NATURAL SCIENCES OP PHILADELPHIA. 119 



Eastern Brazilian ; of the first, and Batracliia, seven are found in the latter 

 region. 



Of generic types none of any extent appear to be restricted to either of the 

 Western regions. Trachyboa with one species does not probably occur out of 

 the West Coast region. Euspondylus, so far as known, is confined to the eleva- 

 ted regions and the adjoining Eastern and Western Slojjes. Teleuraspis is 

 largely developed in Central America and Coniophanes in Mexico. Of the 

 genera of the Eastern district, Centropyx, Teius, Hypsibatus, Hyla, Pithecopus, 

 Hypsiboas, Ranula, Himantodes, Olisthenes and Typhlops, have not been 

 brought either from the Table Land or the Western district. The absence of 

 Hyla has been already noted by Giinther. 



The sources of information respecting the cold blooded vertebrates of Equa- 

 dor are the collections of Eraser, made in the Western district, and identified 

 and described by Giinther in the Proc. Zoological Soc. London, 1859 ; and the 

 collections of the Prussian Consul Reiss, published from time to time by Pe- 

 ters in the Monatsberichte of the Berlin Academy. 



Eraser procured forty-nine species ; to this number Peters added four, and 

 the present enumeration four. The new species of the present list are mostly 

 from the Table Land and Eastern region, and number twenty-four. 



Additional descrij)(ions of Neotropical Reptilia and Batrachia not previously known. 

 TESTUDINATA. 

 DERMATEMYS Gray. 



This genus presents a peculiarity of the skeleton which has never been 

 noticed. This is, that the vertebral elements of the carapace are not pro- 

 longed to the posterior marginal bones as in Emydidse* but terminate so as to 

 allow of three costa; uniting in a median dorsal suture. This character has 

 heretofore been supposed to characterize the Cinosternidte, which also lack the 

 mesosternal bone. In this genus the mesosternal is well developed. Cistudo 

 has, however, the last pair of costal bones joined by suture, and in the same 

 family. Claudius Cope, is another genus possessing the same character. It 

 is a character also of the genus Hydraspis. 



The genus Pelomedusa VVagler I have shownf to possess only two scries of 

 phalanges instead of the usual number, three. It is on this account as separate 

 from the other Pleurodira, as Testudo is from the remainder of the Cryptodira. 

 On this ground I consider it to represent a family hitherto unnoticed — the 

 Pelomedusidfe. 



Sternothaerus Bell possesses an important structure hitherto unobserved. As 

 in the extinct genus Pleurosternura ; the hyostcrnal bones are divided trans- 

 versely, giving ten bones to the plastron instead of eight. It therefore repre- 

 sents a family which I call the Sternothan-ida;, representing among the Pleuro- 

 dira the extinct family Pleurosternidre among the Cryptodira. It may be here 

 mentioned that I have found a fine new Pleurosternuiu — PL pectorale m. — 

 in the cretaceous Green Sand of New Jersey. 



The above facts confirm the supposition of Agassiz that the Pleurodira 

 would be found to constitute a series of families, rather than one family. 



One species of Dermatemys, the D. mavei, is recognized by Dr. Gray as in- 

 habiting Venezuela and Mexico. The same species, according to the same 

 author, has been subsequently named Emys berardi by Prof. Dumeiil. I 

 have not had an opportunity of seeing South American specimens, but the 

 excellent figure and description of Gray render it certain that the individuals 

 from that country on which the species was based really belong to another 

 species from those of Mexico. The collections of the Smithsonian Institution 



* Agassiz states— Contrib. Nat. Hist. U. States i, that in all Emydidae the vertebral series 

 of Viones is uninterrupted, 

 t Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 18G5, p. 185. 



1868.] 



