392 



Stenorhynckus, Arthroleptis, Schismaderma, Hemisus, Breviceps, 

 Chiromantis, Hyperolius, Leptopelis, Brachymerns. 



Forms common with other regions. — Cystignathus, Hylarana, 

 Polypedates. 



There are nearly 60 species known, all belonging to the Anura, 

 which number would give a single species for every 200,000 square 

 miles, or for each 70,000 square miles if we are allowed to refer 

 the number of species only to the area of the more- or less-known 

 parts, — a ratio which shows the great progress of our knowledge 

 during the last few years. This region was said to be especially 

 poor in Tree-frogs ; and the reason for this was an overstated po- 

 verty of trees. The genus Hyla is here replaced by Hyperolius — 

 as abundant in species as, or even proportionally more than Hyla : 

 one species, Hyla aubryi, was believed to be a representative of true 

 Hyla ; but a closer examination has shown that even this species 

 differs from it by having cylindrical diapophyses of the sacral verte- 

 bra, forming a separate genus, Leptopelis. If we add the other iEthio- 

 pian Batrachians living on trees, we find the number of the Platy- 

 dactyla nearly one-half of that of the Oxydactyla — quite in accord- 

 ance with the observation made on the Snakes of this region. There 

 are so very few species of Batrachians known from Madagascar, that 

 we are not yet enabled to compare its fauna of Batrachians with 

 that of the continent ; but, again, all are peculiar to this island. 



III. Indian Region. 



Characteristic forms. — Oxyglossus, Leptobrachium, Megalophrys, 

 Ceratophryne, Asterophrys, Uperodon, Diplopelma, Kalophrynus, 

 Ixalus, Rhacophorus, Micrhyla, Kaloula. 



Forms common with other regions. — Hylarana, Polypedates, 

 Cornufer, Platymantis. 



The Indian region, in comparison with the iEthopian, does not 

 exhibit a greater abundance of Batrachians such as we found 

 to be the case with Snakes. The number of species is nearly the 

 same. This is the more to be wondered at as the climate of the 

 East Indies might be supposed to be most adequate to the life of 

 Anura, and most productive of specific as well as of generic forms 

 and of individuals. Moreover, the East Indies are comparatively 

 well known ; and the collection of the British Museum contains such 

 a complete series of East Indian Batrachians, as considerably to 

 increase the number of the species formerly known. But neverthe- 

 less the fact appears to be, that this region is excessively productive 

 of individuals (especially of certain species, as in Snakes), but that it 

 is not in the same way rich in generic, and still less in specific forms. 

 There is some resemblance in this respect to the Palsearctic region. 

 We may state 60 as the number of species, which gives a single 

 species to every 66,000 square miles. 



All the Batrachians belong to the Opisthoglossa, not the half of 

 which are Platydactyla. The true Hyla are wanting, and, as in 

 Africa, replaced by genera without dilated processes of the sacral ver- 



