1891.] TADPOLES OF THE EUROPEAN BATRACHIANS. 621 



16. BoMBiNATOR iGNEUS, Laur. (Plate XLVII. fig. 4.) 



Length of body once and one fourth to once and one third its 

 width, four fifths to two thirds the length of the tail. Eyes on the 

 upper surface of the body, the distance between them twice and a 

 half to three times as great as that between the nostrils, equal to or 

 slightly less than the width of the mouth. Spiraculum in the 

 mid-ventral line, nearer the posterior than the anterior extremity of 

 the body. Anal opening median, much larger than the spiraculum. 

 Tail twice to twice and a half as long as deep, ending in an obtuse 

 point ; the upper crest convex, not or but slightly deeper than the 

 lower, and extending upon the back ; the depth of the muscular 

 part, at its base, one half to two fifths the total depth. 



Mouth triangular. Beak white, bordered with black. Lips 

 bordered by a series of papilles ; a well-marked chink on each side of 

 the lower lip ; series of labial teeth g, occupying the whole width of 

 the lips, all uninterrupted, or the third lower broken up in the 

 middle ; the first upper and the first lower series formed of two or 

 three rows of teeth, the others of two, three, or four. 



Well-marked series of muciferous crypts ; one on each side of the 

 head, from above the upper lip, passing above the nostril and bor- 

 dering the eye, then descending towards the upper lip, where it 

 curves and ascends to below the eyes ; two series on each side of the 

 back, beginning at some distance behind the eye, the upper extend- 

 ing to the upper portion of the muscular part of the tail, the lower 

 very short and parallel to the upper ; and finally a short curved 

 series on each side of the belly. 



Brown above, greyish white below ; the series of muciferous crypts 

 whitish; tail greyish, with or without small brown spots. A net- 

 work of fine black lines crossing each other at right angles is spread 

 over the whole tadpole, but most distinct on the caudal crests. 



Total length .50 millim. : body 20, width of body 16 ; tail 30, 

 depth of tail 15. These measurements are taken from a specimen 

 from Denmark, received from Prof. Liitken. 



This tadpole has been described and figured by Heron Royer, 

 Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 1887, p. 647, pi. xii. 



Somhinator igneus inhabits the plains of Northern and Eastern 

 Germany^, Denmark, Southern Sweden, Austria, Roumania, and 

 Russia. Breeds in May and June. 



17. BoMBiNATOR PACHYPus, Fitz. (Plate XLVIL fig. 5.) 



One very striking character distinguishes this tadpole from the 

 preceding, viz. the shape of the mouth, which is elliptical as in the 

 other genera of BiscoglossidcB. Otherwise, I have not been more 

 successful than Heron Royer in discovering any constant characters 

 by which to distinguish it. The tail is, as a rule, rather shorter, 



^ Bedriaga^ in his excelleut recent work on the Batrachians of Europe 

 (I. c. p. 590), is mistaken in recording this species from the Lower Main district 

 on the authority of Koch. Both Koch's var. tyims and var. hrevipes represent 

 B. pachypits, as is perfectly clear from his allusion to the " gelbes Endglied " of 

 the toes in the former. 



