ART. 11 NORTH AMERICAN TADPOLES — WRIGHT 45 



RANA CLAMITANS Latreille 



Plate 7, figures 5, 6 



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

 very dark and covered with very fine yellow spots, the whole conse- 

 quently having an olive green color with numerous distinct dark 

 spots. BeWy deep cream color without decided iridescence. The 

 throat and sides are mottled with dark green. A slight coppery 

 iridescence on the venter is more decided on the sides and on the tail. 

 The tail appears green, mottled with brown; it is covered with fine 

 yellow spots like the back. 



General appearance. — Tadpole large, not deep bodied. Tail fairly 

 elongate, tip acute. Dorsal crest not as wide as musculature, extend- 

 ing forward on body slightly ahead of the vertical of the buds of the 

 hind legs. Spiracle sinistral, just visible from dorsal aspect, directed 

 obliquely upward and backward. Spiracle below lateral axis. Spi- 

 racular opening ellipitical and plainly visible as such. Muciferous 

 crypts very distinct in life, indistinct in most preserved specimens. 

 Eye on or above lateral axis and nearer lateral outline in dorsal aspect 

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

 ventral crest. 



Mouth parts. — Teeth |- or ^. Edge of upper labium fringed with 

 teeth and about equal to upper hornj'^ beak in length as in R. grylio. 

 In either corner beneath this fringe is a very short row (sometimes 

 absent) which is from two-fifteenths to one-fifteenth the upper fringe. 

 The ends of the lateral row not extending beyond end of upper fringe. 

 Median space between lateral rows six to eleven times the length of 

 either row. The first lower labial row slightly longer or equal to horny 

 beaks in length, and sometimes divided in the middle. The second 

 row almost equal to first. The third row quite short, not nearly as 

 long as in R. catesheiana, usually almost one-half of the first row, not 

 three-fourths or four-fifths as in R. catesheiana, or two-thirds as in 

 R. grylio. It is contained one and one-half times in the horny beak 

 and is much shorter than the single row of lower labial papillae. On 

 the side of the labium the inner papillae (inside outer row) extend 

 mesially beyond and beneath the second lower labial row of teeth, 

 but not to third row (more like R. grylio). 



Measurements. — Length of body (12.2-27.8 mm.) 1.5-2.1 in tail 

 (18.4-57 mm.), average 1.75. Width (8.8-21 mm.) of body 1.25-1.7 

 in its own length (12.2-27.8 mm.), average 1.47. Depth of body 

 1.13-1.32 in body width, average 1.22. Depth of body 1.9-2.3 in 

 length of body, average 2.14. Depth of tail (7.4-16.6 mm.) 2.5-3.7 

 in length of tail (18.4-57 mm.), average 3.1. Muscular part (3.8-10.4 

 mm.) 1.35-1.95 in depth of tail (7.4-16.6 mm.). Spiracle 1.35-1.8 

 nearer base of hind legs or vent region (5.4-12.4 mm.) than the 



