On the Midwife Toad. 173 



Type of genus, Nepanthia platydi'sca, Fisher, Proc. U.S. 

 Nat. Mils. vol. xlvi. p. 214, Sept. 30, 1913. 



This genus is di.>titigui.<hed from Asterina, in the wider 

 sense, by the sharp difFerentiation of the plates of the centre 

 of disk and the radial area from those of the lateral portion of 

 the ubactinal surface, bj having an adaiubulacral armature 

 of the Nepanthia type, though less extreme than that of 

 viaculata, and by the arrangement of the actinal intermediate 

 plates, which are not in chevrons^ in the ordinary sense, but 

 form transverse series, separated by shallow grooves, pro- 

 ceeding from tiie adambuhicrals to the ambitus. The iirst 

 itw series do not reach the ambitus, but end rather irregu- 

 larly on the inner half of the interradial line. 



Paranepanthia probably includes Nepanthia brachiata, 

 Koehler, a six-rayed species from the Andaman Islands. 



The type of the following subgenus departs sufficiently 

 from the type of its genus to warrant separation : — 



Glyphodiscus, subgen, nov. 



Characters. — Differing from Icoiiaster, Sladen, s, s., in 

 having conspicuously elevated and rough superomarginal 

 plates ; a complete series of peripheral granules on the 

 abactinal plates, which, moreover, are perfectly smooth, 

 lacking tlie tiny blister-like bosses of Iconaster ; a less 

 compact adambulacral armature. 



Type, Iconaster perierctiis, Fisher (" Four new Genera 

 and Fifty-eight new Species of Starfishes from the Philippine 

 Islands, Celebes, and the Moluccas," Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 

 xliii. p. 642, Feb. 5, 1913. Tawi Tawi Group, 97 fathoms). 



XVI. — Remarks on the Midwife Toad (Alytes obstetricans), 

 with reference to Dr. P. Kammerer' s Puhlicatioiis *. By 

 G. A. BOULENGER, F.R.S. 



Having recently felt bound to recommend caution in 

 accepting the results of the experiments conducted in Vienna 

 by Dr. Kammerer within the last fifteen years, and to express 



* 1. " Experimentelle Verandenmg der Fortpflanziingstatigkeit bei 

 Geburtsbelferkrote {Alytes obstetricit7is) und Laubfroscb {Hyla arborea)," 

 Arch. f. Entwicklmecb. xxii. 1906, p. 48. 



2. " Vererburg erzwungeuer Fortpflanzungsanpassungen. — Die Nach- 



