Hurter — Herpetology of Missouri. 119 



and isopods. They are quite common in suitable localities, 

 but are not found on the Great Plains of the West, where 

 the Leopard Frog holds supreme sway among frogs. 



31. Rana clamitans Latreille. Green Frog. 



Rana clamata, Rana fontinalis, Rana melanota, Ranaria melanota, 

 Rana flaviviridis, Rana horiconensis, Rana nigricans. 



Description. — Head broad, contained in length of head and body three 

 times. Snout rounded. Top of head plain, without any concavity. Nos- 

 trils large, oval, situated on the rounded and indistinct canthus ros- 

 tralis, a little nearer to the snout than to the eye. Eyes large. Tongue 

 large and fleshy, strongly nicked behind, from where it is free for one- 

 fourth of its length. The choanae are large and open posteriorly, nearly 

 opposite the anterior canthus rostralis. The vomerine teeth are in 

 two oblong patches between the choanae. The tympanum is about two- 

 thirds the diameter of the eye; males, 11 mm.; females, 8 mm. 



Body and limbs very stout and massive, legs short. The forearm and 

 hand nearly equal in length. The third finger longest, first and fourth 

 nearly equal. Femur, tibia and hind foot nearly equal and less than 

 half the length of head and body. The third toe is longer than the 

 fifth; fourth, the longest. The we'b between the toes well developed 

 and extending to the tips. Subarticular and metatarsal tubercles mod- 

 erately developed. 



Skin more or less mammillated above and on the sides by coarse 

 pustuliform prominences, largest on the sides. A groove passes from 

 the back of the eye over the tympanic disk and downward behind it, 

 ending in front of the arm. There are two dorso-lateral glandular folds, 

 which start at the upper eyelids and run back to the pelvic region. 

 Over the tympanic disk a branch is given off, which passes down be- 

 hind the disk and terminates over the arm. The groove described 

 above lies between the disk and the branch. Hind limb appressed 

 along the side brings the heel between the eye and the snout. 



Color. — The color varying from greenish olive to brown; in life often 

 bright green toward the head. On the back there are usually numerous 

 small irregular blotches of dark brown, and larger ones on the sides. 

 The hind legs are crossed by rows of small spots. The hinder surface 

 of the thighs is granulated and of a yellow color, with spots and mott- 

 lings of black. The lower jaw and throat are marbled with brown, 

 otherwise pale below. The tympanum has a black spot in the center. 



Size. — Length of head and body 85 mm.; from tip of snout to axilla 

 33 mm. Femur 43 mm.; tibia 43 mm.; tarsus and fourth toe together 

 66 mm. 



This species may be distinguished from Rana catesMana by the pres- 

 ence of two dorso-lateral folds. 



