chap, xiv.] THE NEOTROPICAL REGION. 73 



Hylidae or tropical tree-frogs, is almost peculiar to the Antilles ; 

 Cuba, Hayti, and Jamaica possessing seven species, while only 

 one is recorded from South America. Other genera are, Pelta- 

 phryne (Bufonidse) from Portorico ; Phyllobates (Polypedatidte) 

 from Cuba ; Leiupcrus (Ranidse) from Hayti, — all Neotropical. Of 

 the Urodela, or tailed batrachians, no representative occurs, 

 although they are so characteristic a feature of the Nearctic 

 region. 



Fresh-water fish. — The same general remarks apply to these as 

 to the reptiles. Only one peculiar genus is noted — Lebistes, a 

 form of Cyprinodontidae from Barbadoes ; other genera of the 

 same family being, Haplochilus, Rivulus, and Oirardinus, widely 

 spread in the Neotropical region ; while Gambusia is confined to 

 Central America, Mexico, and the Antilles. lour other families 

 are represented; Siluridae by Chcetostomus, found in Portorico 

 and South America ; Chromidae by the South American Acara ; 

 Mugillidae by the Central American Agonostoma ; and Percidae 

 by the North American Centrarchus, of which a species is recorded 

 from Cuba. 



Insects. — The various West Indian islands have not been well 

 explored entomologically ; one reason no doubt being, that their 

 comparative poverty renders them little attractive to the pro- 

 fessional collector, while the abounding riches of Central and 

 South America lie so near at hand. We can, therefore, hardly 

 tell whether the comparative poverty, or even total absence of 

 some families while others seem fairly represented, is a real 

 phenomenon of distribution, or only dependent on imperfect 

 knowledge. Bearing this in mind, we proceed to give a sketch 

 of what is known of the chief groups of Lepidoptera and 

 Coleoptera. 



Lepidoptera. — The Neotropical butterfly-fauna is but poorly 

 represented, the majority of the most remarkable types being 

 entirely wanting ; yet there are a few peculiar and very charac- 

 teristic forms which show great isolation, while the majority of 

 the species are peculiar. Four genera are exclusively or charac- 

 teristically Antillean, — Calisto belonging to the Satyridas, with 

 four species, of which one ranges to South Carolina ; Clothilda 



