THE BATRACIIIA OF NORTH AMEUICA. 



139 





I 



TluH subspecios i.s iciidily distinguished IVoin P. erj/throHotus by tlui 

 din'oient relative position of the linibs> .iJid uiimber of costal furrows 

 already referred to. Tlic very jagged or irregular outlines of the dor- 

 sal stripe, the light line on the nose, and the lighter and more reddish 

 shade of the lateral and inferior mottling will at once distinguish it as 

 far as color is concerned. Tlio duskj* shade of the sides is not continuous 

 above, but shows distinctly minute mottling of lighter. 



It is somewhat dillicult to assign to this form a definite status. I 

 should be disposed to regard it as a good species, but for the fact that 

 out of a great number of specimens of the i'. crythrnnotus var. cinercm 

 1 lind a single individual (Sm. No. 382.")) from Ohio which presents the 

 proportions of the present species, and the same number (sixteen) of 

 costal plicas For the present therefore I refer itas a subspecies. I have 

 seen live specimens, which agree in every particular ; one in the Museum 

 of the Kssex Institute in a bottle with the common varieties of the P. 

 crythronotm, the Spclerjics hilincatns, and Desmognathus, all from Es- 

 sex County, Mass., and four specimens in the Museum of the Smithson- 

 ian as follows: 



I'hthodoii crulhronoliis dorwlii IJiunl. 



(!iiliilo>;uc Xo. of 

 iiuiiilit'i'. spec, 



377C 



Locality. 



WllPTl 



colK'itiil. 



From wlioin received. 



Loiii.sville, Ky . 



Nature of speci- 

 men. 



Habits. — The Pkthodon cinorns is the most abundant salamander in 

 the northern and central eastern United States. It is of terrestrial 

 habits, and is easily found under logs and their bark, stones, etc. It 

 feetls, like other species, on insects and their larva', cai)turing them by 

 applying to their surface its Hat and projectile tongne and jerking 

 them (juickly into its mouth. It frequently climbs to the summit of 

 low vegetation, from which it springs by a sudden straightening or 

 curvature of the body, as the case may be, in the manner of a cater- 

 pillar. 



PLKTHOUOX (JLUTINOSl'S Green.* 



T.schiidi, IVitr., ]>. [)> ; (.'ope, I'roc. Ac. lMiil;i., ISlW, p. 100 ; Stiaiieli, .Salam., 

 It. 70; nonlcnjjei', Cut. Hatf. Gratl. Hiit. Miis., ed. ii, 1882, p. ">(;. 



SiilamaiKlid nhiliiiosa, (Jiccii, Joiini. Ac. Tliila., i, p. :i.'i7 ; ll((lltr,, N. A. Herp., v, p. 



:W, I'l. 10; De Kay, X. V. I'aiin, Rcpt., p. Hi, l'|. 17, p. l-,>. 

 Stilamtitidra miiohiln, (iilliains, .rourn. Ai". I'liila., i, ji. 4ti(t. 

 Saliimttndrn riiUndnicai, llarlaii, .loiirn. Ac. I'liila., \', p. l.">(i. 

 I'Ictliodiiii <iliiliii(isiiin, (Ji'ay, Cat. Hatr. (irad. Urit. Miis.. cd. i, p. :?'.(. 

 Tiitoii iiorplijifiliciin, Dc Kay, N. V. I'aiiii., Rcpt., p. »',\, I'l. Iti, tij;. :{7. 

 Ci/lhiilro.toma filiitiiiomim, Dmn. «.V- Hibr., ix, ]». SO. 



This spe(!ies is of a stout form, the body depres.se»l, the head, body, 

 and tail continuous, with very slight constriction at the neck; the tail 



* IMatcs-ij;; :tl. lit'. •': •''•''• *'VA- '-': ••', '"},'• •: »•"'. "K- •">; ■!**. •'«• IJ- 



^iil; 



i 'I 



■l 



\v: 1 



\'>.\ 



'n 



