32 



AA. Tongue extensively free all round and standing on a central stalk, 

 a. Posterior digits 4. Southern States. Mancnliis^ 



aa. Posterior digits 5. 



b. Premaxillaries not ankylosed. Gyrinophilus. Appendix, 

 bb. Premaxillaries ankylosed. Spelerpes, p. 37. 



Genus HEMIDACTYLIUM, Tschudi. 



Hemidactylium, Tschudi, 1838, 99, 54; Cope, 1889, 51, 130. 



No fontauelle between the parietals. Premaxillaries distinct. Tongue 

 free along the sides, attached in the middle line in front. Limbs feeble ; 

 digits, 4-4. 



Hemidactylium scutatum, (Schlegel). 

 Scaly Salamander; Four-toed Salamander. 



Salamandra scidata, Schlegel, 1837, 106, 119; Semidac.tylium scutatum,. 

 Tschudi, 1838, 99, 94; Cope, 1889, 51, 130, with figures; Batrachosep» 

 scidatiis, Boulenger, 1882, 28, 59. 



Head flattened above, broadest just behind the eyes. Snout short,^ 

 truncate. Width of head in the length to the groin about six times. 

 Gular fold rising above nearly to middle line. Vomero-palatine teeth 

 in two short series just behind the choame. The parasphenoidal patches 

 not in contact. Body cylindrical ; the distance from snout to axilla in 

 the distance from snout to groin three times. There is a dorsal furrow 

 which runs forward to the head, and, there forking, sends a branch to 

 each eye. Costal furrows 13 or 14. On each side of the back is a. 

 fainter longitudinal groove. Above this the costal furrows run forward 

 and meet in the middle line at an acute angle. Base of the tail with a 

 decided constriction, beyond which the tail again swells out and then tapers 

 to a sharp point. Both upper and lower edges of the tail with an evident 

 ridge for the greater part of the length. Skin of the whole upper sur- 

 face granulated. 



Limbs feebly developed ; outstretched arms and legs about equal, and 

 contained in the distance from the snout to the groin not quite twice. 

 Fingers and toes 4, short, almost rudimentary. 



Color above brown, chestnut, or purplish, mingled with pale spots and 

 specks ; snout, shoulders, limbs and upper surface of tail clay-colored. 

 Below, the color is bluish- white, with many specks and small spots of 

 black. The central line of the belly is spotted or not 



This species is distributed from Massachusetts and Canada westward at 

 least as far as Illinois and south to Georgia. It is regarded as a rare' 

 animal, although it appears to be pretty abundant in places. Prof Ver- 

 rill has reported it to be common at New Haven, Conn. The Indiana. 



