98 U- S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 206 



protuberance, while in MCZ 374, from Rio Puty, it has a small sharp 

 spine in addition to the knob. The vomerine teeth, prominent in all 

 examples, are quite slanting in some but nearly transverse in others. 

 Other structural characters appear to be quite uniform; the broad 

 upper eyelid, the graceful, elongate contour of the head, the long legs, 

 the degree of webbing, all vary less than is usually the case in a species 

 of Brazilian hylid. The color pattern on the front and rear femur is 

 also very characteristic, and even in faded specimens the dark vertical 

 bars are evident and cover much more of the leg surface than is usual 

 in species having crossbarred legs. In this respect one might confuse 

 H. roniceps with H. crepitans, as crepitans also has the femur nearly 

 encircled by dark bars, but its head shape is very different, and there 

 are other characters so dissimilar that a careful examination dispels 

 the apparent likeness. 



Color in life. — A sketch by Pugas of a specimen 29 mm. in length, 

 from Natal, collected August 7, 1928, shows the following colors: Dor- 

 sum pale paris green to emerald green, except knees and anal region, 

 wliich are white; a white line along outer border of forearm and 

 tarsus; a similar white line beginning behind eye and passing above 

 tympanum; a sepia line along canthus rostralis; a round russet spot 

 on upper eyelid; a median russet stripe beginning between the eyes 

 and narrowing and fading out before the sacrum is reached, its 

 lateral borders very irregular (tliis is probably not a dermal coloring, 

 but shows through the flesh, for the preserved specimens now show 

 a light-colored tissue below the skin in this region). Iris apparently 

 slate-gray. 



Remarks. — Ten specimens of tadpoles and very young frogs, USNM 

 97028-38 from Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, are apparently referable 

 to this species. The young frogs were taken on leaves of low bushes. 

 A tadpole with fully developed limbs has a head and body length of 

 1 9 mm. and a tail length of 23 mm. The smallest fully metamorphosed 

 one measures 18 mm.; at this stage the vomerine teeth are just begin- 

 ning to differentiate from the soft bone of the head, the maxillary 

 teeth are not yet perceptible, and the still squarish and truncate 

 outline of the jaw is suggestive of the tadpole mouth. When the young 

 frog has grown to a length of 24 mm., the maxillary teeth are already 

 perceptible and the vomerine teeth are in characteristic dense large 

 patches. The lower jaw at this stage is still somewhat truncate, and 

 it is only at a length of 28 mm., according to the specimens at hand, 

 that the pointed outline of both upper and lower jaw is fully assumed. 



Three cotypes of Hypsiboas raniceps, USNM 5408 and 12172, are in 

 poor condition. One of the latter, however, has the color pattern 

 on the femur and sides still quite distinct. Five other cotypes, 



