180 BATRACHIA : URODELA. XXVI. 



base, not finned. Costal grooves 14. L. 6. Aquatic. Vt. to Ala. 

 in the mountains. " The only one of our Eastern Salamanders 

 which attempts self-defence. It snaps fiercely but harmlessly and 

 throws its body into contortions." (Cope.) (iropffrvpa, purple.) 



259. SPELERPES Rafinesque. (<nre'or, cave ; epTreroi/, reptile.) 

 a. Costal grooves 13 or 14; palatine teeth not confluent with sphenoid patches. 



b. Tail about as long as rest of body. 



506. S. bilineatus (Green). Yellow, with a dark line along each 

 side of the back ; belly unspotted ; tail not keeled anteriorly ; costal 

 grooves 14, rather faint. L. 3. Maine to Wis. and S. 



bb. Tail li to 2 times as long as rest of body. 



507. S. guttolineatus (Holbrook). Yellow, with black band on 

 back and one on side ; tail black, barred with yellow ; belly mot- 

 tled ; tail keeled ; costal grooves 13. Ohio to N. C. and S. 



508. S. longicauda (Green). CAVE SALAMANDER. Orange 

 yellow ; back and sides with many irregular small black spots ; a 

 median dorsal series ; belly spotless ; tail keeled, spotted or barred 

 with black. L. 5. Maine to Minn, and S., abundant in caves in 

 Ky. and Ind. (Lat., longus ; cauda, tail.) 



aa. Costal grooves 15 to 17; tail rounded at base, not keeled; palatine and 

 sphenoid teeth continuous. 



509. S. ruber (Daudin). Vermilion red, with numerous, crowded 

 faint dark spots ; head wide ; tail shorter than body. L. 6. Maine 

 to Neb. and S. Var. montanus Cope (Penn. to S. C.) has tail as 

 long as body, and lacks the dark bar across eye usually present in 

 var. ruber. 



FAMILY CI1I. DESMOGKNATHID^J. 



Vertebras opisthocoelian ; carpus and tarsus cartilaginous ; pala- 

 tine teeth few, sometimes wanting ; no crests or other dermal ap- 

 pendages developed at the breeding season. Genus 1 ; species 3 ; 

 all of the Eastern U. S., the species aquatic, seldom leaving the 

 water. In external characters, this family is scarcely distinguish- 

 able from the preceding, but the skeletal distinctions are very 

 strongly marked. 



260. DESMOGNATHUS Baird. (8f<rpos, band ; yvdOos, jaw.) 



a. Costal grooves 13 or 14. 

 b. Tail sub-terete. 



510. D. ochrophsea Cope. Brownish yellow with a brown shade 

 on each side ; a yellowish dorsal band ; back with a few spots ; belly 

 unspotted; with lower jaw toothless behind. L. 3. Scarcely 

 aquatic. N. Y. to Ga. in rats, (compos, yellowish ; <jxu6s, dusky.) 



bb. Tail compressed and keeled. 



