26 



BULLETIN 160, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



RHINOPHRYNUS DORSAUS DnmerU and Bibron 



Burrowing Toad 



1841. Rhinophrynus dorsalis Dumeril and Bibron, Erp^tologie g6n6rale, vol. 8, 

 p. 758, pi. 91, figs. 2, 2a. — Gunther, 1858, Catalogue of the Batrachia Sali- 

 entia in the collection of the British Museum, p. 127, pi. 12. 



1897. Rhynophrymis dorsalis Duces, La Naturaleza, Mexico, ser. 2, vol. 2, pp. 

 98-100, pi. 5, figs. 1-5. [Colored plate with correct spelling.] 



1877. Rhinophrynus rostratus Brocchi, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, ser. 7, vol. 1, 

 no. 4, p. 196. — Brocchi, 1882, Mission scientifique au Mexique et dans 

 I'Amerique Centrale, recherches zoologiques, pt. 3, sect. 2, pp. 98, 99, pi. 9, 

 fig. 1 (Tehuantepec, Mexico). 



Type locality. — Vera Cruz, State of Vera Cruz, Mexico. 



Range. — From Tuxpam in northeastern Vera Cruz, south through 

 Tabasco (reported by Duges from Chiapas), Yucatan, and Quintana 

 Roo to Guatemala; on the west coast in the region of the Isthmus of 

 Tehuantepec. 



Remarks.- — The type of Rhinophrynus dorsalis (M.H.N. P. No. 

 693, parchment label No. 743) was collected by Auguste Sall^. It 

 is a young individual and is fairly typical of the species. The head- 

 and-body length is 44.5 mm. 



Remarks. — One of these burrowing toads was found by Hugo Fuick 

 on October 19, 1874, in the neighborhood of Cordoba in a lagoon at 

 an altitude of 2,100 feet. Among the field notes of Dr. E. W. Nelson 

 are the following observations on this interesting toad : 



They occur in thickets and woods near Tuxtepec in the state of Oaxaca. One 

 came into camp at night during a rainstorm and at the same time the muffled 

 call notes of others, which were more like the hoarse calls of some bird than of 

 a toad, were heard. These toads live in the ground and are called "Po-chi." 

 When held in the closed hand they try to escape by moving backwards, and by 

 a kind of a hitching motion of the hinder parts they exert a surprising amount of 

 force. The hard callosities on the inside border of the feet are used to secure a 

 hold and no doubt serve in this way when the animal is burrowing underground. 



Specimens examined. — Fifty-eight, as follows : 



Rhinophrynus dorsalis 



Museum 



Catalogue 

 No. 



Num- 

 ber of 



speci- 

 mens 



Locality collected 



Date collected 



B y whom collected or 

 from whom received 



U.S.N. M. 

 M. C.Z.. 



U.S.N. M.... 

 C.Q.E. M.. 

 M.H. N. P. 



U.S.N.M...- 

 Do.. 



Do- 



Do 



Do-.-. 

 M. C. Z-... 



U.S.N.M... 

 M. C. Z 



Do 



8262 

 8458-8506 



693 



30271-73 



70404 



46920-21 



47312 



47313 



2421 



6622 



2772 



2S56 



Vera Cruz: 



Cordoba 



Hacienda Cerro del Qallo, 

 near San Cristobal del 

 Llave. 



Tuxpam 



Vera Cruz 



....do 



Oaxaca: 



Tehuantepec City 



do 



Tuxtepec 



Tabasco: 



Montecristo 



....do 



No definite locality 



..._do 



Yucatan: Chichen Itza sa- 

 cred cenote. 

 I Quintana Roo: Xcopen 



Oct. 19, 1874 

 1921 



Apr. 9, 1894 



May 8, 1900 

 May 29, 1900 



1895 



1860 



1911 



1912 



Hugo Fuick. 

 E. R. Dunn. 



Gideon C. Lincecum. 



Auguste Sallfi. 



Francis Sumichrast. 



Do. 

 Nelson and Goldman. 



Do. 



Do. 

 T. J. Potts. 

 Ch. Laszlo. 

 E. H. Thompson. 



J. L. Peters. 



Type. 



