38 CADUCIBRANCHIATA. 



as in pL.-punctatum : dorsal longitudinal groove less mark- 

 ed than in that species, but still distinct: eves small yet 

 prominent: nostrils minute. 



Length 3^ inches. Head to cervical fold y 2 inch. 



Tail 1% " Diameter of body ^ inch. 



Body 2 " " head 15-16 inch. 



Habitat United States east of the Rocky Mountains. 



Cope says, " The principal difference in form and 

 structure between this species and A. functatum are 

 seen in the absence of any dorsal furrow, or a less prom- 

 inence of that on the side of the tail. The limbs are 

 more feeble, the head narrower, etc." In the eight spec- 

 imens before me however, all of which came from South- 

 ern Illinois, the dorsal groove is very distinct. In a 

 specimen from Ann Arbor it is barely visible. In these 

 the most prominent mark of the species is its color, 

 which differs very strikingly from the A. -punctatum. 



Mann (60) states that this animal lays its eggs in the 

 beds of small ponds, and in some cases the number of 

 these amounts to one hundred and eight. He found 

 them in this situation in summer, and also in November, 

 and always with the male and female curled up over the 

 eggs as if in the process of incubation. 



