BATRACHIAANOURA. 41 



Skin smooth. A light longitudinal vitta or line from the snout to 

 posterior extremity of the body. 



Syn. —Pkurode7na ehr/ans, Bell, Zool. Voy. Beagle. V, 1843, 39. PI. xvn, fig. 

 4.— Grd. in Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. VI, 1853, 420. 



Cystignathus elegans, GtJiCH. in Gai/, Hist, de Chile. Zool. II, 1848, 101. 



Descr. — Although this species may easily be distinguished from the 

 preceding one by the light line extending all along the dorsal region, 

 still it is very closely related to it by all the characters of its structure. 

 The general form is more slender, subfusiforra, and the head more coni- 

 cal, being as long as broad. The snout is regularly rounded in a view 

 from above. The nostrils are small and circular, and equidistant 

 between the anterior rim of the eye and the margin of the upper jaw. 

 The eyes, themselves, are sabcircular, not prominent, with their dia- 

 meter equal to the distance between them and the nostrils. The upper 

 lid is smooth. The interocular space is equal to the diameter of the 

 eye. The tympanum is more apparent than in the preceding species, 

 but is very small. The tongue is subcircular, thick, slightly emarginated 

 anteriorly, posteriorly entire, and free for about the fourth of its length. 

 The vomerine teeth are disposed upon two oval groups as in the pre- 

 ceding species, and situated between the inner nostrils, though some- 

 what more obliquely. The inner nostrils, themselves, are circular and 

 well developed. The openings of the Eustachian tubes are exceed- 

 ingly small. 



The anterior legs have proportionally the same length compared to 

 the body as in the preceding species, that is to say, when bent back- 

 wards the tips of the fingers are made to reach the groins. The fin- 

 gers are subdepressed, and their articulations provided beneath with 

 small tubercles. The palm of the hand is finely granular, and at its 

 base may be seen two quite large metacarpal tubercles. The tips of 

 the fingers are round and smooth. The hind legs are almost equal in 

 length to the body and head together. The toes are subdepressed like 

 the fingers ; slightly united at their base by a membrane, which, how- 

 ever, does not extend along their edge. Tubercles exist under their 

 articulations. The sole of the feet is smooth. The metatarsal tu- 

 bercles are quite prominent, and conical, though small. The membra- 

 nous ridge, at the inside of the tarsus, is not very conspicuous. 



The skin is smooth throughout 



The ground color above is brown, clouded with darker patches. 



11 



