ART. 25 CHINESE AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES STEJNEGER 19 



65236-46, 66351) from Shanghai, all collected by Mr. Sowerby. In 

 addition we have eight specimens (Nos. 52576-82, 52584) from 

 Kiangyin, Kiangsu, collected by L. I. Moffett. 



RANA ASIATICA (Bedriagra) 



1853. Rana cruenta Middendorff, Sibir. Reise, vol. 2, pt. 2, p. 249, 



pi. 26, figs. 5-7 (Jakutsk, Siberia) (not of Pallas). 

 1876. Rana tenworaria" Strauch, in Przewalski's Mongoliya i Strana 



Tangutov, vol. 2, pt. 3, p. 53 (Kansu; Ordos) (not of Linnaeus). — 



GuENTHER, Ann. Mus. Zool. St. Petersbourg, vol. 1, 1896, p. 206 (Sung- 



pan, Szechwan). 

 1885. Rana japonica Boettger, Offenbach. Ver. Naturk., 24-25 Ber., p. 150 



(Kansu; Ordos; Szechwan) (not of Guenther). — Sowerby, in Clark and 



Sowerby, Through Shen-Kai, 1912, p. 112 (North Shensi ; Kansu). 

 1898. Rana temporaria, var. asiatica Bedeiaga, Wiss. Res. Przewalski 



Central-Asien Reis., Zool., vol. 3, sect. 1, Amph. Rept., pt. 1, May 15, 



1898, p. 23, pi. 1, fig. 4-4b (type-locality, Kansu and Ordos, Mongolia; 



cotypes, Petrograd Mus. Nos. 928, 929; Przhevalski, collector). 

 1909. Rana bachtyana Kastchekko, Ann. Mus. Zool. St. Petersbourg, vol. 



14, p. 129 ( type-locality, Bachty, Semiryetchensk, Siberia ; types in Univ. 



Tomsk). 

 1914. Rana asiatica Nikolski, Trudi Troitsko-Savsk. Kiakht. Otd. Geogr. 



Obshtch., vol. 15, 1914 (p. 33) (Transbaikalia) ; Fauna Rossi j, Amph., 



1918, p. 62 (Southern Siberia, Davuria, Ordos, Kansu, etc.). 



The exact relation of this form to the typical Rana temporaria, 

 which inhabits the northern regions from the Atlantic Ocean to the 

 Pacific, is not quite clear. In the desert regions from the Tian-Shan 

 eastwards a form occurs apparently distinguished by longer snout, 

 slightly longer hind legs, slightly more excised webs and more 

 posteriorly located vomerine teeth. It is not always easy to deter- 

 mine, especially with indifferently preserved material, to which 

 form a given specimen may belong. This is evident from an inspec- 

 tion of the lists of specimens given by Bedriaga and Nikolski, which 

 shows that these eminent authorities have disagreed materially in 

 the reference of the individual specimens, and that both authors 

 enumerate specimens from the same locality under the separate 

 names. Thus Bedriaga (p. 17) refers Petrogr. Mus. No. 1055, from 

 the River Kungess in the Tian-shan to Rana tenhporarla and No. 

 1056 from the same locality to R. asiatica, while Nikolski (Fauna 

 Rossij, Amph., p. 39) places both numbers under R. temporaria. 

 Bedriaga regards the two specimens of No. 932, from Kansu, as 

 typical R. temporana; Nikolski has them under R. asiatica, and also 



''In the Herpetology of Japan, p. 113, I explained the trivial term temporaria as sig- 

 nifying " temporary, in the present case, perhaps, in the sense of changeable," I have 

 since come across the following paragraph in Gesner's " De Amphibiis " (1560, p. 360) : 

 " Latent hybernis mensibus in terra Ranae omnes exceptis temporariis istis minimis, qui 

 latent in coeno, et reptant in viis ac ripis," showing that these frogsi were called " tem- 

 porary " because they were believed to last only during the summer time and not to 

 hibernate like the other frogs. 



