Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 
45 
Description of a new Frog belonging to the Genus Heleophryne 
and a note on the systematic position of the Genus. 
By John Hewitt, B.A. (Cantab.). 
In the Annals of the South African Magazine, Yol I, p. 110, a 
solitary tree frog, taken in the neighbourhood of Stellenbosch, C.C., 
was referred by Ylr. W. L. Sclater to a new genus of Ranidae, and 
it was said to be related to Rhacophorus. 
In the Zool. Anz., Bd. 28, p. 785, Dr. Jean Boux includes this 
genus in a section of Ranidae, wdiich have an intercalary bone between 
the two last phalanges of the digits. 
Quite recently the Transvaal Museum has received the second 
recorded specimen of this genus, and on examination of the osteo- 
logical characters of the specimen it now appears that the genus is 
altogether misplaced. 
Firstly, the terminal phalanges are T-shaped, and there is no 
intercalary bone between the two terminal phalanges of the digits. 
But it came as a distinct surprise to find that this is an Arciferous 
genus. 
The characters of the genus are as follows : — 
Shoulder girdle arciferous, upper jaw toothed but lower jaw 
not so, diapophyses of sacral vertebrae somewhat dilated 
but not strongly so, vertebrae proeoelous, no ribs (the 
diapophyses of body vertebrae somewhat elongated), 
sternum a rather large and broad cartilaginous plate entire 
behind and without bony style, omosternum absent (possibly 
present as a rudiment), outer metatarsals separated, toes 
webbed, fingers free, tips of fingers and toes with well- 
developed disks, terminal phalanges T-shaped, the two 
arms of the cross-piece of the T forming an obtuse angle 
of about 160 degrees with each other, tympanum not 
visible, pupil vertical, vomerine teeth present, tongue disk- 
shaped, rounded and nearly free behind. 
From this combination of characters it is evident that the genus 
belongs to the Cystignathidae and the sub-family Cystignathinae. 
If the character of the pupil is really of primary importance its 
relationship is with the Australian rather than the American genera. 
This is, so far as I know, the first record of the occurrence of a 
Cystignathid genus in South Africa. It is of interest as being an 
addition to our list of South African vertebrates with Australian 
affinities. 
Our specimen comes from Knysna, C.C. (J. H. Bex, collector), 
and it seems to present sufficiently distinct characters to justify my 
provisionally referring it to a new species with the following 
characters : — 
Heleophryne regis n. sp., distinct from H. purcelli Scl. in 
respect to the webbing of the feet; the feet are entirely webbed in 
purcelli, only about half w^ebbed in regis. 
Snout rounded, the gape wide, vomerine teeth in two transverse 
groups between the clioanae, interorbital space a trifle narrower than 
upper eyelid, tympanum indistinct, a slight fold from the eye to the 
