74 AMPHIBIA 



Faunistic divisions of the Amphibia. 



XOTOG^A, — South World. 



Characterised by the Cystignathiclae* and by tlie predomi- 

 nance of Arcifera, which form nearly 9 per cent of the Anurous 

 population. 



I. Australian region. — Absence of Apoda and Urodela. 

 All the Auura are aiciferous, with the exception of one species of 

 Ihviia in the Cape York peninsula. The fauna of the Australian 

 continent and of Tasmania consists chiefly of Cystignathidae and 

 Hylidae {Hyla and Hylella) and several small genera of Bufon- 

 idae {Pseuclophrijiie* Notadcn* and Jli/oJxctrachus*). 



It is customary, and from the study of other Vertebrata quite 

 justifiable, to divide the Australian region into several sub- 

 regions, but the Amphibia lend no support to this. The only 

 Amphibian in the Sandwich Islands is a £i(fo, closely related to 

 North American species. The only Amphibian in Xew Zealand 

 is Liopdma* one of the Discoglossidae which are otherwise con- 

 fined to Europe, Xorth-east Asia, and Xorth-west America, and, 

 to judge from their low organisation, had formerly a much wider 

 distribution. New Caledonia possesses no Amphibia. The Fiji 

 Islands are inhabited by one or two species of Cormifer, a genus 

 of Eanidae. The same genus is typical of the Austnj-JIalayan 

 and Papuasian islands, the fauna of which consists of Rawi 

 and Cornufer, Ccratohatrachus, several genera of Engystomatinae, 

 Hylidae, and Pelobatidae. 



II. Neotropical region. — Characterised by Apoda, Aglossa 

 (rijiit), abundance of Cystignathidae (Hemiphractinae,* Cystig- 

 nathinae, and Dendrophryniscinae*), Hylidae (Hylinae and 

 Amphignathodontinae*), numerous Bufonidae and Engystoma- 

 tinae ; Dcn(ln>l)((finae* ; the Eaninae are represented by a few 

 peculiar genera, mostly restricted to the Andesian province ; 

 the genus liana occvu's there in a few species only. 



Aljsence of Discoglossidae, Pelobatidae and I )yscopliinae. 



Several species of Trodela, of the genus S-peJerpes, extend 

 from Central America into the Andesian province, one occurs 

 in Hayti, and Plethodon pilaMnse in Argentina. 



This region is by far the richest in the number of families, 



* indicates Amphibia which are peculiar to the respective regions or sub-regions. 



