412 BULLETIN 34, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Rana areolata areolata Baird & Girard. 



Catalogue 

 number. 



No. of 

 spec. 



Locality. 



When 

 collected. 



From whom received. 



Nature of 

 specimen. 



3304 



1 



1 



Indianola, Tex 





J. H. Clark 





11897 



Nashville, Ga 



1880 



W. J. Taylor . .. 



Do. 











Bana areolata aesopus Cope. 



Proceed. Amer. Philosoph. Soc, 1886, p. 517, 



This singular form may be known at once by tbe short and squat 

 form of the body as compared with the size of the head, resembling in 

 this some of the Australian Cystignathidge. 



The muzzle is not prominent, and does not project beyond the upper 

 lip. The canthus rostrales are straight, and the top of the head is flat. 

 The tympanic disk is a vertical oval, of which the short diameter is 

 one-half the length of the eye. The edge of the vomerine patches of 

 teeth are a little posterior to the line connecting the posterior border of 

 the nares. The latter are about as large as the ostia pharyngea. 



The dorsolateral glandular ridge is thick, and extends a little beyond 

 the sacral diapophysis. There are six or seven rows of short longitudi- 

 nal glandular tubercles in the space between them. There are similar 

 elongate warts on the sides. The posterior and posteroinferior faces of 

 the femora finely granular; rest of the inferior surfaces smooth. 



The first finger is longer than the second, and equals the fourth. The 

 heel of the extended hind leg reaches to the middle of the eye. The 

 foot is of moderate length. Three of the phalanges of the fourth digit 

 are entirely free, and the web is excavated to opposite the middle of 

 the first phalange, extending as a margin on each side of the distal 

 half. The inner cuneiform tubercle is not large, and has an acute 

 apex; no external tubercle. A slightly defined tarsal dermal ridge. 



In alcohol the ground color is light brown, with the dorsolateral 

 ridge and the inferior surfaces straw-color. The spots are a darker 

 brown, and do not appear to have been yellow- bordered. The dorsal 

 spots are irregularly rounded, and are in three or four longitudinal rows. 

 There are two rows on the top of the muzzle and head, crossing the 

 inner edge of the eyelid. There are two spots near the external edge 

 of each eyelid. Spots on the sides smaller, in about four rows. The 

 lores and upper lip are rather coarsely marbled with brown ; gular 

 region faintly speckled with the same. No band, but a spot on the 

 front of the humerus; a spot on the elbow, and three cross lines on the 

 fore-arm. Four narrow cross bars on the femur and five across the 

 tibia. Three cross-bars on the external side of the tarsus and five on 

 the external face of the fourth toe. The posterior face of the femur 

 has numerous rounded brown spots on a light ground. 



