1869.] ■*■" • [Cope. 



is a strong pink, and is sometimes spotted behind and sometimes not. 

 Belly with delicate reticulate brown lines on yellow ground, sometimes 

 obsolete. Total length, 04" 4'" ; do. to orbit behind, 8'". Fore limb, 

 02" 2'"; hand, 01". Hind limb, 04" V" ; harsus, 9"'. Entire foot, 

 02" 03"'.5. 



Habitat. Vera Paz, near the ruins of Coban. Sent to the Smithsonian 

 Institution by Henry Hague. This gentleman has made highly interest- 

 ing observations on and contributions to the Natural History of that once 

 populous, but now almost unknown region, which have been communi- 

 cated to tho Smithsonian Institution. 



The known species of this genus is Hypopachus variolosus Cope 

 (H. seebachii Keferstein Gottingen, Nachrichten, 1867, 352. Archiv. f, 

 Naturgesch, 1868, 293, tab. IX., f. 1, 2. Engy stoma variolosum Cope. 

 Proceed. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., 1866. Systoma do. Journ. A. N. Sci., 

 1867, 194,) which is found in Costa Rica. Keferstein well separates this 

 species fi'om Systoma on account of its claviculus, though it is not certain 

 that it is not Copea Steindachner. In an essay on Costa Rican Batrachia 

 this author enumerates eight species. Of these it may be remarked that 

 Bufo sternosignatus Giinther has been described by an older author under 

 a prior name. Oedipina uniformis Kef. is an interesting Plethodont 

 salamander, apparently the same as the Opheobatrachus vermicularis of 

 Gray. No generic characters are given which are not possessed by species 

 of Oedipus. I may mention here that I have hitherto regarded the latter 

 genus as identical with Geotrition, and no author has presented chai-ac- 

 ters by which to distinguish them. I find, however, that the European 

 genus possesses two premaxillaries, the American one ; on this ground they 

 may be separated. In the same way Spelerpes pophyriticus (vel 

 salmoneus) has two premaxillaries, and all the Spelerpes proper but one. 

 I therefore refer the first to a new genus under the name of Gyrinopliilus. 



Ranula affinis, Peters, Cope. 



This species is extensively distributed. We have it from Pebas, Equa- 

 dor, Coban Guatemala, and the Rio Verde, Tehuantepec, Mexico. Giin- 

 ther, after examination of this frog, says (Zoological Record, 1868,) that 

 it is " Hyloid, ' ' an expression we fail to comprehend, as he certainly 

 cannot mean that it bears any relationship to Hyla. 



The digital relations, if such they can be called, are not larger than in 

 the Rana sylvatica, which has just passed its metamorphoses. It is in 

 fact most closely allied to the group of Rana to which R. temporaria be- 

 longs, as already perceived by Peters, who calls it affinis on this ac- 

 count. Like it, it possesses a dorso-lateral dermal fold, as is common in 

 Hylorana. 



Steindachner proposes to united Hylorana and Polypedates. On this 

 Giinther remarks that this herpetologist could not have devoted much 

 study to them, as they difl^er in the presence and absence of this dorso- 

 lateral dermal fold respectively. Giinther' s criticism, however, like most 

 of those which he too frequently directs at the labors of his fellow-stu- 

 dents, is really applicable to himself. 

 A. P. S. — VOL. XI — V 



