34 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.74 



RANA PIPIENS Schreber 



Plate 7, figure 7 



Color description jrom lije {not Ridgway). — Background of back a 

 dark brown, covered with fine gold spots and many aggregate ones on 

 sides, the general appearance somewhat similar to that of the green 

 frog but darker. Background on front of head rather orange. The 

 belly is deep cream, covered with bronzelike iridescence. The gill 

 region is pigmented with dark toward the sides, is covered all over 

 with gold spots, and is iridescent. The throat area is translucent and 

 more extensive than in the pickerel frog. 



Tail. — Unlike the pickerel-frog tadpole, the tail is conspicuously 

 lighter than the body, the crests being translucent and marked with 

 scattered fine spots and pencilings. Gold spots occur toward the 

 base of the tail. The eye is bronze. 



General appearance. — Tadpole large (86 mm.), full, and deep bodied. 

 Venter not strongly pigmented so that viscera clearly show through in 

 life or preserved specimens. Tail medium in length and acute. 

 Dorsal crest not equal in width to the musculature and extending on 

 to body somewhat ahead of the vertical of the buds of the hind limbs. 

 Spiracle sinistral, decidedly upward and backward in direction, below 

 lateral axis of body. Spiracular opening plainly visible as an elliptical 

 or round opening. Eye on lateral axis and nearer lateral outline in 

 dorsal aspect than mid-dorsal line. Anus dextral, opening on level of 

 edge of vertical crest. Muciferous crj^pts indistinct. 



Mouth parts. — Teeth |-. Edge of upper labium longer than beak 

 and fringed with teeth. In either corner a rather long row of teeth 

 about one-third to one-fourth the length of the upper fringe. The 

 outer end of the lateral row about even with end of the upper fringe. 

 The median space between lateral rows one to one and one-half times 

 either lateral* row. The third row of lower labial teeth shorter than 

 single row of lower labial papillae, one-fourth to one-fifth shorter than 

 horny beak, and about two-ninths shorter than first lower labial row 

 which is longer somewhat than beak and often subdivided. The 

 lower third row not relatively as short as in R. palustris, R. clamitans, 

 R. septentrionolis, R. grylio, etc. 



Measurements. — Length of body (19.6-28.2 mm.) 1.3-2.2 in tail 

 length, average 1.7. Width (13-19.6 mm.) of body in its own length 

 1.4-1.7, average 1.5. Depth (10-14 mm.) of body 1.04-1.39 in body 

 width, average 1.17. Depth of body 1.66-2.1 in length of body, aver- 

 age 1.91. Depth of tail (10.4-16.4 mm.) 2.7-3.4 in length of tail 

 (34.2-56.2 mm.), average 3.0. Muscular part (5.2-8.8 mm.) 1.6-2.4 

 in depth of tail (10.4-16.4 mm.), average 1.9. Spiracle 1.25-1.7 

 nearer base of hind legs or vent region (9.2-12.6 mm.) than the tip of 

 the snout (13.6-19.4 mm.), average 1.5, rarety reading 1.7 or under 



