 



Color description from life {not Ridgway). — Background of back 

 and sides greenish black marked with fine gold and with a few orange 

 spots; also with iridescent areas, particularly on the sides, giving 

 the whole a greenish brown appearance. A cream line extends along 

 the upper jaiv. The venter has a cream ground ; belly slightly pig- 

 mented at the sides; gill region quite heavily pigmented, but overlaid 

 with silver spots; throat region a lavender gray with fine dark and 

 silver spots, the whole venter iridescent, giving the belly a distinct 

 pinkish bronze appearance. Iris of eye bronze. Tail somewhat 

 lighter than body, the pigment graded evenly over the muscular 

 portion and crests, but as a whole darker above; small gold spots 

 are scattered over the surface, some of which become iridescent. 



General appearance. — Tadpole medium (49.8 mm.), full, and deep 

 bodied. Venter not strongly pigmented. Tail quite long, tip decidedly 

 acuminate or attenuate. Dorsal crest very high, greater than ^N-idth 

 of musculature and extending on to body to the vertical through the 

 spiracle, more in this respect like our Hyla tadpoles. Ventral crest 

 as well developed as dorsal crest. Spiracle sinistral and directed 

 upward and backward, distinctly below lateral axis. Eye on lateral 

 axis, almost on the lateral outline in dorsal aspect and farther from 

 mid-dorsal axis than any other eastern Ranid. Eyes just visible 

 from venter. Anus dextral, opening on the level of the edge of the 

 ventral crest. Muciferous crypts indistinct. 



Mouth parts. — Teeth -|. Upper labium with a fringe on its upper 

 edge, this fringe much longer than the beak (about one and one-half 

 times beak) . The second row of lateral upper labial teeth is very long, is 

 about two-fifths of the upper fringe. The median space is usually two- 

 fifths to four-fifths of the length of one of the lateral rows. The end of 

 the second lateral row often extends beyond the end of the upper fringe. 

 The third upper labial row is usually about one-half of the length of the 

 second row or one-fourth or two-ninths of the length of the upper 

 fringe. The lower labium has four rows of teeth. The first three 

 are of about equal length, and these are longer than the beak. The 

 fourth row of labial teeth is about equal to the single row of lower 

 labial papillae. The fourth row is six-elevenths to seven-elevenths 

 of the first row of lower labial teeth. The labium on either side with 

 inner papillae to the end of the four lower labial row. 



Measurements. — Length of body (14.4-17.2 mm.) 1.5-2.2 in tail 

 (23.8-33. 2 mm.), average 1.8. Width (9.4-12.6 mm.) of body m its 

 own length 1.3-1.58, average 1.41. Depth of body 1.08-1.23 in body 

 width, average 1.14. Depth of body 1.66-2.0 in length of body, 



