94 



THE COAL MEASURES AMPHIBIA OF NORTH AMERICA. 



A small species of Microsauria is preserved as a smooth impression on a block of 

 soft coal from Linton, Ohio. Nearly the entire form of the body is discernible. The 

 specimen is especially interesting and valuable as exhibiting for the first time among 

 the Linton forms the shape of the body of the small microsaurians of the Tuditanus 

 type. It differs so markedly in the form of the skull from 

 other species of the genus that it is regarded as a distinct 

 form, and the name Tuditanus walcotti was proposed for 

 it as an expression of the writer's indebtedness to the 

 Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution for the use of 

 the material among which the present form was included. 



The specimen includes, besides the body impression, 

 the complete skull, a right clavicle, with portions of the 

 left, a left humerus, 12 cervical and dorsal vertebrae, 10 

 pairs of ribs somewhat disturbed as to position, and a 

 portion of the mandible. There are no traces of ventral 

 scutellae nor body scales in the smooth impression of the 

 carbonized skin. One would expect to find impressions 

 of the ventral scutae in this specimen if they were present. 

 Cope remarked on the apparent absence of scutellse from 

 members of the genus Tuditanus as they were known to 

 him, and no contrary evidence has since been brought 

 to light. Until such evidence is forthcoming the absence 

 of scutes will be taken as one of the generic characters 

 of the genus Tuditanus. Under a magnification of 50 

 diameters the carbonized skin shows as folds and wrin- 

 kles, like muscle fibers, in some places ; in others no traces 

 of the muscular structure can be detected. The wrinkles 

 may be impressions of the internal musculature of the 

 body -wall of the abdomen. It is especially well preserved 

 in the pelvic and pygal regions. Sections of the coal 

 were made, but nothing definite could be determined as 

 to the character of the impressions, as they were too 

 poorly preserved and the coal was too soft to bear much 

 handling. 



The specimen is preserved on the belly, with the 

 dorsum of the skull uppermost. It has been practically 

 impossible to determine the arrangement of any of the 

 cranial elements except the frontals, parietals, and 

 postparietals, which have the relations indicated in 

 figure 21, A. A median suture is clearly evident, with the pineal foramen well back 

 in this suture. The bones of the skull are marked with faint radiating lines. It 

 is in the form of the skull and the position of the orbits that the specific char- 

 acters are found, as follows: the backward position of the eyes and the oval, 

 pointed shape of the skull. The species is closely related to Tuditanus minimus 



B 



FIG. 21. A. Outline drawing of type 

 of Tuditanus walcotti Moodie, 

 from the Coal Measures of 

 Linton, Ohio, showing impres- 

 sion of body and muscle at M. 

 X 25. cl, clavicle; fr, frontal; /, 

 femur; h, humerus; nos, nostril; 

 or, orbit; par, parietal; rb, rib; 

 pp, postparietal; 11, vertebra; pfo, 

 pineal foramen. 



Left leg of second specimen of 

 Tuditanus walcotti. X 3. 



B 



