1925] Storer: A Synopsis of the Amphibia of California 
47 
Coloration of upper and lateral surfaces of body and tail, light or 
dark yellow; a conspicuous dorsolateral line of black on each side 
extending from posterior portion of head to end of tail; dorsal and 
ventral fins and sides of body and tail with numerous small dots 
(1.0 mm. or less) of black; undersurface of body, yellow or white, 
immaculate. 
Remarks on structure and coloration. — The changes in this sala- 
mander with respect to age and season are not equaled by those of 
any other California amphibian (pi. 5, figs. 9, 10). The terrestrial 
individuals have the skin very rough surfaced, the body is oval in 
section and the tail oval at base and compressed at tip with little or 
no suggestion of a fin. The adult males which remain in the water for 
long periods during the spring breeding period become very smooth 
surfaced, the papillae of the skin practically disappear, the body 
becomes nearly quadrangular in section, with conspicuous transverse 
(costal) folds, and the tail develops a fin both dorsally and ventrally 
until its height is twice that of the tail in terrestrial individuals. 
These aquatic males become pale brown on the upper surface and less 
brightly yellow below, while the lateral area joining the dorsal and 
ventral surfaces is broadly blackish. The limbs increase in bulk and 
the tips of all the digits become dark ; the cloacal region enlarges until 
it is half or more the thickness of the body at the groin. The inner 
surface of the femur on each leg becomes roughened. Females in the 
water become smoother skinned than when on the land but do not 
undergo the changes that are indicated for the males. Males which 
continue in the water after the breeding season become somewhat 
reduced in bulk and the skin then is more like that of the aquatic 
females. During the breeding season the two sexes are readily dis- 
tinguishable by means of the characters described; the sex cannot be 
determined upon the basis of secondary characters after the animals 
have left the water for the season. 
History. — (t Triton torosus” was one of the three species of sala- 
manders collected by Dr. Friedrich Eschscholtz during his second 
visit to California with Captain Otto von Kotzebue in the autumn of 
1824. An outline of Eschscholtz’ travels within the region is given 
in the chapter on Dicamptodon ensatus (p. 79). 
The authorship of the name torosus has usually been ascribed to 
Eschscholtz (Cope, 1889; Bitter, 1897; Stejneger and Barbour, 1917, 
1923), but Grinnell and Camp (1917) cite Bathke as the author. 
That the latter disposition is the correct one is indicated by the fol- 
