SKULL. 



169 



may even be inclined backwards. The lower jaw presents articvilar, 

 dentary, and splenial elements. Teeth may be present on the premaxillae, 

 maxillae, vomeropalatines, and parasphonoid, and on the lower jaw. 

 The visceral arches are generally reduced to the hyoid and two branchials 

 in the adult, but sometimes four {Siren, Amphiuma, etc.) or three (Nee- 

 turus, Proteus) pairs of branchials persist in the adult (Fig. 145 bis, A). 

 There is no tympanic cavity in Urodeles. 



In the Anura (Fig. 146) the cartilage of the cranium is much more 

 developed, there being a complete cartilaginous floor and roof, which 

 latter however contains some fontanelles. The two orbitosphenoids are 

 replaced by a single "girdle" bono which extends into the hinder part^of 

 the etlunoid region 

 and is called the A 



sphenethmoid {Et). 

 The parietal and 

 frontal {Fp) are 

 fused and the 

 parasphenoid i s 

 dagger-shaped {Ps). 

 The suspensorium 

 slopes backwards 

 and the palatopte- 

 rygoid arch persists 

 as a bar extending 

 from the ethmoid 

 to the suspensoruin . 

 Quadrato-jugals.( J ) 

 are present, reaeli- 

 ing from the max- 

 illa to the quadrate. 

 The lower jaw con- 

 tains a men to - 

 meckelian cartilage 

 bone at the sym- 

 physis (o s s i fi e d 

 mento - meckelian 

 cartilage of the 

 larva). A tym- 

 panic cavitj', com- 

 municating with the pharynx by a eustachian tube is present, and the 

 stapedial plate is connected by a cartilaginous, partly ossified, rod, the 

 columella auris, with the tympanic membrane, which is supported by a 

 cartilaginous ring. Teeth are found on the premaxillae, maxillae, vomers, 

 and the lower jaw, though the latter is frequently edentulous. The 

 visceral arches (Fig. 145 bis, B) of the adult are represented by a large 

 basilingvial plate in the floor of the mouth which is connected with the 

 otic region of the skull by the curved hyoid ai'ches. All the four 

 branch.ial arches and part of the copula of the larva completely disappear, 

 the processes (including the bony thyrohyals) on the basilingual plate of 

 the adult being new formations.* 



As has already been stated, short two-headed ribs are often 



Fig. 145 bis. — Visceral arches of, A Triton cristatus ; B Rana tem- 

 poraria ; C tadpole of Rana : D Siredon pisciformis (from Reynolds). 

 The bone is shaded and the cartilage left white. 1, basilingual 

 plate ; 2, hyoid arch ; 3, first, 4, second, 5, third, 6, fourth bran- 

 chial arch ; 7, thyrohyal ; 8, copula. 



* Ridewood P. Z. S., 1897, p. 577. 



