OCR Text |
Show 226 ON REPTILES AND FROGS FROM SINGAPORE. [Feb. 1, terval between nostril and eye. Eye of moderate size, the diameter about equal to the length of the fourth finger. Tympanum distinct, nearly as large as the eye. Lower jaw with two prominent apophyses in front, fitting into hollows inside the upper jaw ; in a female sent these apophyses are inconspicuous. Vomerine teeth on two straight ridges running obliquely back from the interior angle of the inner nostrils, and converging behind so as to meet, if prolonged, nearly in a right angle, but rather widely separated ; a strong osseous transverse ridge behind the choanfe. No vocal sac. A strong fold from behind the eye running horizontally to over the tympanum, then turned down at an obtuse angle and running to the shoulder. Posterior portion of upper eyelid tubercular. Skin of body and limbs smooth. Limbs stout, the tips of both toes and fingers slightly swollen ; the distance from vent to knee is about half the length of the body from snout to vent or a little more; from vent to metatarsal tubercle is longer than the body. The metatarsal tubercle is elongate, not flattened. The toes are scarcely fully webbed; the terminal two phalanges of the fourth toe have only a narrow fringe along their sides, and the web is deeply emarginate; a narrow fold along the inside of the foot. Colour (in spirits) light brown above, one specimen (a male) having a pale stripe down the back, very little paler below, the sides and lower portion of the limbs, the sides of the body, breast and chin marbled with rich brown. 6 2 inches, inches. Length from nose to vent 6 4'9 of head 2-6 1*7 Breadth of head 315 2*2 Length of hind leg 8*6 7*5 „ hind foot 2-65 215 Three specimens are sent-two apparently males, the third a female. I believe all were obtained at Singapore; but I have not heard positively that this was the case. This form is closely allied to Rana fusca1, but has a much broader head ; the eye is smaller, and the tympanum larger; the muzzle is flatter, the nostrils nearer together, and the web between the toes of the hind feet much less developed. In the specimens of R. fusca from Penang, described by Stoliczka, there does not appear to be any passage towards the Singapore form ; for the toes are said to be fully webbed. Mr. Boulenger informs me that he considers R. fusca also a variety of JR. macrodon. In the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal for 1879, vol. xlviii. pt. 2, p. 130, I described a supposed new species of Hyp-sirhina under the name of H. maculata. I overlooked the fact that this name had previously been given by Dumeril and Bibron to the Chinese species H. bennetti. Under these circumstances I propose to change the name of the Burmese form to Hypsirhina maculosa. l Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxiv. 1855, p. 719 (the volume is wrongly quoted by Anderson as xxxiv) ; Theobald, "Cat. Rept,," J. A. S. B. 1868, extra number, p. 79 ; Anderson, P. 25. S. 1871, p. 197; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. 1873, xiii pt 2 p 115 |