THE BATE AC HI A OF NORTH AMERICA. 



Manculus quadridigitatus Holbr. 



161 



Catalogue 

 number. 



No. of 

 spec. 



9337 



3 



3804 



7 



88G7 



2 



.3904 



1 



Locality. 



Mandeville, La . . . 

 Eiceborough, Ga 



Abbeville, S. C . 

 liinston, N. C- . 



When 

 collected. 



Nov. 2,1876 



From whom received. 



G. Kohn 



(?) 



(?) 



Prof. S. F. Baird 

 J.W. Milner 



Nature of spec- 

 imen. 



Alcoholic. 

 Do. 



1)0. 



Do. 



SPELERPES Eafinesque. 



Atlantic Journal, i, p. 23, 1832. 



Spelerpes Gray, Cat. Brit. Mus. 1850, 43; Cope, Proceed. Ac. Pbila., 1869, p, 104; 



Bouleuger, Cat. Batr. Grad. Brit. Mus., ed. ii, 1882, p. 60. 

 Cylindrosoma Tschudi, Nat. Syst. Batracliier Neucliatel, 1838. 

 Cylindrosoma et BoUtogJossa pars Dum6nl, Erp. G6b., ix. 

 Spelerpes et rseitdotriton Baird, Journ. Ac. Nat. Sci., i ; Hallowell, 1. c, iv. 



The tongue free, except at the glossohyal support. Palatine and 

 parietal bones fully ossified; premaxillaries consolidated, and their 

 spines embracing a fontanelle. Teeth small. Toes 4-5. 



This is a natural genus, and is abundantl}' represented by individ- 

 uals in the eastern district of the nearctic realm, and the Mexican of 

 the neotropical. Its digital characters only distinguish it from Man- 

 culus, and some of the Mexican species approach that genus in the 

 great reduction of the inner digit, which results from a diminution in 

 the number of phalanges. The consolidation of the premaxillaries — a 

 marked character — appears very earl}^ in the developmental history of 

 such of the species as I have been able to study (8. ruber, 8. hUineaUis). 

 The Mexican species x)ass their metamorphoses soonest ; then such as 

 8. hilineat'us, and the 8. ruber remains longest a larva. 



The characters of nine species of Spelerpes are given in the follow- 

 ing table. I know of none others, thinking that the genera (Edipus, 

 OEdipina, and Geotriton should be maintained as distinct. Of these 

 species four only inhabit the nearctic realm, and five are fount! in the 

 Tierra Templada of Mexico, on the eastern side of the plateau. The 

 nearctic species are all confined to the eastern region, the genus differ- 

 ing in its range from Plethodon in not extending to the Pacific region. 



The largest species of the Spelerpes is the 8. bellii of Mexico, which 

 among salamanders is only exceeded in dimensions by the Ghondrotus 

 teneJ)rosus. The largest species of North America is the 8. ruber. The 

 sjiecies of this genus display more brilliant colors than any other of the 

 family, yellow and red being the usual ones. 



I. Vomeriue teeth not continued back to parasphenoid patches, extended outwardly 

 beyond nares. 

 a. Costal folds 11-12; tail cyliudric ; inner toes rudimental. 



PlicjB 12; extremities of inner toes free ; others short, thick, subequal ; a 

 canthus rostralis; muzzle truncate; vomeriue series in contact ; lead-col- 

 ored, usually with two dorsal series of red spots ; largest S. hellii. 



1951— Bull. 34 11 



