TWO AMPHIBIANS, ONE OF THEM NEW, FROM THE 

 CARBONIFEROUS OF ILLINOIS. 



By Roy L. Moodie, 



Of the University of Kansas, Lawrence 



The Lacoe collection in the United States National Museum contains 

 examples of two interesting amphibians, one of them a new species, 

 from the Mazon Creek shales. A new labyrinthodont from Kansas 

 has recently been described by the writer from the same collection. 1 

 The two forms discussed in the present paper are representatives of 

 the salamander-like Branchiosauria and the reptile-like Microsauria. 

 They are members of the families Branchiosauridge and Amphi- 

 bamidse. 



Some years ago Mr. David White told the writer of an interesting 

 salamander in the collection of Mr. Lacoe and it was with very great 

 interest that the writer received the specimen which, with the others, 

 was sent through the courtesy of Mr. C. W. Gilmore, to whom I 

 express my hearty thanks. 



The little salamander-like fossil is a member of the species Eumi- 

 crerpeton parvwm Moodie, which had been founded, before the speci- 

 men was received, on material from Yale University. The name and 

 a discussion of the alimentary canal were published last spring. 2 

 The additional specimen from the National Museum serves to sub- 

 stantiate the genus and species, Eumicrerpeton parvum,, and shows 

 more clearly characters which are distinct from Micrerpeton, the 

 genus to which the present form is most nearly related. The National 

 Museum specimen (No. 4400, U.S.N.M.), like those from Yale, shows 

 almost perfectly the entire length of the alimentary canal (fig. 1). 

 The specimen is almost as perfectly preserved as was that of Micrer- 

 peton caudatum Moodie. 



When the nodule containing the fossil was received the tail was 

 embedded in matrix, but by careful use of the hammer and chisel 

 it was possible to lay bare the whole tail, the tip of which ends on the 



i Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 39, 1911, p. 489. 

 2 Amer. Nat., vol. 44, June, 1910, pp. 307-375. 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. 40— No. 1828. 



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