122 Mr. G. A. Boulenger on Hymenochirus. 



fusco, pedibus castaneis ; undique sat dense fulvo-setosus vel 

 squamosus, squamis albis aggregatis lineis tribus prothoracis, 

 scutello elytrorum maculisque magnis rotundatis decoratus ; 

 capite parvo, prothorace antice paulo contracto, elytris medio 

 ampliatis, omnibus grosse et laxe punctatis. 

 Long. 9 mm. 



Hah. Pretoria. 



This little insect is peculiar both for its short oval form 

 and the pattern of white scales with which it is adorned. It 

 aj)pears to be fairly abundant where it occurs. 



XI. — On Hymenochirus, a new Typeof Aglossal Batvachians. 

 By G. A. BOULENGEEJ F.R.S. 



The natural Suborder of Aglossal Batrachians lias so long- 

 been known from two genera only, the South- American Pipa 

 and the African Xenopus^ that the discovery of a tliird genus 

 is a matter of great interest, the more so as I shall be able 

 to show that the new type stands in no very close relation to 

 either of its nearest allies, and affords subject for comment 

 on the classification and the geographical distribution. 



In 1896 there appeared a very unsatisfactory description^ 

 accompanied by a figure, of a new Aglossal frog named 

 Xenopus Boettgeri, Tornier (Kriechthiere Deutsch-Ost- 

 Afrikas, p. 163), discovered by Stuhlmann at Ituri, near 

 Wandesoma, German East Africa. From the description 

 and figure I at once recognized that the new species could 

 not be maintained in the genus Xenopus^ and accordingly 

 proposed to make it the type of a new genus, Hymenochirus 

 (Ann. & Mag. N. H. [6] xviii. 1896, p. 420), distinguished 

 by the half-webbed fingers, the incompletely webbed toes, 

 the third of which exceeds the fourtli in length, and, above 

 all, by the absence of lines of sensory muciferous canals on the 

 body. I added that no doubt a careful examination of the 

 type specimen would reveal further differences and suggested 

 the application of the Eontgen rays as a means of obtaining 

 some information on the osteological characters of ttie unique 

 example. I could not then have imagined that even the 

 presence or absence of teeth had not been ascertained. 



Fortunately for the progress of science the frog has now 

 been rediscovered on the Benito River, French Congo, by 

 Mr. G. L. Bates, from whom the British Museum has re- 

 ceived several specimens, which I am unable to separate from 

 the East-African type, as far as I am able to judge from 

 Torniei's description and figure. Now, Hi/menochtr us ^proves 



