1 



TlIK IUTI{A(MIFA C)V NORTH AMIMilCA. 



87 



itl.v Cryp- 



itry ot'llu' 

 oiii wliicli 

 1. lie re- 



necessiuy 

 the two. 

 I'licratioii, 

 U'la ratln'i' 

 ma, t'ssi'ii- 

 y (lillVri'iil 

 ire, supra 



('li;\r.lcti'IS 



liave nidi 

 iii(liiiici)tal 

 ,'e that liis 

 ) reeognize 



(l us pliylc 



•liysis. Tail 

 iDiitals, aii<l 

 )iain)U.s. No 

 »alatiiK' toetli 

 resent. 



Of' this family but two existiii;? fieiicra are known, altli()ii;;li it is 

 i,ajte probable that a third has lett remains in the MioiHMie lacMistriiu^ 

 beds at Oeninjjen, in (iernniny, which is known under the name of An- 

 drias. The existinj,' genera ^liller as Ibllow s : 



liriincliial lissiirr pri'sciit CriiplnhranrliKs- 



Nil liiiincliial lissiiit' McyaltihiilrarliiiH. 



The Mcijidolxttrachtis lua.rimus is foiMul in Japan and eastern Asia as 

 I'ar southwest as eastern Thibet. It exceeds in <liniension.s Ihe species 

 of Cryptobranchus, which are exclusively North American, but has a 

 j^rtat gtMieral rescmbliin(!e lo them. 



The nearest iipproach lo this I'amily anion}? other llrodehi is nmde by 

 Ihe family of Amblyst(»mida'. The 8tru(!tural dillerences are, however, 

 imporlant. 



CliYrTOl'.lJANCllllS Leuekarl. 



Isis, lSv>I, J), -jet). It()iilcn;r,.r, Caliil. Hair. (irad. liiitr. Mii.s., 1H,+J, p. HI. 

 .thtiiii(liii». Marian, Annals, l-yci iini Nat. Hist. New York, IHJ.'), I, p. 'J'jl. 

 MiiiDiiiinia. llarlan, /. c, [t. •JTC; 'rsclinili, Kalr., !Mi ; Dinii. Miltr., Kop. (ic^n., ix, p. 'JOr>. 

 S,il,im,niilroiix. Wa^i., N'al. Syst. Anipliili., l-^;ill, p. !>(l'.». 

 luii-iinn. Ivaliiii'siiiH' (ti'sti- Hainl), Allantii- .Fournal, HIW, p. I'il. 

 rvKiiHiiip^is. " Marlon ", CJiay, Catal. Uatr. Orad. liril. Mns., I'd. i, \\.Wi. 



Ill tliis ;;('iiiis the voinc riiie leelh form a re<;iilarly arched series, eon- 

 «'eiilric with the maxillary seiies. Tliir lon};ue is but little free, and 

 that only round the edges. The coliiMiella of Ihe stapes is eartilaf-inous, 

 and is connected by a close articular contact with the quadrate carti- 

 l.i.neand with the under sideof the siiiiamosal bone. The ceratohyal 

 is connected by a ligament with the posterior sideof the quadrate, with 

 the intervention of an oval cartilage, which has the position of the sty- 

 lohyal bone of fishes. The posterior extremity of the ceratohyal is not 

 in(Mirved, and is free from the skull. (Plate IS, lig. 3.) 



Tiie hyoid apparatus is«piit(^ characteristic. They have been already 

 desciibedso far as they <lellno the suborder Trematodera. They re 

 senible the Pseudosauria in having twoceratobrauchials, but differ from 

 them and resemble the Amphiumoidea in having no first epibranchial. 

 This element may, howevei', be continent with the first ceratobranchial, 

 but no suture appears in very young specimens. The ceratohyals ar«^ 

 divided transversely and the hypohyals are large. They are not m 

 contact with each other or with the first basibranchial, as in other or- 

 ders and suborders, but are separated by u pair of transverse elements, 

 which are i)robably true basihyals. The first basibranchial appears to 

 lie interrupted at its middle, the anterior part remaining attached to 

 the basihyals. No second basibranchial. 



A broad cartilaginous plate rises from the basibranchial and supports 

 the tongue. It resembles a good deal the otoglossal cartilage of the 

 Amblystomida>, with which it is prolyably homologous.* Tlie second, 



"Tlii.s suffffCKtion I nui' to Dr. (iait. 



