62 BULLETIN 34, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



southwards ou the Mexican plateau as far as the City of Mexico. The 

 remaiuiug species are distributed as follows : 



Eastern Region. — A, opactim; A. punotattim ; A. conypersiim ; A. hlcolor ; A. cope- 

 aniim (f); A. tigrinum ; A. icipMas; A. jeffersoiiianum. 

 AuSTROKiPARiAN REGION. — A. talpoldewm. 

 Central Region. — A. tigrinum; A. trisr upturn. 

 Pacific Region. — A. tigrinum; A. macrodactglwm ; A. epixanihum. 



As but one specimen of the A. copeanum is kuowu, little can be said 

 of its distribution. 



AMBLYSTOMA TALPOIDEUM Holbrook. 



Gray. Catal. Batr. Gracl. Brit. Mas., 1850, p. 36 ; Dnmdril & Bibroii, Erp. 

 Geu., VIII, p. 109; Cope, Proceeds. Acad. Phila., 1867, p. 172; Sfcnuicb, 

 Salam., 63 ; Boulenger, Catal. Batr. Grad. Brit. Mus., ii ed.,1882, p. 40. 

 Salamandra ialpoidea Holbrook, N. Amer. Herp., v, 73, PI. 24. 



Shortest, stoutest, and most clumsily formed of all the terrestrial 

 Amblystomata. Character of skin as to glaiuls pits, etc., much as in 

 A. pmictatmn and opacum. A row of large pores on the head, interior 

 to the eye and nostrils, extending anterior to the latter. This passes 

 behind and beneath the eye, reaching forward nearly to the nostril ; a 

 patch ou the cheeks above the lateral groove and another below it, 

 probably extending forward along the lower jaw. 



The head is very broad, and large, and is wider than the body anterior 

 to the constriction at the neck. Its width is about equal to the distance 

 from snout to gular fold (thus wider than long), and is contained about 

 3J times to the groin. The eyes are superior and rather small, separated 

 anteriorly by nearly three lengths of the orbit; about one orbit from 

 the nostrils, which are separated about 1^ orbits. The muzzle is rather 

 angular. The upper jaw is visible beyond the lower when viewed from 

 below. 



The body is short, squat, and depressed. There are 10 costal grooves 

 on the side. 



The tail is contained about h} times in the rest of the animal. It is 

 much as in A. opacum, but higher, though without a crest. 



The digits are rather long and slender, scarcely different from those 

 of A. opacum. 



The palatine teeth are in a transverse series of three sections. The 

 middle section is not interrupted along the median line. lu the type 

 it is slightly concave anteriorly, scarcely reaching to the inner line of 

 the inner nares, and behind the range of the lateral sections, which 

 begin a little interior to the outer line of the nostrils. The middle and 

 lateral sections are separated by the width of the inner nostril. In 

 another specimen the middle patch is nearly straight ; in another, com- 

 posed of two arcs concave anteriorly. 



The tongue is thick, fleshy, and adherent, though the edges are free 

 at the sides ; less so at the tip. Its width is not more than half that of 

 the head. The papillose i)ortion is separated posteriorly by the exten- 



