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V / 



THE IJATRACIIIA OF NORTH AMKRICA. 119 



The latest work on tliis subject, tliat of Doulenj^tM', throws iiiuch 

 light on it, owiiig to the opportunities on.jcyed by its aiitlior for the 

 study of the forms of salainaiulers found in Asia. He gives the follow- 

 ing table of the genera of the family, but refers them all to the Anrblys- 

 (omida- : 



I. Series oi'p.'ilatiuc tooth coiivorsinn; 1»a(;kv\ > .Is, forming a V-s'i-T*^'! figure. 



Toes live Ifyiiohiiix. 



Toes four .. Stihinutiidrclla. 



11. Series of i)al;itiue teetli uniuferrupted, doubly arohod, forming a fY^"**'''iP<^*^ 

 figure. 



Kingers and toes with eitidorinic claws OinjrhodactyhiH. 



III. Series of i)aIatiuo t(^oth iu two arehcs, convex forwards, separated l»,v a wido 

 interspace. 



Talatinc series short, between the choanii:. Toes live, Haiiidciis. 



Falatine series .short, between the choan;e. Toes four Halrdchypvriin. 



Of those genera all are Asiatic. Tiie iiorny claws said to character- 

 i/.e Onychodactylus may not be confined to thiit genus or be constant 

 in it, as they develop by the hardening of the epidcrniis xv Amblystoma 

 and .some other genera on exposure to dry coiulitious. 



Tiiere are twelve species of this family known, distributed as fol- 

 lows: ll^'iiobius 5; Salamendrella 2; Onychodaiitylus 1; Kanidetis .'}; 

 l>atrachyi»erus 1. The hyoids of three of the.se genera have not been 

 examined. 



rLETriODOXTID.E. 



Gr.ay, Cat. I5i»tr. fJrad. Hrit. Mus., ISrut, ;n, exclusive of Anildystoma and Dos- 

 nioguathns, 



riflhoiloiitidii i',o\)0, ,l()\\rt\. Ac. Nat. Sci., Pliila., tstiii, 10,">. 



SpclcrpiiKr Cope, I'roc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Piiila., K,[), l',':i. 



ricthodoutidd' l><iHloiitoKni(hin,\u\ Jfriiiidiutiiliidd' \l•,^\\^^^\\, .Tourn. Ac. Nat. Sc'., Pliila., 



I'll Ihodtniti nil 15()ulenger, Catal Uatr. (iriid. lirit. Mus. ed. II, 1.-^.-i:>. 



Vertebra' amithico'loiis, simple below. Ethmoid wanting; no ptery- 

 goid. 



Carpus and tarsus (^irtilaginous. 



Vomeropfilatino bones not produced posteriorly over i)arasphenoid ; 

 dentigerous plates on the parasplienoid. 



('eratohyal undivided, arti(Milating directly with the (piadrate bone 

 or cartilage; no otohyal. One only, the first epibraiichial in adults; 

 second basibranchial not connected witli the lirst. 



Stai)es not connected with the (juadrate by cartilage, iu adults. 



\'estibnle, inner wall o.sseous. 



The abovi^ characters define a very distinct and natural group of 

 genera, which arc all but one ((leotriton) coiilliied to America. Many 

 of the species are of small size, some of them indeed of very small 

 size. The largest species, Sprlcrpcs hcllii, rea(!hes the dimensions of 

 the Amhifisfoma tijin'num or Axolotl. Some of the species are hand- 



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