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  HYLIDyE. 
  

  

  Family 
  4.— 
  HYLID^E. 
  

  

  Vertebra? 
  procoelous, 
  without 
  autogenous 
  ribs 
  ; 
  dia- 
  

   pophyses 
  of 
  sacral 
  vertebra 
  dilated. 
  Upper 
  jaw 
  

   toothed. 
  Terminal 
  phalanges 
  claw-shaped, 
  swollen 
  

   at 
  the 
  base. 
  

  

  The 
  arboreal 
  frogs 
  which 
  constitute 
  this 
  family 
  are 
  

   nearly 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  toads, 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  differ 
  in 
  

   the 
  presence 
  of 
  teeth 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  jaw, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   shape 
  of 
  the 
  terminal 
  phalanges, 
  supporting 
  adhesive 
  

   disks 
  of 
  a 
  special 
  nature,* 
  by 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  enabled 
  to 
  

   climb 
  with 
  great 
  facility. 
  The 
  Hylidse 
  embrace 
  thirteen 
  

   genera, 
  and 
  nearly 
  equal 
  the 
  Ranidx 
  in 
  the 
  large 
  

   number 
  of 
  the 
  species. 
  They 
  are 
  absent 
  from 
  tropical 
  

   and 
  South 
  Africa 
  and 
  Madagascar, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  

   greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  region. 
  As 
  regards 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  species, 
  they 
  are 
  few 
  in 
  the 
  Palgearctic 
  

   region, 
  more 
  numerous 
  in 
  North 
  America, 
  and 
  most 
  

   abundantly 
  represented 
  in 
  Central 
  and 
  South 
  America 
  

   and 
  Australia. 
  The 
  type 
  genus 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  European 
  

   representative. 
  

  

  7. 
  Hyla. 
  

  

  Laurenti, 
  Syn. 
  Rept., 
  p. 
  32 
  (1868).— 
  Partim. 
  

  

  Pupil 
  horizontal. 
  Tongue 
  entire 
  or 
  slightly 
  nicked, 
  

   more 
  or 
  less 
  free 
  behind. 
  Vomerine 
  teeth. 
  Tympanum 
  

   distinct 
  or 
  hidden. 
  Fingers 
  free 
  or 
  webbed; 
  toes 
  

   webbed 
  ; 
  tips 
  of 
  fingers 
  and 
  toes 
  dilated 
  into 
  distinct 
  

   disks; 
  outer 
  metatarsals 
  bound 
  together. 
  Omosternum 
  

   and 
  sternum 
  cartilaginous. 
  

  

  About 
  160 
  species 
  are 
  known. 
  

  

  The 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  single 
  European 
  species 
  

   and 
  its 
  varieties 
  over 
  nearly 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  Pala3- 
  

   arctic 
  region 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  accompanying 
  map. 
  

  

  * 
  Described 
  above, 
  p. 
  15. 
  

  

  