110 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 



3. The African Hegion. 



This Region, which comprises the whole of Africa (with the ex- 

 ception of the Northern part), Southern Arabia, Madagascar, the 

 Sej'chelle and Mascarene Islands, is characterized by an almost 

 entirely Fir mist emian Frog-fauna, the Arcifera belonging to two 

 genera only, viz. Nectopliryne, which occurs in the Indian Region 

 with three species and here with one, and the nearly cosmopolitan 

 Bufo. Thi s character is still more marked in the Madegasse Subregion, 

 whose numerous Frogs are exclusively Firmisternia. A striking 

 feature of the African continent is the development of an Aglossous 

 family, Dactyleihridce. The Cauda ta are totally abseat. The Apoda 

 represented by few species, 3 in "West Africa, 1 in East Africa, and 

 1 in the Seychelles ; they have not been found either in South 

 Africa or in Madagascar. These five species of Apoda belong to 

 three genera, of which one is peculiar to the Region, the two others- 

 occurring also either in the Indian or Tropical-American Region, 

 Of the 20 genera of Ecaudata Firmisternia, 17 are peculiar to Africa, 

 amongst which Rappia deserves special notice, as representing the 

 Indian Lvalus. 



Two well-marked Subregions may be distinguished — the Conti- 

 nental and the Madegasse. The former is characterized by the 

 Dactylethridce, the presence of Bufonidce, and the genera Chiro- 

 mantis, Phrynobatrachus, Cassina, Hylambates, Phrynomantis, Bre- 

 viceps, and probably Hemisus*. One Indian species, the widely 

 distributed Rana cyanopihlyctis, occurs in Arabia (R. ehrenbergii, 

 Ptrs.) ; and the West- African Rana occipitalis is so closely allied to 

 the Oriental R. tigrina that it is extremely difficult to distinguish 

 them. 



The Madegasse Subregion is of high interest, presenting an 

 assemblage of African, Indian, and Tropical-American forms. The 

 first, however, greatly predominate, whilst Indian types are repre- 

 sented by numerous species of RJiacophorus and one species of Calo- 

 phrynus. "We must also mention the small family DyseopJiidce, of 

 which six species inhabit Madagascar and one the Indian Region. 

 The genus Mantclla, which is peculiar to Madagascar, forms with 

 the closely allied South-American Dendrobates the family JDendro- 

 batidce. As mentioned already, we do not know yet one single 

 representative of the Arcifera ; therefore no two parts of the world 

 are more different in their Batrachian fauna than Madagascar and 

 Australia, the former being composed solely of Firmisternia, the 

 latter solely of Arcifera. They, however, agree in some negative 

 characters, being the only two parts of the world which entirely 

 lack the genus Bufo and have neither Caudata nor Apoda. 



* It is doubtful whether Grandidier's Hemisus obscurus has beem referred to 

 the proper genus. 



