HERPETOLOGY OF JAPAN. 45 



Dimensions. 



mm. 



Total length 141 



Tip of snout to gular fold 15 



Gular fold to anterior border of vent 54 



Anterior border of vent to tip of tail 72 



Width of head 11 



Fore leg 18 



Hind leg 23 



Height of tail one head-length from vent 7. 5 



The nonbreeding female is apparently distinguished by the absence 

 of nails, and the vent is a simple longitudinal slit. 



The larvse are characterized by the presence of strong, hooked, 

 black claws. 



Variation. — The variation in structural characters is unimportant 

 and presents no difficulties with regard to the identification of this 

 species, being chiefly confined to slight deviations in the position of 

 the vomero-palatine teeth relative to the choanse, and to the number 

 of costal folds, which varies between 12 and 14. The coloration is 

 also rather uniform, the chief difference consisting in the varymg 

 degree of fineness of the dark sprinkling in the dorsal pale area, 

 where these minute dots often congregate near the median line so as 

 to form an irregular dusky stripe. 



Hahitat. — In the Fauna Japonica (p. 125) it is stated that this sala- 

 mander is found in abundance in the mountainous parts of Hondo 

 and Shikoku, particularly in the provinces of Sagami, Shmano, 

 Tamba, Tazima, and Tosa, and Siebold himself (p. xvi) clearly inti- 

 mates that he did not obtain it in Kiusiu. Nor am I aware of any 

 record of its having been taken in the latter island. Doctor Fritze 

 states that it is absent in Yezo. Doctor Nozawa, however, in a letter 

 to me enumerates it among the species found there, though as yet he 

 has been unable to secure specimens for me. 



To the provinces specifically enumerated above Geerts adds Iga, 

 and Okada adds Iwaki. Most of the specimens in the museums are 

 from Hakone, the type-locality of the species and the locality from 

 which it also takes its Japanese name. Another specific locality 

 from which there are specimens in the British and Berlin museums 

 is Oyama in Sagami province. 



The species does not occur outside of Japan proper. It is unknown 

 in the Riu Kiu islands. 



