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Show 1891.] TADPOLES OF THE EUROPEAN BATRACHIANS. 621 16. BOMBINATOR IGNEUS, Laur. (Plate XLVII. fig. 4.) Length of body once and one fourth to once and one third its width, four fifths to two thirds the length of the tail. Eyes on the upper surface of the body, the distance between them twice and a half to three times as great as that between the nostrils, equal to or slightly less than the width of the mouth. Spiraculum in the mid-ventral line, nearer the posterior than the anterior extremity of the body. Anal opening median, much larger than the spiraculum. Tail twice to twice and a half as long as deep, ending iu an obtuse point; the upper crest convex, not or but slightly deeper than the lower, and extending upon the back; the depth of the muscular part, at its base, one half to two fifths the total depth. Mouth triangular. Beak white, bordered with black. Lips bordered by a series of papillae ; a well-marked chink on each side of the lower lip ; series of labial teeth 5, occupying the whole width of the lips, all uninterrupted, or the third lower broken up in the middle ; the first upper and the first lower series formed of two or three rows of teeth, the others of two, three, or four. Well-marked series of muciferous crypts ; one on each side of the head, from above the upper lip, passing above the nostril and bordering the eye, then descending towards the upper lip, where it curves and ascends to below the eyes ; two series on each side of the back, beginning at some distance behind the eye, the upper extending to the upper portion of the muscular part of the tail, the lower very short and parallel to the upper ; and finally a short curved series on each side of the belly. Brown above, greyish white below ; the series of muciferous crypts whitish; tail greyish, with or without small brown spots. A network of fine black lines crossing each other at right angles is spread over the whole tadpole, but most distinct on the caudal crests. Total length 50 millim. : body 20, width of body 16 ; tail 30, depth of tail 15. These measurements are taken from a specimen from Denmark, received from Prof. Liitken. This tadpole has been described and figured by Heron Royer, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 1887, p. 647, pi. xii. Bombinator igneus inhabits the plains of Northern and Eastern Germany1, Denmark, Southern Sweden, Austria, Roumania, and Russia. Breeds in M a y and June. 17. BOMBINATOR PACHVPUS, Fitz. (Plate XLVII. fig. 5.) One very striking character distinguishes this tadpole from the preceding, viz. the shape of the mouth, which is elliptical as in the other genera of Discoglossidce. Otherwise, I have not been more successful than Heron Royer in discovering any constant characters by which to distinguish it. The tail is, as a rule, rather shorter, 1 Bedriaga, in his excellent recent work on the Batrachians of Europe (I c p 590), is mistaken in recording this species from the Lower Main district on the authority of Koch. Both Koch's var. typus and var. brevipes represent B. pachypus, as is perfectly clear from his allusion to the " gelbes Endglied " of the toes in the former. |
