DESCRIPTION OF A NEW GENUS AND SPECIES OF DIS- 

 COGLOSSOID TOAD FROM NORTH AMERICA. 



By Leonhard Stejneger, 



Curator, Division of BepUles and Batrachians. 



The discovery of a discoglossoid genus of batrachia in America is 

 almost as noteworthy au event among the SaUentia as the appearance 

 of the blind proteoid salamander, Typhlomolgv, among the UrodeJes a 

 few years ago. 



The salieutian suborder Costata, embracing the single family JJis- 

 coglossidw, to which the new genus belongs, has been credited with a 

 most extraordinary geographic distribution. Until now it was com- 

 posed of four genera, 'hree of wliich are confined to the southwestern 

 corner of the paLi'arctic region, e^icept a single species at the south- 

 eastern end of the same region. The fourth genus, composed of a sin- 

 gle species, represents, alone, the batrachia in New Zealand. None of 

 the seven S])ecies known to form this suborder consequently had been 

 found in the Western Hemisphere at all, and none has thus far been 

 taken in tropical Africa, Australia, or Asia, with the above exception. 



The addition of a typical costate genus to the fauna of North Amer- 

 ica is therefore not only an interesting uovelty in itself, but it empha- 

 sizes the fact that we have as yet much to learn about the geographical 

 distribution of the vertebrates even in regions which have been fairly 

 well explored. 



The suborder Costata, as the name imi)lies, is trenchantly separated 

 from all other tailless batrachians by the i)OSsession of ribs. Con- 

 comitant with this important character is the presence of transverse 

 processes at the base of the urostyle. 



ASCAPHUS,' new genus. 



Tympanum and Eustachian tubes not visible (probably absent) ; pujiil 

 elliptical, vertical; diapophyses of sacral vertebra moderately dilated; 

 tongue free behind; second rib with a posterior process; sternum a 

 narrow transverse band of cartilage; urostyle articulated to a single 

 condyle ; vomerine teeth in two small gToui)S between choana ; parotoid 

 gland well developed. 



' From d, without; dxd.q}oi;, spade. 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. XXI— No. 1 178. 



899 



