4:16 On the American Species o/Runa. 



than tliis 7?. jjalmipes^ originally described from the 

 Amazonian region of Brazil. 



It has been made the type of a distinct genus {Ranula, 

 Pohlia) by Peters and by Steindachner, and even referred to 

 the Hylidae by Gunther (1867). Peters founded the genus 

 Ranida on the feeble dentition : " Die Zahne des Oberkiefers 

 sind so schwach und wenig zahlreich dass man sie erst bei 

 genauer Untersuchung findet und am Gaunien fehlen sie 

 ganz." The explanation is that Ranula gollmeri was described 

 from a recently transformed young, from Caracas, measuring 

 50 mm. from snout to vent ; of this I feel sure, having 

 examined young from Pebas of exactly the same size with a 

 short tail and toothless upper jaw. A second, larger speci- 

 men, also from Caracas, was described at the same time by 

 Peters as Rana ajfinis, and regarded as so closely related to 

 R. temporaria that it should perhaps rank as a local variety 

 only. A little later, however, Peters recognized that the 

 two supposed species were identical and correctly referred 

 them to R. pahnipes. In 1866, Cope took up the genus 

 Ranula and defined it as the American representative of 

 Hylorana, differing in the "important particulars of the 

 incompleteness of the ethmoid arch, its superior plate being 

 represented by cartilage.^' Cope, who maintained the 

 definition up to the close of his labours, can only have 

 examined young specimens, for in the adult the ethmoid is 

 ossified exactly as in Rana temporaria. 



Schlegel, Tschudi, and Dumeril and Bibron referred 

 R. pahnipes to the synonymy of B. esculenta ; Peters 

 described another specimen as a variety of R. clamitans ; 

 Brocchi^s B. vaillanti was described as allied to R. muyiens ; 

 whilst Gunther (1900), overlooking the small terminal 

 discs of the toes, compared his R. bonaccana to R. clamitans 

 and R. draytonii. 



22. Rana ccei'uleopunctata, Stdr., 1864. 



Ramda ccBruleopunctata,ch7'ysoprasina,Co^e, 1866. — Hyiarana ccsruleo- 

 ptmctata, Steind., 1867. — Trypheropsis chrysoprasi7ius, Cope, 1868. — 

 Hyiarana chrysoprasina, Brocchi, 18S2. 



Kicaragua and Costa Rica^ up to 4600 ft. altitude. 



