TADPOLES FROM SIAM. 273 



nie to Bangkok filially completed their metamorphosis, and I was tlius 

 able to confirm the identification. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE TADPOLE. 



Jlead and Iiodi/. Length IJ to 2 times its breadth, much flat- 

 tened above ; snout broadlj"^ rounded. Nostrils a little nearer tlie tip of 

 the snout tlian the ej'es ; nearlj' as far apart as the eyes. Ej'es looking 

 upwards and outward^, the portion of head visible on their outer sides 

 when viewed from above equal to one quarter the interocular space. 

 Spiracle on the left side, much nearer the ej'e than the vent, not pro- 

 minent in life. Anu.s dextral. 



Moailt. On the ventral surface, entirely" surrounded with a lip 

 fringed with papillae. Beak entirely black, with coarsely serrated 

 edges. Uppei' lip with five or six series of teeth, the first very short, flie 

 second long an<l narrowly interrupted, the remaining three or four 

 broadly interrujited, the last poorly developed and often absent ; lower 

 lip with four series also, the lowermost one not interrupted. 



Tdil. Twice as long as the head and body, four to five times 

 as long as deep, tip bluntly pointed; cr^'Sts low. subecpial, the upper 

 not extending on to the back. 



Colour (in life). Light or dark- brown, speckled and spotted 

 with black, below greyish, uniform. 



Size. ViM')' varialile. A well grown specimen measured : — total 

 length, 63 ; head and body. 21; depth of tail, 10 mm. 



The lip .surrounding the mouth serves also as an adhesive disc. 



It has been long known to herpetologists, that the tadpoles of 

 the genus Megaloj^hri/s form two very distinct groups, one with the 

 "funnel" formation of mouth, the other of Ranid type with horny beak 

 and teeth. In this first group five species are now known,* whilst in 

 the latter only one has so far been discovered, namely M. hafseltii. 

 It is of particular interest, therefore, to be able to record a second. t 



In general characters these two tadpoles are alike, and on mj' 

 visit to the hill 1 found them both inhabiting the same stream. But 



• Annandale, Mem. .\siat. Soc. Bcng.al, VI, p. 1.').') (1917). 



t .Vnother iKiint of dilTorence wliii-h so far nppe.irs to lie constant lic- 

 twppu till' two groii|is, is in the position of tlic anus. In tin' riiinii'l-nnMUlnMl 

 fi>rni this is niodiiii;, lu the other, dextral. 



VOL II, DEC 1017. 



