FROGS OF COLOMBIA — COCHRAN AND GOIN 201 



above shoulder region. Along each side between the axilla and groin 

 is a series of vertical dark bars, these becoming more distinct pos- 

 teriorly in region of the groin. Rather indistinct crossbars occur on 

 the dorsal surfaces of thighs, shanks, feet, and forearms. Posterior 

 surfaces of thighs, underside of feet, and webbing of hands and feet 

 are a very dark gray that approaches black. 



Variation. — The series at hand, while structurally quite uniform, 

 shows considerable variation in pattern. Most of the specimens are 

 brownish with a dark, narrow, median dorsal stripe running from the 

 tip of snout to above the urostyle. A few, particularly those from the 

 Rio Atrato, seem to have the webs paler than others, but the triangular 

 dermal heel appendage and the reticulate palpebral membrane seem 

 to indicate that such specimens definitely are maxima rather than 

 rosenbergi. 



We have examined the specimen from San Fernando de Atabapo 

 in Venezuela (USNM 80652) mentioned by Rivero (1961, p. 97) and 

 find that it is structurally typical maxima, although it does have an 

 abortive dorsal pattern. 



Geographically speaking, the specimens that show the most di- 

 vergence from "typical" maxima are two frogs collected by Dr. 

 Medem on the Serrania de La Macarena. These specimens are 75.7 

 and 73.3 millimeters in head-and-body length, compared to five adult 

 specimens (taken at random from the series before us) that range 

 from 87.7 to 107.2 millimeters in length. In addition to size, these two 

 specimens differ in that their throats are quite dark (whereas most 

 examples of maxima have light throats, or, at most, dusky throats) 

 and their fingers and toes are much more slender and delicate, with 

 the webbing on the fingers being more reduced and the webbing itself 

 being much darker than it is in the average maxima. 



The largest specimen at hand, from Leticia, measures 115 milli- 

 meters in head-and-body length. 



Remarks. — There can be no doubt that this frog was first named 

 Rana boans by Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Natura. 

 That name was overlooked, however, until 1900 when it was resur- 

 rected by Andersson (1900, p. 17). In the meantime Laurenti (1768, 

 p. 32) gave the name maxima, which became adopted as the name for 

 the species and was used widely for many years (Giinther, 1858; 

 Peters, 1872; Boulenger, 1882; Nieden, 1923; Miranda-Ribeiro, 

 1926; Crawford, 1931; Noble, 1931; Andersson, 1945). 



On the basis that boans Linnaeus, 1758, preoccupied boans Latreille, 

 1801, Cochran (1955, p. 80) used the name albopunctata for the frog of 

 southern Brazil allied to lancijormis of Colombia which had for so 

 long been known as boans. 



