1886. J ON TWO EUROPEAN SPECIES OF BOMBINATOR. 499 



4. On two European Species of Bombinator. 

 By G. A. BouLENGER, r.Z.S. 



[Eeceived September 28, 1886.] 

 (Plate L.) 



Two distinct forms of Bombinator occur in Germany. The fact 

 has been known to me for many years, having, when a boy, been 

 struck by the very different appearance of specimens obtained by me 

 at Dresden as compared with the famihar form from Belgium and the 

 Ehine. But it was only during a recent journey to Germany that I 

 was enabled, by examining a larger material, to form a decisive 

 opinion that the two forms are entitled to rank as species. 



German authors, so far as can be gathered from their publications, 

 have never seized upon the distinction, although individual variations 

 have caused a var. brevipes (Blasius), Koch, to be established. 

 Possibly Fitzinger was the first to separate the two forms correctly 

 by distinguishing a Bombinator pachyj)us, from the mountains of 

 Italy, from the true B. igneus of Laurenti. However, perhaps 

 through misrepresentation of Fitzinger's views, nothing but confu- 

 sion was added by Bonaparte, who, as is well known, introduced 

 that author's MS. name into nomenclature *. The result of my 

 search into the synonymy of Bombinator is that Linna;us's name 

 Rana bombina and Laurenti' s Bufo igneus apply respectively to the 

 two species now under consideration. The words of Linnseus (Faun. 

 Suec. 2nd ed. p. 101, 1761), " abdomine luteo tiigro maculatoj" and 

 those of Laurenti (Syn. Kept. p. 29, 1768) "infra ulbiclo-ccerulescens, 

 punctatus maculis late miniatis," seem to settle the point ; and if, as 

 I have reason to believe, the paler-bellied Frog occurs in Sweden and 

 the brighter one in Austria, " in pahidibus Danubialibus," it is settled 

 beyond doubt. Although Rosel, as prse-Linnean and polynomialist, 

 has no claim in matters of nomenclature, it is well to say that his, 

 the first scientific, account o{ Bonbinator refers to the form which I now 

 name B. bombinus. It must also be added that B. pachypus and 

 B. brevipes are undoubtedly to be regarded as synonyms of B. bom- 

 binus, and that the sacrum and coccyx figured by Gene (Syn. Rept. 

 Sard.) as that of B. igneus, and which has lately been the subject of 

 some discussion, is clearly that of a Pelobates. 



I may now pass on to the distinctive characters of the two species. 



1. Bombinator bombinus, L. (Plate L. fig. 1.) 



Habit stoiiter, snout rather shorter, digits thicker, warts stronger 

 and more crowded than in B. igneus. The length of the leg or 

 crus equals or exceeds the distance between the inner metatarsal 

 tubercle and the extremity of the fourth toe. Male with black 

 nuptial excrescences under the second and third toes, sometimes also 



' Bonaparte's figure was evidently not executed from life, and tberefore no 

 importance is to be attached to the coloration attributed to bis B. iMchyptis. 



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