﻿318 
  

  

  RANID2E. 
  

  

  Skeleton. 
  — 
  Fronto-parietals 
  broad 
  and 
  flat 
  ; 
  eth- 
  

   moid 
  rounded 
  anteriorly 
  ; 
  nasals 
  small, 
  oblique, 
  their 
  

   posterior 
  border 
  rather 
  convex 
  than 
  concave. 
  Tibia 
  

   longer 
  than 
  femur, 
  but 
  less 
  markedly 
  so 
  than 
  in 
  

   B. 
  latastii 
  and 
  B. 
  agilis. 
  Distal 
  phalanges 
  with 
  very 
  

   strongly 
  developed 
  transverse 
  terminal 
  expansion, 
  

   T-shaped 
  at 
  the 
  end, 
  this 
  being 
  more 
  conspicuous 
  

   than 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  European 
  species. 
  

  

  Measurements 
  of 
  Skeleton 
  (in 
  millimetres). 
  

  

  Length 
  of 
  skull 
  . 
  

   Width 
  of 
  skull 
  . 
  

   Least 
  interorbital 
  width 
  

   Dorsal 
  vertebral 
  column 
  

   Uro 
  style 
  

   Humerus 
  . 
  

   Radius-ulna 
  

   Manus 
  

   Pelvis 
  

   Femur- 
  

   Tibia 
  . 
  

   Tarsus 
  

   Pes 
  . 
  

  

  Habits. 
  — 
  In 
  its 
  movements 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  some- 
  

   what 
  intermediate 
  between 
  B. 
  temporaria 
  and 
  B. 
  

   latastii, 
  being 
  not 
  quite 
  so 
  excitable 
  and 
  agile 
  as 
  the 
  

   latter, 
  which 
  is 
  fully 
  comparable 
  to 
  B. 
  agilis. 
  The 
  

   voice 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  during 
  the 
  breeding 
  season 
  may 
  

   be 
  expressed 
  by 
  geek, 
  geclc, 
  geclc, 
  geclc, 
  geek, 
  uttered 
  

   in 
  very 
  rapid 
  succession. 
  The 
  breeding 
  season, 
  in 
  

   the 
  Apennines, 
  falls 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  March, 
  together 
  

   with 
  that 
  of 
  B. 
  agilis, 
  which 
  occurs 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  

   localities. 
  As 
  we 
  have 
  mentioned 
  in 
  the 
  Introduction, 
  

   the 
  great 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  spermatozoa 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  

   species 
  precludes 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  their 
  intercrossing 
  

   any 
  more 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  B. 
  arvalis 
  and 
  B. 
  tempo- 
  

   raries, 
  which 
  differ 
  to 
  an 
  equal 
  degree. 
  

  

  Tadpole 
  (PL 
  III, 
  fig. 
  4). 
  — 
  The 
  tadpole 
  of 
  7*'. 
  gvxca, 
  

   although 
  more 
  nearly 
  resembling 
  that 
  of 
  B. 
  temporaries 
  

   than 
  any 
  other 
  European 
  species, 
  differs 
  from 
  all 
  its 
  

   congeners 
  in 
  having 
  the 
  mouth 
  quite 
  as 
  wide 
  as 
  the 
  

  

  (J 
  

  

  ? 
  

  

  12-5 
  .. 
  

  

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