722 LIEUT.-COL. BEDDOME ON A NEW BATRACHIAN. [June 18, 



12. Description of a new Batrachian from Southern India, 

 belonging to the family Phryniscidae. By Lieut. -Col. 

 R. H. Beddome, C.M.Z.S. 



[Received June 17, 1878.] 

 Melanobatrachus, gen. nov. 



Toes cylindrical, not dilated at the ends ; no maxillary or vomerine 

 teeth ; ear imperfectly developed, no parotids ; sacral vertebra 

 dilated ; toes webbed ; body slender, elongate, uniform in width ; 

 muzzle short, obtuse ; fingers and toes short, metatarsus with a 

 slightly swollen inconspicuous tubercle. 



Melanobatrachus indicus, u. sp. 



Body with nearly parallel sides as in Ansonia ; no canthus rostralis, 

 no sign of a tympanum or cavum tympani ; cleft of mouth extends 

 nearly as far back as the eyelid, the space between the nares ^ of 

 an inch ; fingers 4, free, short, the third double as long as the others ; 

 toes 5, slightly webbed, the fourth much longer than the third. 

 Eustachian tubes closed, tongue rounded and free behind, surface of 

 the head and body tubercled, arms smooth, the humerus short, hind 

 limbs tubercled, the thigh shorter than the calf; belly and sides 

 smooth. Colour black, with minute white dots on the back and larger 

 ones on the belly, the thighs near their junction with the body are 

 girt with a brilliant scarlet band, \ inch in breadth, either continuous 

 all round or interrupted above ; and there are sometimes a few scarlet 

 blotches on the anterior portion of the belly between the fore legs 

 and sometimes on the lower portion of the humerus (the scarlet 

 colour of these markings fading to cream-colour in spirits). Length 

 of body 1| to 1| inch, length of hind limb to end of fourth toe 

 li to If inch. 



Hab. The Anamallays and the Ghat range to the south of those 

 mountains, very rare, in moist evergreen forests of 4000 feet 

 elevation, under old rotten logs. The specimens found were all in 

 quite a torpid state and curled up almost into a ball, but became 

 very active when put in spirits. 



Dr. Anderson, who has kindly prepared the skeleton of one of 

 these Batrachians, informs me that its osteology much more resembles 

 that of Bufo than Rana ; the skull is short and broad, and the 

 frontals and parietals have considerable lateral extension ; it is also 

 edentulous, and there are no vomerine eminences ; a careful exami- 

 nation of the sternum does not reveal the existence of any omoster- 

 num ; clavicles are present. Dr. Anderson was not able to detect 

 any tympanum under the skin ; nor could he trace a tympanic 

 cavity. He mentions that the stem of the stapes is not developed, 

 and moreover that he could not detect any Eustachian openings in 

 the mouth. 



There are only from 8 to 9 vertebrae in Bufo metanost ictus: and the 



