V SALAMANDRIDAE SALAMANDRINAE I I 5 



Surely a roundabout way of explaining a curious but after all 

 rather simple process of Neoteny ; cf. p. 63. 



Observations on the' metamorphosis of Siredon lichenoides 

 into Amhly&toma mavortium have been made by Marsh, who also 

 gives figures of the larval and adult forms.^ 



Sub-Fam. 4. Salamandrinae. — The six genera of this sub- 

 family fall into two natural groups : I, True Salamanders, with 

 the palatal teeth arranged in a pair of S-shaped figures, and 

 without a fronto-squamosal arch, II, Tritons, with the palatal 

 teeth in the shape of a A, *-^. the right and left series meet at 

 an angle ; the fronto-squamosal arch is present, either bony, or at 

 least ligamentous. Triton cristatus is, however, exceptional, in 

 that the two palatal series often do not meet and that the arch 

 is absent. The number of fingers is universally four, that of the 

 toes is five except in Salamandrina, which has only four. 



The geographical distribution of the sub-family, entirely Peri- 

 arctic, may be said to be the reverse of that of the Amblystomatinae. 

 Of the twenty-five species namely, only two are American, four 

 are Eastern Asiatic, and of the remaining nineteen, two are Algerian, 

 while the rest live in Europe or in Asia Minor. It is in fact an 

 essentially Palaearctic group. 



The six genera can be distinguished as follows : — 



I. The palatal teetli are arranged in two S-shaped curves. True Sala- 

 manders. 



Tongue short and thick. Salamandra, p. 115. 

 Tongue long and lu'ojectile. Chioglossa, p. 121. 

 II. The palatal teeth are arranged in a A shape. True Tritons. 

 With only four toes. Salamandrina, p. 122. 

 With five toes. 



Pterygoids separated from the maxillary and quadrate 



bones : Triton, p. 122. 

 Pterygoids touching the maxillae and quadrates. Hiinalo- 



Chinese : Tylototriton, p. 132. 

 Pterygoids united broadly with the maxillae. Chinese : 

 Pachytriton, p. ] 32. 



Salmnandra. — Without fronto-squamosal arch. Five toes. 

 Tail round. Three species in Europe and Western Asia. 



S. maculosa. — The Spotted or Fire Salamander. General habit 

 stout. Usual length about 5 to 6 inches ; the females are mostly 

 larger than the males ; specimens of more than 8 inches in 

 1 Amer. Journ. Sci. (2), xlvi. Nov. 1868, p. 364. 



