CataliidiH^' No. of 



lllllllllUI'. H\)Vf. 



Tin: HATIJACIIIA OF NORTH AMERICA. 



AlanciihiH qiKnlridiijitiitnH llolhr. 



IGl 



I.ipcalitv. 



When 

 I'ollucti'tU 



l.-r<.>n who,,, r.HWve.l. Nat,.ro of spec 



03;i7 I :i MninU'vilK', La Nov. 2,1870 (i. Kuhii 



;isiit 7 Iticfhordiiyh, (ill (') 



XSii7 U (!) 



.■I!tu4 1 Al.hcvilh", .S.C, I'loC. S. K. Bairil , 



KiiiMtoi,, X. (J .f. W. Mihic,' 



Alcdhuliv, 

 Do. 

 Do. 

 Do. 



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SrKLEIJPES Katinosque. 



Atlantic Journal, i, p. 2i, 18^'i. 



SinlciiicK (iiiiy, Cat. Hut. Mils. KM, l.l; Co\w, rritcui'tl. Ac. Thila., IdliO, p. 101; 



Itoiilcmr, Cal. IJatr. (irail. Urit. Mns., cd. u, I-8-i, p. (lO. 

 Cjllindrosoma TMcliiKli, \at. Sy.sl. IJatracliitT Ncncliatcl, lH:iH. 

 ('nHiKlroiiiiiiKi il llolitonlonsa pars Diiint^ril, Krp. (J(^n., ix. 

 Sptliriws il I'll iidolrilon IS.iinl, .lourn. Ac. Nat. .Sci., i ; Ilallowell, 1. c, iv. 



The toiijiuc iVi'c, oxcopt at tho yios.soliyal .siii)[)ort. Pivlatino and 

 jiaiictal hones fully ossilicd; pronia.xillarics coiisolidatotl, and their 

 s|>ine.s enibracinf; a lonlanclli'. Toi'th small. Toes 4-5. 



Tliis i.s a natural ^cnu.s, and i.s abundantly represented by individ- 

 nal.s in the eastern di.stiiet of the nearetie realm, and the Mexican of 

 the neotropie.tl. Its di;;ital characters oidy distinsnish it from !\raii- 

 eidns, and some of the .Mexican species approach that genus in the 

 great reduction of the inner digit, which ri'snlts from a diminution in 

 the nundter of phalanges. The cdiisolidation of the premaxillarie.s — a 

 marked t'liaracter — appears very early in the developmental history of 

 such of the species as I hav*' i)een able to study {S. niba; S. bilincatus). 

 The .Mexican siiecies pass their me(amori>ho.ses soonest; then such us 

 S. hilin(atii.s, and the S. ruber remains longest a larva. 



The characte.s of lune species of Spelerpes are given in the follow- 

 ing table. 1 know of none otliers, tliinUing that the genera (Ediims, 

 (I'Mipina, and (leotriton should l»e maintained as distinct. Of these 

 species four only inhabit the ju'arc^tic realm, and five are found in the 

 Tieira Teinplada of Mexico, on the eastern .side of the plateau. The 

 nearcti(! specii s are all conlined to the ei'.steru region, the genus differ- 

 ing in its range from IMethodon in not extending to the Pacific region. 



The largest species of the Spelerpes is the S. bcUii of Mexico, which 

 among salaman 'ers is only exceeded in dimensions by the Ckonilrotiis 

 ttiirbro.sits. The largest species of North America is the -S'. ruber. The 

 species of this genus display more brilliant colors than any other of the 

 family, yellow and red l>eing the usual ones. 



I. \'()iii( line tcctli nut conl iiiiicd liatk to itarasplicniiid jiatchct, cxtouded outwardly 

 l>i'yoi,d nail's, 

 ri. Costal t'olils I l-l'i; tail cylimliic ; inner toes rndiincntal. 



riii'a> I','; cxlrcinilii's of inner toes free ; ot hers short, thick, suhociiial ; a 

 eanilins lostralis; iiiii/./.le triiiKMie; vomerine series in (umtact ; lead-col- 

 or<t(l, iiHu.illy with I wo dorsal series of red spots; larj^est S. hiUii. 



iu:)i— I'.iiii. 34 — 11 



I I 



