24 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 288 



longer than fifth, its disk reaching to center of antepenultimate 

 phalanx of fourth; disk of fourth toe covering about a third the tym- 

 panum, and smaller than that of third finger; a distinct oval inner 

 metatarsal tubercle and a smaller round outer one; a distinct tarsal 

 ridge, ending at heel, with a small crescentic swelling near its center; 

 a skinfold on heel and knee. Body moderately elongate, in postaxillary 

 region equal to greatest width of head. When hind leg is adpressed, 

 heel reaches to posterior corner of eye; when limbs are laid along 

 the sides, knee and elbow touch; when hind legs are bent at right 

 angles to body, heels touch. Skin of upper parts smooth (pustular 

 under the lens) ; venter minutely granular, the throat and chest less 

 so; a very fine glandular ridge from posterior corner of eye, above 

 tympanum, and ending on side; a weak skinfold across the chest; a 

 slight ventral disk; apparently no external vocal sacs in the male. 



Dimensions. — Head and body, 16 mm.; head length, 5 mm.; head 

 width, 5 mm. ; femur, 6.5 mm., tibia, 7 mm. ; foot, 7 mm. ; hand, 4.5 mm. 



Color in alcohol. — Dorsum black, with a rather narrow drab-gray 

 dorsolateral line starting on snout, continuing along canthus and 

 eyelid on the side to groin and ending on anterior femur in a wider 

 irregular gray spot; a short median drab-gray line beginning between 

 the eyes, forking anteriorly to join the pale canthal line in front of 

 the eyes and ending between the shoulders; limbs black above, with a 

 few indistinct gray transverse spots on tibia, foot and forearm; 

 posterior femur black near the body, becoming paler on distal half, 

 this pale area continuing behind the knee and on proximal one-third 

 of tibia; venter drab-gray, with several large round black spots on 

 belJy; a wide black band across throat; a pair of large lateral black 

 spots on chin, and a small median black spot on tip of chin; sides 

 of head black, with a gray line along upper lip border; sides of body 

 black, with an indistinct gray lateral strip; soles of feet and palms 

 of hands black, the tips of the digits lightening to drab gray. 



MLS 42a is very similar to the described specimen but has several 

 black spots across the throat instead of a single wide black band. 



Remarks. — The frog from the watershed of Rio Pastaza, Ecuador, 

 reported by Andersson (1945) as Dendrobates tinctorius Schneider un- 

 doubtedly is D. minutus ventrimaculatus, as Andersson's color des- 

 cription agrees with the original description of this subspecies as 

 well as with the specimens at hand. 



Although we do not have enough specimens to make an adequate 

 variational study of this subspecies, a few facts about the individuals 

 at hand may be mentioned. In all six, the first finger is much shorter 

 than the second. The heel reaches to the center of the eye in three 

 individuals, to its posterior border in two specimens, and to its anterior 

 border in one example. 



