SALAMANDRID2E. 135 



Order CAUDATA. 



Body long, and either lacertiform or anguiform, with a tail ; pec- 

 toral, and generally the pelvic, limbs present. Skull without post- 

 orbital, supratemporal, and supraoccipital bones, and no parietal 

 foramen. Eibs short, and the vertebrae either amphi- or opistho- 

 ccelous. No thoracic buckler or ventral scutes. Gills persistent 

 or caducous. 



The palatines, when present, are approximated in the middle line, 

 and placed internally to the vomers and pterygoids. 



Family SALAMANDRID^. 



Adult without gills; maxillae present; teeth in both jaws ; ver- 

 tebrae opistho- or amphicoelous. Palatines present. 



Subfamily Salamandrina 

 Palatine teeth in two longitudinal series, diverging posteriorly ; 

 no teeth on parasphenoid ; vertebrae opisthoccelous and fully ossified. 



Genus MEGALOTRITON, Zittel \ 



Known by detached vertebrae and limb-bones. Vertebras much 

 depressed, and strongly opisthoccelous the arch expanding into a 

 broad plate overhanging the centrum, and the zygapophyses very 

 wide. 



Megalotriton filholi, Zittel 2 . 



The type species ; typically of large size, the vertebras measuring 

 15 millim. in length. The type specimens are from the Quercy 

 Phosphorites. 



Hob. Europe (Prance, and ? Germany). 



30484. Twelve vertebrae belonging either to the present or an allied 

 species ; from the Lower Miocene (Upper Oligocene) of 

 Mayence. Although of smaller size, these specimens 

 closely resemble the type vertebrae figured by Zittel on 

 page 420 of the work cited. They are doubtless speci- 

 fically identical with the smaller vertebrae mentioned on 

 page 421 of the same work. 



Hastings Collection. Pure7iased, 1855. 



1 Handbuch der Palceontologie, Abth Hi. Band 2 Lief. p. 420 (1S8S). 



2 Loc. cit. 



