420 



15lILIii:TlN :!l, rNITKI) SIATr.S NATIONAL MUSKUM. 



liana Jlaviriridix Harlan, in Sillini. Aincr. .loiiiii. Sci., x (l"^',';")), 5^ ; 1 I)., Jiturii. Ac 

 Nat. Sci. riiila., v (lSv!7) :!:W : 1 1.., MlmI. & Pliys. Kcs. (USir.), UCi, yjo. 



/I'aiia horicoiiiiiais llolbv., X. Anicr. llcip., 1st cd., iii (iHliS), 1»1, xviii ; 1 I)., y<l fd., 

 IV (1S4'J), 1)1, -will ; Thomiison, Nat. Hist. Vt. (IHl'i), li>l ; He Kay.N. Y. Zoo!., 

 Ill (lf^4-->), (il, XXII, lij,'. (l-i. 



Itana xir/vivauN Aj^assiz, Lako Superior (l^riO), liT'J, vi, li;;s. I, .'i. 



j¥«/('. — ]Jo(ly and limbs very stout and nias.sive; not niuch depressed. 

 Legs short ; liead subacute, rounded, a ery deep. Nostrils large, oval ; 

 situated oil the rounded and indistinct canthus rostralis, nearest to the 

 snout, and distant from the orbit by half the diameter of the eye. Ex- 

 cavation anterior to the eye shallow, scaniely distinct in passing under 

 the eye to the tympanum. Tynipamim very large, one-fourth greater 

 than the eye, and extending (piite ujt to it, and pas.sing beyond the ar- 

 ti(!idation of the Jaw; one-half the length of line from commissure to 

 the tip of snout; its central third elevated in a shallow prominence. 

 Eyes large, contained two and three-fourtli times in chord of lower Jaw 

 and two and one-fourth in that from (commissure. IJead rather larger 

 than broad. 



In the female the tympanum is much smaller, though still large; about 

 three-fourths diameter of eye, and distant from the latter by nearly half 

 its own diameter. The average diameter in males is 11""", and in fe- 



males 8" 



Occasionallv this character does not hold good, A male 



(No. ;>1(!2) has the diameter only S""", while three females (Nos. 3407, 



'Silo, and ',)~)2l) have disks of 10 in diameter. In this species and in 



the li. catvshiana this membrane reaches a larger size than in any other 

 species of liatrachia. 



The top of the head is i)lanc, without any concavity. The tongue 

 is large, ileshy, rather narrow, and free bi-hind for one-fourth its length. 

 The interior nares are large, and open posteriorly nearly opposite the an- 

 terior canthus of the eye. The vomerine teeth are in two oblong [)atches, 

 inclined backwards, where they are nearly, if not (piite, in contact, and 

 l)osterior to the posterior margin of nares, though anteriorly about on 

 a line. Eustachian openings large. 



Skin more or less inammi Hated above and on the sides by ijoarso 

 pustuliform i)rominences, largest on the sides; these occasionally are 

 in the form of regular asperities, rougli to the touch; tiie amount of this, 

 however, depends somewhat on the conditions of preservation'. From 

 the eye extends a prominent ridge of skin, which, after passing above 

 the center of the tympanum, bifurciites, one short branch passing 

 round the tymi)auum, and, thickening below, slops above the shoulder; 

 beneath this for its whole length jiasses a welldetined furrow indenting 

 the ibid, and, proceeding directly downwards, .separates the thickening 

 Just described from a corresi)on(ling and eiiual thickening Just behind 

 the Jaw. The long branch of the ridge or fold of skin behind the eye 

 proceeds along the sides, occasionally interrupted, and is lost on the 

 posterior fourth of the body, thoso of opjio.site i^ides parallel and wide 



I 



