CHAP. XIV.] 
THE NEOTROPICAL REGION. 
73 
Hylidfle or tropical tree-frogs, is almost peculiar to the Antilles ; 
Cuba, Hayti, and Jamaica possessing seven species, while only 
one is recorded from South America. Other genera are, Pelta- 
phryne (Bufonidse) from Portorico ; Phyllobates (Polypedatidse) 
from Cuba ; Leiuperus (Ranidse) from Hayti, — all Neotropical. Of 
the Urodela, or tailed batrachians, no representative occurs, 
although they are so characteristic a feature of the Nearctic 
region. 
Fresh-water Jish. — The same general remarks apply to these as 
to the reptiles. Only one peculiar genus is noted — Lebistes, a 
form of Cyprinodontidse from Barbadoes ; other genera of the 
same family being, Haplochilus, Rivulus, and Girardinus , widely 
spread in the Neotropical region ; while Gambusia is confined to 
Central. America, Mexico, and the Antilles. Four other families 
are represented; Siluridee by Chcetostomus , found in Portorico 
and South America ; Chromidee by the South American Acara ; 
Mugillidae by the Central American Agonostoma ; and Percidae 
by the North American Centrarchus, of which a species is recorded 
from Cuba. 
Insects. — The various West Indian islands have not been well 
explored entomologically ; one reason no doubt being, that their 
comparative poverty renders them little attractive to the pro- 
fessional collector, while the abounding riches of Central and 
South America lie so near at hand. We can, therefore, hardly 
tell whether the comparative poverty, or even total absence of 
some families while others seem fairly represented, is a real 
phenomenon of distribution, or only dependent on imperfect 
knowledge. Bearing this in mind, we proceed to give a sketch 
of what is known of the chief groups of Lepidoptera and 
Coleoptera, 
Lepidoptera. — The Neotropical butterfly-fauna is but poorly 
represented, the majority of the most remarkable types being 
entirely wanting ; yet there are a few peculiar and very charac- 
teristic forms which show great isolation, while the majority of 
the species are peculiar. Four genera are exclusively or charac- 
teristically Antillean, — Calisto belonging to the Satyridse, with 
four species, of which one ranges to South Carolina ; Clothilda 
