110 GEOaBAPHICAL DISTEIBTTTIOlf 



3. The Apeican Eegion. 



This Eegion, which comprises the whole of Africa (with the ex- 

 ception of the Northern part), Southern Arabia, Madagascar, the 

 SeycheUe and Masoarene Islands, is characterized by an almost 

 entirely Firmisternian Frog-fauna, the Arcifera belonging to two 

 genera only, viz. Nedophryne, which occurs in the Indian Eegioa 

 with three species and here with one, and the nearly cosmopolitan 

 Bufo. This character is still moremarked intheMadegasse Subregion, 

 whose numerous Frogs are exclusively Firmistemia. A striking 

 feature of the African continent is the development of an Aglossous 

 family, Dactylethridce. The Caudata are totally absent. The Apoda 

 represented by few species, 3 in West Africa, 1 in East Africa, and 

 1 in the Seychelles ; they have not been found either in South 

 Africa or in Madagascar. These five species of Apoda belong to 

 three genera, of which one is peculiar to the Eegion, the two others 

 occurring also either in the Indian or Tropical-American Eegion, 

 Of the 20 genera of Ecaudata Firmistemia, 17 are peculiar to Africa, 

 amongst which Rappia deserves special notice, as representing the 

 Indian Ixalus. 



Two well-marked Subregions may be distinguished — the Conti- 

 nental and the Madegasse. The former is characterized by the 

 Dactylethridce, the presence of Bufonidce, and the genera Ghiro- 

 mantis, Phrynobatrachus, Cassina, Hylamhates, Phrynoimantis, Bre- 

 viceps, and probably Hemisus*. One Indian species, the widely 

 distributed Ba,na cyanophlyctis, occurs in Arabia {B. ehrenhergii, 

 Ptrs.) ; and the West-African Bana occipitalis is so closely allied to 

 the Oriental B. tigrina that it is extremelj' difficult to distinguish 

 them. 



The Madegasse Subregion is of high interest, presenting an 

 assemblage of African, Indian, and Tropical-American forms. The 

 first, however, greatly predominate, whilst Indian types are repre- 

 sented by numerous species of BMcophorus and one species of Galo- 

 phrynus. We must also mention the small family Dyscophidce, of 

 which six species inhabit Madagascar and one the Indian Eegion. 

 The genus Mantdla, which is peculiar to Madagascar, forms with 

 the closely allied South-American Dendrohates the family Dendro- 

 hatidce. As mentioned already, we do not know yet one single 

 representative of the Arcifera ; therefore no two parts of the world 

 are more different in their Batrachian fauna than Madagascar and 

 Australia, the former being composed solely of Firmistemia, the 

 latter solely of Arcifera. They, however, agree in some negative 

 characters, being the only two parts of the world which entirely 

 lack the "genus Bufo and have neither Caudata nor Apoda. 



* It is doubtful whether Grandidier'B Hemisus obscurus has been referred to 

 the proper genus. 



