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TIIK I5ATKACIIIA OF NORTH AMKKICA. 



251) 



Otlioi' cliariUitors arc: siiiuTior plato of the t'tliinoid (UJiiipli'ti-'ly ossi- 

 (ii'il ; very rarely pioloiijicd anteriorly; usually eovereil by the eoiu- 

 pletely ossified frontoparietals, or by these and the prefontals toyeHier, 

 No |»tery^oi(k'uni. Tonj;ue IVee, not retractile i»osteriorly. 



In Otiloplins and l*hryiM)idis* there are but eij,Mit vertebra", the atlas 

 and second bein<?<;onlhu'iit. InNectes there are reseinbhuK-esto the As- 

 teroplirydida'. The prefontals are narrow, divergent, in contact only 

 anteriorly; the superior i)late of the ethmoid is small, tranverse, not 

 entirely covered by the fronloparii'tals, which are but weakly ossilled 

 medially, althouji'h embracinj- no fontanelle. In the otiier <;enera the 

 jnefontals are in contact with each other and with the frontoparietals 

 tlirou<;hoiit. 



In none ol the genera Avj^jrw tobelonji;' to the family is there a manu- 

 brium sterni. The xiphisternuin is a slender weak cartilage in Pseudo- 

 phryne and I'hryniscus and lUiJ'o hvUtuftli. In the other species the style 

 snpportiiiu the terminal disk is stronijer, sometimes libro cartilaiiinoiis: 

 in livj'o ndi/iiris and />'. mchoiosdctUN it is broader and nearly bony, and 

 in Xirtcs siilxisiwr stnmin.'i^t and broadest. 



In Hii/'ii Lcliiitrtii the terminal phalanges have a slight terminal trans- 

 vei'sf I'xtriisjon. 



MyoUatrai'lius. Xotaden, and rseudophryne the weakest and least 

 developed forms, are Australian; I'^upenipliix, IMiiynoidis, (bifo, I'elta- 

 lihiync, Otaspis. Ollotis, ('repidophryne,Cranophryiie and Uhinoi)hryne 

 are Neotropical; liiito and Ncctopiirynt', I'lhiopiaii ; IWifo, ITearctic; 

 IJufo and llpidalea, Paheaiclic; and Scutiger, llufo, Nectes, and Necto- 

 phryiie, Tala-otropical. 



The characters are the follov.ing: 



I. i'l'i iiiiiial |>lial.'in,!;;i's*siiri|ili>. 



A. 'I'wci 1 (iii(l.\ li's for llic iiiKstylo. 

 I!, 'rntiiiilr liDlllid ill front, tVi'i- lirliiml. 

 A rioiiloiiiirielal fdiitioulli'. 



Mthiiioid lioiic iii<'iiiii)ili'tt> aliDVf ; strniniu ossII'ilmI on (lie iiiiddlt- 

 liri<' ; rar ini rntly dcvidoiu'd ; piiiiil cri'i't. 



Mnulxiliidliiis Sclil. 

 F.tliiiioid liiiiir i'i)iii|di'tr ; (iii^ciH jiiiil tin's (Vfc ; slrriniin a Wfak 



cart ilajir /'m inhiphriiiif I'itz, 



Etliinoiil lioiii' (.•oiiiidcti' ; toes wcldu'd . .stt'riiiiiii distiiicl. 



i'li'iilith It (Jopc. 

 ""No rroiito|iai'i<'lal (oiitaiiolli'. 

 (V. No voiiiiiiiif lirili. 

 /<. 'I'yiniiaiiic (liaiiilii'r iufsciit. 



Toes Crci' : tviiiiiMiiic th'iim not inclosed; stcinnni j.n osscons 

 st.vic /^iijii iiijilii.r Stciml. 



'The raised orliitai lid^cs id' liiis ^cnns do not constitute its essent iai ciiaracter, as 

 foi'inerl.v suppohed, lint lather llie division ol" the mural spines and the widi' separa- 

 (loiiof tlie lateral portions ( iliev stand aliovetlie /yuapoidiyses) lliron,i;hont the vcr- 

 t el II a I eidnnin. Perhaps t he I'nsion <d' t he atlas with the si'cond vertelii'a is important 

 in the same connection. There is hnl one species at present known, /'. ((■•-yx c. 





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