Florida Gopher Frog 



DR. R. W. 5HUFELDT, C. M. Z. S. 



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Figure 1. Gopher Frog ( Rana oesopus). Natural size, from life 



This curious American frog was origi- 

 nally described by Professor Cope and 

 named Rana oesopus, receiving its ver- 

 nacular name of Gopher frog from the 

 habit it has of hiding in holes of the 

 gopher tortoise, after the breeding sea- 

 son is over, at which time it is of solitary 

 disposition. In its range it appears to be 

 restricted to the peninsula of Florida, 

 having, up to recent time, been collected 

 only at Micanopy, Clarcona, Orlando, 

 Ozona, and Lake Jessup ; as a matter of 

 fact it is rather rare in collections. It 



undoubtedly occurs in numerous other 

 localities, however ; for, during the 

 month of March, 191 7, Mr. Nelson R. 

 Wood, of the U. S. National Museum, 

 collected a fine specimen at Auburndale, 

 Florida, and sent it north alive. This 

 individual was in my possession for a 

 few hours, during which time I made 

 three or four negatives of it; three of 

 these have been reproduced to illustrate 

 the present account (Figures 1-3). 



One of the peculiar characters of this 

 batrachian are the several dark brown 



