36 BATRACHIA, 



ish-brown above, with a dorsal, deep-chestnut, narrow band, extend- 

 ing from the snout to the middle of the body. Beneath unicolor. 



Syn. — Cystignathus parvulus, Grd. in Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Pbilad. VI, 1853, 422. 



Descr. — The species we are now going to describe, is one of the 

 smallest of the ranine group, assuming that the specimen before us is 

 a full-grown one, and which seems plausible from its general aspect. 



Its entire length is scarce seven-eighths of an inch, the head forming 

 about the third of that length. Seen from above, the head is subtri- 

 angular or rather semi-elliptical, being almost uniformly rounded from 

 the angle of the mouth to the extremity of the snout. It is one-fourth 

 broader than long. Its upper surface is gradually sloping towards the 

 margin of the upper jaw, giving it a wedge-shaped appearance. It is 

 furthermore provided with a shallow groove, quite narrow between the 

 eyes, widening upon the snout, where it is limited on either side by 

 the canthus rostralis, itself, however, not very prominent. The nos- 

 trils are rather large, circular, and nearer the tip of the snout than the 

 anterior rim of the orbits. The eyes are of medium size, subelliptical, 

 with their longitudinal diameter equal to the rostral distance. The 

 interocular space is much greater than the ocular diameter. The 

 tympanum is of medium size, subcircular ; its diameter being smaller 

 than that of the eye. It is situated above, and a little posterior to the 

 angle of the mouth. The mouth itself is not deeply — though broadly 

 — cleft. The tongue is rather small and subcircular ; attached by its 

 whole under surface. The inner nostrils are proportionally large, 

 subelliptical, and situated towards the edges of the roof of the palate. 

 The vomerine teeth constitute two very narrow, approximated series, 

 situated obliquely behind the inner nostrils ; the outer extremity of 

 each series being slightly curved and close to the inner edge of the 

 orbit. The openings of the Eustachian tubes are but half the size of 

 the inner nostrils, though very conspicuous. 



The body is raniform, broader than deep, and narrowest posteriorly. 

 The legs are slender, but proportionally well developed ; the anterior 

 ones will reach the groins when stretched backwards alongside the 

 body. The fingers are depressed, slender, and tapering, provided 

 under their articulations with small tubercles. The palm of the hand 

 is smooth ; there are two metacarpal tubercles, one at the base of the 

 first finger, the other opposite the third. The first finger is longer 

 than the second, which is equal to the fourth. The hind legs are a 



