30 LARS GABRIEL ANDERSSON, BATRACHIANS. 



Specimen a; 17 mm. in length between nose and vent. The groundcolour above, 

 and on the sides dark olive brown. From the nostril a narrow white line extends 

 above the eye along the sides of the back to the sacral region, where it bends dovvn- 

 wards, curving again upwards to the back. and then downwards and backwards, 

 forming a crescent-shaped spöt. On the posterior part of the back the two semilunar 

 curves approach each other, but are always separated by a more or less broad inter- 

 space. Along the margin of the upper jaw another less distinct, narrow white line 

 extends to the shoulder. The sides below the white line are somewhat darker than 

 the bottom-colour of the back. Between the eyes there is a T shaped spöt extending 

 backwards as a rather indistinct median band to between the lumbar crescent 

 spöts. The anterior part of the interorbital spöt is very distinct, and bordered by 

 a very narrow white line. On the tibia above the heel there is an oval white ring, 

 the centre of which is lighter than the groundcolour; and above the vent a trans- 

 verse white line. A white spöt is also to be seen on the metatarsus, and on the out- 

 side of the carpus. Under surfaces are yellowish white, except the throat, which is 

 densely dotted with dark brown. 



According to Tornier all Rappias begin as uniform dark specimens, which 

 grow whitish by and by, during the developement showing a very variable colour- 

 pattern. My specimens, at least, seem to strengthen this opinion very much. The 

 darkest specimens are namely the smallest, the uniform light ones the largest, and 

 between these we find a great number of forms intermediate in size as well as in 

 colour. If a comparison is made with Tornier's account of the different ways of 

 discolouring this series appears to come nearest to his figure 113, which alone forms 

 a branch from one of his main series. The differences between this figure and my 

 figure a are rather unimportant. The drawings agree in main points, although the 

 details are somewhat different. 



Specimen b; 16.5 mm. between nose and vent. The most important difference 

 is in this specimen that the back has grown paler between the lateral white lines, 

 viz. dark ashy grey instead of dark brown. By this the colour of the back becomes 

 sharply defined from that of the sides, the extremities and the anal region which all 

 maintain thetr dark colour. The sides give the impression of two dark bands, bor- 

 dered above by white, and running from the nostril through the eye to the lumbar 

 region where they swell out forming the crescent spöt, known from specimen a, al- 

 though here somewhat different in shape. Anteriorly the dorsal spöt is still distinct, 

 but posteriorly it has begun to vanish. At the same time the narrow white lines 

 appear to have become somewhat broader in correspondence with the whole process 

 of discolouring. The light white-bordered spöt above the heel is of quite the same 

 colour as the back. When the animal is resting with the tibia pressed to the body 

 the different colours of the back and tibia, viz. the dark and light areas and a dis- 

 tinct white line separating them, fit together so well that they form a beautiful and 

 very regular pattern. 



Specimen c; 16 mm. in length between nose and vent. The dark colour has 



