BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Volume XLIX, 1923-1924 £w THE r AMERICAN MUSEUM „ .. or ISl NATURAL HISTORY '^SCIENCE^ EDUCAIION NEW YORK PLBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE TRUSTEES 1923-1924 EDITED BY FRANK E. LUTZ V l^C^ THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Seventy-seventh Street and Central Park West New York City BOARD OF TRUSTEES (As of December 31, 1924) Peesident HENRY FAIRFIELD OSBORN First Vice-President GEORGE F. BAIvER Treasurer GEORGE F. BAKER, Jr. Second Vice-President J. P. MORGAN Secret ABY PERCY R. PYNE EX-OFFICIO THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK THE COMPTROLLER OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK THE PRESIDENT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS Elective GEORGE F. BAKER GEORGE F. BAKER, Jr. FREDERICK F. BREWSTER FREDERICK TRUBEE DAVISON CLEVELAND EARL DODGE CLE\^LAND H. DODGE WALTER DOUGLAS CHILDS FRICK MADISON GRANT WaLLIAM AVERELL HARRIMAN CLARENCE L. HAY ARCHER M. HUNTINGTON ADRIAN ISELIN WALTER B. JAMES ROSWELL MILLER OGDEN MILLS J. P. MORGAN A. PERRY OSBORN HENRY F.AERFIELD OSBORN GEORGE D. PRATT PERCY R. PYNE THEODORE ROOSEVELT LEONARD C. SANFORD JOHN B. TREVOR FELIX M. WARBURG ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS Honorary Director FREDERIC A. LUCAS (As of December 31, 1924) Acting Director and Executive Secretary GEORGE H. SHERWOOD Assistant Treasurer THE UNITED STATES TRUST COMPANY OF NEW YORK SCIENTIFIC STAFF (As of December 31. 1924) Frederic A. Lucas, Sc.D., Honorary Director George H. Sherwood, A.M., Acting Director and Executive Secretary Robert C. Murphy, D.Sc, Assistant to the Director (in Scientific Correspondence, Exhibition, and LabeUng) James L. Clark, Assistant to the Director (in Full Charge of Preparation) I. DIVJSION OF MINERALOGY, GEOLOGY, AND GEOGRAPHY W. D. Matthew, F.R.S., Curator-in-Chief Geology and Invertebrate Paleontology Chester A. Reeds, Ph.D., Associate Curator of Invertebrate Palaeontology (In Charge) Mineralogy Herbert P. Whitlock, C.E., Curator George F. Kunz, Ph.D., Research Associate, Gems' Vertebrate Palaeontology Henry Fairfield Osborn, LL.D., D.Sc, Honorary Curator W. D. Matthew, Ph.D., Curator-in-Chief Walter Granger, Associate Curator in Fossil Mammals Barnum Brown, A.B., Associate Curator of Fossil Reptiles Charles C. Mook, Ph.D., Associate Curator William K. Gregory, Ph.D., Associate in Palaeontology Childs Frick, B.S., Research Associate in Palaeontology II. DIVISION OF ZOOLOGY AND ZOOGEOGRAPHY Frank Michler Chapman, N.A.S., Curator-in-Chief Lower Invertebrates Roy W. Miner, A.B., Curator WiLLARD G. Van Name, Ph.D., Assistant Curator Frank J. Myers, Research Associate, Rotifera Horace W. Stunkard, Ph.D., Research Associate, Parasitology A. L. Treadwell, Ph.D., Research Associate, Annulata Entomology Frank E. Lutz, Ph.D., Curator A. J. MuTCHLER, Assistant Curator in Coleoptera Frank E. Watson, B.S., Assistant in Lepidoptera Charles W. Le\g, B.S., Research Associate, Coleoptera Herbert F. Schw.arz, A.M., Research Associate, Hymenoptera William M. Wheeler, Ph.D., Research Associate, Social Insects 'Research Associates are honorary appointments. Scientific Staff v Ichthyology Bashford Deax, Ph.D., Honorary Curator John" T. Nichols, A.B., Associate Curator of Recent Fishes E. W. GuDGER, Ph.D., .Associate in Ichthyology Charles H. Townsexd, Sc.D., Research Associate Herpetology G. K. Noble, Ph.D., Curator Ornithology Frank M. Chapman, Sc.D., Curator-in-Chief W. DeW. Miller, Associate Curator Robert Cushman Murphy, D.Sc, Associate Curator of Marine Birds James P. Ch.apix, Ph.D., Assistant Curator, Birds of the Eastern Hemisphere Ludlow Griscom, A.M., Assistant Curator Jonathan Dwight, M.D., Research Associate in North American Ornithology Mrs. Elsie M. B. Naumburg, Research Assistant Mammalogy H. E. Anthony, A.M., .Associate Curator of Mammals of the Western Hemisphere Herbert Lang, Assistant Curator, African Mammals Carl E. Akeley, Associate in Mammalogy Comparative axd Human Anatomy William K. Gregory, Ph.D., Curator S. H. Chubb, Assistant Curator H. C. Raven, Assistant Curator J. Howard McGregor, Ph.D., Research Associate in Human Anatomy III. DIVISION OF ANTHROPOLOGY Clark Wissler, Ph.D., Curator-in-Chief Anthropology Clark Wissler, Ph.D., Curator-in-Chief Pliny E. Goddard, Ph.D., Curator in Ethnology N. C. Nelson, M.L., Associate Curator of Archseologj^ Charles W. Mead, Assistant Curator of Peruvian Archaeology Louis R. Sullivan, Ph.D., Assistant Curator, Phj-sical Anthropology J. Alden Mason, Ph.D., Associate Curator of Mexican Archaeology Clarence L. Hay, A.M., Research Associate in Mexican and Central American Archaeology MiLO Hellman, D.D.S., Research Associate in Physical Anthropology Comparative Physiology Ralph W. Tower, Ph.D., Curator i Scientific Staff IV. DIVISION OF ASIATIC EXPLORATION AND RESEARCH Roy C. Andrews, A.M., Curator-in-Chief Walter Granger, Associate Curator in Palaeontology Frederick K. Morris, A.M., Associate Curator in Geology and Geography Charles P. Berkey, Ph.D., Columbia University, Research Associate in Geology Amadexjs W. Grabau, S.D., Geological Survey of China, Research Associate Clifford H. Pope, Assistant in Zoology V. DIVISION OF EDUCATION AND PUBLICATION George H. Sherwood, A.M., Curator-in-Chief Library and Publications Ralph W. Tower, Ph.D., Curator-in-Chief Ida Richardson Hood, A.B., Assistant Librarian Public Education George H. Sherwood, A.M., Curator-in-Chief G. Clyde Fisher, Ph.D., Curator of Visual Instruction Grace Fisher Ramsey, Assistant Curator Public Health Charles-Edward Amory Winslow, D.P.H., Honorary Curator Mary Greig, Assistant Curator Astronomy G. Clyde Fisher, Ph.D., in Charge Natural History Magazine Herbert F. Schwarz, A.M., Editor A. Katherine Berger, Assistant Editor CONTENTS OF VOLUME XLIX Page Title-page i Ofl&cers and Trustees iii Scientific Staff iv Contents vii Dates of Publication of Separates vii List of Illustrations viii List of New Taxonomic Names xii Errata xii Art. L — Contributions to the Herpetology of the Belgian Congo Based on the Collection of The American Museum Congo Expedition, 1909- 1915. Part IL— Snakes. By Karl Patterson Schmidt, with Field Notes by Herbert Lang and James P. Chapin. (Plates I-XXII, fifteen text figiu-es, nineteen maps) 1 II. — Contributions to the Herpetology of the Belgian Congo Based on the Collection of the American Museum Congo Expedition, 1909- 1915. Part III.— Amphibia. By G. K. Noble, with Abstracts from the Field Notes of Herbert Lang and James P. Chapin. (Plates XXIII-XLII, eight text figures) 147 " HI. — ^The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition, with a Catalogue of the Belgian Congo Species. By James A. G. Rehn. (Nine text figures, thirteen maps) 349 " IV. — Size- Variation in Pyrenestes, a Genus of Weaver Finches. By James P. Chapin. (Seven text figures, four maps) 415 " V. — Observations on Colobus Fetuses. By Adolph H. Schultz. (Six text figures) 443 Index 459 DATES OF PUBLICATION OF SEPARATES The edition of separates is 300 copies, of which about 100 are mailed on the date of issue, and the others placed on sale in the Library. Art. I, July 18, 1923. " II, May 19, 1924. " III, August 29, 1924. " IV, September 3, 1924. V, September 5, 1924. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Plates I. — Typhlops pundatus and Python sebse. II. — Calabaria reinhardtii: from life and in the characteristic position assumed when distm-bed. III. — Hydrsethiops melanogaster and Dasypellis scaber scaber. IV. — Bothrolycus ater and Lycophidion laterale. V. — Bosedonjuliginosus. VI. — Mehelya poensis: two views. VII. — Gastropyxis smaragdina. VIII. — Scaphiophis albopunctatus. IX. — Grayia ornata and Grayia cspsar. X. — Boiga pidvendenta: juvenile coloration and adult. Boiga blandingii. XI. — Dipsadoboa unicolor and Dipsadoboa elongata. XII. — Leptodeira hotamboeia and Leptodeira duchesnii. XIII. — Dromophis Uneatus. XIV. — Thelotornis kirtlandii: two views, one of head with neck distended. XV. — Dispholidus typus: two phases, brilHantly colored and dark colored. XVI. — Naja melanoleuca: two views, one of head with neck distended. XVII. — Dendraspia jamesonii, head, and Elapops modestus. XVIII.- — Causus rhombeatus and Atractaspis irregularis. XIX. — Causus lichtensteini: juvenile coloration, from hfe, and adult specimen. XX. — Bitis gabonica: head and full view. XXI. — Bitis nasicornis: head and full view. XXII. — Bitis arietans and Atheris squximiger. XXIII. — Hymenochirus curtipes, new species, type. XXIV. — Xenopus mulleri: larvse, ventral aspect; two stages in development of ribs. XXV. — Nedophryne afra and Bufo superciliaris. XXVI. — Kassina senegalensis, Rana christyi, Nedophryne guentheri, and Nedo- phryne afra: views of hands and feet. XXVII. — Bufo regularis. XXVIII. — Bufo funereus and Bufo polycercus. XXIX. — Arthroleptis wahlbergi, Arthroleptis batesii, Arthroleptis fese, Phrynobatrachv^ perpalmatus, Arthroleptis variabilis, Phrynobatrachus dendrobates, Arthroleptis xenodadylus, Phrynobatrachus bonebergi: ventral aspect of pectoral girdles. XXX. — Arthroleptis variabilis, Phrynobatrachus perpalmatus, and Phrynobatrachus dendrobates: four views of hands. XXXI. — Hylambates verrucosus, Hylambates greshoffi, Leptopelis calcaratus, Leptopelis anchietse, Leptopelis aubryi, and Leptopelis brevirostris: ventral aspect of pectoral girdles. XXXII. — Arthroleptis variabilis and Cardioglossa leucomystax. XXXIII. — Phrynobatrachus natalensis and Rana ornatissima. XXXIV. — Rana albolabris and Rana occipitalis. XXXV. — Rana christyi and Rana oxyrhynchus. XXXVI. — Chiromantis rufescens: view of specimen; two types of "nest," one on the trunk of a tree, and the other on low hanging leaves. Illustrations ix XXXVII. — Lepfopelis rufus: showing complete and incomplete patterns. XXXVIII. — Leptopelis aubryi; Leptopelis anchietse: and Hylambates verrucosus. XXXIX. — Hyperolius langi, new species; Hyperolius ocellatus; and Hyperolius concolor. XL. — Hyperolius pleurotaeniu^; Hyperolius acutirostris ; and Hyperolius piduratus. XLI. — Megalixalus fornasinii and Megalixalus spinosus. XLII. — Hermisu^ marmoratum. Text Figures Page Typhlops avakiihse, new species, type: dorsal and lateral views of head 51 Typhlops sudanensis, new species, type: dorsal and lateral views of head 53 Chlornphis bequaerti, new species, type: dorsal and lateral views of head 75 Rhamnophis ituriensis, new species, type: dorsal and lateral views of head and front view of rostral 82 Rhamnophis batesii: dorsal and lateral views of head 84 Thrasops jacksoni: dorsal and lateral views of head and front view of rostral .... 86 Prosymna amhigua: dorsal and lateral views of head, and ventral view of tail. . 89 Scaphiopxis albopunctatus : dorsal, lateral, and ventral views of head 91 Geodipsas depressiceps: dorsal and lateral views of head 101 Dispadoboa elongata: dorsal and lateral views of head 106 Calanielaps niangarae, new species, type: dorsal and ventral views of head 117 Miodon unicolor, new species, type: dorsal and lateral views of head 120 Ldmnonaja christyi: dorsal, lateral, and ventral views of head 125 Atradaspis corpidenta: dorsal and ventral views of head 137 Map of Africa, subdi\'ided into convenient areas for distributional discussion . . 152 Hymenochirus boettgeri and Hymenochirus curtipes, new species: comparison of the right hind limbs, dorsal aspect 156 Map showing distribution of the genus Nedophryne 163 Phrynobatrackus dendrobates, adult 196 Phrynobatrachiis perpalmatu^, Phrynobatrachus plicatus, Phrynobatrachus den- drobates, and Phrynobatrachus natalensis: left hind feet, dorsal aspect, com- paring the webbing of metatarsal region 198 Rana chapini, new species, and Rana angolensis: ventral aspect of foot, show- ing the difference in the extent of webbing 241 Hemisus marmoratum: lateral aspect of head to show individual variation in length of the snout 280 Hemisus marmoratum: ventral aspect of left feet to show individual variation in development of "shovel" and length of digits 282 Map, showing Old World distribution of the genus Diplatys 354 Diplatys qusesitus, new species, male, type: head and pronotum 355 Map, showing distribution of the genera Bormansia and Karschiella 358 Bormansia africana male: apex of abdomen and forceps 359 Map, showing known distribution of the genus Echinosoma 361 Map, showing known distribution of Echinosoma afrum and Echinosoma occidentale 363 X Illustrations Page Echinosoma afrum, male and female; Echinosoma wahlbergi, male: outline of free margin of penultimate ventral abdominal segment; pygidium of female afrum 364 Echinosoma occidentale, male and female : outline of free margin of penultimate ventral abdominal segment, and pygidium 366 Euborellia cindicollis: tegmina and wings 369 Map, showing known distributon of the genus Apachyus 375 Apachyus depressus and Apachyus rnurrayi: apex of abdomen 377 Map, showing distribution of Apachyus depressus and Apachyus rnurrayi 378 Map, showing distribution of Labia ochropus 381 Map, showing locations of records of Chelisoches flavipennis 384 Forficula brolemanni: forceps 388 Map, showing known distribution of Forficula senegalensis and Forficula brolemanni 389 Opistliocosmia poecilocera, male: apex of abdomen 391 Map, showing distribution of Opisthocosmia poecilocera 3^2 Thalperus kuhlgatzi, male and female, and Thalperus roccatii, male; apex of abdomen 393 Map, showing probalile distribution of Thalperus kuhlgatzi and Thalperus roccatti 394 Map, showing known distribution of Diaperasticus sansiharicus 397 Map, showing distribution of Diaperasticus erythrocephalus 399 Map, showing approximate distribution of the forms of Pyrenestes 416 Pyrenesles: subspecific differences in the beak in one species 418 Map, illustrating the distribution of races of Pyrenestes ostrinus in the north- eastern Congo basin 419 Variation of mandibular width in the three species of Pyrenestes 421 Pyrenestes ostrinus: measurements of mandibular width, arranged according to locality ' 422 Mandibular width in the races of Pyrenesles ostrinus 423 Frequency table for wing-length in the three species of Pyrenestes 425 Pyrenestes minor frommi: crown and side views of head 429 Scleria verrucosa, on which Pyrenestes feeds 431 Map, showing annual rainfall in continental Africa 434 Pyrenestes: map showing geographic variation in size of beak 435 Schematic drawing of body proportions of Colobus fetus and of human fetus of twenty weeks ■ • ■ • 446 Left foot and right hands of Colobus fetuses 448 Front view of the heads of three Colobus fetuses 460 Sketches of the outer ears of three Colobus fetuses and of an adult Colobus 451 Side view of cleared Colobus fetus 454 Diagrammatic explanation of view of cleared Colobus fetus 455 Maps The zoological subdivisions of Africa 7 The present distril)ution of the Pelomedusida^ 8 The present and past distribution of the genus Podocnemis 9 Illustrations xi Page Distribution of Ste7iodactylus and Pristurus 13 Distribution of Diplodactylus and Phrynocephalus 14 Distribution of Uromastix, Aporoscelis, and Agama 15 Distribution of the Zonuridte 18 Distribution of the Varanida? and of the genus Ophisaurus 19 Distribution of the Amphisbaenidse 21 Distribution of Eremias, and of the genera of Laeertidse in Africa with re- stricted distribution 25 Distribution of the Gerrhosaurida^ 29 Distribution of the Chama?leontid8e 31 Distribution of the Leptotyphlopidse 34 LIST OF NEW TAXONOMIC NAMES IN THIS VOLUME Genus Page Limnonaja Schmidt 124 Species Typhlops avakubx Schmidt 51 Typhlops sudanensis Schmidt 51 Chlorophis hequaerti Schmidt 75 Rhamnophis ituriensis Schmidt 81 Calamelaps niangarx Schmidt 117 Miodon unicolor Schmidt 119 Hymenochirus curtipes Noble 155 Rana chapini Noble 214 Hyperolius langi Noble 266 Diplatys quaesitv^ Rehn 355 ERRATA 33, column 1, line 3, for somsalicu read somalicus. 53, line 13 from bottom, for Python sahse read Python sehae. 146, bottom line, for Athens squamiger read Athens squamigera. 164, line 10 from bottom, for Nectophnjne wertheri read Nectophryne werthi. 167, line 16 from top, for Bufo steindachneri read Bufo steindachnerii. 185, lines 9, 13, and 16 from bottom, for Arthroleptis wahlbergi read Arthro- leptis wahlbergii. 186, Une 15 from top, for Hylambates greshoffi. read Hylambates greshoffii. 199, line 6 from top, for Arthroleptis lameeri read Arthroleptis lameerei. 199, Une 3 from bottom, for Arthroleptis reicheri read Arthroleptis reichei. 221, lines 11 and 16 from top, for Rana bibroni read Rana bibronii. 322, line 14 from top, for Hylambates greshoffiii read Hylambates greshoffii. 344, Line 19 from top for Anhydrophrnye read Anhydrophryne. 457, Une 10 from bottom, for evne read even. BULLETIN OF The American Museum of Natural History Volume XLIX, 1923 59.81,2(67.5) Article I.— COXTRIBUTIONS TO THE HERPETOLOGY OF THE BELGLIX CONGO B.ISED OX THE COLLECTION OF THE A:^IERICAX :MrSEUM CONGO EXPEDITION, 1909-19151 Part II. — Sxakes By Karl Patterson Schmidt With Field Notes by Herbert Lang axd James P. Chapin Pl.^tes I TO XXII, 19 ]\Iaps, axd 15 Text Figures CONTENTS Page Introdtjctiox 3 List of Localities 4 New Geniis 4 List of New Species and Tj-pe Localities 4 Summan- of DLstribution of African Reptiles 4 Distribution of Taxonomic f nits 6 Faunal Areas 37 Squamata 45 Ophidia 45 Tj-phlopidae 45 Typhlops Schneider 45 Leptot j-phlopidae 53 Leptotyphlops Fitzinger 53 Boidse 53 Pythoninae 53 'Scientific Results of The American Museum of Natural History Congo Expedition. Herpetol- ogj'. No. 2. 1 Bulletin Ainericati Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Python Daiidin 53 Calabaria Gray 57 Colubridae 58 Colubrinse 58 Natrix Laurenti 58 Hydnethiops Giinther 60 Botlirophthalmus Peters 61 Bothrolycus Giinther 62 Bosedon Dumeril and Bibron 63 Holuropholis Dumeril 66 Lycophidion Dumeril and Bibron. 67 Hormonotus Hallowell 70 Melielya Csiki 71 Chloropfiis Hallowell 73 Philothamiius Smith 78 Gastropyxis Cope 79 Hapsidophrys Fischer 80 RJtamnophis Giinther 81 Thrasops Hallowell 85 Coronella Laurenti 87 Prosymna Gray 89 Scupkiophis Peters 90 Grayia Giinther 92 Dasypeltina? 97 Dasypeltis Wagler 97 Boiginaj 101 Geodipsas Boulenger 101 Bm'ga Fitzinger 102 Di psadoboa Giinther 105 Leptodeira Fitzinger 107 Drnmophis Peters 110 Psannnophis Boie Ill Thelotornis Smith 112 DisphoHdus Duvernoy 114 Calamelaps Giinther 116 Miodon Dumeril 118 Elapops Giinther 121 Ela])ina' 123 Bouleiigerina Dollo 123 Limnonaja, new genus 124 Kuja Laurenti 126 Dendrasp'is Srhlegel 131 Viperidie 132 Viperina' 132 Causvs Wagler 132 Atractasp-i^ Smith 136 Bitis Gray 140 A ///('/•/.< Cope 144 1923] Sdimidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 3 INTRODUCTION The collection of snakes secured by the American Museum Congo Expedition nearly equals in interest the reptile material which formed the subject matter for Part P of the present paper. The 914 specimens of snakes representing 43 genera and 81 species are distributed among the following families and sulifamilies. Number of Specimens Ty]>hlopitke 1 genus, 6 species 75 Leptotyphlopidae 1 genus, 1 species 1 Boidse Pythoninip 2 genera, 3 species 44 Colubridse Colubrintf 19 genera, 32 species 347 Das3peltinse 1 genus, 3 species 20 BoigiiiiP 11 genera, 17 species 170 Elapinae 4 genera, 7 species 71 Viperidse Viperinae 4 genera, 12 species 186 As in the preparation of Part I of this report, mx thanks are due to Dr. Thomas Barbour for the opportunity to study the valuable Cameroon collections of the jNIuseum of Comparative Zoology. Through Mr. Henry W. Fowler the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia has loaned a small collection of West African snakes for comparative study. In connection with the work on distribution, the criticism and aid of Dr. J. Bequaert has been invaluable, and Messrs. Herbert Lang and James P. Chapin have added comment, criticism and advice to the advantage of the paper. The photographs were taken in the field by Mr, Lang, and form a valuable contribution to the illustration of the Afri- can snakes. It has been noted in the captions whether these photographs are from living or dead specimens. The determination of the species of snakes occurring in the Belgian Congo is greatlj' facilitated by the 'List of Snakes of the Belgian and Portuguese Congo, Northern Rhodesia, and Angola,' by Dr. G. A. Boulenger (1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 193-223, Figs. 1-2), supplemented by the 'List of the Snakes of West Africa, from Maure- tania to the French Congo' b}^ the same author (1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1919, pp. 267-307, Figs. 1-2), which together serve as check lists of the snakes of the Rain Forest and the Sudan. 'Schmidt, 191i1. Bull. Anier. Mus. Xat. Hist., XXXIX, p. 38.3. 4 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX List of Localities from which Specimens are Recorded with their Approximate Latitude and Longitude Aba.— 3° 50' X., 30° 10' E. Irebu.— 0° 35' S., 17° 50' E. Akenge.— 2° 55' X., 26° 50' E. Leopoldville.— 4° 25' S., 15° 20' E. Avakubi.— 1° 20' X., 27° 40' E. Malela.— 6° S., 12° 40' E. Babonde.— 2° 17' X., 27° 40' E. Medje.— 2° 25' X., 27° 30' E. Bafiika.— 4° 20' X., 27° 50' E. Xala.— 2° 50' X., 27° 50' E. Bafwabaka.— 2° 10' X., 27° 50' E. Xgayu.— 1° 40' X., 27° 40' E. Banana.— 6° S., 12° 20' E. Xiangara.— 3° 40' X., 27° 50' E. Batama.— 1° X., 26° 40' E. . Xiapu.— 2° 15' X., 26° 50' E. Boma.— 5° 50' S., 13° 10' E. Pama.— 2° 25' X., 27° 50' E. Dungu.— 3° 30' X., 28° 30' E. Poke— 3° 10' X., "26° 50' E. Faradje.— 3° 40' X., 29° 40' E. Rungu.— 3° 0' X., 28° 0' E. Fort Beni.— 0° 30' X., 29° 30' E. Stanleyville.— 0° 30' X., 25° 15' E. Gamangui.— 2° 10' X., 27° 20' E. Yakuluku.— 4° 20' X., 28° 50' E. Garamba.— 4° 10' X., 29° 40' E. Zambi.— 6° S., 12° 50' E. New Genus Limnonaja. Type, Boulengerina christyi Boulenger p. 124 List of New Species with their Type Localities Typhlops avakubse Avakubi p. 51 Typhlops sudanensis Garamba p. 51 Chloropkis hequaerti Niangara p. 75 Rhamnophis ituriends Niapu p. 81 Calamelaps niangarae Niangara p. 117 Miodon unicolor Poko p. 1 19 Summary of the Distribution of African Reptiles In the following pages I have attempted to gather the observations on the zoogeography of African reptiles, made during the systematic work embodied in this and the preceding paper, into a coherent form. If the resulting outline should prove useful as a basis for further work in this field, my end will have been accomplished. The account has accordingly been made as much descriptive and as little speculative as possible. The Malagasy fauna has not come within the scope of the present paper, and only a cui'sory examination of that intensely interesting subregion has been possible. The real foundation of the zoogeography of African reptiles remains to be laid by future discoveries in the httle-known tertiary palaeontology of the continent, since experience has shown that even a small amount of palaeontological evidence is of greater importance in the elucidation of a 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 5 faunal history than the best-founded inferences from present faunae. Even from the standpoint of the present, however, the last word must be said by the monographer of the famiUes in question, deaUng authorita- tively with the relations of their genera. In the maps of the ranges of genera the outlines have been sketched boldh^, a considerable element of error being inlierent in the imperfection of the data. The object of such maps is to exhibit graphically types of distribution rather than to establish the exact limits of ranges. The method of zoogeographic study outlined by Tillyard (1914, Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales, XXXIX, p. 21) offers a most useful means of presenting distribution data. His method of mapping genera by means of lines ("specific contours") passing through localities with the same number of species is less practicable for vertebrates, for which lists of species from single localities are available only in the most intensively studied areas. The classification of types of distribution as Palteogenic, Entogenic, and Ectogenic is as useful in reptiles as in insects. Tillyard's definition of these terms (1917, 'The Biology of Dragonflies,' p. 281) ma}^ be quoted. 1. Pal.eogexic Groups, or those archaic remnants whose distribution is dis- continuous, extending over one or more regions. They are the last remains of groups which were once more widely spread. 2. Entogexic Groups, or those groups which form the autochthonous or peculiar fauna of each region. They are not necessarily confined to a single region, since thej^ frequently develop sufficient energy to spread over two or more regions. A group is, however, only entogenic in that region in which it forms a definite zoo- centre (region of greatest density), placed definitely within the region. 3. Ectogenic Groups, or those groups which, being entogenic in a neighboring region, have invaded the region under discussion and have gained a footing in some part of it, thus modifying the composition of the fauna of that part. Xo zoocentre is formed by any group in the region in which it is ectogenic. The term zoocenter, proposed by Tillyard for the area of occurrence of the greatest number of forms of a group, is a concept quite independent of the "Center of Dispersal." It is here used as a purely descriptive term, without inference as to the origin of the group concerned, and it can be defined as the geographical center of distribution of the group. Tillyard has applied his method chiefly to the distribution of genera, studied by means of the sum of their species. In the present account, the families of reptiles are units, and are studied by means of the distribution of their genera. An ideal method of presenting the graphical results would be a composite photograph of the ranges of the genera of a family. I am indel^ted also to Dr. A. Avinoff for valuable suggestions. In Dr. Avinoff's maps, of distribution of Asiatic Lepidoptera, the classifica- 6 B^dletin American Museinit nf Xnturnl History IVol. XLIX tion of ranges as typical, confined to a given province, and extra LiMiTAL, showing the Hmits of influence of a given fauna, is most interest- ing, and in fact stands in close relation to the method of Tillyard. I have attempted to combine the methods above outlined with the s\'stematic survey of older zoogeographies, and the following account is accordingly divided into a systematic and a faunal part, the first a review of the distribution of the African genera of reptiles, the second an account of the fauna; of the zoogeographical subdivisions of the Ethiopian Region. Dist] Families of Family ibution of Taxonomic Units Reptiles ix Africa and Madagascar Number of Number of General Genera in Genera in Character of Africa Madagascar Distribution Testudinata 1. Testudinida* 3 2 I^alieogenic 2. Pelomedusidae 2 2 Entogenic 3. Trionychida^ 3 0 Ectogenic Loricata 4. Crocodj'lida; 2 1 l{!nt()genic Squamata 5. Gekkonidae 28 8 Palaeogeiiic 6. Uroplatida? 0 1 Entogenic 7. Agamidaj 5 0 Ectogenic 8. Iguanidae 0 2 Pala'Ogenic 9. Zonurids 4 0 Entogenic 10. Anguida? 1 0 Ectogenic 11. Varanidse 1 0 Ectogenic 12. AmjjhisbsenidiE 11 0 Polyentogenic 13. Lacertida; 17 0 14. Gerrhosaurida; 3 2 Entogenic 15. Scincida» 18 10 Palseogenic 16. Chama-leontida" 2 2 Entogenic 17. Tj-phlopida' 1 1 Palajogenic IS. Leptotyphl(i])ids 1 0 Ectogenic 19. Boida' a. Boina- 1 4 Pala'Ogenic b. Pythonina^ 2 0 Ectogenic 20. Colubridaj a. Colubrina" 39 14 Polyentogenic b. Dasy])eltina^ 1 0 Entogenic c. BoigiiiiE 32 8 Polyentogenic d. Elapina^ 9 0 Polyentogenic 21. V i per id a- a. Viper ilia- 7 0 Entogenic 1923] Schmidt, Herpeinlogy nf the Belgian Congn 7 Testiidinata The distribution of African turtles has been 'briefly dealt with in Part I of the present paper (Schmidt, 1919, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., XXXIX, p. 401). Of the three families of turtles represented in the region, none is confined to it, and only one is entogenic. These families in turn are poorly developed, with only eleven genera in all. Maj) 1. The zoological subdivisions of Africa (see p. 37). The Testudinid.e have been considered palseogenic as a group because of the discontinuous distribution of Testudo, the relatively poor development of the family, and its presence in the Malagasy Islands. Aquatic genei-a of this family do not i-each the Ethiopian Region, though Clemmys and Etnys are found in Barbary.^ Two distinct genera of land turtles (Kinixys and Homopus) have been developed on the continent, and two more (Pyxis and Acinixys) in Madagascar, all probably from an 'The discovery of Clemmys leprosa in Dahomey (Chabanaud, 1917, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat,, Paris, XXIII, p. 105) is an important exception. Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol XLIX ancestral Testudo stock, though the relation is an ancient one. Testudo itself reaches a remarkable development, with two zoocenters. The group of giant turtles in the Seychelles, Aldabra, Mauritius, Bourbon, and Madagascar is obviously on the dechne with many recently extinct species in Madagascar and Mauritius. The "specific contours," although difficult to draw for this subregion, would show an area of least density of species at the center, or what Tillyard terms a ''lacuna." It seems quite possible that this form of specific contour may be characteristic of declining groups. The South African group of species, on the other hand, with no less than twelve species south of the Zambezi, two in East Africa, and one in the Sudan and Abyssinia, presents a typical entogenic contour, Map 2. The present distribution of the Pelomedusidse (Turtles). and it is impossible to resist the conclusion that South Africa has become a secondary center of differentiation for a stock which arrived from the north, independently of the Malagasy group. The Pelomedusid^ is an essentialh African family, with four genera (including the fossil Stereogenys) known from the region. Of these, Podocnemis, with living species in Madagascar and northern South America, had a much wider distribution in the Eocene, when it reached northwest India, England, Egypt, and the Congo. Although the oldest known form (Palseocene) is from the lower Congo and fossil species are unknown from North America, the hypothesis of a northern pre-Eocene center of dispersal seems at least as well founded as the invocation of 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 9 Gondwana Land to account for the present distribution (DoUo, 1913, Ann. Mus. Congo Beige, (3) I, pp. 60-62, Figs. 1-3). DoUo (loc. cit, p. 62) reaches the conclusion that the absence of Podocnemis from India and Africa at the present time is due to the competition of Amijda. The rather sparing representation of the Trion^^hidae in Africa and the fact that they co-exist with Pelusios and Pelomedusa, quite as aquatic genera as Podocnemis, tell against this hypothesis. The range of Pelusios at present includes the entire Ethiopian Region, the Madagascan forms being so slightly differentiated as to suggest a recent or continued arrival. Pelomedusa is less widespread, being absent from the Rain Forest and from Madagascar. Map 3. The present and past distribution of the genus Podocnemis of the Pelo- medusidse. The TRIONYCHID.E is the most recent group of turtles to reach Africa, being absent from Madagascar and even from South Africa. The zoocenter of Amyda is in eastern India and only a single species reaches Africa, where its range includes the Nile, Congo, and Niger river systems. To have reached so wide a distribution without differentiation argues a rapid and recent spread, although fossil species of this genus are known from the Miocene of Egypt (Dollo, he. cit.). Cijclodenna and Cyclanorbis form with the East Indian Emyda a well differentiated section of the family and, with much more restricted ranges in Africa, appear to have reached that continent at a much earlier date than Amyda. 'p, 'S, '5. 'S< f^ 3 "o "5 o o S «!a <5 ^ fi <^ ^ z :$ •-? bC ;i:q ^ 3 3 ^ : ■ 3 ^ 05 o H .c = < S £ ^ ^ ^ "^ ~ ■r •r' 2 Sr ^§^^g|-2*=^| ^^s-ts^^-h^^ ^-5 i^; X o^ p "o « ^ rt n 3S -« cS c« 2 * bU rt O bi ■n ti >. -C ■3 03 «<-H S ■< i^ .^ o -li! -KJ cu o pS4 o g t*H ^ o C£ H a & o3 H PQ w ^ s < »-N K B s < X o Q iii3w;.>tJt5t>_5J O CJ 0^ o o = = = = ? = = £; fe B QJ i- O btitCbCbCbJObCtCtC' o o o o S b£' it, bC •qC bC fcJC' tJD tc O o S O O O O p gj 5i «i :5 ;^' a, c^ v; ^ ;< 2q ;; -:c' •1 s 2 K '^ -Ci ^ ^ "?•' ^ "S- ■■o ~ ■£ -2 t g z c to m 1 "B g i' "^ "s. § 'S £^ ^t "^ ^ >—< -a i -H C^l ?0 ■* O :C I^ X ~ — '^ ^> ^^ ^ L-r :C! I^ GO ■z. > o ■" - E-' CIS -3 "x 5i ■'■^ '^ .>, a X X X. ;i,obCbi:'b£ s S3 ^ _J3 <1 :3 c^ o u o ^ 3 X X X X ^ 33 :« < <^ --^ a) bC bC c; 3: S ■s, ^ ^ ^ — "3 T3 ^ ■T" T- --; — ~z < ~ S^S;zZ-i:^S:£W _=,. - ^ B - - -76 a 3 g ._. 3- :^ s &! B .=£ bi' oSoS~~"~S ^ <^- .... ...:S\ f-l /-•; '"'^ /^ .IS,. u> I ^ ^ / 15 30 45 60 75 90 105 120 135 160 Map S. Distribution of the genera L romastix and Aporosceli>i (Agamidae). Map 9. Distribvition of the genvi.s Agavia (Agamidse). Maps 7. S, and 9 ilkistrate hypothetical stages in the invasion of Africa liv the Agamidse. 16 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX ing and unique adaptation for locomotion in loose sand.^ Among genera with digital lamellae, Colopus, and Rhoptropus are confined to South Africa and Pachydactylus, with a large number of species, is ento- genic in the same area. CEdura is a genus better developed in Australia, with two species in South Africa. Ancylodactylus is restricted to Cameroon. Bunocnemis, with two species, ranges through the Sudan and into East Africa. Bunopus, Pristurus, and Plaiypholis are north- east African, Bunopus reaching Arabia, Pristurus reaching Sind, and PJatypholis reaching East Africa. Paragonatodes, in East Africa, is proljably most nearly allied to the Oriental species of Gonatodes. Of the more widely distributed genera, Diplodactylus, found in Cameroon, East Africa, and ^Madagascar, reaches a- much greater development in Australia. The African species of Phyllodactyliis have an irregular distribution and the absence of the genus in the East Indies is a notable peculiarity. HemidactyJus, though nearly world-wide in the tropics, is markedh' entogenic in Africa, with two zoocenters, one in the Rain Forest (nine species), and one in Northeast Africa (twenty species). The two African genera Hemitheconyx and Holodactylus, usually referred to the family Eublepharidse, are here associated with the primi- tive genera of geckos with undifferentiated digital lamellae. Noble (1921, Amer. Mus. Nov., No. 4) has shown that some of the supposed characters of the family Eublepharidae are in fact more widelj^ distributed. While it is possible that the genera Coleonyx, Euhlepharis, Hemitheconyx, and Holodactylus Avill be found to form a natural (monophyletic) group among the simpler geckos, in the present state of our knowledge of the group it seems best to avoid that assumption. The family Uroplatid.e, with six species of a single genus, is con- fined to Aladagascar and forms one of the chief distinctions of the Malagasy subregion. The Agamid.e reach their greatest development in number of genera in the Oriental Region and their highest degree of differentiation in the Australian. The five genera found in Africa are terrestrial, though an occasional species lives in trees, in contrast with a great number of genera specifically adapted for arboreal life in the forests of the Oriental Region. The family and even three genera are ectogenic in Africa, the two genera confined to the Ethiopian Region being obviously derived from more widespread forms. U cannot follow Abel (1911, 'Palaeobiologie,' p. 358) in considering the webbed toes of Palmato- gecko an adaptation for burrowing. Compare also Hitzheimer, 1913, 'Handb. Biol. Wirbeltiere,' p. 312. 1923] Schmidt, Her petology of the Belgian Congo 17 Phrynocephalus is a genus highly developed in southwest Asia, adapted to desert life b^^ fringed toes and the hidden tympanum. It reaches the Ethiopian Region only in Arabia, with a single species (Map 7). Uromastix, with a zoocenter in Persia or Mesopotamia, ranges to Barbary, south to northeast Africa, and east to Sind. Aporoscelis (Map 8), with a species in northeast Africa and one in southern Arabia, is only slightly differentiated from Uromastix and is considered a subgenus by Anderson (1895, 'Contr. Herpetol. Arabia,' p. 34). Agama, the least specialized of the African forms and perhaps of the family, has a wide range in northwest India and southwest Asia but extends through the whole of Africa as well, reaching Barbary and Senegal as well as the Cape of Good Hope (Map 9). Xenagama, in northeast Africa, parallels Uromastix in its short and spinose tail but is otherwise closely related to Agama. The three more widely spread genera may be regarded as illustrat- ing probable successive stages in the invasion of Africa by terrestrial Agamidse, with a hypothetical origin in central Asia. The time of arrival may be placed as coincident with the relatively recent dessication of North and East Africa, which opened a highway of dispersal for ter- restrial and sand-loving species. The generalized Agama apparently found few competing forms in Africa and, unliampered by special adap- tations for desert life, probably spread very rapidly once the savannaiis were reached. The last stage in the spread of this genus is represented by the invasion of the Rain Foi'est, Agama atricoUis entering from East Africa and Agama colonorum from the Sudan, the latter species every- where keeping pace with the clearings and plantations of man. The fact that distinct species have not differentiated in the Rain Forest confirms the extreme reeentness of its invasion by Agama. The close relations of the species grouped around Agama hispida in South Africa form an example of a recent development of a new zoocenter. The presence of the iguanid genera Chalarodon and Hoplurus in Madagascar parallels the distribution of Podocnemis (see above, p. 9) and that of the Madagascan Boinse. The parallel with Podocnemis is completed by the presence of fossil remains referred to the Iguanidse in the Eocene of Europe. It seems probable, therefore, that the Madagascan genera arrived from the north and that continental Africa at a former period was inhabited by members of this family. Gadow (1913, 'Wanderings of Animals,' p. 102) regards their extermination in Africa as due to the invasion of the Varanidse. The Varanidse, however, are themselves relatively late arrivals in the Ethiopian fauna. 18 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX The Paliguana described from the South African Triassic by Broom (1903, Rec. Albany Mus., I, p. 1, PL i, figs. 1-2) is regarded by him as most closely related to the Iguanidse (of the living families of lizards). Unfortunate^, the gap in time between the Triassic and the Recent is so great that the importance of this species in the discussion of the present problem is much diminished. Boulenger (1918, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, CLXVI, p. 596, footnote) regards its relation to the Iguanidse as very problematic. Map 10. Distribution of the Zonuridae. of genera present in the respective areas. Roman numerals refer to the number The status of the Oligocene Proiguana europxa, though based on fragmentary specimens, is a much better one. The early tertiary distribution of the Iguanidse was doubtless closeh' similar to that of the genus Podocnemis (p. 9, Map 3). The ZoNURiD^ form one of the most characteristic components of the Ethiopian fauna. The familj^ is confined to the continent, and is entogenic in South Africa, the great majority of its species being confined I 1923) Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 19 Map 11. Distribution of the Varanidae. Map 12. Distribution of the genus Ophisaurus (Anguidae). 20 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX to the area south of the Zambezi. The four genera present an extreme degree of differentiation, from the strong-limbed Zoyiurus to the practi- cally limbless Chamsesaura. The apparent antiquity of the family makes it surprising that it is not represented in Madagascar. Zonurus, with fourteen fairly well developed species, is entogenic in South Africa, only three species' ranging north of the Zambezi-Cunene line, Z. cordylus leaching Angola, while Z. tropidosternum is confined to East Africa and Z. rivx to Somaliland. Pseudocordylus, with a single species, and Platy- saurus, with three or four, are confined to South Africa. Chamxsaura has three species in South Africa, one ranging north into Angola (? and Rhodesia), and three in East Africa, two of which are confined to the Lake Region. Zonurus tropidosternum Cope, described from Madagascar, has since been found only in Tanganyika Territory. The ]VIadagascan record was doubtless erroneous, but it has been perpetuated in every subsequent mention of the distribution of the family. The Anguid^ reach Africa only in Barbary,and Ophisaurus kaellikeri is an European element in the Moroccan fauna. The species of the genus inhabit widely separated areas, 0. huttikoferi in Borneo, 0. gracilis and 0. harti in southeast Asia, 0. apus in southeast Europe and Asia Minor, and 0. ventralis in the southern United States. It seems probable that the genus was formerly Holarctic and that the scattered surviving species came from a common northern center of dispersal. Map 12 exhibits a typical example of a palgeogenic distribution. The Varanid^ are a homogeneous group of lizards represented by a single genus with numerous species, all confined to the Old World. Fifteen species, besides several fossil forms, occur in the Australian Region, some of which have a very wide distribution, reaching the main- land in India. Six additional species are East Indian, and some of these in turn reach India. India has three species that are not found farther east, and one of these reaches central Asia and North Africa. In Africa there are two additional species, Varanus niloticus and V. exanthematicuSy both very widely distributed. The pooi- development of the genus in Afi'ica, together with its absence from Madagascar, suggests that the family has entered the Ethiopian Region recently. Varanus griseus, ]-anging from northwest India to Barbary and south to Abyssinia, is probably the last species to reach Africa. The older invasion probably consisted of two types, a long-headed ancestral niloticus, and a short- headed ancestral exanthematicus. The fact that exanthematicus has formed fairly well-defined subspecies in each of the three subdivisions of 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 21 Map 13. Distribution of the Amphisljaenidse. Maj) 14. Distribution of the section Emphyodontes (Amphisbienidse). 22 BuUetiu American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX the Savannah Province, while niloticus with a wider range and a greater diversity of habitat has remained more uniform, is probably to be explained by the great activity and riparian habitat preference of the latter species, leading to rapid dispersal and reabsorption of varieties, while exanthematicus is notably sluggish and doubtless little inclined to travel. The Amphisb.exid^ have an unusual distribution, being essentially a tropical group at the present daj^, apparently an ancient one, from their presence in both Africa and America, but wholly absent from the Austra- lian and Oriental Regions. This i-ange, together with the fact that two genera reach the Palearctic and three the Nearctic, suggests a northern and possibly a Nearctic origin for the family. Euchirotes, Bipes, and Hemichirotes, in Lower California and Mexico, appear to form the most prmiitive subdivision of the group, although the writer prefers to consider them at most a subfamily (Bipedinse). This type of distribution (Map 13) is also found in the Leptotyphlopidae, and, with the distribution of fresh-water fishes, has frequently been the basis for the hypothesis of a Brazil-West African land bridge. The amphisbsenid fauna of Africa is a highly differentiated one, nine of the eleven genera being confined to the continent. Blanus is a Mediterranean genus reaching southern Europe. Amphishaena is a generalized genus occurring both in Africa and tropical America. The Emphyodontes, one of the chief subdivisions of the family employed by Boulenger, form a rather natural group in distribution. Trogonophis is North African, Agamodon, Abyssinian, and P achy calamus, Socotran, probably indicating a Mesopotamian origin of the ancestral Emphyo- dontes} Of the remaining genera, Baikia, with a single species in Cameroon, is possibly closely related to the South American Anopsihsena. Monopeltis is the most characteristic African genus of the family, with twenty-two species, the remaining ten genera having only twenty-four species together. Fourteen of these are South African, seven are found in the Rain Forest, and one in East Africa. GeocalamUs is derived from Monopeltis in East Africa. The three genera Amphisbxnula, Chirindia, and Placogaster are more or less directly derived from Amphisbxna and have an irregular distribution. Amphisbaenula occurs in Cameroon and East Africa, Chirindia in Rhodesia, Cameroon and East Africa, and Placogaster in the western Sudan. Amphisbsena itself has a wide range in Africa, from Portuguese Guinea to East Africa, and south to Southwest 'The relations of Diplometopon Nikolski from southwest Persia may prove to be with the Emphyodontes. coo ^§ fc. a " S g 33 ^ " ? ? < ^ E. < z = ^ ■- c S S 5 'i = =: < ^' " ^ -^^ <1 '■3 s S o r z i 2 3 § 3: 3: Sc c3 :S .^ .2 ^ 3t & O £ 5 Sc ■=£ bCi bt ci at it iC o 2 C :i. 5a e aii ^ ^ ^^ c 5 ^ 5 2 5 ^ p 2 .g 5 =0 24 Bulletin American Museum of Xatiiral History [Vol. XLIX Africa and Mozambique, with no apparent relation to tlie extension of the Rain Forest. The entire absence of the family from southwestern Cape Colony is a rather striking feature of its distribution in view of the cons'derable number of forms which reach South Africa both in South- west Africa and Natal. No family of lizards presents more interesting or more complicated distributional relations in Africa than the Lacertid.e. Seventeen of the twenty-one genera reach the continent, though two of these, Psam- modromus and Ophiops, reach only the Palearctic area in Barl^ary. Five of the genera have a very restricted distribution and four of these are monotypic. Poromera is confined to Cameroon and Galjoon; Aporo- saura is found in southwest Angola and northwest Southwest Africa; Gastropholis is found in East Africa from Usumbara to the Rovuma; Bedriagaia is confined to the northeast part of the Rain Forest; and Tropidosaura is restricted to the southern part of Cape Colony, cor- responding to the distinct Botanical Region of Engler. Holaspis, in many ways the most highly specialized member of the family, ranges through the whole of the Centi^l African Rain Forest and reappears at Usumbara and near Lindi in East Africa. This distribution appears to antedate the present climatic and floral configuration. Philochortus and Latastia are characteristic of northeast Africa. Philochortus is confined to Abyssinia, Somaliland and southern Arabia, while Latastia ranges south to Mozambique and Rhodesia and west throughout the Sudan. Nua^as and Ichnotropis are entogenic in South Africa, ranging north into East Africa. Acanthodactylus has a distribution almost exactlj^ like that of the gecko Sfenodactylus (Map 4); it is adapted to desert life and has kept pace with the desert conditions. Eremias (Map 15) has an extraor- dinarily wide range, from Korea to the Cape of Good Hope. It is a genus adapted to savannah or arid conditions and, in the absence of barriers other than deserts, has found its way wherever the conditions became suitable. No better illustration of the climate control of distribu- tion could be found. Since it ranges continuoush' from the North Temperate to the South Temperate Zone, it is evident that rainfall and vegetation, and not temperature, have been the determining factors. The genus Scapteira, with a group of species in southwest Africa and another in central Asia, is doubtless diphj'lletic (Boulenger, 1918, Journ. Zool. Res., Ill, p. 3); fringed toes, a direct adaptation to desert life, have been acquired by two stocks of Eremias, one under the influence of the Kalahari, the other under that of the central Asian deserts. Pos- sibly the absence of Scapteira (or its failure to develop) in the Sahara Map 15. Distriljution of the genus Eremias (Lacertidae). Map 16. Genera of Lacertidae in Africa with restricted distriljution: I, Tropirlo- saura; II, Aporosmtra; III, Pommera; IV, Bedriagaiu; V, Gastropholis. 26 Bulletin Amcricon Museum of Nalural History [Vol. XLIX and Mesopotamia is due to the presence of Acanthodactylus with the same adaptation. Algiroides, with a group of Mediterranean species, is represented in Africa by two very distinct species, A. africanus in the Ituri forest, co-existent with Bedriagaia, and A. alleni from Mount Kenia. Lacerta, which is the dominant hzard genus of the Palearctic, has a number of species in Barbary, and in the Madeira, Canary and Cape Verde Islands. Two species are found in central Africa, in the Lake Region, in the same area with Algiroides africanus. Lacerta echinata occupies the Rain Forest^ and forms a distinct subdivision {Centromastix) of the genus, while the two species from the Lake Region are closely allied to the European groups Zootoca and Podarcis. Boulenger (1918, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, CLXVI, p. 594) reaches the conclusion that the Lacer- tidae are of northern origin. The writer agrees with this conclusion in the main, but the evidence examined in detail is somewhat contradictory. Matthew (1915, Ann. New York Acad. Sci., XXIV, p. 180) has advanced the hypothesis that the most advanced types of a group are to be found at or near the center of dispersal of the group, while the more primitive are to be looked for at the periphery of the distribution. Examining the present family in the light of this rule, we find what Boulenger regards as the most primitive genus (Nucras), now confined to South and East Africa, represented by a fossil lizard in the Oligocene Baltic Amber. On the other hand, the most primitive living species of Nucras is the north- ernmost and the more advanced species are found in South Africa. This indicates a northern origin of the genus but a southern origin of existing species from a secondary center of dispersal in South Africa. The genus Lacerta offers more difficulty. The most primitive living species, L. agilis and L. vivipara, are the northernmost in distribution, inhabiting the north of Europe and Asia. The genus reaches its highest development in number of species in the Alediterranean area (L. muralis), and its greatest degree of differentiation in the African Rain Forest (Sections Centromastix, Zootoca, and Podarcis). The lacertid genei'a fall into two distril)utional groups, of forest and savannah genera: Forest Genera Savannah Genera Poromera Ichnotropis Bedriagaia Tropidosaura Gastropholis Xucras Algiroides Eremias 'Dr. Boulenger has informed the writer that the absence of the interparietal is a common feat- ure in L. echinata, and it is therefore probable that L. lanyi is a synonym of echinata. 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 27 Forest Genera Savannah Genera Psanunodromus Latastia Lacerta Philochortus Holaspis Scapteira Aporosaura Acanthodadijlus Ophiops The forest genera exhibit a high degree of differentiation and appear to have been long estabhshed. The discontinuous distribution of Lacerta and Algiroides might be explained on the hj'pothesis that they were driven southward during the last glacial period, the central African species (with the exception of Centromasfix) being subsequently cut off from their ^Mediterranean relatives by the invasion of the desert. Algiroides alleni, confined to timberline on jMount Kenia, suggests this more forcibly than Lacerta vauereseUi, L. jacksoni, and Algiroides ajricanus, which have adapted themselves to the tropical climate. The distribution of the savannah genera is a wholly logical one, the range of Eremias embracing that of all the others. These have almost certainly entered .\frica from the north — Nucras, Tropidosaura, and Ichnotropis first; Acanthodactylus last; the remaining genera at inter- mediate periods. In recapitulation, the Lacertidae appear to be one of the more recent families of lizards, and their absence from Austi'alia and ^ladagascar and poor development in the Oriental Region indicates a Palearctic origin. The African Rain Forest has pla3'ed an important part in their development and dispersal, being the present headquarters of a group of genera which are totally absent from the African and Asian savannahs and deserts, while the latter have afforded the chief means of dispersal for the remaining genera. The genus Lacerta, finally, exhibits an adapta- tion to temperate climates which has enabled it to occupy the northern portion of the Palearctic, so far as it is habitable for reptiles, the most northern species being the most widespread. The Gerrhosaurid-E is one of the most highly characteristic groups of lizards in Africa and the only family except the Gekkonidse and Scincidae common to Africa and Madagascar, sufficient evidence of their ancient character. The genus Gerrhosaurus is widespread with five distinct species and one or two additional, less differentiated forms. Of the five, four are essentially South African, G. flavigidaris, however, reaching the Sudan. G. major, with a distinct subspecies in the western Sudan and possibly another in Eritrea, ranges farthest from the geographical center. Cordy- Ph < P4 ^ « w a K < ii 2 H ^. c£ ^ 03 bl, ci 03 X »-« t^ IB "O ss: ?' a c3 < c: ^ £ < W O X < < .i rt .1 .i '^ '^ !- 2 rt c^ CC =« s- -^ t- c^ J. £^ o 5^ < r; ^ X - ■— -<'<-= X a. c»i r/; oc ^ bi bC al it ii =t c o H o .5 .=; .:; E- B3 e b 0^ bf, bf -f ^ « < C a: J^ "^ "f a 0 0 w W "-^ C c ^ C.; ^ ^ ' ^ S C G "S s c S C dy C- (1^ 0^ O bC bC be bC b£ 2t bt c W W P:^ K W W C-i c T ^ J, ^ c C 2 j; j2 CSC c c bJC c bC 0 c C c 0. 0 0/ 0 bC bC bC bC bi bC bt bC bl bt b£ bt c ^ c cl c c c c ^ r^ r^ h— ( WKws;:^wawaw ^ C c: 5 p 5'- 5 C ~ ^ CO == -5 ^ oc -i =: cr -5 .5 c ? -S -?. > C ^ -•S. .^iS^-iLec^-^c _ ^ e s c s ^ 5=^ 5 §;■ ? = ^ ^. — t^ -y. o: a^ r- T^i 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of (he Belgian Congo 29 losaurus and Tetradaciylus are both confined to South Africa. The two Madagascan genera Zonosaurus and Tracheloptychus are very distinct, indicating that their presence in ^Madagascar probably dates from a very early period. Map 17. Distribution of the Gerrhosauridsp. Roman numerals refer to number of genera in the respective areas. The genera of Gerrhosauridse, like the South African genera of Zonuridse and Scincidae, exhibit extremes of development of limbs, Gerrhosaurus being strong-limbed and active while Tetradaciylus has small pentadactyl limbs in one species, tetradactyl in another, and undivided in a third. The SciNCiD.E are nearly as widely distributed a family as the Gek- konidae and undoubtedly are an ancient group. As in the Gekkonidae, the greatest numljer of genei'a occm- in Africa, but in the Scincidae the highest degree of differentiation and the largest size is reached in the Australian Region. 30 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX The North African genera are widely distributed or "strictly desert forms, mostly with a Mesopotamian zoocenter. Scincus has almost exactly the same range as Stenodadylus and Acanthodacfylus and, like them, it has fringed digits in adaptation to its sandy habitat. Plestiodon has a group of species with a similar range. Chalcides has the same range with the addition of southern Europe. Mahuya, largely represented in tropical Africa, has a single species in Algeria, and another in the Cape Verde Islands. Macroscincus is probably a genus derived from Mahuya. Parachalcides in Socotra and Scincopus in the Sahara appear to be derived from Chalcides and Plestiodon respectivel^^ Of the remaining African genera, Lygosoma, Mahuya and Ablepharus have nearly a world-wide distribution. Lygosoma is almost certainly a heterogeneous assemblage of species of varying degrees of relationship. It reaches an extraordinary development in the Australian and Oriental Regions, with nearly three hundred species in all, of which only twent}'- seven are African. In Africa, it is largely confined to central Africa, and the majority of species are found in the Rain Forest. Mahuya, on the contrary, does not reach Australia and is poorly developed in the Oriental Region, while fifty-four species occur in Africa. The distribu- tion of Ahlepharus is plainly fortuitous. A single species is found through- out the tropics but the greatest number of species is in the Australian Region. The remaining fifteen African and Malagasy genera exhibit varying degrees of reduction of limbs. Only one of them occurs outside the Ethiopian Region, Acontias, which has a number of species in Ce3don. Six are confined to Madagascar. Three, including Acontias, are common to Madagascar and South Africa, in addition to Ahlepharus and Mahuya. Four of the remaining six genera are exclusiveh' South African, while Feylinia and Melanoseps are found in the Rain Forest or in East Africa. It is impossible to escape the conclusion that these burrowing Scinci- dse have developed in South Africa and that their ancestors were present at a time of union of South Africa and Madagascar. The most degenerate forms have been placed in a separate family, with the Central American Anelytropsis, but it seems preferable to regard these as instances of con- vergence and to include the genera with the Scincidse, from whose degenerate members they are separated only in degree. The CHAMiELEOXTiD^^ have a highly peculiar distribution. Their occurrence on most of the Malagasy islands, as well as on other African 'The occurrence of Chamseleon in the Eocene of Wyoming (Leidy, 1873, Rept. U. S. Geol. Sur- vey Terr., I, part 1, p. 184, PL xxvii, figs. 38-39) is based on the presence of a small fragment of a jaw and requires additional material for confirmation. 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 31 islands and in Cejdon, has been considered by Hewitt (1910, Ann. Transv. Mus., II, p. 68) as evidence of fortuitous distribution, and in this opinion the writer concurs. Werner(1902, Zool. Jahrb. (S3'St.),XV,p.312) has given a thorough account of the chstribution of this group. Some of his maps fail to give sufficient account of the influence of the Rain Forest in determining the distril^ution of the species, but his general (negative) conclusion that it is impossible to correlate any well-marked group of species with a distinct type of distribution is well proved. The constancy of the genus in its main characters is nearly equalled by the extraordinary diversity of the species in minor, often sexual, characters. J\lap 18. Distribution of the Chamsleontidse. The genus Chamseleon ranges throughout Africa and INIadagascar, with forty-nine continental and thirty Madagascan species. One species is found in Ceylon and southern India, and the North African species reaches southern Spain and Syria. Nearly half of the species found in Africa occur in East Africa, and onh^ two, Chamxleon gracilis and C. dilepis, are at all widely distributed. Most of the species are closely con- fined to the zoological provinces and subprovinces defined below. The occurrence of Paleochamel'eo in the Oligocene of Querc}' (De Stepheno, 1903, Atti. Soc. Italiana Sci. Nat. IVIilano, XLII, p. 391, PI. IX, figs. 7, 12) indicates only a slight extension of the present range of the genus. It possibh' points to a northern origin of the famil}'. The rela- tiveh^ poor development of chameleons in South Africa contrasts with 32 BnUetin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX the distribution of the remaining groups which are common to Africa and Madagascar. Chamxleon calcaratus of India and Ceylon belongs to the same group as the North African and Arabian species. The latter are now confined to the oases and the narrow coastal districts where sufficient vegetation exists to afford them resting places, and it appears that this North Afri- can group probably had an original (and recent) range which included southwest Asia and the Sahara. The encroachment of the desert has separated the forms of this group. The Indian chameleon has a wide range, and the fact that it is undifferentiated in Ceylon, sviggests that it is a very recent ari'ival in the Oriental Region, coming from Mesopotamia via 8ind. The circumtropical distribution of the Typhlopid^ is clearly that of an ancient, paleogenic, group. The genus Typhlops, with the range of the family, is the only one represented in Africa and Madagascar. With few exceptions its species are confined to the zoogeographical sub- provinces established below, though the distribution in many cases is very imperfectly known, often from only a single record. Tabulation of the Distribution of African Species of Typhlops East Africa South Africa Species Forest , Sudan N. E. Afr avakuhsp XXXX batesi XXXX buchholtzii XXXX cspcatus XXXX congestus XXXX decorosus XXXX duhius XXXX graueri XXXX hallowellii XXXX intermeduu 'XXXX leucostidus X X X X preocularis XXXX rufescens XXXX steinhausi XXXX vermis XXXX zenkeri XXXX csecus XXXX XXXX crossii XXXX punctatus XXXX sudanensis XXXX acutirostris XXXX hlanfordii XXXX cuneirostris XXXX 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 33 Tabulation of the Distribution of African Species of Typhlops (con.) Species Forest Sudan somsahcu unitseniatus guirrx gracilis lumbriciformis platyrhynchus tornieri XXXX schlegelii mucroso albanalis bibronii braminus capensis delalandii dinga fornasinii mossambicus obtusus schinzi tettensis verticalis viridiflavus anchietse anomahis boulengeri Seven species in addition to the above hst are confined to islands in the GuK of Guinea and along the east coast, and eight inhabit ]VIadagascar. The Leptotyphlopid.e have a distribution essentially like that of the Amphisbsenidse. In Africa the species are confined to the savannah or semi-arid areas, and to some extent this is also the case in the western hemisphere. The Amphisbaenidae are also somewhat better developed in the savannah districts (though nowhere confined to them) and the similarity of distribution is probably to be explained by the similarity of habitat i-elations and a similar period and origin of dispersal. The com- plete absence of the family from Madagascar indicates that this family, like most of the others absent from that island, entered Africa from the north and at a period subsequent to the separation of Madagascar from Africa. The BoiD^ have a highly peculiar distribution in Africa, the sub- family Pythoninse being represented in the tropical parts of the continent, while the Boinse are represented in North Africa and southwest Asia by N. E. Africa East Africa South Africa XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 34 Bulletin American Muse^mi of N^atw-al History [Vol. XLIX Eryx, and in the Malagasy Subregion by four (or five) genera more or less closelj' related to American forms. Eryx has the typical distribution of a North African, sand-loving group, slightly extended into southwest Europe and peninsular India. Eryx jaculus ranges from Barbary to Persia and Turkestan; Eryx thehaicus is an Abyssinian form reaching lower Egj'pt and British East Africa; £'r|/a; jaT/aA-ariis confined to Arabia ; and Eryx muelleri to the Sudan. The remaining Boinse, in the Malagasy Islands, have been referred to American genera, with the exception of the well-defined Boliera and Casarea, known from Round Island, near Mauritius. The Map 19. Distribution of the Leptotyphlopidse. anatomical investigations of Beddard (1908, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, I, p. 135; and 1909, II, p. 918) appear to warrant generic distinction of the Madagascan species. XipJiosoma Dumeril and Bibron appears to be available for the Madagascan species commonly referred to the American Boa (usually called Corallus) and Acrantophis Jan for the two Mada- gascan species referred to the American Constrictor (usuallj' called Boer). Pelophila (type, P. madagascariensis) is preoccupied and unavailable, but without further examination of the distinctions between Acrantophis dumerilii and A . madgascariensis, the writer prefers to leave them in the same genus. This procedure, however, should not be allowed to disguise the fact that the Boinse, with the exception of the genus Eryx, have a distribution almost exactly parallel to that of the Iguanidse, one, genus even occurring in Fiji, though it ranges more widel}^ (to New Guinea) than the iguanid Brachylophus. 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 35 The genus Python has the range of Varanus, though it is absent in the desert areas of the range. Only three species are found in Africa, one very widely distributed, one Sudanese, and one Angolan. The monotypic genus Calaharia is confined to the Rain Forest. The single American genus of Pythoninae, Loxocemus, is quite as exceptional in its range as the IVIadagascan Boinae. If the division into subfamilies is not entirely artificial, the Boinae have palaeogenic distribu- tion, while the Pythoninae (with the exception of the Mexican genus) have a distribution like that of the Agamidae or Varanidae, most differen- tiated in Australia, ranging through the Oriental Region, and with a rather small and apparently recent intrusion into Africa. The great assemblage of genera grouped as the family Colubrid^ offers a stumbling block to the study of the distribution of snakes. Many of these genera are almost certainly heterogeneous, and even the subfamilies Colubrinae and Boiginae are more or less artificial groups. The two aquatic subfamilies Acrochordinae and Homalopsinse are not represented in Africa, and of the equally aquatic Hydrophiinae only the extremely widespread Pelamydrus platurus occurs on the coasts of South Africa, and with Enhydrus on those of ^Madagascar. The opisthoglj^ph Elachistodontinae, consisting of a single monotypic Indian genus, parallels the aglyph Dasypeltinae which are purely African. The Elapinae appear to be a more natural group, highl}- developed in Australia, where they form the greater part of the snake fauna, their differentiation being apparently due to a sudden expansion of the group into the varied habitat conditions of an unoccupied region. This subfamily is well represented in Africa with nine genera, of which only one ranges outside the continent. (The genus Melanelaps Wall, from southern Arabia, appears to be based on a specimen of Atradaspis amlersoni Boulenger.) The Madagascan snake fauna is a highly peculiar one, seventeen of the twenty-one colubrine genera being confined to the Malagasy Subregion. It is furthermore a highly primitive one, the Elapinae and Viperidae being unrepresented, while of the twenty-one colubrine genera (thirteen Aglypha, eight Opisthoglypha) , all hut one Sigree in the primitive character of the possession of well-developed hj-papophj'ses on the posterior verte- brae. The exception, Mimophis, is a genus related to the African and Indian Psammophis. Aglyphous genera with the posterior hj'pa- pophvses are widely distributed in Africa, as well as in Asia and America, and the derivation of the Madagascan genera from them offers no difficulties. Of opisthoglyphous genera, with the posterior hypapophyses, only four are found in Africa, one of which (Pythonodipsas) is South 36 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX African, another (Ditypophis) Socotran, and the third {Rouleopkis) West African, Geodipsas is found in East Africa and Cameroon, as well as in Madagascar. Without overemphasizing the value of the character in question, it appears entirely probable that the Madagascan opisthogl3^ph snakes had a Madagascan origin distinct from that of the majorit}^ of the Boiginse. Hewitt (1911, Rept. S. African Soc. Adv. Sci., VII, p. 313) advances the same opinion. The relations of the African snake fauna with the American rest on the occurrence of species of the American genera. Matrix, Helicops, Lep- todeira, and Apostolepis. Of these, Natrix and Helicops occur also in the Oriental Region, and are highly primitive genera, possibly not natural groups. Leptodeira appears to be an unnatural assemblage, even in Africa, where it includes strictly arboreal and strictly terrestrial forms. The separation of the African Leptodeira from the American cannot be based on the single anal plate (Barbour, 1914, Proc. New England Zool. Club, IV, p. 95) as specimens with a divided anal have been recorded among the arboreal African species. Boulenger, in describing Apostolepis gerardi from the Katanga (1913, Rev. Zool. Africaine, III, p. 104), states that it is unquestionably congeneric with the American species. This, however, is so isolated an example that it is impossible to give it weight as an evidence of South American faunal relations. More im- portant is the fact that the three elapine genera Elaps (Ho^norelaps of Boulenger) in South Africa, Micrurus in South America, and Furina in Australia, are a more or less natural group within the subfamily, suggest- ing very strongly a divergent southward spread from a common Hol- arctic center, and not, in view of the absence from Madagascar of the Elapinae, a dispersal via an Antarctic continent. The relations of the African colubrine fauna with the Indian rest on the evidence of nine genera, of which Natrix and Helicops have already been mentioned. OUgodon, with an outlj'ing species in Syria and Egypt, is an Indo-Malayan genus. Coronella is European and Mauritanian, with three species in central Africa; it does not appear to be a natural genus and certainl}^ has not a natural distribution, unless the central African species correspond to the "Mediterranean element" of Lacertidse. Lytorhynchus, Zamenis, Psammophis, and Naja are terrestrial, more or less sand-loving genera with a natural distribution, their origin being apparently central Asian. With the exception of Lytorhynchus, they range beyond the normal ''Mesopotamian" type of lizard distribution, reaching South Africa {Psammophis, Naja) and peninsular India {Zamenis, Psammophis, and Naja). The boa Eryx and 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 37 the viperine genera Echis and Vipera have a similar distribution. Boiga, with a number of species in the East Indies, eight in India, and three in Africa has a less natural distribution and is possibly an unnatural group. Of the eighty genera of the Colubridae found in Africa, four are purely North African or reach the continent only in North Africa. Of the eighty, only seventeen are found outside the continent, of which one (Bosedon) is confined to the Seychelles and Africa, the other (Geodipsas) to Madagascar and Africa. The genera are to a considerable degree restricted to the provinces and subprovinces in Africa, as will be shown below under the discussion of these faunal subdivisions. The seven genera of Viperid^ in Africa belong to the subfamily Viperinse. The only other genera in the subfamily are Azemiops in Burma and Pseudocerastes in Persia. Boulenger (1918, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, CLXVI, p. 597) has commented on the similarit3' in distribution between the Lacertidse and the Viperinse. The distribution, in fact, accords excellently with the hypothesis of a Palearctic and relatively recent origin, the two primitive genera Azemiops and Causus inhabiting southeast Asia and South Africa respectively as the result of divergent migration. The scarcely less primitive Atradaspis ranges through the whole of continental Africa and southern Arabia and reaches Persia. Echis and Cerastes are desert genera confined to North Africa and south- west Asia. Vipera compares in range with Lacerta, with one species, however, in India and Siam. Atheris is a forest genus ranging into East Africa, the Sudan, and northern Angola. It parallels the prehensile- tailed Lachesis of Central America to an astonishing degree. Bitis has the same range as Atradaspis, with a greater concentration of species in South Africa, whence it has apparently spread northward, developing two highly distinct species in the Rain Forest. Faunal Areas The close correspondence of the faunal areas with the botanical subdivisions of Africa recognized by Engler and illustrated in the botanical map of Africa (Schmidt, 1919, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., XXXIX, p. 399, Map 2) has been dealt with in Part I of the present paper. The maps of the distribution of individual species illustrate for the most part the correspondence of specific ranges with the larger or smaller subdivisions of the continent. The most practical modifications of the botanical map to conform to the distribution of African reptiles are illustrated in Map 1 and the resulting divisions may lie tabulated as follows : 38 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX A . — Palearctic Region I. — Mediterranean Subregion a. — Maiiretanian Province II. — Saharan Subregion B ■ — Ethiopian Region I. — Ethiopian Subregion a. — West African Forest Province 1. — Gaboon Subprovince 2. — Iturian Subprovince h. — Savannah Province 1 .■ — South African Subprovince 2. — East African Subprovince 3. — Sudanese Subprovince 4. — Abyssinian Subprovince II. — Malagasy Subregion a. — Se3'che]lian Province b. — Madagascan Province c- — Maacarene Province The chief reptihan characteristics of the faunal subdivisions may be brieflj^ reviewed. The Mediterranean Subregion is sharply distinguished from the remainder of the continent by the presence of Anguidae and of many species and genera found in Europe but not in the remainder of Africa. Emys orbicularis, Clemmys leprosa, Psammodromus, and Natrix natrix, may be mentioned as examples of the European element in this fauna. There is, however, a strong admixture of the desert fauna next to be considered, making it quite impossible to draw a rigid boundary between this area and the next b}^ means of the reptile fauna. The Saharan Subregion corresponds to an extremely well-marked fauna composed, however, almost exclusively of forms definitely adapted to desert life and not characterized by any families of reptiles. This fauna has an enormous extension from east to west, from the Rio de Oro to Sind. Many species and genera have a range corresponding very exactly with this subregion; for example, Stenodactylus, Acanthodadylus, Lytorhynchus, and Echis. The complete absence of forms which have a zoocenter south of the Sahara, together with the fact that the zoocenters of nearly all the Saharan genera are outside the continent, in south- western Asia, leads me to exclude this subregion from the Ethiopian Region, and add it to the Palearctic. The special conditions of the desert habitat have excluded both central African and Mediterranean species, and the desert accordingly acts as a barrier from south to north (or vice versa) quite as much as it has served as a highway of dispersal from east to west. Where the Nile cuts aci-oss it, a number of centml African 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 39 species have reached the Mediterranean coast (Dasypeltis scaber, Mabuya quinquetseniata, Varanus niloticus and various amphibians). A magnifi- cent monograph of a part of this fauna exists in Vokune I of Anderson's ' Zoology of Egypt.' The Egyptian fauna differs shghtly from the strictly Saharan in the presence of the genuinely African element above men- tioned, and also in having a slight admixture of ]\Iauretanian or European forms. Quite evidently, the jNIauretanian fauna has recently been en- croached upon by the spread of the desert. The fauna of the Cape Verde Islands is largely a Mauretanian one and also suggests a former south- ward extension of the Mediterranean fauna. The remaining subdivisions of the continent, together with the con- tinental island of Madagascar and a number of adjacent islands, compose what is correctly termed the Ethiopian Region. The Ethiopian Region is sharplj^ divided into the Ethiopian and ^Malagasy Subregions. The latter, in whose fauna the absence of many of the African families of reptiles is nearly as striking a character as the presence of Uroplatidae, Iguanidse, Boinse, and Podocnemis, is still to be subordinated to the Ethiopian Region for the sake of its fundamental relations. In addition to the widespread Gekkonidse and Scincidse, the essentially African Chamseleontidse and Gerrhosauridse are common to the two subregions. Still, the unmistakably primitive character of the Malagasy fauna, together with the absence of all the groups which appear to have reached Africa from the north or northeast, indicates a very ancient separation. The Ethiopian Subregion falls into two rather closely related sub- divisions, the West African Forest and Savannah Provinces, sharply separated by the distinct habitat conditions afforded on one hand by the moist and tropical Rain Forest, and on the other hand by the semiarid or arid open plains. There is, to be sure, a considerable interdigitation of these two provinces, especially in the outward extension of the Rain Forest along rivers, or in the forest "islands" which are entirely separated from the continuous Rain Forest itself. So far as the families of reptiles are concerned, the West African Forest Province is only negatively characterized by the absence of the Zonuridae and Gerrho- sauridse, and a number of genera (and even species) are common to both the primary subdivisions of the subregion. The more important of these (excluding genera occurring outside the continent) are : Turtles Kinixys Pelusios 40 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Lizards Monopeltis Snakes Bosedon Lycophidion Mehelya Chlorophis Philofhamnus Dasypeltis Aparallaclus Dendraspis Causus Atractaspis Bitis The West African Forest Province is characterized by a considerable number of genera confined or nearly confined to it : Crocodiles Osteolsemus Osteoblepharon Lizards Ancylodadylvs Poromera Diplodadylus Bedriagaia Baikia Algiroides Amphisbaenula Holaspis Feylinia SXAKES Calabaria Hydrsethiops Gonionotophis Bothrophthalmus Bothrolycus Holuropholis Hormonotus Gastropyxis Hapsidophrys Thrasops Rhamnophis Poecilopholis Grayia Geodipsas Boiga Dipsadoboa Elapocalamus Polemon Elapops Boulengerina Two characteristics of the fauna of the Rain Forest arrest attention. The first is the localization of the genera and species in the Gaboon and Ituri regions, of which some of the more unportant examples follow : Ituri Osteoblepharon Gonatodes Bedriagaia Lacerta (Zootoca and Podarcis) Chamselycus Chamseleon adolfi-friderici Chameleon johnstoni Gaboon Osteolsemus Ancylodactylus Baikia Poromera Gonionotophis Pa;cilophnlis Elapocalamus Polemon Chamspleon cristatus 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 41 The apparent absence of coecilians in the Ituri may be due to the chance nature of collecting, and this difference in the two faunas should not be emphasized without the corroboration of much future collecting. Future collections from the Ituri will doubtless add further Gaboon types to its fauna. In this case the topography, or rather the history of the topography, offers an explanation. The two centers of development correspond to distinct watersheds, the Gaboon-Cameroon area being cut off from the Congo Basin, while the Iturian area represents the headwaters of the Congo. These two areas are separated at the present time b}' great swamps and periodically flooded areas in the Central Congo, and it seems certain that, previous to the cutting of the gorge of the Lower Congo, this flooded and swampy area must have had a much greater extension, possibly as a vast inland lake. If, as Schwartz speculates (1918, S. African Journ. Sci., p. 104, Fig. 1), the Congo flowed northward to the Mediterranean, its present course being due to "stream capture," this central basin would have still })een subject to inundation, which would be equally effective in isolating the Gaboon from the Ituri fauna. This separation by swamps or lakes, therefore, is held to account for the distinction of the two faunas. The contradictory view that the fauna of the Rain Forest is essen- tially homogeneous throughout its extent has been emphasized by Boulenger (1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 2). It is certainly a striking characteristic of the African fauna that so mam'- species should have the enormous range from Liberia to the East African lakes without apparent differentiation. Thus the Gaboon and Ituri faunas are linked together by Kinixys erosa, Crocodylus cataphradus, Hemidactylus fasciatus, Holaspis guentheri, Lygosoma fernandi, Feylinia currori, Chamseleon oweni, and Bitis gabonica and B. nasicornis among a great number of snakes. This fact is explainable as due to the rapid spread of the species concerned through the uniform Rain Forest habitat produced by the partial draining of the Congo Basin. A means of dispersal, somewhat more indirect, existed continuousl}', however, about the borders of the supposed swamps or lakes, for the Rain Forest must have had a greater extent at that time due to the increased humid area on which the existence of a "Rain Forest" depends. The hypothesis that this greater Rain Forest extended to the coast of East Africa is favored by the considerable element of forest forms re- maining in the forest islands of East Africa. The genera, Cycloderma, DiplodactTjJus, Holaspis, Melanoseps, Thrasops, Geodipsas, Chamaetortus, 42 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX and Atheris exhibit this relation, with an additional list of typically forest species, such as Lygodactylus fischeri and Bitis gabonica, which extend to Usumbara. Sternfeld (1915, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 198) has advanced this explanation of the composi- tion of the East African fauna. The fact that the Savannah Province is much richer in genera, in addition to the presence of the two families Zonuridse and Gerrhosauridae which are confined to it, than the Rain Forest, indicates that its fauna is a much older one. In fact, the South African savannahs must have been a center of evolution for reptiles during the late Mesozoic and the Tertiary, much as it probably was for the earlier reptiles of the Karoo formations. The Gerrhosauridae, the Zonuridse, the large group of degenerate skinks, and the numerous peculiar geckos must have reached their present degree of differentiation on the spot. The writer has avoided the attempt to define a distinct South African Subregion, in the sense of Sclater and Hewitt, on account of the difficult}^ in finding a definite boundary for it south of the Sahara. The extension of Gerrhosaurus and other typically South African genera into the Sudan and northward to Eritrea forbids the acceptance of the boundary proposed by Hewitt (1910, Ann. Trans- vaal Mus., II, p. 67) which would classify the Sudanese and Abyssinian Subprovinces with the Rain Forest, instead of with the much more closely related East and South African Subprovinces. The southward extension of the tropical fauna in eastern South Africa, consisting largely of genera common to the Rain Forest and East Africa, obscures the problem, as Hewitt has clearly recognized (loc. cit). The Savannah Province of the present discussion is an extension of Hewitt's South African subregion. But the writer does not believe in a South African and a Forest subregion because the "tropical" element (Agamidse, Varanidse, Amphisbsenidae, and (?) Lacertidse), which Hewitt rightly regards as an invading fauna in South Africa, is quite as much an invasion in the Rain Forest. These groups which have arrived in Africa from the north in successive stages distinguish the continental from the Malagasy fauna. The relations of the Madagascan fauna are by no means exclusivel^y with the primitive South African forms, the genera (reof/ipsa.s and Diplodactylus, for example, though absent in South Africa are present in both the Rain Forest and Madagascar, and in the poor development of chamaeleons South Africa is leather less allied to IMadagascar than East Africa. Turning to the subdivision of the Savannah Province, the problem is much simplified. The Rain Forest has acted as a barrier cutting off the Sudanese Subprovince from South Africa, so that purely savannah 1923] Schmidt, Herpciology of the Belgian Congo 43 species have entered it from the east only. The Ethiopian fauna here becomes attenuated, often with only one or two species (confined to the Sudan) of a genus highly developed elsewhere, as, for example, Testudo, Lygodactylus, Ichnotropis, Gerrhosaurus, Prosymna, Psammophis, Aparal- ladus, Elapsoidea, and Atradaspis. The genera confined to the Sudan are few, one turtle (Cydanorbis), three lizards (Hemitheconyx, Placogaster, and (?) Sdncopus), and two snakes (Rouleophis and Chilorhinophis). On the other hand the number of species confined to the Sudan is large but, W'ith the exception of the above six genera, all the Sudanese species belong to genera whose zoocenter is outside the province. There is a large Saharan element consisting of species of Stenodadylus, Gymno- dadylus, Tarentola, Agama, Acanthodadylus, Scincus, and Chalcides. A small element in the fauna is distinctively Abyssinian or East African consisting of the genera Bunocne mis, Latastia, Zamenis, and Scaphiophis. The South African element has been mentioned above. Finally, a large number of forest reptiles range more or less widely into the Sudan. The Sudanese fauna, therefore, is the most composite of any of the sub- divisions of the Savannah Province. Werner (1919, Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien, XLVI, pp. 456-69) has given an excellent account of the fauna of the Eastern Sudan and fixed its northern boundary very accurately in this area. The Abyssinian Subprovince, including Abyssinia, Somaliland, Eritrea, and southwest Arabia, exhibits a much greater degree of individualit}'. A number of southwest Asian genera reach Africa only in this area, Pristuriis and Contia being excellent examples. Padiy calamus, Parachalcides, and Ditypophis are confined to the island of Socotra, whose fauna, while highly distinct in peculiar species, is closely related to the Abyssinian. Southwestern Arabia must be included with the Abys- sinian Subprovince on account of the presence of the purely Abyssinian genera Agamodon, Aporoscelis, and PhUodiortus, together with other wide- spread but essentially African forms such as Chamseleon, Atradaspis and Bitis. The genera confined to this subprovince are the following: Lizards Holodactylus Pachycalam us Xenagarna Philochortus Agamura Parachalcides Snakes Pseudoboodon Ditypophis .Eluroglena. Hemirhagerrhis A sthenophis Brachyophis 44 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Additional entogenic genera are Pristurus, Hemidactylus, Latastia, Zamenis, and Micrelaps. The ectogenic fauna is a composite one, a number of widespread Saharan species entering from the north, while an essentially Ethiopian element consisting of species of Zonurus, Gerr- hosaurus, Causiis, Atractaspis, and Bitis unite the area with the Savan- nah Province. It is noteworthy, however, that the entogenic fauna is onlj^ slightly related to the South and East African. The East African Subprovince is poorly defined, and in the Botanical Map is united with the South African Subprovince, which corresponds with the line adopted b}^ Hewitt doc. cit.). Although characterized b}' only a few peculiar genera, of which the amphisbsenian Geocalamus and the lacertid Gastropholis are the most important, the overlapping of the forest genera and the extraordinary^ development of the genus Chame- leon combine to give the East African fauna a moderately distinctive character. The reptilian fauna of the South African Subprovince, of which the previous three are really appendages, has been thoroughly examined by Hewitt {loc. cit. and 1911, Kept. S. African Assoc. Adv. Sci., VII, p. 306). It is quite possible that some of the subdivisions of the huge area south of the Rain Forest and west of Lake Nj^assa may prove to be fullj- equivalent in importance to the more northern subdivisions of the Savannah Province. A large number of genera are confined to this area : Turtles Homopus Lizards Chondrodactylvs Tropidosaura Ptenopus Scapteira Palmatogecko Aporosavra Narudasia Tetradactylus (Edura Cordylosaurus Homopholis Scelotes Colopus Herpetosaiira Rhoptropus Typhlacontias Pseudocordyliis Acontophiops Platysaurus Snakes Typhlosaurus Glypholycus Xenocalamus Ablahophis Macrelaps Lamprophis Hypoptophis Mica-la Limnonaja Pythonodipsas Aspidelaps Apostolepis Flaps 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 45 Below is a list of genera which overlap the East African or even the Sudanese and Abyssinian Subprovinces and which are entogenic in South Africa and highly characteristic of its fauna, the previous list being composed largely of genera of restricted distrilnition, while those of the following are "expanding" groups, apparently pushing northward, or groups which have entered fi'om the north and undergone renewed differentiation in South Africa. Lizards Pachydactylus Nucras Zonurus Ichnoiropia Chamsesaura Gerrhosaurus Sepsina Sn AKES Pseudaspis .4 mhlyodipsas Prosy mna Calamelaps Homalosoma Aparallactus Amplorhinus Elapsoidea Trimerorhinus Naja Psammophis Causus Bitis The fauna! subdivisions of the South African area proposed by Hewitt {loc. cit.) require much additional local work for their final delimination. It is singular that the extremely distinct Cape flora, char- acterized as a separate region by the botanists, does not carry with it a more distinct fauna. A large number of widely distributed species appear to be absent from this area. The deserts of the Kalahari have given rise to a distinctive fauna adapted to the desert habitat. The more tropical conditions of Natal admit a greater number of the widely spread central African forms (Chirindia, Rhampholeon) while still characterized by such essentially South African types as Gerrhosaurus, Zonurus, and the bur- rowing skinks. The most interesting area remaining for thorough exploration, which will contribute a decisive advance to our knowledge of African distribution, is the Katanga. SQUAMATA Ophidia Typhlopidae Typhlops Schneider Typhlops punctatus (Leach) Plate I, Figure 1 Acontias punctatus Leach, 1819, in Bowdich, 'Miss. Ashantee,' p. 49.3. Typhlops punctatus fpart) BorLENGER, 1893, 'Cat. Snakes,' I, p. 42; 1896, III, p. 587; 190.5, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Geneva, (3) II, p. 209. Werner, 1907, Sitzber. 46 ' Bulletin American Musetim of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Akad. Wiss. (math.-natur.), Wien, CXVI, part 1, p. 1S63. Chabanaud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, p. 365; 1917, XXIII, p. 8. Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 18; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 271. Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Frangaise, p. 466. It is impossible to disentangle the further bibliographj- of this species as understood in the present paper from the records of punctatus in the wider sense of Boulenger. The collection contains fifteen specimens from the Sudan and the forest border: A. M. N. H. Nos. 11609-10 (April 1911), 11611, 11618-20 (January and October 1912), Faradje; 11612-13, 11614-17 (May and June 1912), Garamba; 11621-23 (August 1913), Poko. There is no record of a Typhlops punctatus which is uniformly colored above and below from the Rain Forest; Boulenger's records of this form from the Lado, "Monbuttu," and French Guinea indicate that it ranges throughout the Sudanese Subprovince. The characters regarded as distinguishing this species in the present restricted sense are: (1) color, dark gray above and below, with a light yellowish spot corresponding to each scale, producing a lineolate appear- ance ; (2) scales about the body 26-30, mode 28 ; scales normally without reduction in number from a point 10 scales behind the rostral to the mid-body; scales about body at a point 10 scales in front of the anus, 22-28, 2-6 fewer rows than at mid-body; (3) size, small or moderate, maximum observed 433 mm. ; length/diameter, 25-33 ; (4) edge of snout slightly more obtuse than in congestus, slightly sharper than in inter- medius; (5) eye more distinct than in intermedins, at the point of the preocular; (6) distribution, Sudanese. The reduction in number of scale rows from the count 10 scales be- hind the rostral (a) to the count at mid-body (6), and again between the mid-body and a point 10 scales before the anus (c) has been found a fairly constant and useful character. Thus in the present series there is no reduction in thirteen specimens between a and h, with a reduction of 2 rows in two specimens; the reduction between h and c is 2 in six speci- mens, 4 in seven, and 6 in two. Measurements and Scale Characters A. M. N. H. Scales Reduction No. Length Diameter L./D. a h c a-h b-c 11609 433 nun. 13 mm. 33 30 30 2() 0 4 11610 306 12 25 30 30 26 0 4 11611 297 10 30 30 30 28 0 2 11612 198 7 28 28 28 24 0 4 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 47 A. M. N. H. Scales Reduction No. Length Diameter L./D. a b c a-b h-c 11613 195 mm. 7 mm. 28 28 28 22 0 6 11614 218 7 31 32 30 24 2 6 11615 112 4 28 28 28 26 0 2 11616 130 4 32 28 28 26 0 2 11617 239 9 27 28 26 24 2 2 11618 300 10 30 28 28 26 0 4 11619 280 9 31 28 28 26 0 2 11620 186 6 31 30 30 26 0 4 11621 308 10 31 28 28 24 0 4 •11622 139 5 28 28 28 26 0 2 11623 288 10 29 26 26 22 0 4 Typhlops intermedius Jan Typhlops liberiensis var. intermedins Jan, 1861, 'Icon. Gen. Ophid.,' I, No. 5, PI. v, fig. 2, VI, fig. 2. Typhlops punctatus (part) Boulenger, 1893, 'Cat. Snakes,' I, p. 42. Muller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 595. The correlation of the name intermedius of Jan with the present specimens is more doubtful than the identification of -punctatus above, for there is little appearance of any relation with congestus (liberiensis), as is implied in the original description. The specimens placed under this heading by Boulenger, however, are from the Cameroon region; and this would give a logical forest distribution to the species. There are twenty-two specimens in the collection with an additional one from the forest west of Fort Beni, presented to the expedition by Dr. Bequaert: A. M. N. H. No. 11632 (September 1913), Akenge; 11645 (1914), Fort Beni; 11626, 11627-29 (May and September 1910), 11636, 11637-39, 11640-44 (March, April and June 1914), Medje; 11630-31 (November 1910), Niangara; 11633-34, 11635 (November and December 1913), Niapu; 11624-25 (August 1909), Stanleyville. Apparently verj^ closely related to the preceding form, this species was not collected outside the limits of the Rain Forest; and, as the series is perfectly uniform, there seems to be no reason even for the subspecific classification. The writer regards it as the forest representative of punctatus; but lack of Gaboon and Cameroon material for comparison prevents any decision as to the relation of the western representatives. The distinguishing characters are: (1) dark gray above, with a yellowish spot, corresponding to each scale (as in punctatus, s. s.), venter uniform 3^ellow, pink in life; (2) scales at mid-body, 24-30, mode 26; reduction from a to 6 normall}- 0 (rarely 2), from b to c, 4 (2-6); (3) size 48 Bulletin American Museum oj Natural History [Vol. XLIX moderate, maximum length 536 mm., length/diameter 28-43, i.e., more slender than punctatus and congestus; (4) form of snout as defined above, (hardly a useful character) ; (5) eye visible, much fainter than in puncta- tus, situated distinctly below the upper point of the preocular; (6) distribution (probably) confined to the forest. Measurements and Scale Characters A. M. N. H. Scales Redurtion No. Length Diameter L./D. a h c a-b 6-c 11624 253 mm. 8 mm. 32 24 24 20 0 4 11625 170 5.5 31 24 24 18 0 6 11626 315 10 31 28 28 24 0 4 11627 372 12 31 28 26 22 2 4 11 628 275 9 31 28 26 22 2 4 11629 395 13 30 26 27 24 + 1 3 11630 413 10 41 26 26 24 0 2 11631 348 8 43 26 26 24 0 2 116.32 292 9 32 28 26 21 2 5 11633 536 18 30 28 28 24 0 4 11634 384 13 29 26 26 22 0 4 11635 517 18 29 28 26 22 2 4 11636 402 13 31 26 28 23 +2 5 11637 398 11 36 26 26 22 0 4 11638 286 9 32 28 28 24 0 4 11639 316 9 35 26 26 22 0 4 11640 426 13 33 26 26 23 0 3 11641 317 11 28 26 26 22 0 4 11642 406 14 29 28 26 24 2 2 11643 460 14 33 28 28 24 0 4 11644 206 6 34 26 26 22 0 4 11645 472 17 28 30 30 26 0 4 Typhlops congestus (Dumeril and Bibron) Onychocephahis congestus Dumeril and Bibron, 1844, 'Erpetol. Gen.,' IV, p. 334. Typhlops punctatus (part) Boulenger, 1893, 'Cat. Snakes,' I, p. 42. Sjostedt, 1897, Bihang Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XXIII, part 4, No. 2, p. 22. Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 209. Werner, 1909, Mitt. Naturh. Mus. Hamburg, XXVI, p. 208. Sternfeld, 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' Reihe 3, Heft 2, p. 11. Werner, 1913, Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. (math.-natur.), Wien, LXXXVIII, p. 717. There are twenty-seven specimens referred to this form: A. M, N. H. Nos. 11648-51, 11652-63 (September and October 1913), Akenge; 11646-47 (September 1910), Medje; 11669-70 (May-June 1913), Niangara; 11664-67, 11668 (November and December 1913), Niapu; 11671-72 (August 1913), Poko. 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 49 TypMops congestus may be regarded as the characteristic Typhlops of the Rain Forest, probably occurring throughout the botanical Forest Province in the forest islands along the streams. The East African records of Sternfeld (1910, p. 11) seem to refer in part to congestus. As understood in the present paper, congestus may be character- ized as (1) with a uniform brownish-yellow venter, dorsum dark brown, more or less invaded b}^ the transverse flecks of the ventral color, or vice versa, the dorsal color may extend laterally onto the venter; there is never a sharp horizontal dividing line between the dorsal and ventral colors; (2) scales 24-32, mode 28, normal reduction from a to 6 2 scale rows, 3 in 4 cases and 4 in 7; (3) size large, maximum observed 626 mm., length/diameter 20-32, average 23, accordingly much stouter than the two preceding forms; (4) angle of snout sharpl}- defined, not rounded, though not produced into a cutting edge; (5) eye distinct, situated below the apex of the preocular; (6) confined (probabh^) to the forest province and to forest islands in East Africa. Two specimens from Xiangara (A. M. N. H. Nos. 11669 and 11670) differ from the normal congestus in being nearly uniformly mottled, the yellow slightly predominant below, the darker color above. Two from Poko (A. M. N. H. Nos. 11671 and 11672) are still more distinct in coloration, the yellow being reduced in one to a few yellow spots along the mid-ventral line, in the other to a single spot beneath the tail. These four specimens are somewhat more slender than the average and have a shghtly different scale count. The}' differ radically from T. punctatus, however, and in the majority of characters are most satisfactorily located with congestus. They are probably hybrids of congestus with either intermedius or lineatus. MEASrREMEXTS AXD SCALE CHARACTERS M. X. E [. Scales Reduction No. Length Diameter L./D. a h c a-b l^i 11646 215 mm. 10 mm. 21 28 24 20 4 4 11647 .302 13 23 30 28 22 2 6 11648 538 26 20 30 26 20 4 6 11649 .578 23 25 30 28 22 2 6 11650 209 10 21 30 27 20 3 7 11651 225 11 20 32 28 22 4 6 11652 474 23 21 30 28 22 2 6 11653 464 23 20 30 28 22 2 6 116.54 481 22 22 30 28 22 2 6 11655 466 22 21 30 28 22 2 6 11656 .506 22 23 30 28 21 2 7 11657 4.52 18 25 28 26 19 2 7 50 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Measurements and Scale Characters (Con tinned) A. M. N. H. Scales Reduction No. Length Diameter L./D. a b c a-b b-c 11658 256 11 23 30 28 22 2 6 11659 547 23 24 30 26 22 4 4 11660 626 27 23 32 28 24 4 4 11661 367 15 24 31 28 22 3 6 11662 512 26 20 32 28 22 4 6 11663 528 21 25 30 28 22 2 6 11664 614 30 20 30 27 22 3 5 11665 258 12 21 30 28 22 2 6 11666 536 23 23 30 26 20 4 6 11667 448 22 20 32 28 22 4 6 11668 347 17 20 30 27 22 3 5 11669 536 20 27 34 32 26 2 6 11670 350 11 32 32 30 24 2 6 11671 605 23 26 34 32 26 2 6 11672 549 19 29 32 32 26 0 6 Typhlops tornieri Sternfeld Typhlops tornieri Sternfeld, 1911, Mitt. Zool. Mus., Berlin, V, \). 69. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 615. A single small specimen, A. M. N. H. No. 11673 (August 1909) from Stanleyville, is referable to this species. This species has been recorded only from the Kilimandjaro. Its occurrence in the Ituri region therefore indicates a somewhat unusual range, but not without parallel (cf., for example, the distribution of Gonatodes or Algiroides among the lizards). The specimen agrees well with the original description. The snout is rounded, prominent, without horizontal keel. Tail as broad as long, ending in a spine. Nostrils inferior. Inferior portion of the rostral narrower than the adjacent nasal, one-half the width of the head at its widest point above. Four upper labials, fourth largest. Nasal semi- divided, the cleft proceeding from the first labial, its posterior edge farther back than that of the rostral. Preocular about half as wide as the ocular. Ocular in contact with the third and fourth labials. The eye invisible, except at certain magnification and lighting, when it is seen to be below the apex of the preocular. Seven enlarged superior head shields, the prefrontal largest. Supraocular two-thirds as long as high. Scales 26-26-20. Length 198 mm., diameter 7 mm., contained into the length 28 times. Coloration in life, pale greenish gray above, chin and throat pinkish, venter yellowish white. The darker color above is due to the progressive darkening of the borders of the scales, so that the dorsum is faintly lineolate, as in Typhlops punctatus. 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 51 Typhlops avakubse, new species Typhlops caecus appears to give off a related form in the Ituri forest, of which three specimens were collected: A. M. N. H. No. 11674 (April 1914), Avakubi; 11675 (June 1914), Medje; 11676 (tag corroded), Belgian Congo. This ma}' be one of the forms confined to the forest; the distribution of the related cascus is not characteristic (Sierra Leone to Gaboon) although the record of Torhier for East Africa has been dropped by Sternfeld. In any case, the species in the Sudanese area reached b}- the Congo expedition is a verj' distinct one. Fig. 1. Dorsal and lateral views of head of Typhlops avakiibse, new species, (11674, type, X 4). i^ J DiAGXosTic Characters •W Habitus of Typhlops C3ecus; 24 scales about the bod}-; rostral and nasal much more elongate, produced posteriori}'; preocular emarginate behind; ocular and sub- ocular small. Eye invisible. Detailed 'Description' Type.— A. M. N. H. No. 11674. Body elongate, diameter contained into length 74 times. Head slightly de- pressed, set off from body. Snout with a sharp cutting edge, which is produced into a horny translucent ridge, rounded in outline from above. Tail as long as broad. Inferior portion of the rostral broader than long; upper part produced backwards, nearly the full width of the head. Nasal semidivided, the cleft proceeding from the first labial, leaving a narrow strip parallel with the edge of the rostral; nostril adjacent to rostral; nasal produced backwards as far as the rostral, narrow above. Preocular emarginate behind, followed by a very small ocular; eye invisible. Prefrontal trans- verse; other upper head shields not enlarged. Scales about body 24. Length 370 mm., diameter 5 mm. Comparison of Paratypes The two paratj^pes exhibit the same arrangement of the head shields, and have 24 scales about the body. The body is much stouter, however, the proportions being 320 mm. with a diameter of 6 in No. 11675, 380 mm. with a diameter of 7 mm. in 11676. Typhlops sudanensis, new species Six specimens from the Sudan represent a very distinct species. A. M. N. H. Nos. 11677-81 (November 1911), Faradje; 11682 (June 52 Bulletin American Mus&iim of Natural History [Vol. XLIX 1912), Garamba. Probably a species of the Sudanese Siibprovince, related to crossii in Nigeria and somalacus in northeast Africa. Diagnostic Characters Body very slender, diameter contained in length 54 to 81 times. Rostral very large with a sharp cutting edge. A very large nasal covering most of the side of the head, nostrils interior; nasal cleft proceeding from the second labial, not extending bej'ond nostril, the anterior lobe wide. Ocular, jireocular, and subocular small, j Detailed Description Type.— A. M. N. H. No. 11677. Body elongate, length/diameter 59, tail as long as broad. Scales about the body 26-24-24. Rostral very large, more than half the width of the head above, extending well backwards, with a sharp cutting anterior edge. Nasal very large, nostrils inferior; nasal semidivided, the cleft proceeding from the second labial, Fig. 2. Dorsal and lateral views of head of TyjMops sudanensis, new species, (11677, type, X 4). the anterior lobe being narrower. Following the nasal is a small plate which may be called the preocular, in contact below with the second and third labials. The upper corner of the preocular overlaps the slightly smaller ocular, which is separated from the prefrontal by a small supraocular and from the labials by a small subocular, the latter in contact with the fourth labial, naiTowh^ separated from the third. Pre- frontal transversely elongate, narrow, other head shields not enlarged. Length 469 mm., diameter 8 mm. The entire body is uniform light yellowish brown, pink in life. COMPARI.SON OF PaRATYPES The paratypes exhibit .slight variations. The position of the nasal cleft may be more posterior so that the two lower lobes of the nasal are nearly equally -tvide. The scales about the body are 24 at the middle in all. The measurements are tabulated beloAv. Measurements A. M. N . H. No. Length Diameter Length/Dia meter 11677 (type) 469 mm. 8 mm. 59 11678 406 5 81 11679 443 7.5 59 11680 451 7 64 11681 277 3.5 79 11682 172 3 57 1923] Schmidt. Herpetohgy of the Belgian Congo 53 "These blindworms have been dug by workmen from under a hillock, about 5 feet below the surface of the ground. They are pinkish in color, the smaller specimens superficialh' resembling earthworms" (H.Lang). Leptotyphlopidae Leptotyphlops Fitzinger Leptotyphlops nigricans (Schlegel) Typhlops nigricans Schlegel, 1844, 'Abbild. Amphib.,' p. 38, PI. xxxii, figs. 21-24. Glauconia nigricans Boulenger, 1893, 'Cat. Snakes,' I, p. 67; 1902, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 17. Roux, 1907, Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.), XXV, p. 733. Gough, 1908, Ann. Transvaal JNIus., I, p. 20. Sterxfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, IV, p. 246. BouLEXGER, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 499; 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 198. Ch.^banattd, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Xat., Paris, XXII, p. 367; 1917, XXIII, p. 10. A single specimen from Beni, A. M. N. H. No. 11683 (August 1914), of this species, has been presented to the collection by Dr. J. Bequaert. This record is a northward extension of the range of the species in East Africa. It has previously been known from South Africa, reaching northern Rhodesia. Chabanaud (1916, p. 367), however, records it from Dahome}', indicating a possible extension throughout the Savannah Province. The specimen is coiled and preserved in strong alcohol and, while readily identified with this species, is not measurable. Boidae Pythoninae Python Daudin Python sebae (Gmelin) Plate I, Figure 2 Coluber sahse Gmelix, 1788, 'Syst. Nat.,' I, p. 1118. Python sabas Boulenger, 1893, 'Cat. Snakes,' I, p. 86; 1896, III, p. 592. Mocquard, 1896, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, II, p. 59. Boulenger, 1897, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 800; 1897, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6j XIX, p. 278. Johnston, 1897, 'British Central Africa,' p. 361a. Sjostedt, 1897, Bihang Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XXIII, part 4, No. 2, p. 23. Tornier, 1897, 'Kriech- tiere Deut.sch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 67. Werner, 1899, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, p. 134. Flower, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 968. Boulenger, 1902, in Johnson, 'Uganda Protectorate,' p. 446. Johnston, 1902, 'Uganda Protectorate," pp. 94, 409. 'L.a.mpe, 1902, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LV, p. 9. Werner, 1902, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, p. 343. Bocage, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 42. Boulenger, 1907, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 2.55; Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 211; Mem. Proc. Manchester Lit. Philos. Soc, LI, No. 12, p. 10. Johnston, 1906, 'Liberia,' II, p. 813. Werner, 54 Bulletin American Museum of Naiural History [Vol. XLIX 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. (math.-natur.), Wien, CXVI, part 1, p. 1865. GorcH, 1908, Ann. Transvaal Mus., I, p. 20. Johnston, 1908, ' George Grenfell and the Congo,' p. 950. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 403; IV, pp. 239, 243, 246. Chubb, 1909, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 595. Stern- feld, 1909, 'Fauna DeiitschenKol.,' (1), Heft 1, p. 9; (2), Heft 1, p. 9; (3), Heft 2, p. 13; (4), Heft 1, p. 14. Boulenger, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 500. Lonnberg, 1910, in Sjostedt, 'Kilimandjaro-Meru Exp.,' I, part 4, p. 14. Peracca, 1910, Boll. Mus. Torino, XXV, No. 624, p. 3. Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 164. Lonnberg, 1911, Sven.ska Vetensk.- Akad. Handl., XLVII, No. 6, p. 21. Peracca, 1912, Ann. Mus. Zool. Napoli, (2) III, No. 25, p. 4. Sternfeld, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deut.sch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 199. Hewitt and Power, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 161. MtJLLER, 1913, Zool. Anz., XLI, p. 234. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 199, 617, 644. Breijer, 1915, Ann. Transvaal Mus., V, p. 113. Chabanaud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, p. 368. Loveridge, 1918, Journ. E. Africa Uganda Nat. Hist. Soc, No. 13, p. 334. Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 19; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 274. Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Frangaise, p. 467. Eighteen specimens of Python sehse were collected: A. M. N. H. No. 11697 (September 1912), 11698 (December 1914), Avakiibi; 11689-90 (Februaiy 1911), 10087, 11691-95 (March 1911), 11696 (September 1912), Faradje; 11686 (January 1910), Gamangui; 11687-88 (March and July 1910), 10088, Medje; 11684-85 (August 1909), Stanleyville. Python sehse is one of the most widely distributed of African snakes. Its range is to a certain extent independent of the Rain Forest, forest specimens from ]\Iedje being indistinguishable from the Sudanese. The species also enters the forest in Liberia and Cameroon, but is more fre- quently recorded from the Savannah Province. No important variation is observable in the present series. The greatest length is reached in a specimen of 4880 mm., and there appears to be no distinction in size between forest and Sudanese specimens. The tail length approximates a tenth of the total. There is, of course, much instability in the form and number of the head shields, especially the prefrontals and parietals, but these are usually symmetrically arranged. The nimiber of scales in the loreal region varies from 8 to 16, and the scales in the ocular ring, exclusive of the supraoculars, are 5 to 9. Upper labials are 11 to 15, lower 19 to 24. The venti'als vary from 270 to 284, the subcaudals from 65 to 69. The dorsal scale foi-mula varies from 66-89-43 to 77-95-54. The color pattern of the back is highly variable, while that of the head seems to be perfectly constant. The top of the head is dark, with a straight light sti'ipe from the supranasal over the nostril and eye on each 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 55 side to the temporal region. The labial border, except posteriorly, is light, connected with the supraocular stripe on the neck, and anteriorly by a broad light area below the nostril and on the anterior labials and rostral. This area encloses a dark spot on the first and second labials. There are two distinct subocular light lines, one from the posterior lower corner to the ninth to twelfth labial, one from the lower anterior corner across the sixth labial. There is a median light mark behind the parietals. The light supraocular line continues dorsolateral!}^ as the boundary between the lighter coloration of the sides and the darker median part of the back. This dark color is crossed (usually) by transverse light bands, comiecting the ground color of the sides for the anterior sixth of the length. Behind this the dark spots become confluent at their corners, enclosing more or less transverse light areas which are narrower (longi- tudinally) than the dark, fomiing the line O of Zenneck. The transverse dark markings tend to widen on the vertebral line, and this may be carried to the extent of forming, for short distances, a third longitudinal dark line, R of Zenneck. Posteriorly the light interspaces may increase longitudinally toward the tail, and the tail itself has always a sharply defined median light band. There may be subsidiar}^ small light spots enclosed by the dark crossbars at their (lateral) ends, especially pos- teriorly. The general color of the sides is lighter with irregular, more or less vertical, dark spots which anteriorly form semicircles, and further back 3 shaped markings, the open side cephalad. On the posterior sixth of the body these marks become straighter, and join the dark color of the back above. The lateral dark spots are sharply defined behind, but merge graduallj' into the ground color in front. Venter mottled, the light color predominant on the median line. "Stomach contents of No. 11686, a rat. No. 11688 had swallowed a female antelope measuring 1040 mm. in length and 480 mm. high at the shoulder. P}i:hons are eaten extensively by the natives. They are often caught by means of traps set at their holes. The pythons here- abouts have the habit of taking refuge in holes, often large excavations, in former termite hills, simply to sleep. During the rainy season the natives follow their ti-acks, and if they find the retreat a noose is at once set in front of the hole. The snake is usually caught behind the neck. The natives also spear them" (H. Lang). Python regius (Shaw) Boa regia Shaw, 1802, Zoology, III, p. 347, PI. xcvi. Python regius Boulexger, 1893, ' Cat. Snakes,' I, p. 88. Mocquard, 1896, Bull. Mus. Hi.st. Nat., Pari.s, II, p. .59. Werner, 1899, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, 56 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX p. 145; 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. (math.-natur.), Wien, CXVI, part 1, p. 1865. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 403; 1909, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (l),Heft l,p. 9; (2), Heft 1, p. 9. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 644. Werner, 1919, Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien, math.- natur. Kl., XLVI, p. 502. Boulenger, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 274. A single specimen, A. M. N. H. No. 11699, of Python regius was taken by the expedition at Aba, in July 1911. This species, smaller and less aggressive than Python sebse, appears to be restricted to the Sudanese Subprovince. Python anchietse Bocage is too little known to lend itself to discussion of range, but it may well be found to reach the Katanga district when this is better explored. In fact, one of the chief zoogeographic problems of Africa depends on the study of the eastern area south of the forest. The region from Angola to Tanganyika maj^ constitute a subprovince more nearh' equivalent to the Sudanese than is at present evident, though there is a considerable element in the Angolan fauna which is independent of the South African fauna proper. The specimen in hand measures 401 mm., the tail, 27 mm., constitut- ing .07 of the total. The scales are 56-55-40, the ventrals 205, the sub- caudals 28. The labials 11-16, the plates in the loreal region 11-12, in the ocular ring (excluding the single supraocular) 8-9. Labial pits 4' on each side + 1 on each side of the rostral. In color pattern regius is widely distinct from both sehae and anchietse. The head is marked above very similarly but laterally it lacks the anterior light subocular stripe, and also the dark spot on the first and second labials of sehas. The dark mark of the top of the head gives off from each of its posterior corners a sharply defined black band, 2-6 scale rows wide, these longitudinal bands separated by from 3 to 10 scale rows, and confluent at irregular intervals by crossbands which var}'' in width (longitudinally) from 3 to 10 scale rows, equalling or exceeding the light spaces in some cases, but usually less. Laterally the dorsolateral dark line gives off vertical crossbars, which frequently fork and some- times reunite. These are irregularly spaced, much narrower than the light spaces of ground color between them, and in the latter, at the level of the 15th scale row, there is a row of small dark spots. Zenneck's homology between the longitudinal dark lines of regius and those of sebde is of interest; but a single specimen does not offer a valid basis for discussion. It is true in any case that the posterior parts of the body are most similar in color pattern. 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 57 Calabaria Gray Calabaria reinhardtii (Schlegel) Plate II Eryx reinhardiii Schlegel, 1848, Bijdr. tot de Dierk., I, p. 2, PI. Calabaria reinhardtii Boulexger, 1893, 'Cat. Snakes,' I, p. 92. Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 74. Boulenger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 592. Moc- QUARD, 1897, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 8. Werner, 1899, Verh. Zool .-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, p. 134. Boulexger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 451. Torxier, 1901, Zool. Anz., XXIV, p. 63. Bocage, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 42. Boulexger, 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 211. JoHXSTOx, 1906, 'Liberia,' II, p. 812; 1908, 'George Grenfell and the Congo,' p. 950. Sterxfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 403; 1909, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1), Heft l,p.9. Muller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 595. Boulexger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 199; 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 19; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 274. Twenty-five specimens of Calabaria were collected: A. M. X. H. No. 11708 (February 1910), Gamangui; 11700-01 (September 1910), 11702-03, 11709 (March 1910), 11704 (May 1910), 11705 (August 1910), 11706-07 (September and October 1910), 11717 (April 1914), 11718-19 (Jime 1914), 11720-22 (July 1914); Medje; 11710-13 (November 1913), 10090, 11714-16 (December 1913), Niapu; 11723 (tag corroded), Belgian Congo. The distribution of Calabaria coincides with the Forest province, and it appears to be confined to the continuousl}' forested area, occurring in both the eastern and western divisions and unrecorded from Togo. It is therefore one of the genera most useful in the characterization of the zoogeographical subdivisions of the Ethiopian Region. The maximum length is reached by a specimen of 916 mm. The tail length averages .08 of the total. The sexes are not readily distinguished b}' the form of the tail, but the claws at each corner of the base are ex- ternalh^ visible only in the males. There are normally 3 pairs of shields between the frontal and large rostral. On eight specimens an azj^gous prefrontal is added, and in one specimen there are two az.vgous shields. There is uniformly a single preocular and two supraoculars. The post- oculars are normally 2 on each side, 2-3 in three specimens, 3-3 in one. The temporals are 3 or 4 in the first row, 4 or 5 in the second. Upper labials 8, third and fourth entering the eye, or frequently the foin-th onl}', third and fourth fused in one specimen, lower labials 9-11. The scale formula lies between 28-35-28 and 25-32-25. The normal scale count appears to be 28-33-27. The ventrals numljer from 221 to 234, and the subcaudals from 19 to 27. 58 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX "The general color is dark brown with irregular lighter markings. These become j^ellowish pink on the sides, and the venter is brown, marked with pink. Tip of head and tail nearly black. Some specimens have a milky white band around the tail about 20 mm. from its tip, still further increasing its superficial resemblance to the head. Iris brown, pupil vertically elongate. No. 11709 had swallowed a mouse, which was disgorged before injection. Specimens were taken crawding about in the forest among the moist dead leaves. This snake nearly always holds its head vertically downward, as if trj-ing to burrow; the tip of the tail is often held away from the ground, and, in contrast to the immovable head, is slightly moved to and fro. When seriously annoyed it rolls itself into a compact ball, the head in the center, which it is very difficult to straighten out. It never tries to bite. The natives believe that it has two heads, and are much afraid of it" (H. Lang). Colubridae Colubrinae Natrix Laurenti Natrix olivaceous (Peters) Coronella olivacea Peters, 18.54, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 622. Tropidonotus olivaceous Boulexger, 1893, 'Cat. Snakes,' I, p. 227; 1896, III, p. 604; Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 216. Peracca, 1896, Boll. Mus. Torino, XI, No. 255, p. 2. BoLTLEXGER, 1897, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 278; Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 801. Johnston, 1897, 'British Central Africa,' p. 361a. MocQt-ARD, 1897, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 8. Tornier, 1897, 'Kriechtiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 67. Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 451. Flower, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 968. Boulenger, 1902, in John.ston, 'Uganda Protectorate,' p. 446; 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 112; 1907, Mem. Proc. Manchester Lit. Philos. Soc, LI, No. 12, p. 10. Rorx, 1907, Rev. Suisse Zool., XV, p. 76. Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. (math.-natur.), Wien, CXVI, part 1, p. 1866. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 404; IV, pp. 211, 243. Werner, 1908, 'Kept. Well- come Res. Lab. Khartoum,' p. 170. Boulenger, 1909, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) IV, p. .303; 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 503. Nieden, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf . Freunde Berlin, p. 442. Peracca, 1910, Boll. Mus. Torino, XXV, No. 624, p. 3. Roux, 1910, Rev. Suis.se Zool., XVIII, p. 98. Sternfeld AND Nieden, 1911, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, V, p. .385. Sternfeld, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deut.sch. Zentr. Afrika Ex]).,' IV, p. 265. Boettger, 1913, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Reise in Ostafrica, Voeltzkow,' III, p. 347, .3.53. Werner, 1913, Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. (math.-natur.), Wien, LXXXVIII, p. 717. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 210, 619, 645. Loveridge, 1916, Journ. E. Africa Uganda Nat. Hist. Soc, V, No. 10, p. 77. Chabanaud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nist., Pari.s, XXII, p. .368; 1917, XXIII, p. 10. Loveridge, 1918, .Journ. E. Africa 1923] Schmidt, Herpeiology of the Belgian Congo 59 Uganda Xat. Hist. Soc, Xo. 13, p. 334. Chabanaud, 1919, Bull. Mus. Hat. Nat., Paris, p. 567. Bovlexger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Afriraine, VII, p. 19; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 276. Twelve specimens, of two color phases, were collected as follows: A. M. X. H. Xos. 11913-15, 11916 (April and June 1914), Medje; 11912 (June 1913), Niangara; 11911 (August 1913), Poko; 11903-05 (Au- gust 1909), 11906-08 (April 1915), Stanleyville. The occurrence of this widely distributed savannah species in the forest is paralleled by the distribution of a few other forms, such as Causiis rhomheatus, but in general the penetration of the forest by savan- nah species is much less frequent than the spreading of forest species out into the savannah. Natrix olivaceous has not been taken from the Cameroon forest, and the present records appear to represent recent invasions along the rivers, the specimens taken at ]Medje resembling those from Poko and Niangara north of the forest, while the specimens from Stanleyville are very distinct and at first sight appear to represent a distinct form. These have probably entered the forest from the south. The few records from Gaboon probably represent specimens which have spread north — from the Lower Congo, where it is well known. The six specimens from Stanleyville are brownish above, with a dark brown vertebral band four scales in width, more or less distinctly outhned with light dots, and faint traces of a lateral band on the third scale row, also outlined with a row of small white dots. This coloration has been described in specimens from Kissenje b,y Sternfeld (1912, p. 265) " Querbinden " being evidently a lapsus. The venter is entirely yellowish white. In two specimens the ground color is a distincth' reddish brown. Upper labials white or white with narrow black borders. In the remaining six specimens, the dorsum is a uniform bluish black, extending onto the lateral ends of the ventrals, leaving onh' the middle half of the venter light. The posterior borders of the ventral shields are more or less edged with black in addition. The upper labials are white, heavily edged with black, and the sutures of the lower labials are narrowly marked with black. These two colorations are correlated with the extremes in the variation of ventral plates and subcaudals, and the comparison of larger series would be of interest. Unfortunately the tail has been injured in seven of the twelve specimens under examination. The relations may be set forth as follows, both sexes being represented in each color phase: fVenter immarulate Ventrals with black tips Coloration \ Dorsum banded, brownish Dorsum imiform bluish black I or reddish 60 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Ventral Plates 133-137 142-149 subcaudals 61- 70 85 [Stanleyville Medje Locality \ Kissenje Poko [ Niangara HYDRiETHiops Giiiither Hydraethiops melanogaster Giinther Plate III, Figure 1 Hydraethiops melanogaster Gunther, 1872, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (4) IX, p. 28, PI. Ill, fig. G. BotiLENGER, 1893, 'Cat. Snakes,' I, p. 281; 1896, III, p. 610. GtJNTHER, 1896, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 264. Mocquard, 1897, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 12. Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 451; 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 211. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 404. Gendre, 1909, Extr. C. R. Soc. Linn. Bordeaux, p. cvi. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 201; 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 19; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 276. Fifty-two specimens of Hydraethiops melanogaster were collected: A. M. N. H. No. 11923 (October 1909), 11964 (March 1911), Avakubi; 11922, 11960 (April 1914), 11961-63 (June 1914), Medje; 11918-19, 11924-32 (November 1910), Niangara; 11920, 11933-35, 11937^7 (November 1913), 11921, 11948-54, 11956, 11965, 12021 (December 1913), 11955, 11957-59 (January 1914), Niapu; 11917, 11936, 12314 (tags corroded), Belgian Congo. This species is confined to the Rain Forest and its environs. The large series proves ver}- uniform in scale characters. The largest male measures 546 mm., the largest female 712 mm. The propor- tionate tail length is .18-.21, mean .20 in males, .15-.21, mean .18 in females. The ventrals range from 146-156 in males, mean 152, 148- 155 in females, mean 151. Subcaudals 51-57, mean 55 in males, 47-55, mean 50 in females. The dorsal scales vary from 23-23-21 to 27-27-23, the higher counts in females, the lower in males, 25 the most frequent number at mid-body in both sexes. One preocular, and two post- oculars (rarely one). Temporals one anteriority, occasionalh' two; two to four in the second row. Upper labials 9-12, lower 10-13. The dorsum is grayish brown, lighter on the sides, the skin between the scales lighter. The venter and the first part of the second scale rows are black. An ill-defined light line extends from the angle of the mouth along the sides for a short distance in juvenile specimens. Upper labials black. Obscure dark markings are observable on the back in a few speci- mens, which are arranged regularly in five longitudinal rows. 1923] Schmidt, Herpeiology of the Belgian Congo 61 The stomach contents of three specimens consist of fish remains, one recognizable as a catfish. One stomach contained a tadpole, and another a mass of mud, with a little vegetable matter, prol^ably the stomach contents of the snake's victim. A specimen taken in December 1913, contains 6 + 7 eggs, measuring 20X28 mm. BoTHROPHTHALMUs Peters Bothrophthalmus lineatus Peters Elaphis (Bothrophthalmus) lineatus Peters, 1863, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 287. Bothrophthalmus lineatus Boulenger, 1893, 'Cat. Snakes,' I, p. 324. Bocage, 1896, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, p. 83. Boulenger, 1897, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 278. Werner. 1899, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, p. 135. ToRNiER, 1901, Zool. Anz., XXIV, p. 64. Boulenger, 1902, in John.ston, 'Uganda Protectorate,' p. 446. Werner, 1902, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, p. 343. Bocage, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Li.sboa, (2) VII, p. 42. Johnston, 1906, 'Liberia,' II, p. 832. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 405. MiJLLER, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 596. Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 164. Despax, 1911, in Cottes, 'Mission Cottes au Sud Cameroun,' p. 239. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 201, 619; 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 19; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 276. Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Frangaise, p. 467. Bothrophthalmus lineatus olivaceous Muller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 KL, p. 597. Thirty-seven specimens of Botkrophthalmus lineatus were collected by the Congo Expedition: A. M. N. H. Nos. 12540, 12547 (September 1913), 12548 (October 1913), Akenge; .12529 (October 1909), 12530 (December 1913), 12569 (March 1914), Avakubi; 12531 (February 1910), Gamangui; 12532-33, 12534, 12535 (April, August and September 1910), 12554-59, 12560-64, 12565-68 (April, June and July 1914), Medje; 12536, 12537 (November and December 1910), 12538 (March 1913), Niangara; 12549, 12550-53 (November and December 1910), Niapu; 12539 (August 1913), Poko; 12397-98 (August 1909), Stanleyville. Bothrophthalmus lineatus is widely distributed throughout the Rain Forest, reaching Uganda, Nyangwe and the Kassai on its borders. The series is ver}^ uniform, and none of the variations in color pattern described in West African specimens appear. The largest male measures 945 mm., the largest female 1135 mm. The proportionate tail length in males is .19-.24, mean .21, in females .17-.20, mean .18. Ventrals number from 181-198, mean 191, in males; 186-207, mean 197, in females; subcaudals in males 75-85, mean 80, in females 70-81, mean 74. 62 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [\'ol. XLIX The dorsal scale rows are extremely constant, 23-23-21, only four speci- mens deviating from this count, 3 with 19 posteriorly, and one with 21 anteriorly. Two pre- and two postoculars in every specimen, three post- oculars on one side in a single instance. Temporals 2-3, 3-3 in one specimen. Seven upper and seven lower labials, rarely 6 or 8 below. The coloration is extremely distinctive. The venter is light yel- lowish red, often vermilion in life, darker on the throat, and extending onto the first scale row. The dorsum is a glistening black, with five bright red longitudinal lines (3^ellow in alcoholic specimens) : a narrow vertebral line on the middle of the median scale row, a slightly wider one on each side on the upper half of the sixth and lower half of the seventh rows, and a still broader one on the second and third rows. Below this the remaining black consists of a narrow line on the upper part of the first and lower part of the second scale rows. The median red line dis- appears half-way down the tail; the outer lateral lines join the ventral color on the base of the tail; and the dorsolateral lines continue to the end of the tail, though faint. The top of the head is light brown, some- what darker in adult specimens, sharply distinct from the black dorsum, extending back about two scales behind the parietals. I'he median and lateral red lines join this light head color, while the dorsolateral lines end abruptly in the black, though occasionally they also merge with the head color. The head is marked with a black V, the apex anterior, with small black spots on the parietals, and a black line on the canthus rostralis through the eye, with considerable variation in the details of the pattern. The form found in Fernando Po and Cameroon, which lacks the dorsal lines of the more wddely distributed typical form, may be dis- tinguishable as a subspecies, Bofhrophthalmus lineatus brunneus Giinther. Four specimens contained young rats, and others had evidentl}' disgorged similar prey, from the hair found in their mouths. Two specimens, taken in July 1914, contained five large eggs, 2-f-3, 19X37 mm., and 20X45 mm., respectively. BoTHROLYCus Giinther Bothrolycus ater Giinther Plate IV, Figure 1 Bothrolycus ater Gunther, 1874, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 444, PI. lvii, fig. B. BouLENGER, 1893, 'Cat. Snakes,' I, p. 326; 190.5, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 212. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 405. MtJLLER, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. .597. Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 19; C. R. Acad. Sci. France, CLXVIII, p. 666; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 277. Pseudoboodon albopunctatus Anders.son, 1901, Bihang Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XXVII, part 4, No. 5, p. 6, PI. i, figs. 2-4. 1923] Sch77iidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 63 Bothrolycus albopundatus Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mas. Berlin, III, p. 405. Twelve specimens of this interesting species were collected as fol- lows: A. M. N. H. No. 11968 (October 1913), Akenge; 11966-67 (January 1913), Faradje; 11969-72, 11973-77 (November and December 1913), Niapii. Miiller (1910, p. 597) has satisfactorily explained the synonynw of this species as based on its sexual dimorphism, and the present series confirms his conclusions. The distribution appears to be closely con- fined to the forest. In the six males the largest measures 440 mm., and the largest of six females measures 702 mm. The tail length in males ranges from .13-. 18 of the total; in females it is .08 of the total. The ventrals range from 139-144 in males, and from 148-152 in females; subcaudals 30-33 in males, 18-21 in females. The dorsal scales are 17-17-15 in males, 19- 19-15 in females. One preocular, two postoculars, and temporals 1-2 in all specimens. Eight upper labials, the third, fourth, and fifth entering the eye; eight lower labials, the first four in contact with the anterior chin shields. The difference between the sexes is unusuall}' pronounced, the differ- ence in size being quite exceptional. The maximum length recorded for a male is 461 mm., (Miiller, 1910, p. 598), the maximum for females 702 mm.; the mean length of six males being 378 mm., of six females, 631 mm. The coloration is dark gray, with brownish venter; white spots on the ends of the ventral plates, and often a ''dusted" appearance on the dorsal scales. Two of the males have the top of the head white with dark spots. Further variation has been described by Miiller (1910, p. 598). BcffiDON Dumeril and Bibron Bosedon lineatus Dumeril and Bibron Bosedon lineatum Dumeril and Bibron, 18.54, 'Erpetol. Gen.,' VII, p. 3G3. Bosedon lineatus Mocquard, 1896, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, II, p. 59. Boodon lineatus Boulenger, 1893, 'Cat. Snakes,' I, p. 332; 1896, III, p. 616. BocAGE, 1896, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VI, pp. 77, 91. Boulenger, 1896, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 216; Ann. IMus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (2) XV, p. 13; (2) XVI, p. 553; (2) XVII, p. 20; 1897, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 801 ; Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 278. Johnston, 1897, 'Briti.sh Central Africa,' p. 361a. Peracca, 1897, Boll. Mus. Torino, XII, Nos. 273, 304. Tornier, 1897, 'Kriech- tiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 68. Werner, 1897, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 398. Boulenger, 1898, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (2) XVIII, p. 720. Ferreira, 1898, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) V, p. 244. Werner, 1899, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, p. 147. Boulenger, 1902, in Johnston, 'Uganda 64 Bulletin American Museum of Nahiral History [Vol. XLIX Protectorate," p. 446; Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 17. Lampe, 1902, Jahrb. Nassau Ver. Naturk., LV, p. 17. Werner, 1902, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, pp. 334, 339, 343. Bocage, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 54. Fer- REiRA, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 10. Peracca, 1904, Boll. Mus. Torino, XIX, No. 467. BouLENGER, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, pp. 112, 180; Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 211. Ferreira, 1905, Jorn. Sci. Lis- boa, (2) VII, p. 114; 1906, p. 167. Boulenger, 1907, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 486. Roux, 1907, Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.), XXV, p. 734; Rev. Suisse Zool., XV, p. 76. Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. (math.-natur.), Wien, CXVI, part 2, p. 1867; 1908, 'Rept. Wellcome Res. Lab. Khartoum,' p. 170. Boulenger, 1908, Ann. Natal Mus., I, p. 228. Gough, 1908, Ann. Transvaal Mus., I, p. 22. Ohdner, 1908, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, IV, No. 18, p. 5. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 405; IV, pp. 212, 243. Boulenger, 1909, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) IV, pp. 303, 309, 311. Chubb, 1909, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 595. Boulenger, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 505. Lonnberg, 1910, in Sjostedt, 'Kilimandjaro-Meru Exp.,' I, part 4, p. 14, NiEDEN, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 442. Peracca, 1910, Boll. Mus. Torino, XXV, No. 624, p. 3. Roux, 1910, Rev. Suisse Zool., XVIII, p. 99. Sternfeld, 1910, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, V, pp. 54, 63. Werner, 1910, Denkschr. Med. Naturw. Ges. Jena, XVI, p. 355. Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 164. Sternfeld, 1911, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 250. Sternfeld and Nieden, 1911, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, V, p. 385. Peracca, 1912, Ann. Mus. Zool. Napoli, (2) III, No. 25, p. 5. Sternfeld, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deu'tsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 266. Boettger, 1913, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Reise in Ostafrika, Voeltzkow,' III, pp. 348, 355, 363, 367. Hewitt and Power, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 161. Lonnberg and Andersson, 1913, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, VIII, No. 20, p. 2. Nieden, 1913, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 450. Werner, 1913, Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. (math.-natur.), Wien, LXXXVIII, p. 717. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Soc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 202, 619, 646; LovERiDGE,. 1916, Journ. E. Africa Uganda Nat. Hist. Soc, V, No. 10, p. 77; 1918, No. 13, p. 333. Boulenger. 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 20. Werner, 1919, Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien, math.-naturw. Kl., XLVI,p. 502. Boulenger, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 277. Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Frangaise, p. 467. Boaodon lincatus Ch.\b.\naud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Nat. Hist., Paris, XXII, p. 368; 1917, XXIII, pp. 10, 139. Four specimens were collected: A. M. N. H. No. 12313 (August 1915), Banana; 12312 (July 1915), Malela; 12310-11 (July 1915), Zambi; all three localities in the Lower Congo. Two specimens from Rhodesia with a third from the Natal Museum were available for comparison. This species occurs throughout the Savannah Province, but was not taken in the Uelle District by the Congo Expedition. The specimens from the Lower Congo are juvenile, the largest measuring 435 mm. The tail length in the single male is .18 of the total, 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 65 .13-. 14 in the three females. Yentrals 202 in the male, 220-222 in the females, subcaudals respectivel}^ 67 and 52-53. Dorsal scale rows 23- 27-19. One preociilar and two post oculars; temporals 1-2 or 1-3, upper labials 8, lower 9. In the South African specimens at hand there are two preoculars, and the scale rows are 27-31 at mid-body. Reference to the series described by Boulenger (1893, p. 333) proves that there is no geographic variation in the number of dorsal scale rows. All four specimens are grajdsh brown above, with the two sharply defined white lines on each side of the head characteristic of this species. No trace of lateral lines. Venter uniform light gray. The lateral hght line figured b^^ Andrew Smith (1849, 'Illustr. Zool. S. Africa, Reptiles,' PI. xxii) is faintly visible in the adult specimen from Natal. It is significant that the variegation of the 3'oung shown in the same plate does not appear in the Lower Congo specimens, and a study of the variation in respect to juvenile and adult coloration might warrant the distinction of subspecies in this widely distributed form. Boaedon fuliginosus (Boie) Plate V Lycodon fuliginosus, Boie, 1827, 'Isis,' p. 5.51. Boodon fvliginosus Boulenger, 1891, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (2) XII, p. 15 1893, 'Cat. Snakes,' I, p. 334. Werner, 1899, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien XLIX, p. 147. BorLEXGER, 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 212 Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 405; IV, p. 212. Klaptocz 1913, Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.), XXXIV, p. 285. Werner, 1913, Mitt. Naturh Mus. Hamburg, XXX, p. 21. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p 646; 1920, p. 277. Boaodon fuliginosus Chabanaud, 1917, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXIII, p. 10. Boodon lineatus plutonis Werner, 1902, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, p. 334; 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. (math.-natur.), Wien, CXVI, part 2, p. 1867. Bosedon fuliginosus is represented by fifteen specimens: A. M. N. H. Nos. 11988, 11989, 11990 (February, April and July 1911), 11991 (October 1912), Faradje; 12007 (April 1914), Medje; 11994 (July 1913), Nala; 11982-86 (November 1910), 11993, 12309 (June 1913), Niangara; 11995-96 (August 1913), Poko. Boaedon fuliginosus is a species characteristic of the Sudanese Sub- province. Its occurrence at Medje and Nala within the borders of the Rain Forest is anomalous, since usually species found both in the forest and savannah are more widely distributed. These localities, however, are not far from the forest border. In Cameroon it is also recorded from the forest, but it is evidently abundant only in the open country, as noted by Sternfeld (1908, p. 212). 66 Bvlletin Anierivan Mvsenm of Xatirml Histnii/ (Vol. XLIX Only two six'cimens are males. The largxM' lueasures 636 nnn., tail length .17 of the total in both specimens. The largest female measures 972 mm. and the tail length in females varies only from .12-.13 of the total. Ventral plates in males 205 210, in females 220-235; subcaudals 59-64 and 48-52 respectively. A single preocular in all except two speci- mens, which have two. Two postoculars. Temporals 1-2. 1-3 in a single specimen. Upper labials 8, lower labials 9. Uniform vciy dark gray above, light gray or white beneath. The characters used by Boulenger (1893, p. 334) to distinguish Boxdon fuliginosus from B. linealus are the shorter parietals and the absence of the characteristic head markings. In tiic present series the proportionate length of the parietals varies from exactly the distance from the frontal to the end of the snout to once and a third that distance; only two specimens agreeing well with B. fuligino.suf^ in this respect. The series, however, is very uniform in coloration and habitus, and appears to warrant distinction on these characters from lineatus. Boodon lineatus plutonis Werner, distinguished by the absence of the head mark- ings, however, is imdistinguishable from B. fuligino^us if the variability^ in length of parietals is taken into account, and it is this form which Werner records from the Lado at Mongalla (1907, p. 1867). HoLUROPHOLis Dumeril Holuropholis olivaceous Dumeril Plate IV, Figure 2 Holuropholi.'i olivaceous A. DuMKRn., 18.56, Rev. Mag. Zool., p. 4(i6. Boodon olivaceous Boulenger, 1891, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. (Icnova, (2) XII, p. 1.5; 189.3. 'Cat. Snakes,' I, p. 335; 1896, III, p. 616. Mocquard, 1897, Bull. Soc. Philom. Pari.s, (8) IX, p. 13. Sjostedt, 1897, Bihang Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XXIII, part 4, No. 2, p. 24. Werner, 1897, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 403; 1899, XLIX, p. 1.36. Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 452. Bocage, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 42. Stern- FELD, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mu.s. Berlin, III, p. 40.5; IV, p. 213. Mxjller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wis.s., 2 KL, XXIV, p. .599. Sternfkld, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deut.sch. Zentr. Afrika Ex]).,' IV, p. 266. MC'Ller, 1913, Zool. Anz., XLI, p. 234. Nieden, 1914, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 306. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 202, 620; 1920, p. 277. Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Fran^aise, p. 468. Boodon oUvaccvs (misprint) Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 21. Twenty-seven specimens of Holuropholis olivaceous were collected: A. M. X. H. Xos. 11997-98 (September and October 1913), Akenge; 11981, 12017-18, 12019 (October and November 1909), Avakubi; 11978 (August 1909), Leopoldvillc; 12020 (September 1910), 12004-06, 12008 (April 1914), 12009-12 (June 1914), 12013 (July 1914), Medje; 11999-12001 (November 1913), 12002-03 (December 1913), Niapu; 11979-80, 12014-16 (August 1909), Stanleyville. 1923] Schmidt, Herpelology of the Belgian Congo 67 The distribution of this species is a consistent one, for it is confined to the forest in West Africa as well as in the Ituri. It was recorded from Go, Upper Congo, by Miiller (1913, p. 234). The twenty-seven specimens exhibit onh^ slight variation, but the range in scale count by Boulenger (1893, p. 335) is somewhat increased. The largest male measures 751 mm., the largest female 895 mm. The tail length in males is .15-.18 of the total, mean .17, .12-.13 in females. The ventrals in males range from 185-205, mean 193, the subcaudals from 49-57, mean 54. In females the range is 204-220, mean 209, and 41-46, mean 44. The dorsal scale count varies from 23-25-19 to 29-31- 23, the higher counts occurring in females, the lower in males, with 27 the most frequent number at mid-body in both sexes. Three specimens have two preoculars, the others one. Two postoculars in all. Temporals 1-2 or 1-3, two in the first row in two specimens. Upper labials 8, lower 9. The dorsum is uniform dark grayish brown, the dark color extending to the ends of the ventrals. Venter yellowish white, sometimes with black spots irregularly arranged, frequently invaded by the pigment from the sides, leaving only a narrow median line. Under surface of the tail dark in all specimens. The stomachs of four specimens contained young or half-grown rats. Lycophidion Dumeril and Bibron Lycophidion laterale Hallowell Plate 1\, Figure 2 Lycophidion laterale Hallowell, 1857, Proc. Acad. Xat. Sci. Phila., p. 58. Lycophidium laterale Boulenger, 1893. 'Cat. Snakes,' I, p. 338; 1896, III, p. 616. MocQUARD, 1897, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 13. Werxer, 1897, Veih. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 209: 1899, XLIX, p. 136. Boulenger, 1900, Proc Zool. Soc. London, p. 452. Werner, 1902, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, p. .343. Ferreira, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 10. Stern- feld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin. Ill, p. 406; IV, p. 213. Werner, 1909, Mitt. Naturh. Mus. Hamburg, XXVI, p. 247. MtJLLER, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., p. 599. Boule.vger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 202; 1920, p. 278. Lycophidium laterale ocellata Sterxfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. IVlus. Berlin, III, p. 406. Six specimens of this species were collected as follows: A. ]\I. X. H, Xo. 12029 (October 1913), Akenge; 12030-32 (June 1914), :Medje; 12033-34 (tags corroded), Belgian Congo. The distribution is essentially confined to the Rain Forest, extend- ing beyond its borders in northern Angola and Togo. L]jcoj)hidion laterale reaches a relatively large size for the genus, the largest female in the present series measuring 454 mm. The largest male measures 449 mm. The sexes are well distinguished. The tail 68 Bulletin American Museum of Xaiural Histoi'tj n'ol. XLIX length in males is .13-. 14 of the total, .10 in females. Ventral plates 187-192 in males, 197-203 in females; subcaudals 43-45 in males, 34-35 in females. The dorsal scales are 17-17-17 in every case, differing in this respect from the other species of Lycophidion examined. The coloration is highly characteristic. Dorsum light brown, with a dorsolateral row of dark brown, light-edged spots about the size of a scale on the sixth or seventh scale row. Sometimes a vertebral row of similar spots. Venter black, including the lower scale rows. Head dark brown with two broad light stripes on each side, uniting anteriorly. Lycophidion irroratum (Leach) Coluber irroratum Leach, 1819, in Bowdich, 'Miss. Ashantee,' App., p. 494. Lycophidiuni irroratum Gunther, 1868, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (4) I, p. 426. BouLENGER, 1893, 'Cat. Snakes,' I, p. 340; 1896, III, p. 617. GtJNTHER, 1896, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XVII, p. 264. Werner, 1897, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 398; 1902, LII, p. 338. Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 212. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 406; IV, p. 213. Werner, 1910. Denkschr. Med. Natum-. Ges. Jena, XVI, p. 356. BouLENGER, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p, 278. Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com, Etudes Hist, Scient. Afrique Occ. Frangaise, p. 468. Two specimens have been referred to this species: A. ]\I. X. H. No. 12041 (October 1910) Dungu; 12035 (June 1912), Garamba. The distribution of this species is unsatisfactoril}' defined. Its absence from Angola and reappearance in Southwest Africa is anomalous. It is well known in the western Sudan, and its occurrence in the Uele District is consequently a normal extension of its range. ^j The two specimens are entirely blackish brown above and below, the smaller one somewhat lighter, without trace of spots. In scale char- acters they agree exactly with the description of Boulenger (1893, p. 340). Measurements and Scale Characters A. M. N. H. No. 12035 12041 Sex 9 9 Length 206 393 mm. Tail 27 42 mm. Tail/Length 0.13 0.11 Ventral Plates 175 183 Subcaudals 38 33 Dorsal Scales 17-17-15 17-17-15 Pi-eoculars 1 1 Postoculars 2 2 Temporals 1-2 1-2 Upper Labials 8 8 Lower Labials 8 8 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 69 Lycophidion fasciatum (Giinther) Alopecion fasciatum Gunther, 1858, 'Cat. Col. Snakes,' p. 196. Lycophidiurn fasciatum Boulenger, 1893, 'Cat. Snakes,' I, p. 342. Werner, 1897, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 209; 1899, XLIX, p. 136. Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 452. Werner, 1902, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, p. 344. Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 212. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 406; IV, p. 213. Werner, 1909, Mitt. Naturh. Mus. Hamburg, XXVI, p. 217. MtJLLER, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 599. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 202; 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 21; 1920. Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 278. Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist.. Scient. Afrique Occ. Fran?aise, p. 468. Six specimens in the collection: A. M. N. H. Nos. 12024-25 (April 1914), 12026-28 (June 1914), Medje; 12023 (January 1914), Niapu. Boulenger (1915, p. 202) has recorded this species as occurring in. the Ituri Forest, and it ranges west to Sierra Leone, evidently distributed throughout the entire Rain Forest. The largest male measures 325 mm., the largest female 339 mm. The tail length is not different in the sexes, ranging from .12-. 15 of the total. Ventral plates 175-184; subcaudals 41-47; dorsal scale rows 17-17-15. One preocular, two postoculars; temporals 1-2; upper labials 7, the third, fourth and fifth entering the eye. Lower labials 8, the first five in contact with the anterior chin-shields. The narrow dark crossbands, frequently interrupted on the dorsal line, are very distinct in juvenile specimens, almost invisible in the largest. There are thirty-one crossbars (on one side) on the body, ten on the tail. The venter is uniformly dark gra.y, the head entirely without markings. Lycophidion elapoides Gunther Lycophidiurn elapoides GIjnther, 1874, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 444. Boulenger, 1893, ' Cat. Snakes,' I, p. .343, PI. xxii, fig. 3; 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 212. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 406. Boulen- ger, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 279. A single specimen, A. M. N. H. No. 12022 (May 1914), was collected at Medje. Lycophidion elapoides is a rare snake, hitherto known only from the Cameroon forest. Its occurrence at Medje proves that it is a widely distributed forest species. The specimen agrees with Boulenger's description and figin-e with the exception of having interspaces between the dark crossbands much wider than the bands. Boulenger states that the temporals are 2-3, but the figures show temporals 1-2. The mmiber of ventral plates, 244, is 70 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX much higher than the 225 of the type, but specimens recorded b,y Stern- feld (1908, p. 406) are intei-mediate between these two extremes. The loreal of one side enters the eye, on the other side it is exckided. The color above is a hght reddish brown, with twentj^-one black crossbands, not extending on the venter, three or four scales in length. Four of these are interrupted on the vertebral line, others are diagonal. Nine black bands on the tail. Top of the head black, joining the first crossband, and outlined on the sides with lighter punctate lines as in Lycophidion laterale. Venter pink, uniformly and profusely spotted with black. ^Ieasuremexts axd Scale Characters A. M. N. H. No. 12022 Sex d" Length 490 mm. Tail Tail/Length Ventral Plates 95 mm. 0.19 244 Subcaudals 78 Dorsal Scales 17-17-15 Preoculars 1 Postoculars 2 Temporals Upper Labials Lower Labials 1-2 8 8 HoRMONOTUs Hallowell Hormonotus modestus (Dumeril and Bibron) Lamprophis modestus Dumeril axd Bibron, 1854, 'Erpetol. Gen.,' VII, p. 429. Hormonotus modestus GOnther, 1862, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (.3) IX, p. 53. BouLEXGER, 1893, 'Cat. Snakes,' I, p. 343; 1896, III, p. 617. Bocage, 1895, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, p. 13. Mocquard, 1897, Bull. See. Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 13. Werner, 1897, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 209; 1899, XLIX, p. 137. Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 452. Bocage, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 43. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 406; IV, p. 213. Boulenger, 1909, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) IV, p. 303. MuLLER, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. .599. Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 164. Sternfeld, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 199. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 204. Chabanaud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, p. 369; 1917, XXIII, p. 10. Boulenger, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 279. Five specimens of Hormonotus were collected: A. ■\I. N. H. No. 12037 CMay 1910), 12039, 12040 (April and June 1914), Medje; 12038 (December 1913), Niapu; 12036 (August 1909), Stanleyville. 1923] Schtnidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 71 Hormonotus has a characteristic forest disti'ibution, reaching the forest islands in Uganda and Togo. The largest of the three males measures 743 mm., the larger female 687 mm. The tail length in males measures .21-.23 of the total, in females .19-.20. .Ventral plates 220-228; subcaudals 96-103 in males, 77-86 in females. Dorsal scales 15-15-13. One preocular; three post oculars; temporals 2-3; 2-2 on one side in one specimen. Upper labials 8, the third, fourth and fifth entering the e3'e; lower labials 9, four in contact with the anterior chin shields. The coloration is imiform grayish brown, lighter beneath. The head shields are narrowly but sharply margined with white, producing a very characteristic reticulate appearance; each of the lower labials has a dark spot. Mehelya C'siki Mehelya lamani Lonnberg Mehelya lamani Loxxberg, 1911, Ark. Zcol., Stockholm, No. 8, p. 1, fig. 1. Simocephalus lamani Botjlenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 203. Four specimens of this species, which has previousl}^ been known from a single specimen from the Lower Congo, were collected: A. M. N. H. Xo. 12054 (June 1914), Medje; 12043 (December 1910), Nian- gara; 12042, 12044 (tags corroded), Belgian Congo. The genus Mehelya ranges over the whole of Africa south of the Sahara, with the exception of Southwest Africa. The distribution of the individual species cannot be satisfactorily determined until the genus is revised, no less than eight of the sixteen species being known from only a single record. It seems very likely that the number of species can hp materially reduced by comparative study. The reference of M. phyl- lophoUs of Cameroon to M. chanleri of Kenya Colony (Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. ]Mus. Berlin, III, p. 407) does not, however, seem geographi- cally probable. Sternfeld (1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 268) records M. haumanni from Avakubi, which adds a third species for the Ituri. Simocephalus (Cephalomnus) insignus Chabanaud (1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, p. 369, Figs. 10-11) seems to be referable to Gonionotophis hrussauxi Mocquard, with which it agrees in essential characters. The four specimens under consideration differ from Lonnberg's description in having a slightly larger frontal, and the vertebral scale row does not extend to the parietals; nor does Lonnberg describe the extremely compi-essed rloisinn, the boch' having a distinctly triangular cross-section. 72 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX The larger of the two males (tail slightl}- damaged) measures 1290 mm., the type measuring 1450 mm. The larger female measures 1120 mm. The tail length is .13 of the total in all of the specimens, .12 in the type. The ventrals range from 227-236, the subcaudals from 53- 60. Dorsal scales 17-15-15. One preocular and two postoculars, three postoculars on one side in one specimen. Temporals 1-2 or 1-3. Upper labials 7, the third and fourth entering the eye. Lower labials 8 or 9, five in contact with the anterior chin shields. The scales are rather widel}^ separated in all specimens, with the exception of the three verte- bral and the lateral rows. The development of lateral keels, the diagonal striation on the dorsal scales and the rugose head shields distinguish this species at once from M. poensis and M. haumanni. The color is a uniform brown, the skin between the scales somewhat lighter. Mehelya poensis (Smith) Plate VI Heterolepis poensis Smith, 1849, '111. Zool. S. Africa, Rept.,' (under H. cavensis, PI. LV). Simocephalus poensis Boulenger, 1899, 'Cat. Snakes,' I, p. 346. Matschie, 1893, Mitt. Deutsch. Schutzgeb., VI, p. 211. Sjostedt, 1897, Biliang Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XXIII, part 4, No. 2, p. 24. Tornier, 1897, 'Kriech- tiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. (59. Werner, 1899, \'erh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, p. 137; 1902, LII, p. .344. Bocage, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 43. Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 212. Stern- FELD, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 406; IV, p. 213. MtJLLER, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 600. Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 164; 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 203, 621. Chabanaud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, p. 369. Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 22; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 280. Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Fran^aise, p. 468. Mehelya poensis Lonnberg, 1911, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, VII, No. 8, p. 3. Stern- FELD, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 199. Eleven specimens have been referred to this species: A. M. N. H. No. 12056 (December 1913), Avakubi; 12048 (February 1910), Gamangui; 12049-50 (September 1910), 12052-53, 12055 (June 1914), Medje; 12051 (July 1913), Nala; 12045-47 (August 1909), Stanleyville. The distribution of Mehelya poensis is that of a forest species reach- ing East Africa. The species is readily distinguished from the preceding bj^ the unicarinate scales, otherwise smooth, the longer tail, and the extremely depressed, broad and elongate snout. The snout appears to be slightly longer in females than in males. i 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 73 The largest male measures 844 mm., the largest female 1145 mm. The tail length in six females is .20-.21 of the total, in four males .24 of the total. The ventral plates range from 245-254 in females, and from 242-246 in males; subeaudals 105-111 in males, 93-103 in females. Dorsal scales 17-15-15, 19 on the neck in one specimen. A single pre- ocular, two postoculars, three on one side in two specimens, temporals invariablj' 1-2. Seven upper labials, third and fourth entering the eye; eight lower labials, first five in contact with the anterior chin shields. Color uniform grayish brown above, the exposed skin between the scales lighter. One specimen, from Stanleyville, was taken in the grass; one from Gamangui in the plantations. Chlorophis Hallowell Synopsis of the Species A. — Anal entire, ventrals keeled. B. — Dorsal scales in 13 rows (Rain Forest) carinatus. BB.- — Dorsal scales in 15 rows. C. — One anterior temporal; VP. 104-170, SC. 123 (Eastern Sudan) bequaerti. CC— Two anterior temporals; \F. 148-162, SC. 78-92 (Rain Forest) heterodennvs. AA. — Anal divided. B. — Ventrals without trace of keel. C. — Scales in 13 rows; VP. 148, SC. 75 (Tanganyika Territory; Ituri) niacrops. CC. — Scales in 15 rows. D.— Two upper labials entering the eye; VP. 150-169, SC. 82- 105 (Southeast and East Africa) hophgaster. DD. — Three upper labials entering the e3^e. E. — Seven upper labials; VP. 182, SC. 114 (Lake Region) schubotzi. EE.— Eight upper labials; VP. 152-166, SC. 85-99 (Angola; Portuguese Guinea?) ornatus. EEE— Nine upper labials; VP. 155-190, SC. 103-123 (Lake Region, Eastern Sudan) emini. BB. — Ventrals with a lateral keel. C- — Two upper labials entering the eye. D. — Two anterior temporals; ^T. 151-169, SC. 114-124 (Southeast Africa; Togo ?) natnlensis. DD. — One anterior temporal. £•.— Loreal nearly as deep as long; VP. 150-160, SC. 90-100 (Angola) angolensis. EE. — Loreal twice as long as deep; VP. 149-166, SC. 77-144 (East and Northeast Africa; Rhodesia; Cameroon ?) negledus 74 Bulletin Aitwrican Museum of Xatural History [Vol. XLIX CC. — Three upper labials entering the eye. D. — Seven upper labials; VP. 185, SC. 129; bod\- verj' slender (Cameroon; Hinterland) gracilis. DD.— Eight or nine upper labials; VP. 175-190, SC. 115-190; body very slender (Borders of Rain Forest), heterolepidotus. DDD.— Nine upper labials; temporals 1 (2) - 2 (1); VP. 150-182, 8C. 90-13.3; body somewhat stouter (Savannah Prov- ince, except Southwest Africa ; occasional in the Forest), irregularis. Chlorophis carinatus Andersson Chlorophis carinatus Andersson, 1901, Bihang Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XXVII, part 4, No. 5, p. 9. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III. p. 407. MtJLLER, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 KL, XXIV, p. 601. BouLENGER, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 205; 1919, Rev. Zcol. Africaine VII, p. 23; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 282. Twenty-one specimens of Chlorophis carinatus were collected; A. M. N. H. No. 12076 (November 1909), Avakubi; 12077 (July 1913), Babonde, south of Aledje; 12075 (September 1909), Batama; 12057 (April 1910), 12058 (May 1910), 12064-66, 12067-72 (April and June 1914), Medje; 12060 (July 1913), Nala; 12061-62, 12063 (November and December 1913), Niapu; 12074 (August 1909), 12078-79 (April 1915), Stanleyville. Chlorophis carinatus appears to he much more abundant in the Ituri Forest than in the Cameroon-Gaboon area. It is closeh' confined to the Rain Forest, and is apparently the only species of the genus that can be regarded as essentially a forest form. The largest male measures 705 mm., the largest female 695 mm. The tail length varies from .25-.28, mean .27 in males, and from .22-.25, mean .24 in females. Ventral plates 148-158 in males, mean 152, 159- 165 in females, mean 161. Subcaudals 80-91, mean 87, in males, 74-86, mean 79, in females. Dorsal scales invariably 13-13-11. One pre- and two postoculars in all. Temporals 2-2 or 2-2-2, rarely 2-3; in one specimen 3-2-2. Upper labials 9, lower labials 10 or 11. Dark bluish green above and below, chin whitish, in formalin specimens. Juvenile alcoholic specimens are bronzy green, more oi* less distinct^ crossbai'red. A specimen fell fi'om the thatch onto the table in the collector's room at Avakul:)i. 1923 Schmidt, Herpeiohgy of the Belgian Congo to Chlorophis bequaerti, new species Two specimens from Xiangara. A. 'SI. X. H. Xos. 12073, 12080 (Xovember 1910), represent a new form, confined, probably, to the eastern Sudan, where apparently it replaces Chlorophis heterodermns, which ranges from Portuguese Guinea to Cameroon. Diagnostic Characters Habitus ver\- slender, tail one-third the total length; ventral plates distinctly keeled; anal entire; three labials entering the eye; one anterior temporal; dorsal scales in fifteen rows; ventrals 164-170, subcaudals, 123. Fig. 3. Dorsal and lateral views of head of Chlorophis bequaerti, new species, (12073, paratype, X 2). Detailed Description Type.— A. M. X. H. Xo. 12aS0, o^. Habitus slender, slight compressed, tail length .33 of the total, eye large, canthus rostralis distinct. Rostral slightly wider than high, visible from above. Internasals considerably smaller than the prefrontals. Frontal bell-shaped, longer than its distance from the end of the snout, shorter than the parietals. X'asal divided, in contact with the first and second labials. Loreal rectangular, twice as long as high. A single preocular barely in contact with the frontal; two postoculars. Temporals, 1-1. Xine upper labials, fourth, fifth and sixth entering the ej-e. Eleven lower labials, first five in contact with the anterior chin shields. Posterior chin i^hields longer, with a long median suture. Dorsal scales, 15-15-11, very oblique anteriorly. Ventral plates 164, with a dis- tinct keel. Subcaudals, 123. Total length 652 mm., tail 212 mm. ^33). Color dark bluish gray above and Vjelow. Posterior chin shields and gulars light. 76 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Comparison of Paratypes The single parat3-pe, a female, has a slightly incomplete tail. Ventral plates 170, subcaudals 98. Temporals 1-2. Somewhat stouter habitus, probably a sex character. ChloropMs hequaerti is distinguished from C. carinatus by the fifteen dorsal scales and the single anterior temporal. From C. heterodermus, its closest ally, it is distinguishable by the single anterior temporal, the longer tail and higher number of subcaudals, and by a higher number of ventral plates. Chlorophis heterolepidotus (Glinther) Ahaetulla helerolepidota GtJNTHER, 1863, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (3) XI, p. 286. Chlorophis heterolepidotus Boulenger, 1894, 'Cat. Snakes,' II, p. 95, PI. v, fig. 3; 1897, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 278. Torxier, 1897, 'Kriech- tiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 69. Werner, 1902, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, p.344. Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 112. Stern- FELD, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, IV, p. 214; 1912, 'Wiss Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 270. Boulenger, 1915, Pror. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 205, 623; 1920, p. 281. Three specimens of this distinct species: A. M. X. H. No. 12086, 10287, 12092 (April, May and June 1913), Niangara. This species, far less common than C. irregularis, also ranges entirely' around the forest border, being known from Eastern Gold Coast, the Sudan, East Africa and the Lake Region, and the Lower Congo and Angola. The three specimens conform closely to the descriptions. The color is dark green above and beneath, chin lighter. Measurements and Scale Characters . M. N. H. No. 12086 12087 12092 Sex 9 & 9 Length 764 730 742 Tail 264 250 234 Tail/Length 0.32 0.34 0.31 Ventral Plates 186 193 189 Subcaudals 117 1.34 117 Dor.sal Scales 15-15-11 1.5-15-11 1.5-15-11 Preoculars 1 1 1 Postoculars 2 2 2 Temporals 1-1 1-1 1-1 Upper Labials S-9 S 9 Lower Labials 10 10 10 Chlorophis irregularis (Leach) Coluber irregularis Leach, 1819, in Bowdich, 'Miss. Ashantee,' p. 494. Chlorophis irregularis Boulenger, 1891, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 306; 1894, 'Cat. Snakes,' II, p. 96; 1896, III, p. 631. Mocquard, 1896, Bull. Mus. Hist. 1923] Sch7nidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 77 Nat., Paris, II, p. 59. Peracca, 1896, Boll. Mus. Torino, XI, Xo. 255, p. 2. BouLEXGER, 1897, Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 278; Proc. Zool. Soc. Lon- don, p. 801. Johnston, 1897, 'British Central Africa,' p. 361a. Tornier, 1897, 'Kriechtiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 70, fig. D. Werner, 1897, ^'erh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 398; 1899, XLIX, p. 147. Boulenger, 1902, in Johnston, 'Uganda Protectorate,' p. 446. Werner, 1902, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, pp. 334, 344. Ferreira, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 10. Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 112; Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 213. Roux, 1907, Zool, Jahrb. (Syst.), XXV, p. 734. Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. (math.-natur.), Wien, CXVI, part 2, p. 1871, PI. Ill, fig. 5. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 407; IV, pp. 214, 243. Chubb, 1909, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 595. Gendre, 1909, E.xtr. C. R. Soc. Linn. Bordeaux, p. cvi. Boulenger, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 508. Sternfeld, 1910, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, V, p. 64. Bou- lenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Xat. Genova, (3) V, p. 165. Sternfeld, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' p. 270. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 205, 623. Chabanaud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, p. 371; 1917, XXIII, p. 11; 1919, XXV, p. 567. Boulenger, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 282. Chaban.\ud, 1921, Bull. Com Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Frangaise, p. 468. Fifteen specimens of CMorophis irregularis: A. M. N, H. Nos. 12059, 12085 (July 1911), Aba; 12083-84 (IMarch 1911), Faradje; 12081-82 (November 1910), 12090-91 (June 1913), Xiangara; 12094-97 (August 1909), Stanleyville; 12098-12100 (November 1911), Yakuluku. It proves impossible to distinguish the four specimens from Stanley- ville from those taken in the savannah, and for the present it must be assumed that this wide-ranging savannah species enters the forest in Cameroon as well as in the Ituri. Records from the forest, however, are rare, while it is a verj" common species in the savannah. It has the distribution typical of a number of savannah species, reaching Natal to the south, but absent from Southwest Africa, although it reaches Angola. The largest male measures 843 mm., the largest female 1005 mm. The tail length in males varies from .30-.33 of the total, mean .31; and from. 27-.30 in females, mean .29. The sexes are not distinguishable b}' the number of ventral plates, Avhich range from 152-173, mean 161. The subcaudals in males range from 96-1 13, mean 107, from 93-109, mean 103, in females. Dorsal scale rows usually 15-15-11, rarety 13 or 17 on the neck. One pre- and two post oculars. Temporals 1-1 in eleven speci- mens, 1-2 in two, and 1-1 + 1-2 in two others, slightly differing in this respect from the normal C. irregularis, in which the temporals are most frequently 1-2. Two to five slightly enlarged occipitals. Upper labials 8, rarely 7 or 8; lower labials 10 or 11. Bright green above, very pale green on the venter, many of the dorsal scales with a white basal spot. The black skin between the 78 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [\o\. XLIX scales is veiy conspicuous in some specimens, and it appears especialh' when the specimen is injected. One specimen from Stanleyville was caught at the base of a tree, beneath a heap of leaves, anothei-, from Niangara, was taken from a pawpaw tree. One specimen contained a frog; another a lizard. Philothamnus Smith Philothamnus nitidus (Giinther) Ahsetulla nitida Gunther, 1863, Ann. i\lag. Nat. Hist., (3) XI, p. 286. Philothamnus nitidus Boulenger, 1894, 'Cat. Snakes,' II, p. 100. Gunther, 1896, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XVII, p. 264. Werner, 1897, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 403; 1899, XLIX, pp. 137, 147. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 408; IV, p. 215. MtIller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2K1., XXIV, p. 601. Boulenger, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 282. Philothamnus semivariegatus Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 23. Fiheen ^:>ecmlens of Philothamnus nitidus were secured: A. M. N. H. No. 12113 (September 1913), Akenge; 12101-2 (October 1909), Avakubi; 12110, 12112 (January 1910), Gamangui; 12088-89 (May and August 1910), 12107-9 (April 1914), Medje; 12103 (November 1910), Niangara; 12104-6 (December 1913), Niapu; 12093 (tag cor- roded), Belgian Congo. This species evidently replaces Philothamnus semivariegatus in the Rain Forest. Boulenger (1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 213) records the latter species from Victoria, Cameroon, but the speci- men should probably be referred to P. nitidus, as Sternfeld (1908, p. 408) has since referred other supposed P. semivariegatus from Cameroon. The largest of the four males measures 895 mm., the largest female 930 mm. The tail length in males varies from .36-.39 of the total length; in females from .35-.36. Ventral plates range from 164-175; the subcaudals from 134-153 in males, and from 129-140 in females. The dorsal scales are uniformh' 15-15-11 ; one pre- and two postoculars. Temporals variable, usually 1-2, or 1-1-2, sometimes 1-2-2, in one case 1-1-1. Nine upper and nine to eleven lower labials. The coloration is bluish green above, the scales outlined with black, lighter green beneath, the throat nearly white. Philothamnus dorsalis (Bocage) Leptophis dorsalis Bocage, 1866, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, d) I, p. 69. Philothamnus dorsalis Peters, 1876, IMonatsber. Akad. Wi.ss. Berlin, p. 119. Boulenger, 1895, 'Cat. Snakes,' II, p. 101; 1896, III, p. 631. Bocage, 1897, Jom. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, p. 200. Boulenger, 1897, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 278. MocQUARD, 1897, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 12. Fer- 1923] Schtnidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 79 REiRA, 1898, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, p. 244. Botjlexger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 452: 1915, p. 206; 1920, p. 282. A single specimen of this species, A. M. X. H. Xo. 12111, was taken at Banana, Lower Congo, August 1915. Philothamnus dorsalis is a distinctly Angolan species, reaching the border of the forest north of the mouth of the Congo, The record from Tanganyika Territory- (Tornier, 1897, 'Kriechtiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 71) has not been confirmed, but it is entireh" probable that dorsalis reaches at least the western shore of Lake Tanganyika, with a forest- border distinction similar to that of man}' Sudanese species. It is possible that the East African record of P. thomensis (Tornier, loc. cit.) should be referred to this species. The specimen is a female, 741 mm. in length, of which the tail occupies 254 mm., or .34 of the total length. Ventral plates 178, sub- caudals 121. Dorsal scale rows 15-15-11. One pre- and two postoculars; temporals 1-1-1; three slightly enlarged occipitals. Upper labials 9, lower labials 11. General color a bronzy green, most of the scales on the anterior half of the body with a small white spot at the anterolateral corner. Brownish crossbands on the anterior portion of the back, about as wide as the interspaces, merging into a longitudinal line on the three median scale rows posteriorly. Venter greenish gray, with a sharp black line following the keels. Throat, chin, and labials yellow, snout reddish brown. Gastropyxis Cope Gastropyxis smaragdina (Schlegel) Plate VII Dendrophis smaragdina Schlegel, 1837, 'Phys. Serp.,' II, p. 237. Gastropyxis smaragdina Cope, 1860, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., p. 558. Bou- LENGER, 1894, 'Cat. Snakes,' II, p. 103; 1896, III, p. 631; 1897, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 278. Mocqtjard, 1897, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 12. Sjostedt, 1897, Bihang Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XXIII, part 4, No. 2, p. 24. Werner, 1897, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 403; 1899, XLIX, p. 137. Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zooi. Soc. London, p. 452. Tornier, 1901, Zool. Anz., XXIV, p. 64. Lampe, 1902, Jahrb. Nasasu. Ver. Natiirk., LV, p. 57. Werner, 1902, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, pp. 338, 344. Ferreira, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 10. Gough, 1903, Zool. Jahrb. (Sj^st.), XVII, p ^ . 465. Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 213. Johnston, 1906, 'Liberia,' II, p. 832. Boulenger, 1908, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) IV, p. 5. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 408; IV, p. 215. Muller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 601. Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 165. Sternfeld, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp., ' IV, p. 199. Mul- ler, 1913, Zool. .\nz., XLI, p. 64. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. 80 Bidletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX London, pp. 206, 623. Chabanaud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, p. 372. BotJLENGER, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 23: 1920, Proc. Zool. Sec. London, p. 283. Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Frangaise, p. 468. Fifteen specimens of this species were collected: A. M. N. H. No. 12120 (December 1913), Avakubi; 12115, 12116-17, 12118 (May, August and September 1910), 12121-27, 12128 (April and June 1914), Medje; 12119 (June 1913), Niangara; 12114 (August 1909), Stanleyville. Gastropyxis smaragdina is a wide-ranging forest species, reaching Eastern Gold Coast and northern Angola, and recorded in East Africa from the Sesse Islands in Lake Victoria. The largest male measures 865 mm., the largest female 1112 mm. The sexes are not distinguished either by tail length or number of ventrals and subcaudals. The tail length varies from .37-.39 of the total. Ventral plates 152-161, subcaudals 141-146. Dorsal scale count uniformly 15-15-11. Invariably one pre- and two postoculars. Temporals 1-2 or 1-1-2. Upper labials 9, lower 9 or 10. The color is green above, lighter yellowish green beneath, with a black line through the eye. Venter uniform green with a dark line on each side corresponding to the keels. A female taken in April 1914 (No. 12121) contained three eggs which are remarkably elongate, measuring 56 X 12 mm. Hapsidopheys Fischer Hapsidophrys lineatus Fischer Hapsidophrys lineatus J'ischer, 1856, Abh. Naturw. Ver. Hamburg, III, p. Ill, PI. II, fig. 5. BouLENGER, 1894, 'Cat. Snakes,' II, p. 104. Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 97; Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, p. 13. GtJNTHER, 1896, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XVII, p. 264. Mocquard, 1896, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, II, p. 59. Boulenger, 1897, Ann;Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 278. Mocquard, 1897, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 12. Sjostedt, 1897, Bihang Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XXIII, part 4, No. 2, p. 24. Werner, 1899, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, p. 137. Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 453. Tornier, 1901, Zool. Anz., XXIV, p. 64. Bocage, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 43. Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Geneva, (3) II, p. 213. Johnston, 1906, 'Liberia,' II, p. 832. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 408; IV, p. 215. MIjller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 KJ., XXIV, p. 602. Boulenger, 1909, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat.Genova, (3)IV,p.303; 1911, (3) IV, p. 165; 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 206, 624; 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 23; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 283. Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Frangaise, p. 469. Eight specimens of Hapsidophrys lineatus were collected, frequently in the same lot with Gastropyxis: A. M. N. H. Nos. 12131, 12132-33 1923] Schmidt, Her petohgy of the Belgian Congo 81 (August and September 1910), 12134-36, 12129 (April and June 1914), Medje; 12130 (August 1909), Stanleyville. Hapsidophrys has practicaU}- the same distribution as Gastropyxis, reaching French Guinea to the west and Uganda to the east, but rather closely confined to the Rain Forest. The largest male measures 1102 mm., the largest female 1070 mm. The tail length, which does not differ in the sexes, occupies .28-.30 of the total. The ventrals range from 158-166, the subcaudals from 101- 110. Dorsal scales uniformly 15-15-11. Invariably one pre- and two postoculars. Temporals 2-2 in all specimens. Upper labials 8 or 9, lower 9 or 10. One specimen lacks the loreal on one side, b}- fusion with the prefrontal. Coloration normal. General color above bluish green, all of the scales with dark lateral edges, producing a hneate effect. Venter light green with onh' a very faint darker line on the keels. Rhamnophis Giinther Synopsis of the Species of Rhaymiophis and Thrasops A. — Dorsal scales smooth; vertebral row distincth' enlarged; rostral low, sub- triangular; large occipitals present Rhamnophis. B. — Anal divided, scales in 15-19 rows. C. — Dorsal scales in 17 rows (rarely 19); two postoculars; eight upper labials: ventrals 158-179 aethiopissa. CC. — Dorsal scales in 15 rows (rarely 17); two postoculars; eight upper labials: ventrals 159-172 ituriensis. BB. — Anal entire, scales in 13 rows; three postoculars; .seven upper labials; ventrals 163-177 batesii. A A. — Dorsal scale.s keeled or smooth; vertebral row scarcely if at aU enlarged; rostral high, square, with vertical sides; postparietals numerous, some- times a little enlarged Thrasops. B. — Dorsal scales in 19 rows: ventrals 192-211; throat in adult faintly graj' .jacksoni. BB. — Dorsal scales in 17 rows; ventrals 173-187; (throat gray?) . rothschildi. BBB. — Dorsal scales in 13-15 rows; ventrals 179-206; throat bright yellow in adult flavigularis. Rhamnophis ituriensis, new species Rhamnophis sethiops Boulexger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 23. Ten specimens of Rhamnophis are distinguished from R. sethiopissa Giinther: A. AI. X. H. Xos. 12507-08 (February 1910), Gamangui; 12490-91 (May 1910), Medje; 12492 (November 1910), Niangara; 12500-02 (November 1913). 12505-06 (January 1914), Niapu. The new form replaces the West African Rhamnophis xthiopissa in the Ituri. 82 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Diagnostic Characters Habitus slender, tail more than a third the total length, eye large, its diameter equaling the length of the snout. A pair of very large occipital shields; dorsal scales smooth, very oblique, in fifteen rows, the vertebral row enlarged. Ventral plates 159- 172, subcaudals 134-150. Detailed Description Type.— A. M. N. H. No. 12505, 9 . Habitus of arboreal species, tail .34 of the total length. Ej-e very large, the diameter equaling the length of the snout, pupil round. Snout flattened, obtusely truncate, canthus rostralis rounded. Fig. 4. Dorsal and lateral views of head and front view of rostral of Rhatnnophis ituriensis, new species, (12505, type, X 2). Rostral much wider than high, narrowly visible from above. Internasal suture slightly longer than the prefrontal; prefrontals extending on the sides of the snout to theloreal; nasal divided; loreal once and a half as long as high; frontal as long as its distance from the end of the snout, slightly shorter than the parietals, five-sided, the lateral sides straight, converging behind; parietals nearly as wide as long; two very large occipitals, one in contact with the eighth labial, the other narrowly separated from it; one preocular, not reaching the frontal; two postoculars; a single large temporal; eight upper labials, the fourth and fifth entering the eye; nine lower labials, the first five in contact v/ith the anterior chin shields; three pairs of chin shields, the second largest. Dorsal scales smooth with apical pits, in 15-15-11 rows, very oblique; the vertebral row strongly enlarged, its scales at least twice as wide as the adjacent laterals. Ventrals 166, obtusely angulate, without keel; anal divided; subcaudals divided, 140. General color above bluish black, the center of each scale with a lighter bluish line, these making four continuous light lines on the tail. Ventrals bluish olive, with a 1923] Sch7nidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 83 well-defined, nearly continuous light line on the lateral angle, and with a black spot either adjacent to this line or at the lateral end of the ventral; subcaudals more or less spotted with black, a well-defined median black line posteriorly; chin shields and throat yellowish; labials and head uniform dark bhiish graj-. Length 1305 mm., tail 440 mm. Comparison" of Parattpes In the series of paratypes, three males and six females, the largest female measures 1290 mm., tail 458 mm. (the t3'pe being the largest male). The tail length varies from .34-.38 of the total, with no difi'erence for sex. Ventral plates 164-166 in males, 159-172, mean 170, in females; dorsal scales 15-15-11 in all but two speci- mens, one of which has 19-15-11, the other 15-17-11. Two specimens have two preoculars on each side; one has postoculars 2-3, one postoculars 4-4. A single large temporal in every specimen; one specimen has three large occipitals, one being longitudinalh' divided; two specimens have only seven upper labials, and the lower labials, usually 9, var}- from 8-10. The two specimens from ]\Iedje reported by Boulenger agree with the present series in having fifteen scale rows instead of seventeen, as in the R. aethiopissa of West Africa. The relationship with the latter species is so close that the two forms will probably be found to represent sub- species. One of the smaller specunens shows the more vivid juvenile colora- tion. The light portion of each scale is much larger, the black reduced to a narrow rim, with the alternate black and light lines on the tail sharply defined. The vahdity of the genus Rhamnophis has been questioned b}' vari- ous authors, beginning with Boulenger (1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 632). Part of this uncertainty is due to the emphasis of the wrong char- acters, which caused Boulenger to place Thrasops jacksoni in Rham- nophis. Although the writer has been able to examine onh^ four of the six species of the two genera, it seems certain that the correlation of several minor characters, common to a group of species, such as has been indicated in the foregoing synopsis, is basis for generic distinction; but Rhamnophis is further distinguished from Thrasops by a character of the hemipenis. In Rhamnophis ituriensis the hemipenis has four large spines about the base, with the remainder calj^culate; in Thrasops jack- soni it is heavily spinose on one side for its entire length. Rhamnophis batesii (Boulenger) Thrasops batesii Boulexger, 1908, Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist., (S) II, p. 93; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 283. Three specimens of this rare and distinct species: A. M. N. H. No. 12137 (February 1910), Gamangui; 12503-04 (November 1913), Niapu. S4 Bulletin American Museum of A'atural History [Vol. XLIX Rhamnophis hatesii must be continuously distributed throughout at least the eastern division of the Rain Forest from Cameroon to the Ituri. It is known from both the Kribi and Ja river basins in Cameroon. The largest specimen, a female, tail mutilated, measures 1060 mm., 770 mm. to the vent, the largest specimen of the type series measuring 1800 mm. In the original description, the enlarged vertebral scales are not mentioned, but the agreement in every other respect is so close that there can be no question of the identity of the present specimens with the Cameroon species. The two pairs of occipitals and the large seventh lal^ial, bordering the temporal for its entire length, distinguish Rham,- Fig. .5." Dorsal and lateral views of head of Rhmnnophis baiesw^CBoulenger) , fl217.3, X 2). nophis hatesii from R. sethiopissa and R. ituriensis. R. hatesii is also distinguished from the other two species of Rhamnophis l)y the single anal and the larger number of maxillary teeth, but the relationship is nevertheless close, and the affinities would be disguised by the use of a generic or subgeneric name. The coloration is \evy distinctive, but still similar in plan to that of R. ituriensis, the light color predominating instead of the black. Scales (in alcohol) light gray, with a violet tinge, narrowly edged with black; all of the head shields distinctly violet. Upper and lower labials, temporals and occipitals outlined with black; venter light gray with violet tinge, and scattered black spots, which are more numerous pos- teriorly, but most sharply defined anteriorly; light line on the lateral 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 85 angle of the ventrals very faint. Tail with the scales very iiarrowh' edged with black, ver}^ different from the heav}- black lines of /?. itwiensis. In the full-grown specimen (1060 mm.) the coloration is the same as in the young, with no evidence of the darkening of all the scales from the edges as in R. itwiensis. The violet ground color is darker throughout in this specimen. The violet ^'enter is strikingly different from the dark bluish olive of R. ituriensis. Measfremexts and Scale Characters . M. X. H. Xo. 12137 12.503 12504 Sex 9 a' c^ Length 1060 640 825 mm TaU 183 210 mm Tail/Length 0.29 0 25 Ventral Plates 177 172 176 Subcaudals 108 91 Dorsal Scales 13-13-11 13-13-11 13-13-11 Preoculars 1 1 1 Postoculars 3 3 3 Occipitals • 4 4 4 Upper Labials 7 7 7 Lower Labials 8 8 8-9 Thrasops Hallowell Thrasops jacksoni Giinther Thrasops jacksoni Gii^THER, 1895, Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist., (6) XV, p. 528. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, IV, p. 215, figs. 2-3; 1912, 'Wi.ss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 199. Rhatnnophis jacksoni Boulenger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 632; 1902, in Johnston, 'Uganda Protectorate,' p. 446; 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Xat. Geneva, (3) V, p. 165; 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 624; 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 23; 1920, Pioc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 284. Eighteen specimens of Thrasops are referred to this species: A. M. N. H. Nos. 12138, 12287, 12288-89 (October and November 1909), 12293, 12295 (September 1913). 12296 (November 1913), 12141-42 (January and May 1914), Avakubi; 12290 (June 1910), 12139-40, 12291 (September 1910), 12297-98 (June 1914), Aledje; 12252, 12292 (November and December 1910), Niangara; 12143 (tag corroded), Belgian Congo. The distribution of Thrasops jacksoni is puzzling, for it is absent in the Cameroon-Gaboon Forest, abundant in the Ituri Forest, and re- appears in theLiberian Forest Area (French Guinea to Togo) and to the south of the Rain Forest proper along the Kasai. Thrasops flavigularis appears to replace it in the Gaboon region, l)ut the two species occur to- gether in the Lil)erian Forest Area. 86 Bulletin American Museuin of Natural History IVol. XLIX The largest male measures 1900 mm., the largest female 2160 mm. The tail length varies from .28-.31 of the total in both sexes, mean .29 in twelve females, .30 in six males. The ventrals range from 192-205, mean 199 in males, and from 206-211, mean 208 in females. The subcaudals range from 144-152, mean 147 in males, from 135-155, mean 143 in females. In one specimen the dorsal scale rows are 19-17-lS, and in one 21-21-13, all others 19-19-13. The large preocular frequently is semi- divided, and is entirely divided in three specimens, on one of which there are three preoculars on each side. Postoculars uniformly 3, "one Fig. 6. Dorsal and lateral views of head and front view of rostral of Thi-asops jacksoni Gunther, (12144, X 2). specimen having 4 on on(^ side. Temporals 1-1 in every specimen. Upper labials invariably 8, lower 10-12. Parietals as long as the frontal or longer. Twelve specimens, ranging from 1235 mm. to the largest, are black, with a grayish throat. In the smallest of these, faint marbling of the ventrals and lighter spots on the dorsal scales are distinguishable under alcohol. In six specimens from 643-1313 mm. a spotted coloration, as in juvenile Thrasops flavigularis, is exhibited. In No. 12141 the throat is bright yellow, extending to about the fifteenth ventral. Posterior to this the ventrals are marked with black and j^ellow, alternately disposed, a ventral which is black-yellow-black-yellow-black, from side to side, being 1923] ScJntiidt, Herpeiology of the Belgian Congo 87 followed by one which is yellow-black-j-ellow-black-yellow, though not with perfect regularity. Each subcaudal has a round 3^eUow spot alternately on the inner and outer part of the scale. The top of the head is olive, the neck yellow with black-tipped scales, its sides orange. On the bod}' the black predominates with groups of yellow or partly yellow scales arranged alternateh', producing a more or less vertically barred appearance. The relationship of the present species with Thrasops rothschildi Mocquard, from Ken3'a Colony (possibly Uganda?) and Mt. Kenia is close. In the specimens of that species so far described there are 17 rows of scales, and 173-178 ventral plates. Mocquard's description (1905, Bull. AIus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XI, p. 287) states that the rostral is wider than high and that the frontal is longer than the parietals. This latter character is well shown in Lonnberg's figure (1911, Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl, XLVII, No. 6, p. 22, Fig. 4), in which the parietals are considerably shorter than in the present species. The tail in T. rothschildi measures .32-.33 of the total, slighth^ longer than in T. jacksoni. The absence of the yellow throat of T. flavigularis also relates T. rothschildi to T. jacksoni. The difference in scale rows is the most important distinction, but one of the present series has only 17. Should the type of T. rothschildi have come from Uganda, it is practically certain that it is synonymous with T. jacksoni; in which case the two specimens recorded from IVIt. Kenia by Lonnberg {loc. cit.) probably represent a distinct, though closeh' alHed, form. CoRONELLA Laureuti Coronella coronata (Schlegel) Calamarin coronata Schlegel, 1834, 'Phys. Serp.,' II, p. 46. Coronella coronata Jax, 1863, Arch. Zool. Anat. Phj's., II, p. 2.54. Boulenger, 1894, 'Cat. Snakes/ II, p. 196. Werner, 1897, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 399. Mocquard, 1902, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, VIII, p. 41.5. Stern- feld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, IV, p. 215. Botjlenger, 1920, Pror. Zool. Soc. London, p. 284. Chabaxatjd, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Ooc. Fran^aise, p. 469. Three specimens were collected in the Sudan: A. M. N. H. No. 11910 (April 1913). Bafuka; 12299 (February 1911), Faradje; 11909 (November 1910), Niangara. The species coronata is characteristic of the Sudanese Subprovince ranging from Senegal nearly to the Nile. It has previously been recorded from Togo, so that the present records represent an enormous extension of its range. Coronella regular is has been recorded from Uganda 88 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [\'ol. XLIX (Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Geneva, (3) V, p. 165), and evidently also ranges throughout the Sudan. C. semiornata is East Afri- can, ranging south to ]\Tozaml:)ique and north into Kenya Colony, where it gives off an allied species, C. scheffleri Sternfeld. The three specimens agree closely in scale characters, but offer some difficult}^ in identification, agreeing best with C. coronata in scale char- acters and with C. regidaris in coloration, especially in having a dark venter. It seems very probable that C. regularis is referable to C. coronata, the differences in coloration being rather less than in many other African species. There are four lower labials in contact with the anterior chin shields, and the nai-row temporal and long frontal distinguish it also as C. coronata. The dorsal color is black, the scales narrowly light-edged; the venter is dark graj^, the throat light yellow. In the smallest specimen the dorsal scales are ]:)rown, the ventrals lighter in the middle, the throat white. The head pattern is the same in two specimens, but more sharply defined in the smaller. The black ground color is crossed by a narrow light line on the posterior border of the prefrontals and the preoculars; by a similar line on the anterior border of the parietals and the postoculars; by a third narrow line just behind the parietals, broadening on the side of the neck; a nuchal white band, about twice as wide as the anterior crosslines, on the neck about seven scales distant from the parietals; and a final ill-defined light band separates the second nuchal black area from the dorsal brown. These lines all join the light throat color, which extends onto the upper labials. The e3"e is ver}- narrowl}' rimmed with black. The largest specimen has lost the head pattern entirely, and is uniform Ijrownish black above and below, with the exception of the throat and chin shields, which are gray. Measurements and Scale Characters A. M. X. H Xo. 12299 11909 11910 Sex 9 d^ d Length 640 378 205 mm Tail 121 80 44 mm Tail/Length 0.19 0.21 0.21 Ventral Plates 19o 182 181 Subcaudals 74 70 64 Dorsal Scales 19-19-17 21-19-17 19-19-17 Preoculars 1 1 1 Postoculars 2 2 2 Temporals 1-2 1-2 1-2 Upper Labials 8 8 8 Lower Labials 9 9 9 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 89 Prosymna Gray Prosymna ambigua Bocage Prosymna ambigims Bocage, 187-4, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (1) IV, p. 218. Prosymna ambigua Boulkxger, 1894, 'Cat. Snakes,' II, p. 248; 1896, III, p. 641. Bocage, 1896, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, p. 93. Torxier, 1897, 'Kriechtiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 71. Boulexger, 1902, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 17; 1907, Mem. Proc. Manchester Lit. Philos. Soc, LI, part 3. Xo. 12, p. 11; 1908, Ann. Natal Mus., I, p. 229; 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V. p. 509. Sterx- FELD, 1912; 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' I\', p. 199. Boulexger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 208, 625. Chabaxaid, 1916, Bull. :\Ius. Hist. Xat., Paris, XXII, pp. 372, 439. Boulexger, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 285. Prosymma ambigua (misprint) Boulexger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Afriraine, VII. p. 25. Fig. 7. Dorsal and lateral views of head of Prosymna ambigua Bocage, (12145 X 2), showing modification of rostral and frontal shields for burrowing. Fig. 8. Ventral A-iew of tail of Pro.^?/?«7?n r/?«5/gr;/f; Bocage, ("12145, X 2), .showing extended hemipenis. Two specimens of Prosymna ambigua were secured at Garamba, A. M. X. H. Xos. 12144-45 (June and July 1912). It appears to be a species of the South and East African Subprovince, ranging into the eastern Sudan. It has not been reported from the savannah of Cameroon and Togo. The record of a single specimen from the Rain Forest at Avakubi, in the Chri.sty collection (Boulenger, 1919, p. 25), requires verification. 90 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX This species has the typical habitus of burrowing forms, with the shovel-shaped rostral, small ej^es, cylindrical body, and short tail. One specimen has a small anterior supplementary^ loreal, cut off from the nasal. The extended hemipenis is remarkable in being unforked, and longer than the tail by at least ten millimeters. It is obvioush^ "telescoped" when withdrawn, as is indicated bj' the transverse folds. Its great relative length may be due to a reduction in tail length undergone hy this form with the adoption of burrowing habits. The coloration is bluish gray above and below, each of the dorsal scales with a lighter gray spot. Measl-rements and Scale Characters A. M. N. H. Xo. Sex Length Tail Tail/Length Ventral Plates Subcaudals 'Dorsal Scales Preoculars Postoculars Temporals Upper Labials Lower Labials ScAPHioPHis Peters Scaphiophis albopunctatus Peters Plate VIII Scaphiophis albojnmctatus Teters, 1870, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, ]). 645, PI. I, fig. 4. BorLENGER, 1894, 'Cat. Snakes,' II, p. 254; 1896, III, p. 641. Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 102. GtJNTHER, 1895, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XV, p. 526. Bocage, 1896, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, p. 83. Boulenger, 1896, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (2) XVI, p. 553; 1897, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 279. ToRNiER, 1897, 'Kriechtiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 71. Boulenger, 1902, in Johnston, 'Uganda Protectorate,' p. 446. Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. (math.-natur.), AVien, CXVI, part 1, p. 1873. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, IV, p. 243. Pellegrin, 1909, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, XXXIV, p. 204. Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 165; 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 209, 626, 649. Chabanaud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, p. 372; 1917, XXIII, p. 11. Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 25; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 285. Seven specimens of Scaphiophis were collected as follows: A. M. N. H. No. 12151 (March 1911), Faradje; 12146-49, 12150 (November and December 1910), Niangara; 12152 (November 1911), Yakuluku. 12144 12145 9 & 252 298 mm. 36 48 mm 0. 14 0.16 148 139 30 32 19-L5-1 5 20-15-15 1 1 2 2 1-2 1-2 6 6 8 8 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 91 The distribution of this form is interesting. It ranges entirel}^ around the borders of the forest from the Lower Congo and the Kasai to Tanganyika Territor}-, and from Dahomey to Eritrea. Most of the forms with a forest-border distribution do not reach the Abyssinian Sub- province. Boulenger's records from Stanley\^ille and Avakubi do not seem logical and require verification. Fig. 9. Dorsal, lateral, and ventral views of head of Scaphiopvs albopunctatus Peters, (12147, X 1). Modifications for burrowing are seen in the spade-like rostral and the valve-like closure of the jaws. The development of the rostral for burrowing reaches an extreme in this species. The lower jaw closes with a valve-like precision, and the mental has a projection, with a horn-like tip, which fits into a correspond- ing emargination of the rostral. The upper labials are reverted and project well below the labial border. The largest male measures 984 mm., the largest female 1367 mm. (an exceptional size). The tail length in three males ranges from .18-. 19 of the total, in three females from .14-. 16 of the total. The sexes are very distinct in number of ventral plates, 185-189 in males, 216-224 in females, both figures rather low in comparison with the range 212-240 given by Boulenger (1894, p. 254). The subcaudals in males are 64-69, in females 58-66. The dorsal scale count ranges from 23-21-17 to 25-23- 19. The scales about the e}' e, exclusive of the supraocular, are somewhat 92 Bulletin American Mvsenm of Nafural History [Vol. XLIX irregular in arrangement, numbering from three to eight, usually two preoculars, two suboculars and two postoculars. The temporal scales are small, four or five in the first row. Two superposed loreals. The parietals are very short, followed l^y small scales in two specimens, by 1-3 occipitals in five. Upper labials 5, lower 8-9. The two smaller specimens are nearly uniform brown above, lighter beneath, with scattered light spots above. The adults are grayish brown with numerous black scales above. The head shields are brown, spotted with black. Grayia Glinther Synopsis of the Species ,4.^ — Dorsal scales in 15 rows; habitus slender, tail more than .4 of the total length. B. — Subcaudals 100-128; a black bar on the temporals, continuous with the black edge between the last two labials. Lake Region, Sudan, tholloKi. BB. — Subcaudals 142-lGl; a white line from the angle of the mouth to the corner of the parietals. Rain Forest csesar. A A. — Dorsal scales in 17-20 rows; habitus stout, tail less than .4 of the total length. B. — Lower anterior temporal longer than its distance from the loreal; seven upper labials; venter light, tail light beneath, with longi- tudinal dark lines on the borders of the subcaudals. Rain Forest, Sudan, Uganda smythii. BB. — Lower anterior temporal shorter than its distance from the loreal; eight or nine upper labials; venter darkening posteriorly, tail entirely dark beneath. Rain Forest, Sudan, and northern Angola, ornata. Grayia ornata (Bocage) Plate IX, Figure 1 Macro-phis ornatus Bocage, 1869, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (1) L P- 67. Grayia ornata BocAtiE, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 104; 1897, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, p. 200. MocQUARD, 1897, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 8. Bou- LENGER, 1910, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1909, p. 944, figs. 295, 296; 1915, p. 207; 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 24; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 284. Grayia smythii (part) Boulenger, 1894, 'Cat. Snakes,' II, p. 286. Werner, 1899, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, p. 138. Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 453. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p]). 409, 426; IV, pp. 216, 231. Grayia smythii [non Leach) Werner, 1902, \'erh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, ]i. 344. Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 213. Grayia furcata Boulenger, 1894, 'Cat. Snakes,' II, p. 287. Grayia striata Sternfeld, 1910, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, V, p. 69. Twenty-one specimens of this species, representing both color forms, were collected: A. M. N. H. No. 12164 (December 1913), 12177 (Dec- ember 1915), Avakubi; 12163, 12167 (February 1911), 12168 (March 1923] Sch)}iidt, Herpetology of (he Belgian Congo 93 1912), 12169, 12571 (January 1913), Faraclje; 12160 (July 1910), :\Iedje; 12161-62, 12165-66 (November 1910), Niangara; 12170-73, 12174 (November and December 1913), 12175-76 (January 1914), Niapu; 12178, 12570 (tags corroded), Belgian Congo. Grayia ornata occurs in longitudinally striped and crossl^arred color phases which are indistinguishable on anj^ scale character, and occur throughout the same range. The species is known from the Cameroon- Gaboon Rain Forest, and reaches northern Angola. The present records give it a wide distribution throughout the Rain Forest, and five speci- mens from Farad je prove that it ranges far out into the Sudan along the streams which it inhabits. This is in marked contrast to the distribution of some of the other water reptiles, which are as closely confined to the continuous Rain Forest as any of the land forms (Schmidt, 1919, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., XXXIX, p. 401). The twenty-one specimens of Grayia ornata agree closely with the description by Boulenger (1910, p. 944) except in having uniformly seventeen dorsal scale rows instead of 17-20-17, 17 in only five out of fifteen specimens examined by him. In adaption to its habitat, the tail is markedly compressed. The largest male measures 1240 mm., the largest female 1385 mm. The tail length varies from .25-.32 in males, mean .28, and from .24- .26 in females, mean .25. The ventral plates range from 148 to 155, mean 153, in males, and from 153-160, mean 156, in females; subcaudals 69-87, mean 82, in males, 69-78, mean 74, in females. One preocular, two postoculars, and temporals 2-3 in every specimen. The lower anterior temporal is frequently separated from the postoculars. Five specimens have both loreals fused with the prefrontals, three have the loreal of one side fused. The upper labials number 8-10, the lower 10 or 11. The longitudinal^ striped form is represented by three specimens, from Medje and Niangara. No. 12160 represents the extreme develop- ment, in the present series, of the longitudinal lines. The light ventral color extends on the sides to the middle of the third scale row. Two interrupted black lines are distinct on this ground color, one on the ends of the ventrals and the first scale row, a second between the first and second scale rows. These lines consist of streaks six or seven scales in length, with interspaces of two or three scales. The upper half of the third scale row, the fourth, and the lower half of the fifth are occupied by a black band extending from the last upper labial. Between the seventh and eighth scale rows on each side is a fourth black line, with several 94 Bulletin American Museum of Nalural History [Vol. XLIX cross-connections on the neck. All of these lines are more or less indis- tinct behind the anterior third of the body, the broad lateral band alone continuing, as a row of spots, to the tail. A black nuchal bar connects the two lateral bands. The venter darkens posteriorly, and the tail is en- tirely dark gray beneath. In No. 12161 the pattern is the same except for the entire absence of the narrow black line between the first and second scale rows. In No. 12162 both lateral lines are very faintly marked, and the dorsal entirely indistinct, but the broad black lateral band is as distinct as in the other two specimens. In No. 12163 the dorsum is entirely brown, each scale mottled with black. In all of these specimens the throat is gra}^ with longitudinal light streaks, the lower labials with round light spots, and a light spot on the fourth or fifth upper labial. The throat coloration, the nuchal crossbar, and the coloration of the venter are identical with the coloration of the crossbarred form, which has been excellenth^ described by Boulenger (1910, p. 944, Figs. 295-296). The number of crossbars in the present series ranges from 24-30, the range in the series examined by Boulenger being 21-25. In some speci- mens the posterior bars are entirely obscured by the general darkening of the ground color, but usually the inverted Y-shaped ends of the bars can be traced to the tail. Half-grown specimens show the intermediate condition figured by Boulenger {loc. cit.) in the development of the adult pattern. Grayia smythii (Leach) Coluber smythii Leach, 1818, in Tuckey's, 'Expl. River Zaire,' App., p. 409. Grayia smythii (part) Boulenger, 1894, 'Cat. Snakes,' II, p. 286, PI. xiii, fig. 3; 1896, III, p. 643. Werner, 1899, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, p. 138. Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 4.53. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, pp. 409, 426; IV, pp. 216, 231. Grayia smythii GtJNTHER, 1895, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XV, p. 525; 1896, (6) XVII, p. 264. Boulenger, 1897, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 279. Sjostedt, 1897, Bihang Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XXIII, part 4, No. 2, p. 25. Tornier, 1897, ' Kiiechtiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 78. Boulenger, 1902, in Johnston, 'Uganda Protectorate,' p. 446. Schenkel, 1902, Verh. Naturf. Ges. Basel, XIII, p. 163. Werner, 1902, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, p. 334. Bocage, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 43 Johnston, 1906, 'Liberia/ II, p. 832. Boulenger, 1910, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, (1909), p. 948, figs. 297, 298. Klaptocz, 1913, Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.), XXXIV, p. 286. Boulen- ger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 207, 625. Ch.\banaud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, p. 372. Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 24; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 285. 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 95 Grayia smithi Ch.vbaxaxjd, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Sclent. Afrique Occ. Frangaise, p. 469. Eight specimens of this species were collected: A. M. N. H. Nos. 12153-54 (October 1909), 12155, 12156-57 (September and December 1913), Avakubi; 12159 (February 1911), Faradje; 12158 (January 1910), Gamangui; 12179 (June 1913), Niangara. Grayia smithii is a forest species extending into East Africa in Uganda and following the rivers in which it lives into the savannah. Grayia smithii reaches a considerably larger size than G. ornata. The largest male measures 1535 mm., the largest female 1350 mm. (tail incomplete). The tail length in three males varies from .29-.33' of the total; in the single female with a complete tail it is .29. Ventral plates range from 149-160 in males, from 157-162 in females; sub- caudals 90-96 in males, 92 in the female. Dorsal scales 17-17-15, 19 on the neck on one specimen. One preocular, two postoculars, and temporals 2-3 in all specimens. Three or four slightly enlarged occipi- tals. Upper labials 7, the last very large, lower 10 or 11. In the present series the single juvenile specimen is colored exactly as in the figure by Boulenger (1910, p. 947, Fig. 298); there are twenty- three of the narrow light crossbands, with the indications on the sides of eleven more. In the adults the crossbars are black, always with a row of light spots on the black scales, more or less in the middle of the bar. In two specimens more than thirty such bars are visible, the posterior ones merely indicated dorsally. In other specimens the color becomes entireh' imiform on the posterior two-thirds of the body, with ten or twelve crossbars anteriorly. The scales of the tail are outlined with black, giving it a longitudinally lined effect, and a similar line edges the venter. The throat is white, the lower labials black-edged. The parietal shields are gray, with black borders. Grayia tholloni ]\Iocquard Grayia tholloni Mocquard, 1897, Bull. Hoc. Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 11. Boulexger, 1901, Ann. Mus. Congo, (1) II, p. 17; 1902, in Johnston, 'Uganda Protectorate,' p. 446. Werner, 1908, 'Rept. Wellcome Res. Lab.,' Ill, p. 170. Boulexger, 1910, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, (1909), p. 951, fig. 299; 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 16.5; 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 625, 649; 1920, p. 285. Grayia fasciata Boulexger, 1901, Ann. Mus. Congo, (1) II, p. 9, PI. in, fig. 2. Two specimens of Grayia tholloni cOme from localities in the Sudan: A. M. N. H. No. 12180 (February 1911), Faradje; 12181 (March 1912), Garamba. 96 Bulletin American Museum of Xatural History [Vol. XLIX This species appears to be confined to the eastern Sudan, where it replaces G. caesar of the Rain Forest. In both specimens the tail is incomplete, and they were first identi- fied with G. cdesar, from w^hich, however, the head pattern at once dis- tinguishes them, as well as the fact that the fifth labial instead of broadly entering the eye is separated from it by the lower postocular or enters the eye opening at a point, as on one side in one of the present specimens. Grayia cxsar and thoUoni agree in having much narrower postoculars than G. smythii and ornata, as well as in the larger eye. Color grayish l)rown above, with very indistinct light crossbars. A>nter and under side of tail immaculate light j-ellow, outlined with ])lack at the juncture with the dorsal color. Upper and lower labials black-edged, the black between the last two upper labials continued upward as a bar across the temporals (exactly as figured by Boulenger, 1910, p. 951, Fig. 299). MEASrRE.MENTS AXD ScALE CHARACTERS A.M. X. H. Xo. Sex Length Ventral Plates Dorsal Scales Preoculars Postoculars Temporals Upper Labials Lower Labials Grayia csesar (Giinther) Plate IX, Figure 2 Xenurophis csemr Guxthek, 1863, Ann. ]Mag. Xat. Hist., (3) XII, p. .3.57, PI. vi, fig. C. BouLEXGER, 1894, 'Cat. Snakes,' II, p. 288. Werxer, 1899, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, p. 139. Bocage, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII. p. 43. Sterxfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 409. Grayia csesar Boulexger, 1910, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, (1909J, p. 944; 191.5, p. 208; 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, MI, p. 24; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 285. A single specimen of this remarkable species, A. ]\I. X. H. No. 12182 (November 1913), was taken at Niapu. Grayia csesar seems to be closeh' confined to the Rain Forest. It is known from onl}' a few specimens from Gaboon and Cameroon, and reaches Fernando Po. The present record indicates that it is widely distributed throughout the eastern division of the forest. The specimen, a female, agrees with Boulenger's description except in having only two posterior temporals. The color is grayish brown 12180 12181 9 c? 410 + 670+ mm, 145 1.38 5-15-15 1.5-15-15 1 1 2 2 2-3 2-3 S 8 9 9 1923] Schmidt, Herpeiology of the Belgian Congo 97 above, with thii-ty light, narrowly black-edged crossbars, occasionally interrupted on the vertebral line. Tail faintly crossbarred. Venter entirely uniform graj^ish yellow. Lower labials immaculate, except the last. Upper labials light, with dark markings mostly on the sutures. . Top of head black, a faint light spot on each parietal, and still fainter ones on the frontal. A light postocular Hne, followed by a sharply defined one from the angle of the mouth to the posterior corner of the parietals. ^Ieasurements and ScAiE Characters A. M. X. H. No. 12182 Sex 9 Length 1155 mm. TaU TaU/Length Ventral Plates 555 mm. 0.48 141 Subcaudals 142 Dorsal Scales 15-15-15 Preoculars 1 Postoeulars 2 Temporals L'pper Labials Lower Labials 2-2 8 (fourth and fifth entering the eye) 9 Dasypeltinse Dasypeltis Wagler Das3rpeltis scaber (Linnaeus) Coluber scaber Lixx.evs, 1766, 'Syst. Nat.,' I, p. 384. Dasypeltis scaber Smith, 1849, '111. Zool. S. Africa, Rept.,' PI. lxxiii. Dasypeltis scabra Boulexger, 1894, 'Cat. Snakes,' II, p. 354; 1896, III, p. 648; Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (2) XVI, p. 553; (2) XVII, p. 20. Bocage, 1896, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, pp. 78, 93; 1897, p. 210. Durham, 1896, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 715, PI. xxxii. Boulexger, 1897, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 279; Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 801. Johnston, 1897, 'British Central Africa,' p. 361a. Sjostedt, 1897, Bihang Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XXIII, part 4, No. 2, p. 25. Tornier, 1897, ' Ivriechtiere Deutsch-Ost- Afrikas,' p. 78. Werner, 1897, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 399. Anderson, 1898, Zool. Eg>-pt, I, p. 278, PI. xxxiv, fig. 3, XXXIX. Boulexger, 1898, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (2) XVIII, p. 720. Kathariner, 1898, Zool. Jahrb. (Anat.), XI, p. 501, PI. xli. Boulexger, 1902, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 17; in Johnston, 1902, 'Uganda Protectorate,' p. 447. Werxer, 1902, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, pp. 340, 345. Ferreira, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 10. Boulexger, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 180; Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 255. Ferriera, 1905, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 115; 1906, (2) VII, p. 168. Johnston, 1906, 'Liberia,' II, p. 832. 98 Bulletin American Mvseum of Natvral History [Vol. XLIX BoTiLENGER, 1907, Mem. Proc. Manchester Lit. Philos. Soc, LI, part 3, No. 12, p. 11. Roux, 1907, Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.), XXV, p. 735. Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. (math.-natur.), Wien, CXVI, part 2, p. 1873. Boulenger, 1898, Ann. Natal Mus., I, p. 229; Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) IV, p. 5. Gough, 1908, Ann. Transvaal Mus., I, p. 26. Ohdner, 1908, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, IV, No. 18, p. 5. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 409; IV, ]). 216. Boulenger, 1909, Ann. Mus. Stor. Genova, (3) IV, p. 303. Chubb, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 595. Boulenger, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 509. LoNNBERG, 1910, in Sjostedt, 'Kilimandiaro-Meru Exp.,' I, part 4, p. 15. Nieden, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 442. Roux, 1910, Rev. Suisse Zool., XVIII, p. 99. Sternfeld, 1910, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, V, pp. 55, 58. Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 165; 1912, p. 332. Sternfeld, 1911, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 250. Peracca, 1912. Ann. Mus. Zool. Napoli, (2) III, No. 25, p. 5. Sternfeld, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb, Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 271. Boettger, 1913, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Reise Ost-Afrika, Voeltzkow,' III, p. 361. Hewitt and Power, 1913, Trans. Roj'. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 162. Lonnberg and Andersson, 1913, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, VIII, No. 20, p. 4. Sternfeld, 1913, Sitzber Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 109, figs. 3-7. Werner, 1913, in Brelmis 'Tierleben,' 4th Ed., V, p. 385. Chabanaud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, p. 373. Lo\'Eridge, 1916, Journ. E. Africa Uganda Nat. Hist. Soc, V, No.. 10, p. 79; 1918, No. 13, p. 381. Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 25; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 256. Dasypeltis scabra fasciolata Werner, 1902, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, p. 334. Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 214. Dasypeltis scabra atra Sternfeld, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 272. Dasypeltis scaber scaber (Linnaeus) Plate III, Figure 2 The twenty specimens of Dasypeltis in the Congo collection fall into three groups. A single specimen, A. M. N. H. No. 12188 (August 1913), taken at Poko, on the forest border, agrees in coloration with the typical form. The specimens secured within the borders of the Rain Forest are referable to D. macrops, and those from the savannah represent the variety pahnarum of D. scaber. Consideration of the color variations enumerated by Boulenger (1894, p. 355) leads to the conclusion that they represent only two groups, one uniform brown and the other variously spotted, with an intermediate form which might well be a hybrid. The conclusion that these are two distinct species which occasionally inter- breed is tempting but requires much more thorough examination. The variety atra Sternfeld, moreover, does not fit into either of these categories. The spotted form ranges from Lower Egypt to Portuguese Guinea, and southward throughout Africa south of the Rain Forest. 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgifin Congo 99 The specimen, a female, meavsures 557 mm., tail 76 mm., .14 of the total. Ventral plates 225, subcaudals, 57, dorsal scales 23-25-21. One preocular, two postoculars, temporals 2-3 on each side. Upper labials 7, lower labials 8, 3 in contact with the anterior chin shields. The color pattern is well defined. On a light grayish brown there are bb dorsal rhombic markings of dark brown, three to five scales long, and six or seven scale rows wide, with intei-spaces of only a scale or a scale and a half (longitudinally;. On the sides are vertical bars of the same color corresponding somewhat to the dorsal rhombs, and frequently confluent with them, especially anteriorly, but rarely opposite each other. The anterior dorsal markings are drawn out into V's, parallel with a V which has its apex on the posterior angle of the frontal. There are three transverse dark lines on the head anterior to this V, one of which forks laterally with a branch across the temporals and one jiist behind the ej^e to the labial border. All of the labial sutures are dark-edged. Venter yellowish, grayish anteriorly, shaded at the sides. Dasypeltis scaber palmarum Leach Dasypeltis palmarum Leach, 1818, in Tuckey's 'Expl. River Zaire,' App., p. 408. Dasypeltis scabra palmarum Werner, 1899, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, p. 139. BouLEXGER, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 112. Werner, 1913, in Brehms 'Tierleben,' 4th Ed., V, p. 386, PL vii, fig. 4. Chab.vxaud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hi.st. Xat., Paris. XXII, p. 373; 1917, XXIII, p. 12. Dasypeltis macrops Chabaxaud (non B mlenger), 1918, Bull. Mus. Hist. Xat., Paris, XXIV, p. 165. Tqn specimens from the Uele District: A. ]\I. N. H. No. 12201 (April 1911), Faradje; 12202 (June 1912), Garamba; 12193-200 (November 1911), Niangara. Dasypeltis scaber palmarum, whatever its specific status, has a wide range in the Savannah Province, with no discovered distinction from that of the typical form except its absence in northeast and in southwest Africa. The largest male measures 512 mm., the largest female 789 mm. The tail length in males varies from .16-. 18 of the total, in females it is uniformly .13. The ventral plates number 203-216 in males, 221-234 in females; the subcaudals respectiveh' 68-71 and 58-61. The dorsal scale count varies from 23-25-19 to 27-27-25, usually 25 at mid-l)ody. A single preocular except in one specimen with two on one side. Two postoculars. Temporals 2-3 or 2-4, one specimen aberrant in having the lower temporal on one side and both on the other fused with the fifth labial. Labials seven, above and below, except in one specimen in which the upper labials are 5-6. 100 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX The color is uniform, slightly reddish brown, somewhat lighter on the venter. One specimen exhibits the coloration "C" of Boulenger, with faint darker crossbands. A juvenile specimen with the umbihcal scar still evident (287 mm.) differs in no way from the adults. The eggs in a large female from Niangara (November) are veiy large and entirely fill the body cavity, so that one ovar}^ is anterior to the other, and the ends of the eggs are pressed in, making them nearly cylinders. The posterior viscera are veiy much crowded together on the dorsal side. The eggs, 5+6 in number, measure 13X23 mm. The ali- mentaiy canal is empty save for a few fragments of egg shell. Dasypeltis macrops Boulenger Dasypeltis macrops Boulenger, 1907, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XIX, p. 324. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 410. MtJLLER, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 603. Boulenger, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 286. Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Fran5ai.se, p. 469. Nine specimens are referable to this species: A. M. N. H. No. 12184 (September 1909), Batama; 12190-91 (April 1914), Medje; 12187 (July 1913), Nala; 12185-86 (November 1910), Niangara; 12189 (December 1913), Niapu; 12183 (August 1909), Stanleyville; 12192 (tag corroded) , Belgian Congo. Dasypeltis macrops is evidently confined to the Rain Forest, where it replaces the various forms of D. scaher of the savannah. The largest male measures 660 mm., the largest female 820 mm. The tail length in males varies from .17-. 19 of the total, in females from .15-. 16 (compare w'ith D. scaher palmarum above). The ventral plates range from 233-242 in males, 244-253 in females; subcaudals 75-81 and 70-73 respectively. The dorsal scale count is 25-21-19 to 27-25-23, 25 at mid-body in four, 23 in four, and 21 in one specimen. One specimen has two preoculars on each side, another has a single postocular on one side. The temporals are 2 or 3 in the first row, 3 or 4 in the second. Seven upper labials, and seven or eight, usually eight, below. The series in question is amply distinct from Dasypeltis scaher. The eye is larger; the frontal is larger, with parallel instead of convergent sides; the parietals are wider and more rounded behind; the suture between the internasals equals or exceeds that between the prefrontals. The difference in number of ventrals is striking, especially when the respective sexes are compared, but Boulenger (1894, p. 355) records a much wider range of variation in this character than appears in the 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 101 present specimens. The number of dorsal scale rows is not a good char- acter for the separation of the species. The coloration is verj' uniform, ohve-green with narrow yellow crossbands, the lower scale rows outhned with black, the head shields ornamented with black markings. Venter uniform olive-green, the ventrals in some cases with a yellow lateral edge. Boiginse Geodipsas Boulenger Geodipsas depressiceps (Werner) Tropidonotus depressiceps Werxer, 1897, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 402; 1899, XLIX, p. 13.5. Boulexger, 190.5, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Geneva, (3) II, p. 211. Geodipsas depressiceps Sterxfeld, 1908, ^litt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 410. MtJT.LER, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wis.s., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 604. Werxer, 1913, Mitt. Xaturh. Mus. Hamburg, XXX, p. 27. Boulexger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 25. Geodipsas manpajensis Ax'derssox', 1901, Bihang Svenska Vet ensk. -Akad. Handl., XXVII. part 4, Xo. 5, p. 19, PI. ii, fig. 1.5. Fig. 10. Dorsal and lateral views of head of Geodipsas depressiceps (Werner), (12208, X 2). Nine specimens in the collection: A. ]\I. X. H. Xo. 12204 (October 1909), Ambelakudi: 12203 (September 1909), Batama; 12209, 12211 (June 1914), 12210 (July 1914), Medje; 12205-06, 12207 (November and December 1913), 12208 (January 1914), Xiapu. Geodipsas depressiceps is evidenth' one on the characteristic species of the forest, ranging from Cameroon to the Ituri. The largest male in the series measures 280 mm., the largest female 280 mm., the tail respectively 46 and 36 mm. The tail length varies from .16-17 of the total in six males, from .13-. 14 in three females. The ventral plates range from 140-143 in the males, 146-147 in the females; subcaudals 37-41 in males, 32-36 in females. The dorsal scales are 19- 19-17. Two pre- and two postoculars. Temporals 1-2, exceptional!}" 1-3. Supralabials normally 7, 8 in one specimen; infralabials 8 or 9. Coloration as well as scutellation is very constant in this species. A dark brown vertebral line, very distinct posteriorly, breaks up an- 102 Bullecin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX teriorly into a more or less distinct double row of spots, which ma}^ be somewhat confluent, forming a zigzag line. The sides from the first to the middle of the sixth scale row are dark brown, usually bordjered on the sixth scale row by black, and sometimes with a faint black line on the top of the first scale row. Between the sixth scale row and the dorsal line the color is much lighter grajash brown. Venter bright yellow, with a black lateral line, which is interrupted anteriorl}^, with a spot on each ventral. The tips of the ventrals brown like the sides, in one specimen without the black ventral lines, the lateral brown extending as far as the line normally does. Ventrals between the black lines uniform yellow in two specimens, more or less heavily shaded posteriorly in the others. Head very dark brown, the labials yellow, heavil}' edged with brown on the sutures. A pair of very distinct adjacent light brown oval marks on the neck, with a vertical yellow mark on the sides below them. BoiGA Fitzinger Boiga pulverulenta (Fischer) Plate X, Figures 1 and 2 Dipsas pulverulenta. Fischer, 1856, Abh. Naturw. Ver. Hamburg, IJI, p. 81, PI. in, fig. 1. Dipsadomorphus pulverulentus Boulenger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 68. Moc- QUARD, 1897, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 13. Sjo.stedt, 1897, Bihang Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XXIII, part 4, No. 2, p. 25. Werner, 1897, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 403; 1899, XLIX, p. 139. Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 453. Bocage, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 43. Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 214. Johnston, 1906, 'Liberia,' II, p. 832. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 410; IV, p. 216. Mxjller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 605. NiEDEN, 1914, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 366. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 211. Chabanaud, 1917, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXIII, p. 452. Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 26; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 288. Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Fran^aise, p. 469. Dipsadomorphus boueti Chabanavd, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, p. 373. Twenty-one specimens were secured at various localities in the forest: A. M. N. H. No. 12224 (September 1913), Akenge; 12215-16, 12217 (October and November 1909), Avakubi; 12218 (February 1910), Gamagui; 12219, 12220-21 (August and September 1910), 12226-28, 12229-32, 12233-35 (April, May and June 1914), Medje; 12222-23 (November 1910), Niangara; 12225 (December 1913), Niapu. The present records extend the known range of Boiga pulverulenta throughout the Rain Forest. It is well known from the western area, and appears to be entirely uniform throughout its range. 1 923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 103 The maximum size in this series is reached by a female of 1210 mm., the largest male measures 1082 mm. The sexes are not distinguishable by tail length, though the maximum number of subcaudals and the proportionately longest tail occur in a male. The tail length varies from .21-.24 of the total, mean .22. The ventral plates vary from 251-269, mean 259; the subcaudals from 108-126, mean 118. The dorsal scales are 19 at mid-body, 21-23 on the n^ck, and 15 posteriori}'. The lateral head shields are somewhat variable; the normal condi- tion is one pre- and two postoculars, one loreal and temporals 2-2. In one specimen the temporals are 3-2, in one, 2-3; and in one the temporals are 1-2 on one side. One specimen has two preoculars on each side. One has the upper portion of the preocular fused with the supraocular on one side. In two specimens the loreal, by fusion with the lower portion of the preocular, enters the eye. In one the loreal is horizontally divided on one side. The upper labials are normally 8, rarely 9. Lower labials 10-13. The coloration is very uniform in the series, but exhibits every degree of fading in the lateral oceUar rhombic markings. When these are entirely obsolete, their position is still indicated by a row of vertebral black spots and another at the edge of the venter, representing the ends of the rhombs. A female taken in June 1914 contains well-developed eggs, 29 X 11 mm. "Coloration, in life, reddish brown above, head darker brown. Irregular dark gray lateral bars, wider in the middle, extend from the vertebral line to the venter, tipped above and below with black. A cream-colored central spot in the broad portion of each lateral bar. Faint narrow graj'ish crossbars between the wider ones, disappearing posteriori}'. The wider crossbars are usually alternate, sometimes confluent on the back. Venter pinkish gray, heavily dotted with brown which forms two lines at the inner edges of the ventral edges of the ventral angle. These lines are more distinct beneath the tail" (H. Lang). Boiga blandingii (Hallowell) Plato X, Figure 3 Dipsas blandingii Hallowell, 1844, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., p. 170. Dipsadomorphus blandingii Boxtlexger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 77. Mocquard, 1897, Bull. Sof. Philom. Paris, (S) IX, p. 13. Werner, 1897, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 403; 1899, XLIX, p. 139. Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 454: 1902, in Johnston 'Uganda Protectorate,' p. 447. Johnston, 1906, 'Liberia,' II, p. 832. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 104 Bulletin American JShiseimi of Natural History [Vol. XLIX 411; IV, p. 217. MiJLLER, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 111., XXIV, p. 605. BouLENGER, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 166; 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 211, 628. Chabanaud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, pp. 75, 373. Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 26; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 288. Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Fran(,'aise. p. 469. Twent}^ specimens were secured from various localities in the forest : A. M. N. H. Nos. 12243-44 (September and October 1913), Akenge; 12237-38 (October 1909), 12248 (September 1913), Avakubi; 12239 (February 1910), Gamangui; 12236 (September 1910), 12247 (April 1914), Medje; 12240-41, 12242 (November and December 1910), 12253 (May 1913), Niangara; 12245, 12254 (November 1913), 12246 (December 1913), 12249 (January 1914), Niapu; 12251 (August 1909), 12255 (April 1915), Stanleyville; 12250, 12256 (tags corroded), Belgian Congo. Boiga hlrmdingii occurs throughout the Rain Forest, ranging into Uganda to the east of the present localities. It is an abundant snake in the Cameroon-Gaboon area, as well as in the Ituri, as evidenced l)y the number of specimens secured by the Congo Expedition. The largest specimen, measuring 2290 mm., is a fema,le; the largest male measures 2180 mm. The sexes are not distinguishable by tail length, which varies from .21-.25 of the total, mean .23. The ventral plates vary from 254-270, mean 263; the subcaudals from 120-134, mean 128. The dorsal scales, always 23 at mid-body and 15 posteriorly, vary from 23-27 on the neck, normality 25. The temporals are very variable, 2-2 or 2-3, but divided into small or fused into large plates, differing in each individual. The postoculars are normally 2, 3 on one side in three specimens. The preoculars are normally 2, one on one side on one specimen. The prefrontals are united into a single transverse shield in two specimens. The anal plate is said to be divided in Boiga hlandiiigii, in all descrip- tions. Werner (1897, p. 403) records a single specimen with entire anal. In the present series, only five specimens have the divided anal, with indications of a groove in two others, but there is no indication of any correlation of other characters with this condition. The description of the species must be amended to "anal entire or divided," and the condi- tion is obviously useless as a "key character." The coloration is very variable, with two distinct phases. Four of the specimens examined are black, the throat and anterior portion of the venter yellow; each ventral is bordered with black on its posterior edge, the border increasing in width until the yellow is crowded out; the 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 105 posterior two-thirds of the venter is uniform black. Tlie remainder of the specimens are brownish, with more or less distinct wide dark cross- bars, confluent anteriorh', alternate posteriorly on the vertebral line. DiPSADOBOA Giinther Dipsadoboa unicolor Giinther Plate XI, Figure 1 Dipsadoboa unicolor Gl'xther, 1S.5S, 'Cat. Snakes,' p. 183. BorLEXGER, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 81. Mocquard, 1897, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 13. Werner, 1897, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 399; 1899, XLIX, p. 140. BouLEXGER, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 454. Werxer, 1902, Verh. Zool.- Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, p. 345. Bocage, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 43. BouLEXGER, 1905. Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 214. Sterxfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, til, p. 412; IV, p. 217. Mcller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss, 2K1., XXIV, p. 607 ' Despax, 1911, in Cottes, 'Mission Cottes au Sud Cameroun," p. 239. Klaptocz. 1913, Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.), XXXIV. p. 286. XiEDEX, 1914, Sitzber. Ges. Xaturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 366 Boulexger, ^ 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 211; 1919. Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 26; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 288. Ch.\baxatid, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Frangai.se, p. 469. Twenty-seven specimens of Dipsadoboa lovicolor attest its abimdance in the Ituri Forest: A. M. N. H. No. 12487 (August 1913), Avakubi; 12488, Gama Gama; 12458, 12459 (August and September 1910), 12466, 12467-72, 12474-82 (March, April and June 1914), Aledje; 11987 (December 1910) Niangara; 12460, 12462-63 (November and December 1913), 12465 (January 1914), Niapu; 12489, 12541 (tags corroded), Belgian Congo. This species is plainh- a forest inhabitant, and apparently it re- places Leptodeira hotamboeia of the savannah in feeding on the forest toads. It is known from western localities in the forest from Sierra Leone to the Congo, but had not previously been recorded from the upper Congo, The series is remarkably imiform in scale characters as well as in coloration. The largest male measures 925 mm., tail 171 mm., the largest female 892 mm., tail 167 nun. The proportionate tail length in males varies from .18-. 21, mean .19; in females from .16-. 19, mean .17. The males have a slighth^ lower number of ventral plates and higher number of subcaudals than the females: ventrals 191-205, mean 196, sub- caudals 64-73, mean 68, in males; 197-207, mean 202, and 62-70, mean 67, in females. The dorsal scales are uniformly 17 at mid-])ody, 13 posteriorly, and 15-19 on the neck. Preoculars and postoculars 1 and 2 respectively. Temporals usually 1-2, the anterior divided in four speci- mens, making 1-1-2; in four specimens there is only one posterior 106 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX temporal on one side, and in one specimen there are three. There are 8 upper labials (9 in three specimens) and 10-12 lower, usually 11. The coloration is dark greenish above, yellow beneath with the exception of the tail, which is dark, in all specimens. The upper labials are yellow from the first to the sixth, the seventh and eighth invariably dark. The food seems to consist of various forest frogs and toads. Two specimens had swallowed specimens of a Bufo, two others are recorded as having disgorged frogs. Fig. 11. Dorsal and lateral views of the head of Dipsadoboa elongata (Barbour), (12473, X 2). Dipsadoboa elongata (BarV)our) Plate XI, Figure 2 Dipsodohoa unicolor (part) Boulexger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 1S3. Crotaphopeltis elongata Barboitr, 1914, Proc. New England Zool. Club, IV, p. 95. Ten specimens are referred to this form: A. M. N. H. Nos. 12456-57 (February 1910), Gamangui; 12214, 12473, 12483-85 (June 1914), 12486 (July 1914), Medje; 12461, 12464 (November and December 1913), Niapu. Two species appear to have been commonly confused under the name Dipsadoboa unicolor, one much more elongate and slender than the other. Comparing individuals of the same length and sex of elongata and unicolor, the greater length of the tail and especially the small head of the former are striking characters, and it does not seem possible to unite them as a single species. In the series at hand, there is a considerable discontinuity in the numbers of ventral plates and subcaudals. 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 107 The series is relatively uniform in all characters. Two specimens have three postoculars instead of the normal two; the lower labials are usually' ten (eleven in D. iinicolor); one specimen has temporals 1-3 instead of the normal 1-2 (1-1 in the type). The ventral plates, subcaiidals, and the tail length may be compared with the figures for D. unicolor as follows: D. unicolor D. clongata Ventral Plates c? 191-205 219-230 Ventral Plates 9 197-207 . 218-227 Subeaudals cf 64-73 101-110 Subcaudals 9 62-70 8.5'-100 Tail-length c? ' .18-. 21 .23-. 26 TaU-length 9 .16-. 19 .21-. 24 Color dark brown above, slightlj' reddish on the sides, extending to the ends^ of the ventrals; venter uniform grayish yellow; subcaudals dark bluish gra^y, light-edged posteriorly; the ventral color extends on the upper labials from the angle of the mouth to the first 'labial, and reaches the eye. In the series of D. unicolor, the ventral color does not reach the eye or the seventh and eighth upper labials. This species is probably a direct modification of D. unicolor for a more arboreal habitat. It would be interesting to know whether or not the food is exclusively amphibians, as appears to be the case with the ancestral species. Leptodeira Fitzinger Leptodeira hotamboeia (Laurenti) Plate XII, Figure 1 Coronella hotnmlxeia, Latjrexti, 1768, 'Sj'n. Rept.,' p. 85. Leptodira hotambma Boulenger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 89; 1897, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 279. Johnston, 1897, 'British Central Africa,' p. 316o. Peracca, 1897, Boll. Mus. Torino, XII, No. 273, p. 3. Werner, 1897, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 400. Mocqu.\rd, 1899, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, V, p. 219. Werner, 1899, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, p. 147. Mocqtjard, 1902, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, VIII, pp. 406, 415. Werner, 1902, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, pp. 336, 345. Ferreira, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 12. Boclenger, 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 214; Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI. p. 112. Ferreira, 1905, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 116; 1906, p. 169. Boulenger, 1907, Proc. Z06I. Soc. London, p. 487; ]Mem. Proc. Manchester Lit. Philos. Soc, LI, p.art 12, p. 11. Roux, 1907, Rev. Suisse Zool., XV, p. 77; Zool. Jahib. (Syst.), XXV, p. 735. Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. (math.-natur.), Wien, CXVI, part 2, p. 1874, PI. ni, fig. 7. Boulenger, 1908, Ann. Natal Mus., I, p. 229. Gough, 1908, Ann. Transvaal Mus., I, p. 27. Odhner, 1908, Aik. Zool, IV, No. 18, "SO in the type. 108 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX p. 5. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 412, IV, pp. 217, 240, 243, 246. BouLENGER, 1909, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) IV, p. 309. Chubb, 1909, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 596. Pellegrin, 1909, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XV, p. 414. Andersson, 1910, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LXIII, p. 203. Boulenger, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 511. Lonnberg, 1910, in Sjostedt, 'Kilimandjaro-Meru Exp.,' I, part 4, p. 15. Meek, 1910, Publ. Field Mus. Zool, VII, p. 406. Peracca, 1910, Boll. Mus. Torino, XXV, No. 624, p. 4. Roux, 1910, Rev. Suisse Zool., XVIII, p. 99. Sternfeld, 1910, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, V, p. 64. Werner, 1910, Denkschr. Med. Naturw. Ges. Jena, XVI, p. 358. Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 166. Lonnberg, 1911, Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XLVII, No. 6, p. 23. Sternfeld, 1911, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 250. Peracca, 1912, Ann. Mus. Zool. Napoli, (2) III, No. 25, p. 5. Sternfeld, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Africa Ex]).,' IV, p. 272. Boettger, 1913, 'Wiss.Ergeb. Reise Ostafrika, Voeltzkow,' III, pp. 348, 353, 361, 364. Hewitt and Power, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 163. Lonnberg and Andersson, 1913, Ark. Zool. Stockholm, VIII, No. 20, p. 4. Werner, 1913, Mitt. Naturh. Mus. Hamburg, XXX, pp. 28, 45. Pellegrin, 1914, 'Doc. Sci. Miss. Tilho,' III, p. 126. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 210, 628, 651. Cha- banaud, 1917, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXIII, p. 12. Loveridge, 1918, Journ. E. Africa Uganda Nat. Hist. Soc, No. 13,- p. 331. Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 25. Werner, 1919, Denkschr. Akad. Wlss. Wien, math.-natur. KL, XLVI, p. 503. Boulenger, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 287. Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Franyaise, p. 469. Thirteen specimens of Leptodeira hotamhma come from localities in the Sudan: A. M. N. H. Nos. 12301-02, 12544 (March 1911), Faradje; 12303, 12542-43 (June and July 1912), Garamba; 12300 (November 1910), 11992, 12304-06, 12307, 12308 (April, May, June and July 1913), Niangara. Werner (1907, p. 1875) found typical Leptodeira hotamhoeia at Gondo- koro, 150 miles northeast of the present localities, and supposed L. attarensis to be a northern offshoot of hotamhma. Boulenger (1915, p. 628) regards attarensis as synonymous with L. degeni, from Uganda (as suggested also by Werner), in which case there can be no possibility that it is a subspecies of hotamhoeia, although unquestionably closely related. The present localities unite the West African records (from Senegambia to Cameroon) with the East African. The largest male measures 587 mm., the largest female 623 mm. The tail length in males varies from .13-. 14 of the total, mean .14; in the females from .11-. 13, mean .12. The ventral plates vary from 164- 174, mean 169; the subcaudals in males range from 39-45, mean 42, in females from 35-39, mean 36. The dorsal scale count is 17-19-15, rarely 19 anteriorly. One preocular and two postoculars in every speci- 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 109 men. Temporals normalh' 1-2, 1-1 on one side in a single specimen. Postmentals normally 3, 3-4 in three specimens, 4-4 in two. The upper labials are 8, the lower 10. The loreal may be either slightlj^ higher than long, or slightly longer than high. The character used by Werner to distinguish attaj^ensis, the slenderness of the head, is reached in the same degree bj' half -grown specimens in the present series. Critical examination of a series of L. degeni with hotamhceia from the same region may reduce degenito S3mon3'my, although Werner (1913, p. 28) has main- tained the distinctness of attarensis. The number of ventrals is consid- erabh' higher in this series than the average in South African specimens, and more extensive collections may warrant subspecific division of hotamhceia. In coloration the series is very uniform and apparently distinct from degeni, for the lower scale rows, though pale, are never yellow and the black postocular mark is always present, though its distinctness varies. Two juvenile specimens have many of the scales white-edged. A female taken in July contained 5 + 8 eggs, measuring 20 X 8 mm. The stomachs of two specimens contained frogs too much digested for identification. The species is known to feed chiefly, if not exclusively, on batrachians. Leptodeira duchesnii Boulenger Plate XII, Figure 2 Leptodira duchesnii Boulenger, 1901, Ann. Mus. Congo, (1) II, p. 10, PI. iv, fig. 1. MocQUARD, 1902, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, VIII, p. 410. Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. (math.-natur.), Wien, CXVI, part 2, p. 1876. Muller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 KL, XXIV, p. 605. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. See. London, p. 210; 1919, Rev. Zcol. Africaine, VII, p. 26; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 287. Dipsadomorphusviridis Stersfei,!), 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 411, figs. 3-4. Dipsadontorphus brevirostris Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 411, figs. 5-6. Two specimens of this species were secured b}^ the Congo Expedi- tion: A. M. N. H. No. 12212 (August 1910), Medje; 12213 (July 1913), Nala. The species evidentl}' ranges throughout the forest, and is obviously adapted to arboreal life. The types came from localities on the Congo close to Stanleyville. This species is readily distinguished by the great elongation of the body, with small head and bulging eyes, and the loreal entering the eye below the single preocular. Both specimens agree with the description and figin-e of Boulenger, but have an entire anal plate. Muller (1910, p. 12212 12213 c? 9 830 1040 mm 195 261 mm 0.23 0.25 217 207 102 105 7-17-13 17-17-13 110 Bulletin American Museum, of Natural History [Vol. XLIX 605) has studied the variation in this species in a Cameroon series, and it is evident that the divided anal of the types is abnormal. Nevertheless, its occurrence in occasional specimens makes it impossible to divide the genus on the basis of this character, as Barbour has done (1914, Proc. New England Zool. Club, IV, p. 95). The temporals are 1-1-2 in one specimen, 2-1-2 in the other. Labials 8 above, 9 below in one, 10 in the other. MEASrREMENTS AND ScALE CHARACTERS A. M. X. H. Xo. Sex Length Tail Tail/Length Ventral Plates Subcaudals Dorsal Scales Dromophis Peters Dromophis lineatus (Dumeril and Bibron) Plate XIII Dryophylax lineatus Dumeril and Bibrox, 1864, 'Erpetol. Gen.,' VII, p. 1124. Dromophis lineatus Boclenger, 1895, Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist., (6) XVI, p. 33; 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 149; 1897, Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 279. Johnston, 1897, 'British Central Africa,' p. 361a. Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat., Genova, (3) II, p. 214. Werntir, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. (math.- natur.), Wien, CXVI, part 2, p. 1877. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, IV, p. 217; 1910, V, p. 64. Bottlenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 166. Sternfeld and Xieden, 1911, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, V, p. 385. BotiLEXGER, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 212, 630, 653. Chabanaud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, p. 376; 1917, XXIII, p. 12. Bou- LEXGER, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 289. Chabaxacd, 1921, Bull, Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Erangaise, p. 470. A single specimen, A. M. N. H. No. 12261, was taken at Faradje, September 1912. Dromophis lineatus was collected in the Lado by Emin Pasha. It ranges throughout the Sudan, extending east and south to Zanzibar and Nyassaland. The specimen, a male, measures 890 mm., tail 267 mm., .30 of the total length. Ventral plates 153, subcaudals 94, dorsal scales 17-17-13. One preocular and two postoculars. Temporals 1-1-3 and 1-2-3. Labials 8 above and 9 below. The coloration is olive-brown above, with a naiTOw vertebral and two lateral stripes of dull yellow, obscure anteriorh'. ^'enter uniform bluish green, chin and throat white, dark spotted. 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 111 PsAMMOPHis Boie Psammophis sibilans (Linnaeus) Cohiber s^lbilans Lixn.eus, 1766, 'Syst. Nat./ 12th Ed., I, p. 383. Psammophis sibilans Boie, 1S27, 'Isis,' p. 547. Boulenger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes," III, p. 161; Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Geneva, (2) XVI, p. 545; (2) XVII, pp. 13, 21. BocAGE, 1896, Jom. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, pp. 78, 93, 113, 177. Peracca, 1896, BoU. jNIus. Torino, XI, No. 255, p. 2. Boulenger, 1897, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 801; Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 279. Johxstox, 1897, 'British Central Africa,' p. 361a. Meek, 1897, Publ. Field Mus. Zool, I, p. 179. Peracca, 1897, Boll. Mus. Torino, XII, Nos. 273 and 304. Tornier, 1897, 'Kriechtiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 82. Werner, 1897, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 400. Anderson, 1898, ' Zool. Egj^pt,' I, p. 302, PI. xliii, text fig. 12. MocQU.\RD, 1899, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, V, p. 219. Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 454. Flower, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 968. Boulenger, 1902, in Johnston, 'L'^'ganda Protectorate,' p. 447; Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 18. Lampe, 1902, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LV, p. 34. MocQUARD, 1902. Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, VIII, pp. 406, 415. ScHENKEL, 1902, Verh. Naturf. Ges. Basel, XIII, p. 172. Werner, 1902, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, pp. 335, 338, 340, 345. Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 214; Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 113; Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 255. Ferreir.a., 1905, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 116. Johnston, 1906, 'Liberia,' II, p. 832. Boulenger, 1907, Mem. Proc. Man- chester Lit. Philos. Soc, LI, part 3, No. 12, p. 11; Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 487. Roux, 1907, Rev. Suisse Zool., XV, p. 77. Werner, 1907, Sitzber Akad. Wiss. (math.-natur.), Wien, CXVI, part 2, p. 1879. Boulenger, 1908, Ann. Natal Mus., I, p. 229. Gough, 1908, .\nn. Transvaal Mus., I, p. 29. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 412; IV, pp. 218, 241, 244, 246. Werner, 1908, 'Rept. Wellcome Res. Lab. Khartoum, 'p. 171. Boulenger, 1909, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) IV, pp. 193, .303. Chubb, 1909, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. .596. Gendre, 1909, Extr. C. R. Soc. Linn. Bordeaux, p. cvi. Boulenger, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 514. Meek, 1910, Publ Field :\Ius. Zool., VII, p. 405. Roux, 1910, Rev. Suisse Zool., XVIII, p. 99. Sternfeld, 1910, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlm, V, p. 166. Lontsberg, 1911, Svenska Vetensk.-.Akad. Handl., XLVII, No. 6, p. 23. Sternfeld, 1911, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 2.50. Hewitt, 1912, Rec. Albany Mus., II, p. 272. Peracca, 1912, Ann. Mus. Zool. Napoli, (2) III, No. 25, p. 6. Sternfeld, 1912, 'Wi.ss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 199. Boettger, 1913, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Reise Ostafrika, Voeltzkow,' III, pp. 353, 361. Klaptocz, 1913, Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.), XXXIV, p. 286. Lonnberg and Andersson, 1913, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, VIII, No. 20, p. 4. Boulenger, 1913, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 213, 631, 653. Chabanaud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, pp. 75, .377; 1917, XXIII, p. 12; 1918, XXIV, p. 165. Lo\-eridge, 1918, Journ. E, Africa Uganda Nat. Hist. Soc, No. 13, p. 328. Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 26. Chabanaud, 1919, Bull. :\Ius. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXV, p. 568. Werner, 1919, Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien, math.-natur. KL, XLVI, p. 503. Boulenger, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 290. Chabanaud, 1920, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXVI, pp. 462, 464. Angel, 1921, Bull. Mus. 112 Bulletin American Museum of Xatural History [Vol. XLIX Hist. Nat., Paris, XXVII, p. 141. Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Etudes Hist. Sci. Afrique Occ. Frangaise, p. 470. Thirteen specimens of Psammophis sibilans were collected in the Uele District and another from Beni (also in the savannah, near the Ruwenzori) Avas presented to the expedition b}' Dr. J. Bequaert: A. M. X. H. No. 12271 (1914), Beni; 12262, 12267, 12268-69 (Febru- ary, October and January 1912), Faradje; 12263-66 (June 1912), Garamba; 12257-59, 12260 (November and December 1910), 12270 (June 1913), Niangara. The largest male measures 1500 mm., the largest female 1100 mm., and a specimen represented only b}- a head measured 1720 mm. when caught. The tail is frequently injured in this species, .27-.29 of the total in nine specimens. The ventral plates range from 170-181, mean 178, the subcaudals from 87-101, mean 96. Dorsal scales 17-17-13. One preocular and two postoculars. Temporals normally 2-2-3, somewhat variable, 3-3-3 in one specimen, 1-2 in another. Upper labials 8, lower 9-11, usually 10. The specimens from the Uele represent the color form "F" of Boulenger, uniform olive-brown above, extending to the ends of the ventrals, yellowish below, with a well-marked black line on each side of the venter. The specimen from Beni possibly represents the color form "B," but has no trace of the head markings of the typical sibilans. The color is olive-brown above, extending to the lower third of the first scale row; a broad white line outlined with black, on the third and fourth scale rows, beginning some distance behind the head, extends to the tip of the tail. Venter l^luish on the median two-thirds, outlined with a fairly well- marked darker line, outside of which the ventrals and the lower third of the first scale row are pure white. The species of Psammophis are of exceptional systematic interest and offer fascinating problems in variation and distribution for a revisor of the genus. It seems probable that P. sibilayis will be found to have several well-defined subspecies when the variation can be critically compared in the several faunal areas in which it occurs. Thelotoknis Smith Thelotornis kirtlandii (Hallowell) Plate XIV Leptophis ^-iV^Zandu' Hallowell, 1844, Proc. Acad. Xat. Sci., Phila., p. 62. Thelotornis kirtlandii Peter, 18S2, 'Raise nach Mossambique,' III, p. 131, PI. xix, fig. 2. Boulenger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 185; 1897, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 801; Ann Mag. Xat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 279. Johnston, 1897, 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 113 'British Central Africa,' p. 361a. Torxier, 1897, 'Kriechtiere Deutsch- Ost--\frikas,' p. S3. Mocqtjard, 1899, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, V, p. 219. AYerxer, 1899, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, p. 140. Torxier, 1901, Zool. Anz., XXIV, p. 64. Boulexger, 1902, in Johnston, 'Uganda Pro- tectorate,' p. 447. Werxer, 1902, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, p. 34.5. BorLEXGER, 1905, .\nn. ]\Ius. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 214. Johxstox, 1906, 'Liberia,' II, p. 832. Boulexger, 1907, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 487; Mem. Proc. :Manchester Lit. Philos. Soc, LI, No. 12, p. 11: 1908, Ann. Natal :Mus., I, p. 229. GouGH, 1908, Ann. Transvaal Mus., I, p. 32. Sterxfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 413; IV, p. 219. Chubb, 1909, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 596. Boulexger, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 515. LoxxBERG, 1910, in Sjostedt, 'Kilimandjaro-Meru Exp.,' I, part 4, p. 16. MuLLER, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 607. Niedex, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 442. Peracca, 1910, Boll. Mus. Torino, XXV, No. 624, p. 4. Sterxfeld, 1910, Mitt. Zool. ]Mus. Berhn, V, p. 56; 1911, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 251. Peracca, 1912, Ann. Mus. Zool. Napoli, (2) III, No. 25, p. 6. Hewitt axd Power, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 614. Loxnberg axd Axderssox, 1913, Aik. Zool., Stockholm, VIII, No. 20, p. 4. Muller, 1913, Zool. Anz., XLI, p. 234. Werxer, 1913, in Brelun's 'Tierleben,' 4th Ed., V, p. 402. Boulexger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 213, 631, 654. Breijer, 1915, Ann. Transvaal Mus., V, p. 113. Loveridge, 1918, Joiun. E. Africa L'ganda Nat. Hist. Soc. No. 13, p. 327. Boulexger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Mricaine, VII, p. 26; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 290; Chabaxaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Frangaise, p. 471. Thelotornis kirtlandii is represented in the collection by fifteen speci- mens: A. :\I. X. H. No. 12282 (September 1913), Akenge; 12272-12279 (November 1910), Niangara; 12283-85 (November 1913), Niapu; 12280-81 (August 1913), Poko; 12286 (tag corroded), Belgian Congo. The range of this species represents a type of distribution very- distinct from that of its relative Dispholidus typus, although the ranges of both have been correctl}' enough referred to as "Tropical and South Africa." It is abundant in various parts of the Rain Forest of Gaboon and Cameroon as well as the Ituri but, instead of being confined to the forest or to the neighborhood of the forest, it has an even wider range in the Savannah Province. It extends roughly from Togo to Uganda, from the Juba River to Natal, and from Northern Rhodesia to Angola and even northern Southwest Africa. The southward extension of the range to Natal (and not to western South Africa) is a characteristic feature of the distribution of many widely ranging species, not only of animals but of plants. Hewitt (1910, Ann. Transvaal Mus., II, p. 56) has called attention to this feature of South African distribution. Thelotornis represents an extreme specialization for the arboreal habitat, and it is known to feed on birds and tree lizards; from this fact the assumption is 114 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX logical that it is primarily a forest species which has spread outside of the forest limits after reaching its specific distinctness. An arboreal form originating in the savannah would be expected to become still more speciahzed for the arboreal habitat if it entered the Rain Forest, while the reverse is obviously not the case (irreversibility of evolution). The specimens from South and East Africa probably represent a valid subspecies, Thelotornis kirtlandii capensis (Smith) characterized Ijy the uniform presence of black head markings. The depressed and flat head, with the canthus rostralis distinctly projecting, forming a shallow loreal groove, is very characteristic, dis- tinguishing the species at once from all other African snakes. The largest male in the present series measures 1330 mm., the largest female 1445 mm., the tail occupying .33-.37 of the total, but frequently injured. The ventral plates range from 173-189, slightly higher in females, mean 178. Subcaudals 150-157 in males, 140-154 in females. Dorsal scales 19-19-13, frequently 21 anteriorly. One preocular and three postoculars, temporals 1-2 in every specimen. Labials 8-9 above, 9-11 below. There are usually three enlarged occipitals behind the parietals, five in one specimen. The coloration is uniform in the series but difficult to describe: a very fine mixture of greens, browns, grays, and pink, the latter color predominating on the venter, the comparison made in the field notes being "mouldy." The top of the head is uniform green in life, brownish in alcohol. The neck is crossbarred with black, much more distinct when the neck is distended. The distension of the neck in this species has been excellently described in vivarium specimens by Miiller (1910, p. 607), Avho regards it as a warning or frightening adaptation of special interest since the re- mainder of the body offers an exceptionally good example of protective coloration. DisPHOLiDUs Duvernoy Dispholidus typus (Smith) Plate XV Bucephalus typus Smith, 1829, Zool. Journ., IV, p. 441. Dispholidus typus Boulengeb, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 187; Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Geneva, (2) XVI, p. 553; 1897, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 801. John- ston, 1897, 'British Central Africa,' p. 361a. Boulenger, 1898, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (2) XVIII, p. 721. Ferreira, 1898, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) V, p. 244. Boulenger, 1902, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 18. Werner, 1902, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, p. 34. Ferreira, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 12. GouGH, 1903, Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.), XVII, p. 468. Boulenger. 1905, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 255; Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 113. 1923] Schmidt, Herpeiology of the Belgian Congo 115 BoTJLEXGER, 1907, Mem. Proc. Manchester Lit. Philos. Soc, LI, No. 12, p. 12. Roux, 1907, Rev. Suisse Zool., XV, p. 77; Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.), XXV, p. 739. Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. (math.-natur.), CXVI, part 2, p. 1880. BouLEXGER, 1908, Ann. Natal Mus., I, p. 230. Gough, 1908, Ann. Transvaal Mus.. I, p. 32. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, IV, p. 219. Chubb, 1909, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 596. Fitzsimmoxs, 1909, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) III, p. 271. BouLEXGER, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 515. NiEDEN, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. P'reunde Berlin, p. 442. Sternfeld, 1910, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, V, p. 57. Werner, 1910, Denkschr. Med. Naturw. Ges. Jena, XVI, p. 363. Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 166. Sternfeld, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. AfrikaE.xp.,' IV, p. 274. Boettger, 1913, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Reise Ostafrika, Voeltzkow,' III, p. 362. Hewitt axd Power, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 164. Loxnberg AND Andersson, 1913, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, VIII, No. 20, p. 5. Werner, 1913, in Brehm's 'Tierleben,' 4th Ed., V, p. 402, fig. 00. Boulexger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 213, 631, 654. Chabaxaud. 1913, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, p. 377. Loveridge, 1916, .Journ. E. Africa Uganda Nat. Hist. Soc, V, No. 10, p. 80; 1918, No. 13, p. 325. Boulexger, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 290. Chabaxaud, 1920, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXVI, p. 464; 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Frangaise, p. 471. Dispholidus typus viridis Boulexger, 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 214. Dispholidus typus belli Chabaxaud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, p. 377. Eight specimens of this widely distributed species were collected: A. M. N. H. Nos. 12494, 12495-96 (February and March 1911), 12498 (December 1912), Faradje; 12497 (July 1912), Garamba; 12493 (November 1910), 12499 (June 1913), Niangara; 12509 (tag corroded), Belgian Congo. Dispholidus typus evidently does not occur in the Rain Forest, though reaching its borders. It is one of the most widely distributed African snakes, ranging from Senegal to Eritrea, and reaching even the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. In Angola it is recorded from San Salvador and Duque de Braganga, well to the north, so that its range complete!}^ circumscribes the Rain Forest. The form of the head is characteristic, but resembles that of several other large-eyed snakes, the diameter of the eye nearly or quite equalling the length of the snout. The largest male measures 1221 mm., the largest female 1292 mm. The tail length varies from .26-.27 of the total in males, .24-.26 in females. Ventral plates 181-185 in males, 186-191 in females; subcaudals 108-121, 101-107, respectively. The dorsal scale count is 23-19-11, occasionall.v 25-21-13. One preocular, and three postoculars, two postoculars in one specimen, 2-3 in another. Temporals uniformly 1-2. Labials seven above, 9-12 below. Enlarged occipitals verv variable, 1-3. 116 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Three types of coloration are represented in the present small series. Two adult specimens are uniform brown, two are uniform green, and two are greenish or brownish, the scales black-edged and the head shields heavily vermiculated with black. The spotted specimens have a shorter snout and higher loreal, but are otherwise indistinguishable from the uniformly colored forms. The two small specimens are of especial interest, for they evidently are the juvenile coloration of the brown form. The upper surface of the head is uniform brown ; the dorsal scales are spotted with white and edged at the base with black; the tips of the . ventrals are black; there is a series of more or less vertical black spots on the sides of the neck, and a concealed black spot between the posterior chin shields. On distension of the neck these black marks become much more vivid, since the color extends to the skin between the scales, as in Thelotornis. In the adult brown specimens the black neck marks are still visible, though ill-defined, and the black spot between the chin shields is also present. The species also distends its neck when excited or dis- turbed, but the distension is cylindrical instead of laterally compressed, as in Thelotornis (Werner, 1913, p. 402). The correlation of a vivid neck pattern, in this species as well as in Thelotornis, with the habit of dis- tending the neck when disturbed, adds to the evidence that it is a ''frightening" coloration (distinguished from 'Svarning" coloration). The distension of the neck in various forms, with various structural modifications, associated with a frightening or warning posture, is an extraordinarily widespread characteristic of snakes.^ Calamelaps (iiinther Calamelaps unicolor (Reinhardt) Calamaria unicolor Reinhardt, 184.3, Danske Vidensk. Selsk. Afh., X, p. 236, PI. i, figs. 1-3. Calamelaps unicolor Gunther, 1866, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (3) XVIII, p. 25. BouLENGER, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 245. Tornier, 1901, Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.), XIV, p. 85. BoTJLENGER, 1902, in .Johnston, 'Uganda Protectorate,' p. 447. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, IV, p. 219. Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3j V, p. 166: 1915, Prcc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 632; 1920, p. 291. A single female specimen of this species, A. M. N. H. No. 12445, was collected at Faradje, April 1911. Well known from Togo and Uganda, the occurrence of Calamelaps unicolor at Faradje establishes the fact of a Sudanese distribution for this species. It is another illustration of the obvious rule that members of the Togo-Niger fauna have reached Uganda via the plains, while species from the Gaboon-Cameroon area reaching Uganda have spread through the forest. iSee Noble, 1921, Natural History, XXI, pp. 166-171. 923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 117 The specimen agrees excellently with Boulenger's description, but is of extraordinarj^ size, measuring 722 mm. The tail measures 50 mm., .07 of the total. Ventral plates, 202; subcaudals, 23; dorsal scale count, 15-17-17, No pre- or postocular, the supraocular bordering the eve behind. Temporal widely separated from the eye by a suture of the fifth labial and parietal. Labials, 6 above and 7 below. Uniformly colored above and below, a very dark grayish brown. This species is extraordinarily like Atractaspis, and it was supposed by the collectors that the fangs had been removed by the natives who brought the specimen. Fig. 12. Dorsal and ventral views of head of Calamelaps niangaro', new species, (12455, type, X 2). Calamelaps niangarse, new species A smaller specimen of Calamelaps in the collection, A. M. N. H. No. 12453, taken at Niangara, November 1910, was at first identified with C. fex Boulenger, from the Rio Cassine in Portuguese Guinea. On closer examination it appears that the new specimen is almost exactly inter- mediate between C. unicolor and C. feae and, as comparison with the specimen of C. unicolor above described does not warrant the assumption that they are the same species, it seems best to describe the new form separately. Diagnostic Characters Habitus more slender than in Calamelaps unicolor with a smaller head, a more pointed snout and a much longer tail; the prefrontals longer than the internasals, but their suture shorter than that between the internasals; supraoculars very small; 6 upper labials, the fifth broadly in contact with the parietal. Ventral plates 182, subcaudals 34, dorsal scales in 17 rows. 118 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Detailed Description Type.— A. M. N. H. No. 12453, d". Habitus rather slender, head not at all distinct from neck, tail short and obtuse, but decidedly longer than in Calavielaps feai. Rostral large, broader than deep, the part visible from above shorter than its distance from the frontal, beneath with a deeply impressed groove. The rostral extends relatively further forward beyond the mental than in C. jese. Frontal six- sided, longer than its distance from the snout. Internasals much broader than long, shorter than the prefrontals, but their suture longer than that between the prefrontals. Supraocular very small, probably a single postocular. Six upper labials, the fifth largest and forming a suture with the j^arietal. Seven lower labials, the first pair forming a suture behind the mental, fourth very large and meeting its fellow behind the single pair of chin shields. Dorsal scales 15-17-17; ventral plates 182; anal plate divided; subcaudals 34, in two rows. Total length 414 mm., tail 48 mm., .12 of the total. Uniform blackish brown, the scales very narrowly light-edged and distinct, the ventrals more distinctly light-edged. The specimen has been slightly damaged by ants, so that the nasals and the edges of the shields surrounding the eyes are destroyed. From Calamelops unicolor it is distinguished by the more slender habitus, the much smaller supraoculars, the smaller prefrontals, and especially the short suture between them. In these characters it agrees with C. fese. It is distinguished from C. feae in having six upper labials, the fifth in contact with the parietal; in the meeting of the fourth lower labials behind the chin shields; in the 17 dorsal scale rows (as in C. unicolor); and in the lower number of ventrals and higher number of subcaudals, corresponding to the longer tail. This last character might be considered a sex variation were not the tj^pe oi fese also a male. MioDON Dumeril Miodon gabonensis (Dumeril) Elaponwrphus gabonensis A. Dumeril, 1856, Rev. Mag. Zool., (2) VII, p. 468. Miodon gabonensis Boxjlenger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 252. Werner, 1897, Verb. Zcol.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 4.50; 1899, XLIX, p. 140. Andersson, 1902, Bihang Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XXVII, part 4, No. 5, p. 23. Sterxfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin. Ill, p. 413; IV, p. 219. Mxiller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 KI.. XXIV, p. 609. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 215, 633; 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 26; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 291. Two specimens from Medje, A. M. N. H. No. 12449 (March 1914) and 12450 (April 1914), were collected. Miodon gabonensis is known from the west Afiican forest, and Boulenger (1915, p. 633) records its occurrence in East Africa. 12449 22450 d: 9 722 652 mm .39 27 mm 0.05 0.04 22S 252 20 18 5-15-15 15-1.5-15 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 119 The specimens correspond excellently with Boulenger's description, but represent the imiformh' colored phase, without longitudinal lines. One preocular, two postoculars; temporals 1-1, subequal; labials 7 above and below, the third and fourth entering the eye. The dorsal color is dark grayish brown, darker posteriori}^, the head gray. The two scale rows next the ventrals are lighter in color and more reddish brown. The venter is uniform light yellow, with no dark color on the end of the ventrals, as in M. collaris. The yellow of the venter extends onto the sides of the neck, suggesting an approach to the nuchal collar often present in species of this genus. ]\Ieasuremexts and Sc.\le Characters A. M. X. H. No. Sex Length Tail Tail/Length Ventral Plates Siibcaudals Dorsal Scales Miodon unicolor, new species A single specimen from Poko, A. M. N. H. No. 12454, taken in August 1913, represents a distinct species of Miodon. Diagnostic Characters Habitus, dentition, and arrangement of head shields of Miodon. Rostral deeper in proportion to width than in -1/. gabonensis. Diameter of eye equal to half its distance from the labial border. Seventh upper labial highest, forming a suture -n-ith the parietal behind the first temporal. Color uniform bluish gray above and below, the ventral plates narrowly edged with white. Detailed Descriptiox Type.— A. M. X. H. Xo. 124.54, d". Head not at all distinct from neck, body cylindrical, tail very short, ending in a large spinous scale; head narrower and less depressed than in Miodon gabonensis. Rostral four-fifths as deep as broad, visible from above. Xostril in the anterior half of a divided nasal, directed backwards. Internasals longer than broad, shorter than the prefrontals, which are wider than long. Xo loreal. Frontal small, longer than the prefrontals, a little mo're than half the length of the parietals, half as broad as the interorbital width. Parietals large, as wide behind as in front, in contact with the upper postocular in front and the .seventh labial behind, emarginate on their lateral border. One pre- and tAvo postoculars. A large temporal, three-fourths as long as the parietal. Seven upper labials, the last highest and reaching the parietal behind the temporal. Seven lower labials, the first pair forming a suture behind the mental, the fifth largest. Two pairs of chin shields, the anterior larger. Length 56-3 mm., tail length 40 mm., .07 of the total. Ventral plates 202, sub- caudals 23; dorsal scales 1.5-1.5-1.5. 120 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Color bluish gray, each scale finely outlined with darker color. Ventrals of the same shade, their posterior edges mottled with white, more heavily anteriorlj"-, where the white extends the full width of the venter. The cutting off of the temporal behind l)y a parietal-labial suture may prove to be an individual anomaly by fusion of the second temporal with the parietal. In this event, however, the height of the seventh labial and the small size of the posterior temporal would still be distinctive of the species. Fig. 13. Dorsal and lateral views of head of Miodon unicolor, new species, (12454, type, X 2). Miodon collaris (Peters) Microsotna collare Peters, 1887, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde, Berlin, p. 148. Miodon collaris Boulenger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 251. Mocquard, 1897, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (8) X, p. 13. Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 454. Gough, 1903, Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.), XVII, p. 468.' Boulenger. 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 114. Ferreira, 1906, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 169. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 215; 1920, p. 291. • Six specimens are referred to this species: A. M. N. H. No. 12445 (August 1910), 12451-52 (April 1914), Medje; 12446-46 (November 1913), Niapu. These specimens correspond in coloration and scale characters with Miodon collaris in every respect with the exception of a higher range of ventral plates. The dentition resembles that of Cy7iodontophis Werner (1902, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, p. 345), but the writer has re- tained Miodon (as currently used) pending a revision of this difficult group. Miiller (1910, Abh.' Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 611) has referred Cynodontophis setnulans to Miodon notatus, but retains the new genus which has also been recognized by Boulenger (1915, p. 215). The specimens agree in having one pre- and two postoculars; seven labials above and ])elow, of which the third and fourth upper labials enter the eye; and temporals 1-1, subequal. The coloration is strikingly like that of Miodon collaris figured by Bocage (1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' PI. xv, fig. 1). The dorsal scales are a dark grayish l^rown, slightly reddish on the sides, and the ventrals have 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 121 a spot of the same color at each end as wide as the adjacent scale. The remainder of the venter is light yellow. A sharply defined collar of the ventral color crosses the neck about four scales behind the parietals, and extends forward on the sides of the head and edges of the parietals. The tip of the chin is black, the tip of the tail yellow. The black head-pattern is vividly marked in a juvenile specimen. The central portion of the parietals, all of the frontal, and a large central spot on each of the supraoculars and prefrontals is l^lack,. sharply out- lined against the orange ground color. A black subocular spot on the third and fourth labials, and a small black spot on the mental and each of the first lower labials completes the pattern. This small specimen, measuring 230 mm., contained a snake 180 mm. in length, its head, unfortunately, digested. Measuremexts and Scale Characters A. M. X. H. Xo. 1244.5 12446 12447 1244S 12451 12452 Sex cf 9 9 9 9 cf Length 230 6.53 602 675 416 535 mm. Tail 13 33 26 35 21 34 mm. Tail/Length 0. 06 0. 0.5 0. 04 0, 05 0. 05 0.06 Ventral Plates 232 238 235 235 238 227 Subcaudals 20 20 18 19 18 21 Dorsal Scales 1.5 15 15 15 15 15 Elapops Giinther Elapops modestus Gimther Plate XVII, Figure 2 Elapops modestvs Gunther, 1859, Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist., (3) IV, p. 161, PI. iv. fig C. BouLENGER, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 262. Mocquard, 1897, Bull. Soc Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 8. Werner, 1899, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, p. 141. Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 4.54. Gough, 1903, Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.), XVII, p. 468. Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 217. Sternpeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 414; IV, p. 220. MuLLER, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 615. Despax, 1911, in Cottes, 'Mission Cottes au Sud Cameroun,' p. 240. Bou- lenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 217; 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 27; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 293. Aparalladus boylengeri Werner, 1896, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVI, p. 363. Aparallactus peraffinis, Werner, 1897, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 404, PI. II, fig. 3. Nineteen specimens from the Rain Forest: A. M. N. H. No. 12528 (May 1914), Avakubi; 12510-17, 12518-25, 12526-27 (April, June and July 1914), Medje. Elapops modestus is doubtless a forest species, ranging from Liberia and Gaboon to the Ituri. 122 Bulletin American Museum of Xaiural History [Vol. XLIX The present series exhibits a considerable range of variation in dentition, scale characters, and coloration. The preliminary identifica- tion was far from satisfactory, as a considerable nmnber of maxillae were examined before finding grooved teeth, three out of eight specimens had • faint grooves while the other five had solid posterior teeth. The specific identification offered still greater difficulties, for the colora- tion of many specimens is exactty that of AparaUactus ubangensis and A. flavitorques (Boulenger, 1901, Ann. Mus. Congo, (1) II, p. 11, PL iv, figs. 2-3), one of which at least comes from the Rain Forest and speci- mens of Elapops modestus from Cameroon appear to represent a larger form. The feeble enlargement of the posterior teeth and the faintness of the grooves when these are present at all preclude the possibility of identifying them as AparaUactus. Elapops modestus is not described as coUared, but in the present series there is a complete transition from the collared juvenile and half-grown specimens to the uniformly colored adults. The dorsal extension of the rostral, the size of the prefrontals, the size of the eye, the size of the postoculars, and the shape and size of the frontal and parietals are not precisely alike in any two specimens, and it has proved impossible to correlate any group of characters to distinguish any particular group of specimens. The sublabials in con- tact with the anterior chin shields are 3 in five specimens, 3-4 in two specimens, and 4 in twelve. The upper labials bordering the parietal are the fifth and sixth, but the extent of the suture with the fifth varies greatly. One specimen has the lower postoculars fused with the fourth labial. One specimen has the nasals and preoculars barely in contact at a point. The largest male measures 442 mm., the largest female 540 mm. The tail length in males is .18.-19 of the total, in females .13-. 16. The sexes are sharply distinguished by the number of ventrals, 139-144 in males, 154-164 in females; subcaudals 43-47 in males, 37-44 in females. Aside from the presence or absence of a light brown nuchal collar ah'eadj^ mentioned, the coloration varies in shade of graj", two specimens being much lighter bluish gray, and the venter may be immaculate yellow or heavily mottled with dark gra}'. The writer is convinced that the species of AparaUactus require revision and, although far from satisfied with the present reference of an apparently heterogeneous series of specimens, it appears undesirable to add to the number of named forms without reference to comparison material and to types. 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 123 Elapinse BOULENGERINA Dollo Boulengerina annulata (Buchholtz and Peters) Naja annulata Buchholtz axd Peters, 1876, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 419. MocQU-\BD, 1887, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (7) XI, p. 84. Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 137. Aspidelaps bocagei SArvAGE, 1884, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, IX, p. 205, PI. vi, fig. 2. Boulengerina annulata Mocqu.vrd, 1897, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 14. Werxer, 1899, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, p. 141. Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 455, PI. xxxii. Werxer, 1902, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, p. 347. Boulexger. 1904, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XIV, p. 15. Sterxfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 415. Boulexger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 218; 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaiue VII, p. 27; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 294. Boulengerina dyboirskyi Mocquard, 1897, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 15. Boulexger, 1904, Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist., (7) XIV, p. 15; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 294. Five specimen.s of Boulengerina were secured bj^ the Congo Expedi- tion: A. M. X. H. Xo. 12331 (October 1913), Avakubi; 12393 (March 1914), Medje; 12329 (December 1909), . X'Gayu; 12330, 12394 (Xovember 1913), Xiapii. The series is of especial interest in necessitating the reference to synonymy of B. dyhowskyi Mocquard, which makes its range co-exten- sive with the eastern division of the Rain Forest, from Cameroon to the Tanganyika. The fact that it is a water snake, confused in the field with the crossbarred Grayia, is of interest in connection with its range, which is determined not by the Congo but by the Rain Forest. The largest specimen, a male, measui^es 1900 mm. The mean proportion of tail length to total is .20. The scales at mid-body are in 21 rows in three specimens, in 23 in two. The preoculars are 1 on each side, the postoculars 2. The temporals are 1-3 in three specimens, 1-2 in one, and 1-3 on one side and 2-3 on the other in the last. Upper labials 7, lower 8 or 9. The variation in this small series is obviously sufficient to connect the species clyboioskyi with annulata. The onh' distinction of stornisi, besides a difference in coloration from annulata, is in the 21 scale rows instead of 23, and the longer tail. In three of the specimens examined, the temporals are 1-3, a condition not hitherto recorded in annulata; but one of the specimens has temporals 1-2, exactty as in Boulenger's figures of this species (1900, PI. xxxii). The fifth specimen, with the usual temporal configuration of 1-3 on one side, has 2 anterior temporals on the other side followed by 3 in the second row. This is exactly as in 124 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX B. dyhowskyi, and it is evident that Mocquard's specimen represents a symmetrical variation in this respect. The characters adopted by Boulenger in his key to the genus (1904, p. 15) of the height of the rostral is unfortunate. It is said to be nearh^ as deep as broad in annulata and stormsi, much broader than deep in dyhoivskyi and christyi; all of the present specimens have a rostral considerably broader than deep, with slight variation, but it is impossible to identify them otherwise than as annulata. It appears that by the horizontal division af the normally high sixth supralabial, the change from annulata to the dyhowskyi arrange- ment of labials is made ; and an exact analogue of this variation appears in Dendraspis jamesonii, which is described as having the lower anterior temporal usually bordering the hp. The coloration is very characteristic, and has been excellently figured by Boulenger. In the present series the number of black rings is 22-24, of which the first three or four are not divided into pairs. In all of the specimens the ground color is much darker posteriori}^, and in two, the posterior rings are entirely obscured. Measurements and Scale Characters A. M. X. H. No. 12329 123.30 12.331 12393 12394 Sex cf cf & Length 1385 865 1900 1760 1870 mm. Tail 275 204 365 360 mm. Tail/Length 0.20 0.23 0.19 0 20 Ventral Plates 204 201 207 201 215 Subeaudals 72 76 71 77 Dorsal Scales 23-21-17 25-21-47 25-21-17 25-23-16 25-23-17 Temporals 1-3 1-3 1-3 1-2 1-3 2-3 LiMNONAJA, new genus Boulengerina christyi Boulenger appears to be so distinct from Boulengerina annulata as to warrant the erection of a distinct genus whose characters follow. Maxillary bone extending forward as far as the palatine, with a pair of large grooved poison fangs, followed by two or thi*ee small teeth; anterior mandibular teeth longest; head very distinct from neck; eye small with round pupil; nostril verj' large, pierced in a single nasal; scales smooth, without pits, in seventeen rows; tail moderate, subeaudals in two rows; posterior half of body and tail stronglj'^ com- pressed; a median row of transversely widened dorsal scales on the compressed part of the body. Type. — Limnonaja christyi (Boulenger). It is distinguished from Boulengerina by the widened head, distinct from the neck, the compressed instead of C3'lindrical body and tail, and 1923] Schmidt, Herfetology of the Belgian Congo 125 the transversely widened dorsal scales. In addition, its coloration is wholly distinct from that of Boulengerina. Limnonaja christyi (Boulenger) Boulengerina christyi Botjlexger, 1904, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XIV, p. 14; 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 218. A single small specimen, A. M. N. H, No. 11902, of this species, comes from Boma, collected in June 1909. It has been known only from the type, collected at LeopoldviUe. Fig. 14. Dorsal, lateral, and ventral views of head of Liinnonaja christyi (Boulenger), (11902, X 2). The juvenile (female ?) specimen measures 474 mm., tail 89 mm., slightly larger than the type. Ventral plates 206, subcaudals 69; dorsal scales 17-17-13; one preocular; two postoculars; temporals 1-3; seven upper labials, the third and fourth entering the eye; eight lower, labials, four in contact with the anterior chin shields. The agreement with the type is close in every respect except that there are 1-3 temporals instead of 2-2 or 2-3 and the fourth, fifth and sixth upper labials are in contact with the lower postocular instead of only the fourth and fifth. This is evidently the same variation as occurs in Boulengerina annulata, on which B. dyhowskyi Mocquard was based. Reference to the figure shows how the cutting off of an anterior lower temporal from the sixth upper labial changes the condition in the present specimen to that described in the type. 126 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX The coloration is black above and below, the neck with more or less irregular crossbands of j^ellowish, which become indistinct posteriorly, and disappear entirely beyond the anterior fourth of the body. Throat and chin yellow, head brownish, darker above, lighter on the sides. The field notes recorded under field number 1 read as follows:- ''Snake, bought in Boma for 50 cents, June 22, 1909. Evidently a water snake, as it was sold in a bottle of water. vSaw a much larger one in the street of Matadi, June 27, at least twice as big as the first" (H. Lang). Naja Laurenti " Naja haje (Linnaeus) Coluber haje Linn^us, 1764, 'Mus. Adolph. Frid.,' II, p. 46. Naja haje Merrem, 1820, 'Tent. Syst. Amphib.,' p. 148. Tornier, 1897, 'Kriech- tiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 84. Anderson, 1898, Zool. Eg3pt, I, p. 312, PI. XLiv. Breijer, 1915, Ann. Transvaal Mus., V, p. 115. Naja /loja Werner, 1908, 'Rept. Wellcome Res. Lab. Khartoum,' p. 176, PL xvii, fig. 1. Naja haie Lonnberg, 1911, Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Hand!., XLVII, No. 6, p. 23. Naia haie Boulenger, 189P, Cat. rinakes,' III, p. 374. Francaviglia, 1896, Boll. Soc. Romana Zool., V, p. 35. Boulenger, 1897, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (2) XVII, p. 279; 1902, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 18; 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist , (7) XVI, p. 180. Werner, 1907. Sitzber. Akad. Wlss. (math.- natur.), Wien, CXVI, PI. i, p. 1882. Boulenger, 1908, Ann. Natal Mus., I, p. 230. GouGH, 1908, Ann. Transvaal Mus., I, p. 35. Chubb, 1909, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p oSC. BorLENOER, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 517. Hewitt and Power, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 164. Werner, 1913, in Brehm's 'Tierleben,' 4th Ed., V, p. 443. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 636, 655. Loveridge, 1918, Journ. E. Africa L'ganda Nat. Hist. Soc, No. 13, p. 324. Werner, 1919, Denkschr. Akad. Wi.ss. Wien, math.-naturw. Kl., XLVI, p. 507. Boulenger, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 294. A single specimen, A. M. N. H. No. 12326, was taken at Faradje, February 19 IL The occurrence of Naja haje in this part of the Sudan is of consider- able interest. There is no satisfactory record of this species from Togo or Nigeria or the arid interior of Cameroon, the specimen reported by Bavay (1895, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, XX, p. 210) from Dahomey being probably referrable to N. nigricollis, especially as he refers to the spitting habit. The records from Angola and the Congo are still more dubious, as Bocage confuses it with melanoleuca. If N^aja haje does not range through the Sudanese Subprovince, its distribution is a peculiar one, reminiscent to a degree of Varaniis griseus. The extension south in East Africa to Zululand and west in North Africa to Morocco indicates a 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 127 relatively recent migration from Lower Egj^pt as a center; for had it spread from any center in the Savannah Province, it must inevitably have possession of the Sudan. On this h^^pothesis, Faradje represents a western outpost of its range in the Eastern Sudan. The specimen, a female, measures 1335 mm., of which the tail occupies 196 mm., .15 of the total. There are 210 ventral plates and 57 subcaudals. The dorsal scale count is 23-21-15. One preocular and four postoculars on each side. Upper labials 7, lower 9. Naja melanoleuca Hallowell Plate XVr A'aja haje var. melanoleuca Hallowell, 1857, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., p. 61. N^aja melanoleuca Matschie, 1893, Mitt. Deutsch. Schutzgeb., VI, p. 214. Moc- QUARD, 1897, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 14. Shexkel, 1902, Verh. Naturf. Ges. Basel, XIII, p. 175. Werxer, 1902, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, p. 347. BocAGE, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 94. Ferreira, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 12. Johxston, 1906, 'Liberia," II, p. 808. Sterx- FELD, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 415; IV, p. 220; 1910, V, p. 64. LoxNBERG, 1910, in Sjostedt, 'Kilimandjaro-Meru Exp.,' I, part 4, p. 16. Muller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 KL, XXIV, p. 615; 1913, Zool. Anz., XLI. p. 234. A'aja melanoleuca Boulexger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 376; 1897, Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 280. Sjostedt, 1897, Bihang Svenska Vetensk. Akad. Handl., XXIII, part 4, No. 2, p. 25. Werxer, 1897, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 401; 1899, XLIX, p. 141. Boulexger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 455; 1902, in Johnston, 'Luanda Protectorate,' p. 447; 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 114; Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 215; 1909, (3) IV, p. 303; 1911, (3) V, p. 166; 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 219, 636. Chabanaud, 1915, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, pp. 75, 318; 1917, XXIII, p. 13; 1918, XXIV, p. 166. Loveridge, 1918, Journ. E. Africa L'ganda Nat. Hist. Soc. No. 13, p. 324. Boulexger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 27. Chabaxaud, 1919, Bull. ]\Ius. Hist. Nat. Paris, XXV, p. 568. Boulexger, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 294. Chabaxaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hi.st. Scient. Afrique Occ. Fran^aise, p. 471. Naja melanoleuca is abundant in the Rain Forest. Thirty-two specimens were collected: A. M. N. H. Nos. 12387-88 (October 1913), Akenge; 12380 (October 1909), 12319 (August 1913), Avakubi; 12366, Bafwabaka; 12314-16, 12369, 12373 (August 1910), 12325 (September 1910), 12323-24, 12370, 12375, 12377-78 (June 1914), Medje; 12376 (July 1913), Nala; 12317 (April 1913), 12379 (November 1910), Nian- gara; 12320-21, 12367, 12374, 12389-90 (November 1913), 12322, 12371 (December 1913), Niapu; 12318, 12368 (August 1913), Poko; 12365, 12381 (tags corroded), Belgian Congo. The range of this species is practically co-extensive with that of the Western Forest Province of the Botanical Map. It has been recorded 128 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [\o\. XLIX from Nyassaland to Uganda in East Africa, with extreme eastern record from the KiUmandjaro (Lonnberg, 1910, p. 16). Its occurrence outside the continuous forest is probably restricted to forest islands, as at Xiangara, Sesse Islands in Victoria Nyanza, and the Kilimandjaro. The maximum length in fifteen males is 2124 mm., in ten females, 1630 mm. Xo difference in the proportion of tail length to total can be discerned in the sexes, the range being .16-. 19, mean .17. The ventral plates vary from 212-226, mean 218; the subcaudals from 60-71, mean 66. The dorsal scales are 23-29 at the neck, 17-19 at mid-body, and 11- 13 posteriorly, the usual count being 25-19-13 (27 is equally common across the neck). The shields of the head are Very constant, every specimen showing one pre- and three postoculars; seven upper and eight lower labials, the third and fourth upper labials entering the eye. The coloration of Naja melanoleuca is verj' distinctive. Adult specimens are entirely black above ; posterior three-fourths of the venter, black; throat and sides of the head, light yellow, extending backward on the venter from 6-15 ventral plates, after which, black crossbands appear, increasing in breadth until the venter is entirely black, usually before the fiftieth ventral. In two specimens the venter is mottled with light color to the hundred and first and one hundred and thirty-fifth ventral. In specimens less than a meter in length light crossbands, con- sisting of rows of white-edge scales, are visible (coloration "B" of Boulenger). In both young and adult specimens the light labials (begin- ning with the second above and the third l^elow) and the lower temporal are heavily outlined with black, the upper and lower labial sutures corresponding. Naja nigricoUis Reinhardt Xaja iiigricollis Reinhardt, 1843, Danske Vidensk. Selsk. Afh., X, p. 269, PI. iii, figs. 5-7. BocAGE, 1896, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, pp. 79, 95, 113, 178. Peracca, 1896, Boll. Mus. Torino, XI, Xo. 255, p. 4. Tornier, 1897, 'Kriech- tiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 84. Anderson, 1898, Zool. Eg>'pt, I, p. 322, PI. XLv. Johnston, 1906, 'Liberia,' II, p. 810. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 415; IV, pp. 220, 241, 244; Werner, 1908, 'Rept. Wellcome Res. Lab. Khartoum,' pp. 171, 176, PI. xviii, fig. 2. Sternfeld, 1910, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, V, p. 57. Peracca, 1910, Boll. Mus. Torino, XXV, No. 624, p. 4. Sternfeld, 1911, Sitzber. Ges. Xaturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 251; 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Afrika E.xp.,' IV, p. 274. Naia nigricoUis Boulenger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 378; Ann. Mus. Stor. Xat. Genova, (2) XVII, pp. 13, 21, 279. Mocquard, 1896, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, II, p. 59. Boulenger, 1897, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 801; Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 280. Meek, 1897, Publ. Field Mus., Zool., I, p. 179. Mocquard, 1899, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, V, p. 219. Werner, 1899, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, p. 148. Boulenger, 1902, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 129 London, II, p. 18. Mocquard, 1902, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, VIII, p. 416. Werner, 1902, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, p. 336. Botjlenger, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 114; Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 215; 1907, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 487; Mem. Proc. Manchester Lit. Philos. Soc, LI, No. 12, p. 12. Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. (math.- natur.), Wien, CXVI, part 1, p. 1883. Boulenger, 1908, Ann. Natal Mus., I, p. 230; 1909, Trans. Zool. Soc. London, XIX, p. 246. Chtjbb, 1909, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 597. Boulenger, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 518. Werner, 1910, Denschr. Med. Naturw. Ges. Jena, XVI, p. 364. Boulenger, 1.911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 166. Curtis, 1911, 'Repf. Wellcome Res. Lab. Khartoum,' p. 195, PI. xvi. Fraser, idem, p. 201. Peracca, 1912, Ann. Mus. Zool. Napoli, (2) III. No. 25, p. 6. Hewitt and Power, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 165. Methuen and Hewitt, 1914, Ann. Transvaal Mus., IV, p. 144. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 219, 636, 656. Chabanaud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, pp. 75, 381; 1917, XXIII, p. 13. Loveridge, 1918, Journ. E. Africa Uganda Nat. Hist. Soc, No. 13, p. 321. Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 27. Werner, 1919, Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien, math.-natur. Kl., XLVI, p. 507. Boulen- ger, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 294. Naia nigricollis var. pallida Boulenger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 379; 1898, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (2) XVIII, p. 721; 1909, (3) IV, p. 311. Naja nigricollis pallida Sternfeld, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 275. N^aja nigricollis was collected at Faradje, A. M. N. H. No. 12327 (March 1911), and Garamba, No. 12364 (May 1912), with a third speci- men, No. 12328, whose tag was corroded, doubtless also from the same region. Naja nigricollis is the most widespread member of the genus in Africa, its range corresponding exactly with the Savannah Province. It is interesting that it does not occur in the southern parts of Cape Colony, where it is replaced by the very distinct A'", flava. The present records are the first from the eastern part of the Sudanese Subprovince. It is strange that it was not observed along the Nile by Werner in his Sudan expedition. Measurements and Scale Characters A. M. N. H. No. 12364 12327 12328 2830 Sex 9 (juv.) 9 d" c^ Length 382 1298 1323 1180 mm Tail 59 190 212 180 Tail/Length 0.15 0.15 0.16 0.15 Ventral Plates 203 198 194 185 Subcaudals . 54 50 57 Dorsal Scales 21-28-15 21-23-15 21-23-13 21-21-13 Preoculars 2-2 2-2 2-2 2-2 Postoculars 3-3 3-3 3-3 3-3 Supralabials 6-6 6-6 6-6 6-6 Infralabials 9-9 9-9 9-10 8-9 130 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX The specimens examined represent the variety pallida of Boulenger, but this does not seem to represent a subspecies. A. M. N. H. No. 2830, collected in Kenya Colony by Mr. Herbert Lang on a previous expedition, has been examined in comparison. Naja goldii Boulenger Naia goldii Boulenger, 1895, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XVI, p. 33; 1898, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 387, PI. xx; 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 455; 1915, p. 219; 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 27; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 2 96. Naja goldii Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 417. Naja yakomse, Mocquard, 1895, C. R. Congr. Int. Zool., Ill, p. 233. Naia guentheri Boulenger, 1893, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 388, PI. xxi. Naja guentheri Sternfeld, 1910, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, IV, p. 220. Two small specimens of Naja goldii were collected in the Ituri Forest, A. M. N. H. No. 12362, (July 1913) from Poko, and No. 12363, (September 1913) from Akenge. It has been recorded from Togo, Cameroon, and the Gaboon region, and Mocquard's specimen from Yakoma on the upper Ubanghi proves the species to be widely distrib- uted in the eastern portion of the Rain Forest. Both specimens are juvenile, less than half grown. In scale char- acters they agree excellently with the description of Boulenger (1896, p. 387) and of Mocquard (1895, p. 233). One preocular and three post- oculars on each side. Labials, 7 above and 8 below. A rather striking difference in habitus distinguishes this species from all others of the genus, the much greater tail length, .23 of the total in the present speci- mens, compared with .15 in Naja nigricollis and .17 in N. melanoleuca. The coloration has been carefully described by both Boulenger and Mocquard, and is very characteristic. The fact that it appears in the specimen referred to N. guentheri by Sternfeld (1910, p. 220) is additional evidence that guentheri cannot be distinguished from goldii. Measurements and Scale Characters A. M. N. H. No. Sex Length Tail Tail /Length Ventral Plates Subcaudals Dorsal Scales 12362 12363 9 & 608 645 139 146 0.23 0,23 197 197 92 88- 15-15-11 15-15-11 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 131 Dendraspis Schlegel Dendraspis jamesonii (Traill) Plate XVII, Figure 1 Elaps jameso7iii Traill, 1843, in Schlegel, 'Essai Phys. Serpents,' English Transl. p. 179, PI. II, figs. 19 and 20. Dendraspis jnviesonii Boettger, 1888, Ber. Senck. Ges., p. 85. Boulexgeb, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 436. Mocquard, 1896, Bull. Mus. Nat. Hist., Paris, II, p. 60. Boulenger, 1897, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 280. Werner, 1897, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 404; 1899, XLIX, p. 141. Boulenger, 1902, in Johnston, 'Uganda Protectorate,' p. 447. Lampe, 1902, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LV, p. 40. Shenkel, 1902, Verh. Naturf. Ges. Basel, XIII, p. 177. Werner, 1902, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, p. 347. GoTTGH, 1903, Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.), XVII, p. 467. Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 215. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 415; IV, p. 221. Boulenger, 1909, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) IV, p. 303. Roux, 1910, Rev. Suisse Zool., XVIII, p. 99. Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 167. Sternfeld, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Ejq).,' IV, p. 275. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 220, 636. Lo\':eridge, 1916, Journ. E. Africa Uganda Nat. Hist. Soc, V, No. 10, p. 80; 1918, No. 13, p. 321. Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 27; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 295. Dendraspis neglectus Bocage, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 44. Dendraspris (misprint) jamesonii Muller, 1913, Zool. Anz., XLI, p. 234. Twenty-seven specimens of Dendraspis jamesonii were collected: A. M. X. H. Nos. 12343, 12392 (September 1913), Menge; 12344-47 (September 1913), Avakubi; 12332-33 (May 1910), 12334 (August 1910), 12382 (October 1910), Medje; 12235-39 (November 1910), 12340 (May 1913), 12341 (June 1913), Niangara; 12348-51, 12386, 12391 (November 1913), 12383-84 (December 1913), Niapu; 12342 (August 1913), Poko. This species is distributed from French Guinea to the mouth of the Congo, and ranges throughout the Rain Forest to the lake region, where it occurs in the forest islands, as at Niangara in the present collection. The specimens range in size from 567 mm. to 2470 mm. The largest male measures 2145 mm., the specimen of 2470 mm. being a female. The proportionate tail length is the same in the sexes, .22-.25 of the total, mean .23. The range of variation in number of ventrals is 211-230, mean 221; in number of subcaudals, 102-117, mean 107. The extremes in dorsal scales are 15-15-1 1 and 19-17-13, usually 17-17-11. The preoculars are 3 on each side in all specimens. The postoeulars are four except in two specimens, which have, by fusion of the middle ones, 3 on one side. The enlarged postparietal scales number 3 (between the first temporals) in twenty specimens, 4 in one, and 5 in four. The lower temporal reaches the labial border (counted as the seventh upper 132 Bulletin American Museum of A^atural History [Vol. XLIX labial) in eighteen specimens; in four, a small seventh labial, longer than high, is cut off from the base of the temporal on one side, and in three, this condition is symmetrical. In one specimen the lower anterior temporal is cut off from the postoculars b}" the sixth labial. Instability of scale arrangement in the temporal area is evidently characteristic of this species. Viperidae Viperinae Causus Wagler Causus rhombeatus (Lichtenstein) Plate XVIII, Figure 1 Sepedon rhombeatus hicHTESSTEi^ , 1823, 'Verz. Doubl. Mug. Berlin,' p. 106. Causus rhombeatus Boulexger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 467, fig. 34. Bocage, 1896, Jorn . Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, pp. 80, 113. Pekacca, 1896, Boll. Mus. Torino, XI, Xo. 225, p. 4. Boulexger, 1897, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 801; Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 280. Johxstox, 1897, 'British Central Africa,' p. 361a. ToRxiER, 1897, 'Kriechtiere Deutsch-0.st-Afrikas,' p. 86. Werxer, 1897, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 401; 1899, XLIX, p. 142. Bou- lexger, 1902, in .Johnston, 'Uganda Protectorate,' p. 447; 0000, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 18. Mocquard, 1902, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, VIII, p. 416. Werxer, 1902, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, pp. 336, 337, 347. BocAGE, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Li.sboa, (2) VII, p. 44. Ferreira, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 169. Johxstox, 1906, 'Liberia,' II, p. 808. Boulexger, 1907, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 487. Roux, 1907, Zool. Jahrb. (S3'st.), XXV, p. 740; Rev. Suisse Zool., XV, p. 81. Gough, 1908, Ann. Transvaal Mus., I, p. 38. Johxstox, 1908, 'George Grenfell and the Congo,' p. 950. Odhxer, 1908, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, IV, No. 18, p. 6. Sterxfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 416; IV, pp. 221, 245. Werner, 1908, 'Rept. Wellcome Res. Lab. Khartoum,' p. 172, 178, PI. xvii, fig. 3. Boulexger, 1909, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) IV, p. 303. Gexdre, 1909, Extr. C. R. Soc. Linn. Bor- deaux, p. cv. Boulexger, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 521. Loxxberg, 1910, in Sjostedt, 'Kilimandj^ro-Meru Exp.,' I, part 4, p. 17. Peracca, 1910, Boll. Mus. Torino, XXV, No. 624, p. 5. Sterxfeld, 1910, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, V, p. 65. Boulexger, 1911, Ann. INIus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 167. Loxxberg, 1911, Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XLVII, No. 6, p. 24. Sterxfeld AXD NiEDEX, 1911, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, V, p. 385. Fitzsimoxs, 1912, 'Snakes of South Africa,' p. 233. Peracca, 1912, Ann. Mus. Zool. Napoli, (2) III, No. 25, p. 6. Sterxfeld, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 276. Hewitt axd Power, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 165. Boulexger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 220, 637, 657. Chaba- xaud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Nat. Hist., Paris, XXII, pp. 76, 382; XXIII, p. 13; 1918, XXIV, p. 166. LovERiDGE, 1918, Journ. E. Africa Uganda Nat. Hist. Soc, No. 13, p. 317. Chabaxaud, 1919, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXV, p. 568. Boulexger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 28; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 295. Chabaxaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Frangaise, p. 472. 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 133 Causus rhomheaius bilineatus Boulexger, 1905, Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 114. Causus rhomheatus tseniata Sterxfeld, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 276. Thirty-eight specimens of Causus rhomheatus were collected as follows: A. M. N. H. Nos. 11744-45, 11746-47 (February and April 1911) are from Faradje; 11724 (July 1910), Irebu; 11735-41, 11743 (November 1910), 11953-54 (May and June 1913), Niangara; 11755-56, 11757-59 (July and August 1913), Poko; 11734 (October 1910), Rungu; 11725-33 (August 1909), 11760-61 (April 1915), Stanleyville; 11762 (June 1915), Zambi. Specimens from Natal and Matabeleland have also been examined. This species is one of the most wideh' distributed of African snakes, occurring over the whole of Africa south of the Sahara, and it is in mam- places the most abundant form. Its range does not appear to be in- fluenced appreciably by the Eain Forest, although it is probabh' less abundant inside the forest boundar}'. The distribution in the Ituri Region is peculiar in that it is recorded only from Stanleyville within the forest, where eleven specimens were taken, although it was taken at four localities outside the forest; and Causus lichtensteinii, characteristic of the forest, was not collected at Stanle^'ville; the suggestion being that the two species are more or less exclusive, and that C . rhomheatus occurs onh' in colonies inside the forest limits, offering an interesting question for further investigation. The number of specimens from the Sudanese localities does not sufficiently emphasize its abundance, for numbers of damaged specimens were rejected. C . rhomheatus was not recorded from the Sudan by Werner's expedition collecting in the Lade to the northeast of the area reached by Messrs. Lang and Chapin. Comparison of the Stanlej-ville specimens with those from the open country' to the north fails to discover any appreciable difference. The extremes in length are 149 mm. and 605 mm. The tail length varies from .06 to .10 of the total. The ventrals number from 131 to 152, the subcaudals in the male from 20 to 24, in the female from 16 to 23. The subcaudals are all divided except in two specimens, one of which has the last eight entire, the other the first seven. The most frequent dorsal scale count is 19-19-12, the lowest 17-17-11, the highest 20-20-14, an even number of scale rows being rather frequent. The scales of the ocular ring, without the supraocular, number from 4 to 7, usually 5; the temporals, normally 2-3, are 3-3 in one case, 2-4 in several. The loreal is normally a single shield; one specimen has loreals 1-2, three have 2-2, one has 2-4, and two have 3-3, unsymmetrical variation in this 134 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX character being rare. The uj^per labials are uniformly 6, or, if a small shield just touching the labial border behind be counted, 7. The coloration is fairly uniform. In life it is "pinkish or reddish brown, with dark brown dorsal markings; chin, pinkish white, throat yellow, remainder of venter pinkish white with a metallic iridescence of blue and purple" (H. Lang). All of the specimens show a median dark line on the upper side of the tail. In many this can be seen to be the continuation of a dorsal band covering at its widest point about 9 middle scale rows (coinciding with the keeled and less obliquely placed scales). This band is rarely distinct on the anterior half of the body, while it is plainly visible in most specimens on the posterior half. The color might be said to consist of three shades of l^rown, the lighter ground color on the sides, the darker dorsal band, and the still darker dorsal spots on the dorsal band. The subtriangular dorsal spots have their apex directed backward, and the lateral corners more or less continuous with irregular transverse groups of small dark spots on the sides, which usually cover only the upper half of a scale. The number of dorsal spots is fairly con- stant, 28-30 to the anus, with occasionally a few less due to irregular spacing. The arrow-head -shaped mark on the head and nape is extremely constant, its tip on the frontal. In four of the thirty-eight specimens the dorsal spots are outlined with white dots, a character which does not appear to be related to age or sex. A single specimen, No. 11741, the largest in the series, has much larger and hence fewer dorsal spots ; has the labials sharply outlined with black, instead of shaked; has the triangular head mark truncate in front, with a transverse mark in front of it, and another on the prefrontals has the ventrals strongly dark-edged; and has an unusually long tail. This specimen probably represents an extreme of individual variation in the Sudanese specimens. In specimens from Natal, in The American Museum of Natural History-, the labials are always black-edged, and in two the venter is entirely dark on its middle half. These also lack the dorsal band, a row of narrow elongate spots taking the place of the line on the tail in the northern specimens. The food of this species appears to consist of frogs and toads, two of the series under discussion having swallowed frogs and one a toad, while frequent mention of the frog-eating habit is to be found in the literature. Fitzsimons (1912, p. 233) speaks of the abundance of night adders in houses and woodsheds in search of mice. Specimens in captivity, how- ever, were fed upon frogs and toads. 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 135 "Common along roads about Niangara; ten specimens were re- jected as too badly damaged for preservation. Common near Faradje. Said to be abmidant in gardens at Irebu" (H. Lang). One specimen was found to be badly infested with ticks. Causus lichtenstenii (Jan) Plate XIX Aspidelaps lichtensteinii Jan, 1859, Rev. Mag. Zool., p. 511. Cavsus lichtensteinii Boulenger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 470; Werner, 1899, Ver. Zool. Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, p. 142. Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Xat. Genova, (3) II, p. 216. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 416; IV, p. 245. Muller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 615. Peracca, 1910, in 'II Ruwenzori,' p. 9. Sternfeld, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 277. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 221, 637; 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 28: 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 296. Represented in the collection Ijy twenty-seven specimens: A. M. N. H. No. 11767 (September 1913) is from Akenge; 11763 (February 1914), 11764 (October 1909), Avakubi; 11773-79, 11780-88 (April and June 1914), Medje; 11765-66 (December 1909), N'Ga\ai; 11768-69, 11770- 72 (November and December 1913), Niapu. Caiusus lichtensteinii (Jan) is the most distinct of the four members of the genus, and is confined to the Rain Forest, while C. resivius and C. (lefilippi are found in the Savannah Province, and C. rhomheatus in both Savannah and Forest. This species is one of the least variable of snakes, certain char- acters being almost absolutely stable. The greatest length observed is 572 mm. The proportionate tail length varies from .08 to .10 in the male (average .090), and from .07 to .08 in the female (average .074). The ventrals number from 133 to 149, the subcaudals in the male from 18 to 22, in the female from 17 to 19. The normal dorsal scale count is 15-15-11, and this is deviated from in only four specimens of the twenty- seven, and in these only near the base of the tail, where three of them have 10 scales and the other 9. The labials are constantly 6 above and 9 below. The oculars are usually 6, 5 in three specimens, and 7 in one. The temporals are in every specimen 2-3, the loreals 1-1 in all except one specimen, which has 2 on one side. The first and second upper temporals are about as long together as the first lower, while in Causus rhomheatus the first upper temporal is nearly as long as the lower. Muller (1910, p. 616) has described the coloration in this species for both adult and juvenile stages. The narrow dark chevrons described by Boulenger as pointing foi'ward and by iNIiiller as directed })ackwai"d are in most cases indistinct. In one or two specimens, however, these cross- 136 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX bands reach a more complete development as rhombic markings, so that both desci-iptions may be correct, though a backward direction of the chevrons is normal. The juvenile coloration is even more distinct than in Mtiller's description. The smallest specimen (137 mm.) is dark brown above; a white line from the rostral over the canthus, above the eye, across the temporals to the corner of the mouth, joining a second on the border of the upper labials. A prominent white V, with the apex at the parietal suture, on the nape, edged anteriorly with darker brown. About 18 dark chevrons, the points directed backward, most distinct at mid- body. Venter anteriorly with dark crossbands the light interspaces invading the sides. Three of these are distinct and subequally spaced, while the remainder are indicated only by symmetrical white notches reaching the third scale row, the notch as wide as 2 ventrals, the inter- space about 14. The tail has a white band, 5 dorsal scales in width, at its base, and another, 2 scales wide, near the tip. No. 11788, 171 nmi. in length, agrees perfectly Avith this description while in a specimen of 248 mm. the tail bands are entirely lost. Of the characters of the juvenile color pattern, the white V on the nape is most persistent, although in many of the adults of the present series (imfortunatelj^ much darkened by preservation in formalin) it is entirely invisible. The dark chevrons are frequently entirely obscured, the dorsal color being a uniform glossy bluish olive. As in Causus rhombeatiis, the presence of white marks on the edges of the scales, originally probably as outlines of the dark chevrons, is an inconstant character; these crossi'ows of white spots may persist after the entire disappearance of anj- other color pattern. Atractaspis Smith Atractaspis irregularis (Reinhardt) Plate XVIII, Figure 2 Elaps irregularis Reinhardt, 1843, Danske Vidensk. Selsk. Afh., X, p. 264, PI. Ill, figs. 1-3. Atractaspis irregularis Jan. 1858, Rev. Mag. Zool. p. 518. Boulenger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 513; 1897, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 280. Tornier, 1897, 'Kriechtiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 84. Werner, 1899, Verh. Zool.- Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, p. 143. Boulenger, 1902, in Johnston, 'ITganda Pro- tectorate,' p. 447. Johnston, 1906, 'Liberia,' II, p. 808, fig. 306. Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. (math.-natur.), Wien, CXVI, part 1, p. 1886. Stern- FELD, 190S, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, IV, p. 222. Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 167. Sternfeld, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 199. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 223, 640. Chabanaud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, p. 382. 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 137 LovERiDGE, 1916, Journ. E. Africa Uganda Xat. Hist. Soc, V, No. 10, p. 80. Ch.\baxaud, 1917, Bull. Mus. Hist. Xat., Paris, XXHI, p. 14. Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 29; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 29S. Chabaxaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Frant^aise, p. 472. Four specimens from the forest border: A. ]\I. N. H. No. 12353 (November 1910), 12355-56 (April and May 1913), Niangara; 12357 (Jime 1913), Rimgu. The distribution of the species of Atractaspis is interesting, although the scarcity of individuals and records introduces an element of un- certainty into deductions of range, counterbalanced, perhaps, by the recognized value of burrowing forms for the discussion of distributional problems. Atractaspis irregularis appears to be a forest border species, ranging from Liberia and Togo to Uganda and thence to San Salvador du Congo and Chinchoxo on the southern border. The two localities added b}^ the present collection link the Nigerian records with those from the lake region. The four specimens are very uniform in essential characters. The largest measures 578 mm., tail 34 mm., .06 of the length. The ventrals number from 231-244, the subcaudals 22-25. The dorsal scales are 25-25-31, in two specimens, 25-27-21 and 25-27-23 in the others. The upper labials are 5, the lower 5 in one specimen, 6 in three. No field notes regarding the habits of this species are available, the specimens having been secured by natives. Fig. 15. Dorsal and ventral views of head of Atractaspis corpulenta (Hallowell), (12358, X 2^. 138 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Atractaspis corpulenta (Hallowell) Brachycranion corpulenta Hallowell, 1854, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., p. 99. Atractaspis corpuleyitus Hallowell, 1857, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila , p. 70. Atractaspis corpulenta Boulenger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 514. Johnston, 1906, 'Liberia,' II, p. 808. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 417. Werner, 1913, Mitt. Nat. Mus. Hamburg, XXX, p. 32. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 223; 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine VII, p. 29; 19'20, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 298. A single specimen, A. M, N. H. No. 12358, taken at ]\Iedje, in April 1914, extends the range of this species throughout the forest area. It has been previously recorded from Liberia, Cameroon, and Gaboon. The specimen, a male, measures 521 mm., of which the tail occupies 46 mm. (.09 of the total length;. Ventral plates, 1915, subcaudals, 25; dorsal scales 23-25-20; five upper and six lower labials. Atractaspis bibroni Smith Atractaspis hihroni Smith, 1849, '111. Zool. S.Africa, Rept.,' Pl.LXxi. Boulenger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 515; 1908, Ann. Natal Mus., II, p. 231. Odhner, 1908, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, IV, No. 8, p. 6. Boulenger, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 523. Peracca, 1910, Boll. Mu.s. Torino, XXV, No. 624, p. 5. Sternfeld, 1910, Mitt. Zool. :\Iu.s. Berlin, V, p. .58; 1911, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 251. Nieden, 1913, Sitzber. Ges. Naturt. Freunde Berlin, p. 450. Werner, 1913, Mitt. Nat. Mus. Hamburg, XXX, p. 34. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 640. Atractaspis rostrata GtJNTHER, 1868, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hi.st., (4) I, ]). 429, PL xix, fig. 1. Boulenger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 514. Roux, 1910, Rev. Suisse Zool., XVIII, p. 100. Sternfeld, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 199. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 640. A single juvenile specimen, A. M. N. H. No. 12354, taken at Garamba in June 1912, is referred to this species. Whether identified as Atractaspis rostrata or hihro7ii this specimen extends the range of the species to the northeast, and adds a species of distinctly East African origin to the Sudanese fauna. The overlapping of East African species into the Sudanese Subprovince is in fact a much less frequent phenomenon than the reverse. The writer follows Werner (1913, p. 33) in uniting Atractaspis rostrata with A. hihroni, although with some hesitation. Unfortunately there is no available material of the latter species for comparison, and the single juvenile specimen at hand does not suffice for a definite conclusion. In one respect, however, and in what Werner regards as the most im- portant for a possible distinction of the two species, the present specimen completes his argiunent for uniting the two. He finds that the northern (Tanganj'ika Territory) specimens (rostrata) have 23 dorsal scale rows, the southern (typical bibroni), 21. The present specimen agrees with 1923] Schmidt, Her petology of the Belgian Congo 139 hihroni in having 21 dorsal scales and with roatrata in having a well- defined horizontal edge on the rostral. Total length 205 mm., tail 13 nnn. The ventral plates number 246, the subcaudals 24. The dorsal scale count is 19-21-19. Labials 5 above and below. The color is brown, the scales distinct. Atractaspis aterrima Giinther Atradaspis aterrima Gu.xther, 1S63, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (3) XII, ]). 363. Bou- LENGER, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 51.5. Mocquard, 1896, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, II, p. 60. Boulenger, 1902, in Johnston, 'Uganda Protectorate,' p. 447; 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 216. Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. (math.-natur.), Wien, CXVI, Pi. i, p. 1886. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 417; 1910, IV, p. 222. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soo. London, p. 640; 1920, p. 298. Chaban.\ud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Franc^aLse, p. 472. A single specimen, A. M. N. H. No. 12352, collected at Niangara in November 1910, links the west African records (Portuguese Guinea to Cameroon) with the central African (Uganda), and the species illustrates a consistent Sudanese i-ange, as Atractaspis corpulenta does a forest distribution. The specimen measures 569 nun., tail 32 mm. The ventral plates number 277, the subcaudals 24. The dorsal scales are 19-21-19. The labials number 5 above and 6 below. It agrees with the description of Boulenger (1896, p. 575) in every respect except for the extension of the large temporal to the lal^ial border, between the fourth and fifth upper labials; an anomaly readily enough accoimted for as an individual character. "Was tied to a stick and appeared to be lifeless. Intending to take it behind the head, I was surprised at the extraordinary rapidity of its movements. It succeeded in stabbing me with one of its fangs near the finger nail; but immediate application of permanganate of potash prob- ably prevented serious developments. The natives regard them as very poisonous" (H. Lang). Atractaspis heterochilus Boulenger Atractaspis heterocfnlun Boulenger, 1901, Ann. Mus. Congo, (1) II, ]). 13, PI. v, fig. 1; 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 2'23; 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine. Vll, p. 29; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 298. The second specimen, A. M. N. H. No. 11901, of this distinct species was collected at Medje, the type locality being Albertville on the Tan- ganyika. Although the latter locality is outside the actual limit of the 140 Bullelin American Museum of Xatural History [Vol. XLIX Rain Forest, there can be no question that it is to be considei'ed a forest species, particularly as its closest relations are with Atracta.spis reticulata from the forest of Cameroon. The specimen recorded by Werner (1913, Mitt. Nat. Mus. Hamburg, XXX, p. 32) appears to be more closely related to Atractaspis reticulata than to A. heterochilus. The present specimen has 353 ventral plates, the one recorded by Boulenger 341, and it agrees in having 23 dorsal scale rows. A. reticulata has 308-330 ventrals and 21 dorsal scales. Werner's specimen agrees Avith the latter in number of ventrals (328) and with A. heterochilus in having 23 dorsal scales. Taking into account the type locality of each species it seems simplest to amend the diagnosis of A. reticulata to "dorsal scales 19-23," rather than to extend the range of ventrals in heterochilus from 353 to 328. Indeed, on the latter basis, the two species must be united. It seems preferable to emphasize the difference in number of ventrals between the specimens from the Gaboon- Cameroon area, and those from the eastern part of the Rain Forest, although the two forms are certainly closely related, and may prove to be subspecies. The specimen is a male of 816 nnn. length, of which the tail measures 30 mm., Boulenger's specimen measuring 520 nnn. The ventrals number 353, the subcaudals 23; the dorsal scales are 19-23-19, as in the Tan- ganyika specimen. In every character of head scales it agrees perfectly with Boulenger's figure and description. The pink mental and supra- labials appear to be a unique and distinctive color character, still plainly marked in the alcoholic specimen. "General color dark bluish gray, the dorsal scales light-edged, making them very evident. Ventrals similarly edged with gray. Mental and first lower labials pink, as are the first upper labials. Taken on the ground in the forest" (H. Lang), BiTis Gray Bitis arietans (Merrem) Plate XXII, Figure 1 Vipera (Echidna) arietans Merrem, 1820, 'Tent. Syst. Amphib.,' [>. 1.52. Bills arietans Gunther, 1858, 'Cat. Snakes,' p. 268. Boulenger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 493; 1897, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 801 ; Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 280. .Johnston, 1897, 'British Central Afrika,' p. .361a. Werner, 1897, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, j). 401. Ferreira, 1898, .lorn. Sci. Li.sboa, (2) IV, p. 245. Boulenger, 1902, in Johnston, 'Uganda Protectorate,' p. 447; Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 18. L.\mpe, 1902, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LV, p. 42. Shenkel, 1902, Verh. Naturf. Ges. Basel, XIII, p. 178. Werner, 1902, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, pp. 336, 348. Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 216; Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 1923] ■ Sdnnidt, Her peiology of the Belgian Congo 141 255; 1907, p. 4S7; Mem. Proc. ^Manchester Lit. Philos. Soc, LI, part 3, p. 12. Roux, 1907, Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.), XXV, p. 740. Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. (math.-natur.), Wien, CXVI, part 1, p. 1885. Boulexger, 1908, Ann. Natal Mus., I, p. 230. Gotjgh, 1908, Ann. Transvaal Mus., I, p. 39. Odhxer, 1908, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, IV, No. IS, p. 6. Sterxfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. :Mus. Berlin, IV, pp. 221, 245, 247. Werxer, 1908, 'Kept. Wellcome Res. Lab. Khartoum,' p. 182, PI. xviii, fig. 1. Boulexger, 1909, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) IV, p. 303. Chubb, 1909, Extr. C. R. Soc. Linn. Bordeaux, p. cvi. Pellegrix, 1909, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XV, p. 414. Boulexger, 1910, Ann. S. African ]\lus., V, p. 522. Lonnberg, 1910, in Sjostedt, 'Kilimandjaro- Meru Exp.,' I, part 4, p. 18. Meek, 1910, Publ. Field Mus., Zool., VII, p. 405. Peracca, 1910, Boll. Mus. Torino, XXV, No. 624, p. 5. Roux, 1910, Rev. Suisse Zool., XVIII, p. 99. Sterxfeld, 1910, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, V, p. 385. Werxer, 1910, Denschr. Med. Naturw. Ges. Jena, XVI, p. 366. Bou- lexger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 167. Loxnberg, 1911, Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., Stockholm, XL VII, No. 6, p. 24. Sterxfeld, 1911, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. FreUnde Berlin, p. 251. Fitzsimons, 1912, 'Snakes of South Africa,' p. 220, figs. 89-94. Peracca, 1912, Ann. Mus. Zool. Napoli, (2) III, p. 7. Sterxfeld, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. AfrikaExp.,'IV, p. 277. Boettger, 1913, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Reise Ostafrika, Voeltzkow,' III, pp. 354, 362, 364. Hewitt axd Power, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 165. Klaptocz, 1913, Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.), XXXIV, p. 287. Werxer, 1913, in Brehm's 'Tierleben,' 4th Ed., V, p. 518. Pellegrix, 1914, in 'Doc. Sci. Miss. Tilho,' III, p. 126. Boulexger, 1914, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 221, 638. 657. Chabaxaud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, pp. 80, 382; 1917, XXIII, p. 13; 1918, XXIV, p. 166. Loveridge, 1918, Journ. E. Africa Uganda Nat. Hist: Soc, No. 13, p. 316. Chabaxaud, 1919, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXV, p. 568. Boulexger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 28. Werner, 1919, Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien, math, naturw. Kl., XLVI, p. 509. Boulexger, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 296. Chabaxaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Franc^aise, p. 472. Vipera arietans Tprxier, 1897, 'Kriechtiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 86. Fifteen specimens of the puff adder were collected as follows: A. M. N. H. No. 11794 (February 1911), 11795-96 (March 1911), 11797 (April 1911), 11798 (July 1912), Faradje; 11789-93 (November 1910), 11802- 03 (June 1913),Niangara; 11800 (August 1913), Poko; 11799 (June 1913), Rungu; 11801 (tag corroded), Uele District, Belgian Congo. Bitis arietans is scarcely less common and even more widespread than Causus rhombeatus, but does not occur within the borders of the Rain Forest. Its range covers almost the whole of Africa except the forest, extending nearly to the forest border, as at Poko. Its occurrence in Barbar}' and Arabia is of especial interest. For further cHscussion of the distribution of this genus, see below, under Bitis nasicornis. The fifteen specimens examined are very uniform in coloration and in scale characters. The largest specimen measures 808 mm. The tail 142 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX length varies in the males from .10 to .14 of the total, in the females from .06 to .08. The ventrals number from 137 to 147; the females from 17 to 19. 29-33-23 may be accepted as the most usual scale count, with extremes at 27-29-21 and 31-35-23. Uniformly 1 scale between nasal and rostral, 2 between the nasals, 2 between the oculars and labials. 8-10 scales from eye to eye, 12-1.5 about the eye. Upper labials 12-14, lower, 15-18. The color and marking of the specimens from the Uele District is in every way normal and not distinguishable from that of either more southern or more northern specimens. Bitis gabonica (Dumeril and Bibron) Plate XX Echidna gabonica Dumeril and Bibron, 1854, 'Erpetol Gen., ' VII, p. 1428, PI . lxxx6. Bitis gabonica Buolenger, 1S96. 'Cat. RnakeS,' III. p. 449. Johnston, 1897 'British Central Africa,' p. .361a. Werner, 1899, Verb. Zool. -Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, p. 142. Boulenger, 1902, in Johnston, 'Uganda Protectorate,' p. 447. Johnston, 1902, 'Uganda Protectorate,' pp. 94, 409, color plate. Werner, 1902, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, p. 348. Ferreira, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 14. Johnston, 1906, 'Liberia,' II, p. 807, fig. 306. Boulen- ger, 1907, Mem. Proc. Manchester Lit. Philos. Soc, LI, No. 12, p. 12. Stern- FELD, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 416; IV, p. 221. Vossler, 1908, Zool. Beob. Frankfurt, XLIX, p. 167, PI. Muller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 617. Nieden, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 442. Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V,p. 167. MtJLLER, 1913, Zool. Anz., XLI, p. 2.34. Werner, 1913, in Brehm's 'Tierleben,' 4th Ed., V, p. 524. BotTlenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 221, 638; 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 28; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 296. Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Frangaise, p. 472. Twenty-five specimens of the Gaboon viper were collected, of which fourteen are preserved in alcohol and eleven represented b}' dried skins and skulls. The following localities are represented: A. M. N. H. Nos. 11812-14, 11815-20 (September and October 1913), Akenge; 11808 (Novem])er 1909), 11809-10 (September and November 1913), Avakubi; 11804 (February 1910), Gamangui; 11805 (June 1910), 11825 (December 1913), Medje; 11806-07, 11811, 11826 (November 1910), Niangara; 11821-22, 11823-24 (October and December 1913), 10093 (.January 1914), Niapu; 11827 (tag corroded), Belgian Congo. This species ranges throughout the forest and is recorded from Togo, Angola, Northern Rhodesia, and Tanganyika TeiTitor\' outside of the forest proper, closely paralleling the distribution of certain lizards, Mnbuya maculilabris for example. The distribution of the species of this genus has been mapped in connection with the discussion of Bitis nasi- cornis, below. 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 143 Scale characters are fairly constant in this series. The extremes and means of length and proportionate tail length are, in seven males, 414- 1100 mm., mean 682 mm., tail length .09 to .12, mean .10; in six females the extremes are 443-1297 mm., mean 782 mm., tail length .05 to .06, mean .06. The sexes are sharply distinguished by this character and also by the number of subcaudals, which is 18-20 in females, 27-32 in males. The ventrals number from 128 to 139. The scales about the bod}- are normally 39, varying from 35 to 43. The extremes in scale count are 33-35-25 and 39-43-27. The upper labials vary from 13-16, the lower from 16-19. Stomach contents are recorded in two specimens, No. 11812 con- tained a large bird (a rail) about the size of a pigeon, No. 11823, a water rat. Frogs are also taken. Bitis nasicornis (Shaw) Plate XXI Coluber nasicornis Shaw, 1802, 'Nat. Miscell.,' Ill, PI. xciv. Bitis nasicornis BUttikofer, 1890, 'Reisebilder aus Liberia,' II, p. 444. Boulenger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 500. Mocquard, 1897, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 17. Sjostedt, 1897, Bihang Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Hand!., Stockholm, XXIII, part 4, p. 27. Werner, 1899, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. V>ien, XL'lX, ->. 142. Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 445. Torxier, 19"1, Zool. Anz., XXIV, p. 64. Bocage, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 44. Boulen- ger, 1905, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Geneva, (3) II, p. 216. Johnston, 1906, 'Liberia,' II, p. 807, fig. 306; 1908, 'George Grenfell and the Congo,' II, p. 950. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 416; 1912, 'Wiss. Eigeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 199. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 222, 638. Chabanaud, 1916, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XXII, p. .382. Loveridge, 1918, Journ. E. Africa Uganda Nat. Hist. Soc, No. 13, p. 316. Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 28; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 296. Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Etudes Hist. Scient. Afrique Occ. Frangaise, p. 472. Vipera nasicornis Tornier, 1897, 'Kriechtiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 85. Thirty specimens of this species were collected, sixteen preserved in alcohol, fourteen represented by dried skins and skulls, from manj- localities in the forest: A. M. N. H. Nos. 11840-42, 11843 (September and October 1913), Akenge; 10090, 11831, 11854 (October 1909), Avakubi; 11830 (September 1909), Batama; 11832-36 (February 1910), Gamangui; 11837-38 (August 1910), 11851, 11852-53 (April and June 1914), Medje; 11844^9, 11850 (November and December 1913), Niapu; 11839 (August 1913), Poko; 11828-29 (August 1909), Stanley- ville; 11855-56 (tags corroded), Belgian Congo. Bitis nasicornis is practically confined to the continuous Rain Forest but has been recorded from Portuguese-Guinea by Boulenger. It is 144 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX unknown east or south of the forest, and must be considered a typical Rain Forest form. The color patterns of Bitis gahonica and B. nasicornis distinguish them immediately from all other species of the genus, and it is natural enough that brown, purple and bright yellow should replace the more grayish hues of the Savannah species. In the case of vipers so formidable as these two species, their patterns are probably to be considered as a warning coloration, although in their natural habitat they are doubtless much less conspicuous than would be supposed. The specimens range in length from 317 mm. to 1050 mm. The largest female measures 1050 mm., the largest male, 944 mm. The proportion of tail length to total length is .07 to .OS in females, mean .08, in the males, .10 to .15, mean .14. The ventral plates vary from 122 to 132, the subcaudals from 25 to 30 (mean 27) in males, and from 17 to 21 (mean 19) in females. The scale counts range from 29-35-23 to 33^1-25, the most usual being 33-39-23. The labials vary from 16 to 18 above and from 16 to 19 below. There are practically no varia- tions of importance in the scutellation of the head. A female taken at Gamangui February 16, 1920, contained thirt}''- one foetal young, arranged in two rows of fifteen and sixteen respec- tively. These j'oung, coiled tightly on one side of the remains of the yolk, measure 200 to 210 mm. in length and show the color pattern very distincth\ Atheris Cope Atheris squamigera (Hallowell) Plate XXII, Figure 2 Echis squamigera Hallowell, 1854, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., p. 193. Atheris squamigera Boulenger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. .509; 1897, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 280. Mocquard, 1897, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 17. ToRNiER, 1897, 'Kriechtiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 85. Werner, 1897, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, p. 401; 1899, XLIX. p. 142. Bou- LENGER, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 456; 1902, in .lohnston, 'L'ganda Protectorate,' p. 447. Werner, 1902, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, p. 348. Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 114; Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 216. Ferreira, 1906, .Torn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 169. Sternfeld, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 417. Mxjller, 1910, Abb. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 KL, XXIV, p. 617. Despax, 1911, in Cottes, 'La Mission Cottes au Sud-Cameroun,' p. 240. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 222, 639; 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 28; 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 297. Forty-one specimens of Atheists squamigera were collected from localities in the Ituri forest: A. M. N. H. Nos. 11868-69 (October 1913), Akenge; 11857-58 (August and October 1909), Avakubi; 11859, 11861- 1923] Schmidt, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 145 64 (August and September 1910), 11892-96 (June and July 1910), 11883, 11884-91 (March and April 1914), :\Iedje; 11867 (July 1913), Nala; 11870-77, 11878-82 (November and December 1913), Niapu; 11865-66 (October 1910), Rungu. This species ranges throughout the main area of the Rain Forest, but does not appear in the Liberian (western) area. It is recorded from Togo to the west and Tanganyika Territor}" to the east, but is rare in both these areas, where it doubtless occurs only in the forest islands. In the Cameroon and Gaboon region it is Yery abundant, and it evidentl}- is one of the most common elements of the forest fauna. The present series is much more uniform than the series refeiT ed to by Boulenger (1896, p. 509) from the western part of the forest. The maximum length in twent\' males is 657 mm., in twenty females, 712 mm. The proportion of tail length to total varies from .15-.19, mean .18, in the males, and from .14-.18, mean .16, in the females. The ventrals number from 153-163; the subcaudals in males from 50-65 (mean 59), in females from 45-57 (mean 50). The dorsal scale count ranges from 15-15-11 to 23-23-17, the usual count at mid-body being 19, but the number of rows is frequently even. Scales across the head from eye to eye 6-9; scales in the ocular ring 12-18; labials 7-12 above, usually 10, 10-13 below, usually 11. The median scale above the rostral is divided in nine specimens. The scales from the mental to the first ventral plate are usually 6; the gulars from the angle of the mouth to the first ventral 5 or 6. The suboculars rest directh^ on the labials without an intervening scale row. The first part of lower labials forms a suture behind the mental in thirty-five specimens, a separate chin-shield being cut off in six. The coloration is very uniform, and indeed characteristic. The dorsum is dark green, with yellow-tipped scales arranged in about thirty- two crossrows on the body. These crossrows are frequenth' entireh' obscured, but usually persist in a pair of light spots at the edge of the venter. The venter is dark green like the dorsum, the throat yellow. Stomach contents are recorded as rats and mice in three specimens, and a mass of hair was found in the posterior part of the intestine in two specimens. Atheris laeviceps Bcettger Alheris latviceps Bcettger, 1SS7, Zool. Anz., X p. 651; 1888, Ber. Senck. Ges., p 92, PI. H, Fig. 7. BocAGE, 189.5, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 1.53. Atheris sqnaniiger (part) Boulenger, 1896, 'Cat. Snakes,' III, p. 509. 146 Bulletin. American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Two specimens, A. M. N. H. Nos. 11898-99, taken at Banana, Lower Congo, in July 1915. Comparison of these two specimens with the large series of Athens aquamigera from the Ituri leads to the conclusion that they represent a very distinct form. Unfortunately there is no material available for comparison with Gaboon or Cameroon squamigera; and in reviving Boettger's species, described from the identical locality, it is merelj^ desired to emphasize the observed distinction. It seems probable that a subspeeific rank may prove the best expression of the relations of Athens chloroechis, squamigera, and lasviceps. Athens Iseviceps is known only from the limited area near the mouth of the Congo. The chief characters on which Iseviceps is based are (1) a group of smooth scales on top of the head, (2) a row of scales between the sub- oculars and supralabials, (3) distinctive coloration. Both specimens agree excellently in these characters, but the number of keeless scales on the head is 3-5 instead of 10. In addition to these characters, tlirect comparison with squamigera establishes a number of other differences, chiefly in minor characters, l)ut apparently correlated. These are (1) distinctive habitus, body more compressed, head smaller, and orbit well arched above the canthus; (2) scales about the body 23-23-15 and 25-25-19, as described by Bcettger; (3) two symmetrical suprarostrals, in both specimens; (4) seven scales from first ventral to the angle of the mouth; (5) seven scales from mental to first ventral (six scales in both directions in squami- gera); (6) lateral scale rows more oblique; (7) a slightly higher number of supralabials, 11-13 in one, 13-13 in the other. Both specimens are males, measuring 427 and 407 mm. respectivelj^, of which the tail occupies 64 and 59 mm. Ventral plates 159 and 161, subcaudals 50 and 47. Scales from eye to eye on top of head, 8, in the ocular ring, 15-17. The color of the dorsum is a light yellow mottled over all with green spots (scales), venter immaculate yellow. Miiller (1910, p. 617) has described a similar coloration in Cameroon specimens; and Boulenger (1896, p. 509) refers to this coloration in squamigera, but bases it possibly on his inclusion of Aiheris Iseviceps with that species. PLATES I TO XXII Plate 1 Fig 1 Typhlops pundatus (Leach). From life. Fig. 2. Python sebx (Gmelin). From dead specimen. BtLLETIX A. M. X. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate I Plate II Fig 1 Calabar ia remhardtii (Schlegel). From life. Fig. 2. Calaharia reinhardtii in the characteri.stic position assumed when disturbed. From life. Bulletin A. M. N. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate II Plate III Mp:. ]. H ydrseihiops mdanogaster Gunther. From dead specimen. Fig. 2. Dasypcllis scahtr scnber (Linnaeus). From dead specimen. Bulletin A. M. N. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate III Plate IV Fig. 1. Bothrolycus aier Gimther. From dead specimen. Fig. 2. Lycn phidion latemle Hallowell. From dead spefimen. Bulletin A. M. X. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate IV Plate V Boiednn fidiginosus (Boie). From dead specimen. Plate VI Fig. 1. Mehelya poensis {Sim\h). Head. From dead specimen. Fig. 2. Mehelya poensis (Smith). From dead ."specimen. BlLLETIX A. M. X. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate VI .^^ '^^■'"BWW^- '%C 3^' $kr -.■*?-» Plate VII Gastr'opijxis smarngilitui (Sohlegel). From dead s])('cimen. Plate VIII Scaphiophis alhopundatus Peters. From dead specimen. Plate IX Fig. 1. Grayia ornata (Bocage). From dead specimen. Fig. 2. Grayia cacsar (GiintherJ. From dead specimen. Bulletin A. M. X. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate IX Plate X Fig. 1. Boiga ])ulverulenla (Fischer). Juvenile coloration. From dead speci- men Fig. 2. Boiga jrulvcrulentn (Fischer). Adult. From dead specimen. Fig. 3. Boiga hlandingii (Hallowell). From dead specimen. Bulletin A. M. N . H. Vol. XLIX, Plate X Plate XI Fig. 1. Dipsadoboa unicolor Giinther. From^dead .spei?inien. Fig. 2. Dipsadoboa elongata (Barbour). From*dead specimen. Bulletin- A. M. X. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate XI Plate XII Fig. 1. Lcplodcira liotamha-ia (Laurenti). From dead specimen. Y\g. 2, Lcpfodeira duchanii Boulengei'. From dead specimen. Bulletin A. M. X. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate XII 1 ■-.- G Plate XIII Droinophis lineatus (Dumeril and Bibron). From dead specimen. Plate XIV Fig. 1. Thdotoriiis kbilatidii (Hallowell). Neck distended. From dead specimen. Fig. 2. Thcloioniis Jdiilandii (Hallowell). From dead specimen. Bllletix a. M. X. H VriL. XI.IX. Plate XIV •4C> ^»-i:ci'- s^^jji Plvte XV Fig. 1. DisphoJidus typus (Smith). Brilliantly colored phase. From dead specimen. Fig. 2. Dispholiduff ty pus a^imth). Dark colored phase. From dead specimen. Bulletin- A. M. X. H. \ OL. XLIX, Plate XV Plate XVI Fig. 1. ^'aja melanoleuca Hullowpll. Neck distoncled. From dead ;?pecimen. Fip. 2. Naja melanoleuca Hallowel!. From dead specimen. Bl-LLETIX A. M. X. H. ^"oL. XLIX, Plate XVI Plate XVII Fig. 1. Dendraspis janu'souii (Traill). Head. From dead specimen. Fig. 2. Elapops inodcsius Giinther. Bulletin- A. M. X. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate XVII Plate XVIII Fig. 1. Causus rhombeatus (Lichtenstein). From dead specimen. Fig. 2. Airadaspis irregularis (ReinhaTdt) . From dead specimen. Bulletin A. M. X. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate XVIII Plate XIX Fig. 1, CausHslichteiisteini [Jan). Juvenile coloration. From life. Fig. 2. Causus licJdensieini (Jan), Adult. From dead specimen. Bulletin A. M. N. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate XIX Plate XX Fig. 1. Bitis gabonica (Dumeril and Bibron). Head. From dead specimen. Fig. 2. Bitis gabonica (Dumeril and Bibron). From life. Bulletin A. M. N. H. Vol. XLIX. Plate XX Plate XXI Fig. 1. Bitis nasicornis (.Shaw). Head. From dead specimen. Fig. 2. Bitis nasicornis (Shaw). From life. Bulletin A. M. N. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate XXI Plate XXII Fig. 1. Bitis arietans (Merrem). From dead specimen. Fig. 2. Athens squa7niger {HaWowell). From dead specimen. Bulletin A. M. N. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate XXII 59.76(67.5) Article II.— CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE HERPETOLOGY OF THE BELGIAN CONGO BASED ON THE COLLECTION OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM CONGO EXPEDITION, 1909-19151 Part III. Amphibia By G. K. Noble With Abstracts From the Field Notes of Herbert Lang and James P. Chapin Plates XXIII to XLII, 8 Text Figures CONTENTS Page Introduction 147 List of the Localities from which Specimens are Recorded with Their Approximate Latitude and Longitude 150 Origin anO Affinities of the African Salientia 150 Present Distribution of the Salientia in Africa 151 Discussion of the Families, Genera, and Species Represented in the Collection 154 Pipidse 154 Bufonidse 162 Ranidse 183 Brevicipitidae 277 Bibliography 284 A Check List of the Amphibia of Africa 304 INTRODUCTION The Amphibia collected by the American Musemn Congo Expedi- tion number 2,170 well-preserved specimens, distributed among fifteen genera and fifty-three species. The present report following so closely on my recent paper on 'The Phylogeny of the Salientia' (Noble, 1922) considers matters of only systematic and zoogeographic interest. No comprehensive work dealing with African Amphibia has appeared since Boulenger's catalogue in 1882.^ A glance at the appended bibliography will show that the papers dealing with African Amphibia published since 'Scientific Results of The American Museum of Natural History Congo Expedition, Herpetology, No. 3. 2The comprehensive volume by Nieden, 1923, 'Amphibia, Anura I,' 'Das Tierreich' (Berlin) un- fortunately appeared too late to be included in this paper. 147 148 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX that time have been extraordinarily numerous. Collections of African Amphibia are very rare in America and any report on them made in this country must be to a certain extent provisional. Much bibliographic work was required to reach any conclusions. In order that this work may not be lost I have attempted to bring together at the close of this paper a check list based on a study of the data contained in the many papers included in the bibliography. In this list I have tried to indicate the accepted opinion as to the status of the various species — an opinion not always known by recent students of African herpetology. It also gives the range of these species so far as the ranges can be deduced from the literature. The check hst is modelled after that of Stejneger and Barbour on the North American Amphibia and Reptilia. It is hoped that it may serve the same useful purpose. Forms which are not included in the list are not considered valid. The synonymy has been limited to the original description, the authority for the combination, and a refer- ence to the most important discussion of each, species. The body of the paper is devoted to a discussion of the fifty-three species represented in the Congo collection. Lack of comparative mate- rial has necessitated a very conservative opinion on many of them, especially on the species of Hyperolius. The synonymy under each species is intended to include references to all the literature which has appeared since Boulenger's 'Catalogue' (1882). The synonymy is therefore not complete but sufficient for distributional studies. The new Hymenochirus is remarkable in coming from a region which was her- petologically well known. This, together with the fact that a number of forms recorded from the Congo basin are not represented in the collec- tion, presents further evidence of the difficulties of most herpetological collecting, work in which the Expedition was so highly successful. Field study of Amphibia is a specialized task. In spite of the broad interests of the Expedition, much time was devoted to the careful describ- ing of the colors of the living specimens. Abstracts made from these field descriptions form one of the more important contributions of this paper. These abstracts are included in the body of the paper, but they have been set off bj^ quotation marks from the rest of the text. Most of these field notes were made by Mr. Lang, the leader of the Expedition. They include only information actually recorded in the field. Mr. Lang is to be heartily congratulated on these numerous and accurate notes. I am indebted to Mr. Lang for the splendid series of batrachian portraits included in the paper. The Amphibian collection was made under Mr. 1924] Noble, Her-petulogy of the Belgian Congo 149 Lang's personal supervision. He devoted much time and labor in bring- ing together the large collection discussed below. The observations of habits recorded in the field by Mr. Lang and Mr. Chapin have been supplemented by a study of the gonads and of the stomach contents. Little is known about the breeding season of tropical frogs, but my study of their sexual organs has allowed me to infer that this season may be very irregular in the Congo basin. The work on the stomach contents was greatly facilitated by the experienced aid of Dr. J, Bequaert, who has kindly identified all the invertebrate material con- tained in the stomachs. The heterogeneous nature of this material, listed under the various species, gives further support to the opinion now fau'ly well established, that frogs and toads are rarely specialized to particular food habits. Hemisiis, to be sure, is an "ant-eater," but a great many generalized forms live largely upon ants and termites. The presence or absence of teeth is not definitely correlated with a particular diet. The absence of teeth may, however, limit to a certain extent the variety of food secured. Thus Bufo superciliaris, in spite of its large size, does not seem to feed on vertebrates, while several species of Rana, much smaller in size, prey to a large extent upon toads or other species of Salientia. Frogs and toads seize whatever living animal food is in their vicinity. The work on the Amphibian collection has been greatly facilitated by cooperation from many sources. I am chiefly indebted to Mr. Karl P. Schmidt and Doctor Joseph Bequaert, who have aided me with biblio- graphic references. Dr. Bequaert has kindly read the entire manu- script. Thanks are due to Dr. Thomas Barbour, who has placed the magnificient Cameroon collections of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at my disposal. I am also indebted to Dr. A. G. Ruthven of the University of Michigan for the loan of a collection of Cameroon Amphibia previously reported upon by Dr. Barbour. Mr. Henrj' W. Fowler has given me the opportunity of studying the African collections in the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences. In the preparation of the paper I have received advice from Dr. Stejneger of the United States National Museum and Dr. Dunn of Smith College. Many within the American Museum of Natural History have helped me materially. The micro- photographs were made by Mr. Charles F. Herm, under my direction. The drawings are evidence of the skill of Mrs. Helen Ziska and Mrs. E. L. Beutenmiiller. 150 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX List of Localities From Which Specimens Are Recorded With Their Approximate Latitude and Longitude Akenge.— 2° 55' N., 26° 50' E. Matadi.— 5° 50' S., 13° 35' E. Avakubi.— 1° 20' N., 27° 40' E. Medje.— 2° 25' N., 27° 30' E. Bafwabaka.-2° 10' N., 27° 50' E. Mobeka.-2° N., 19° 50' E. Bafwaboli.— 0° 40' N., 26° 10' E. Nala.— 2° 50' N., 27° 50' N. Bafwamoko.— 0° 40' N., 26° 55' E. (Nepoko River (Gamangui).— 2° 10' N., Bafwasende.— 1° 10' N., 27° 15' E. 27° 20' E. BanaUa.— 1° 30' N., 25° 40' E. Ngayu.— 1° 40' N., 27° 40' E. Batama.— 1° N., 26° 40' E. Niangara — 3° 40' N., 27° 50' E. Boma.— 5° 50' S., 13° 10' E. Niapu.— 2° 15' N., 26° 50' E. Boyulu.— 1° N., 27° E. Poko.— 3° 10' N., 26° 50' E. Dungu.— 3° 30' N., 28° 30' E. Rungu.— 3° N., 28° E. Faradje.— 3° 40' N., 29° 40' E. StanleyviUe.— 0° 30' N., 25° 15' E. Gamangui.— 2° 10' N., 27° 20' E. Thysville.— 5° 30' S., 15° E. Garamba.— 4° 10' N., 29° 40' E. Ukaturaka.— 2° N., 20° 30' E. Kamumionge.— 1° N., 27° 5' E. Vankerckhovenville.— 3° 20' N., 29° 20' E Leopoldville.— 4° 25' S., 15° 20' E. Lie.— 2° N. 21° 20' E. Yakuluku.— 4° 20' N., 28° 50' E. Lukolela.— 1° 10' N., 17° 10' E. Zambi.— 6° S., 12° 50' E. ORIGIN AND AFFINITIES OF THE AFRICAN SALIENTIA The origin of the African Amphibia has been so recently discussed by me (Noble, 1922, pp. 64-67) that Httle need be added at this time. The few papers which have appeared since my earlier paper went to press tend to confirm my conclusions, namely, that the amphibian fauna of Africa gained access to that continent from the North and that no land bridges need be postulated to account for the presence of the pipids, hyhds or bufonids (cystignathids) or any other groups of Amphibia found there today. The evidence for this opinion is given in the paper mentioned and need not be repeated here. The fauna of Madagascar was derived at some early period from that of Africa. Most of the Salientia found in Africa today are either recent immigrants from the North or have been derived from African stocks. Only two African genera are found today in Madagascar. I assumed three in my earher paper, but it has been shown by Witte (1921, p. 14, footnote) that Arthroleptis horridus of Madagascar is not congeneric with the African forms. The recent discovery of a urodele by Chabanaud (1921, p. 139) south of the Sahara in no way alters my earlier conclusions. This species, 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 151 now referred to Molge waltl (Angel, 1921, p. 736), was found in the Niger drainage. The discovery merely lends further support to the conclu- sions reached from geological evidence that the Niger at one time flowed to the north, emptying either into the "Sahara Sea" or into the Mediterranean. PRESENT DISTRIBUTION OF THE SALIENTIA IN AFRICA A study of the check list at the close of this paper will make clear how difficult it is to give any statement as to faunal areas. The Ethio- pian region is clearly marked off from the Mediterranean and is nearly as distinct from the Mascarene but, except for the strikingly different forest and savannah provinces, no well-marked divisions of the con- tinent south of the Sahara may be made. Schmidt, in his critical review of the distribution of the African reptiles (Parts I and II of this series of papers), has found good reason for proposing a number of subprovinces. The distribution of the Amphibia does not conform to these areas. Certain little-known species are often confined to one or another of them, but so many exceptions occur, so many species range through parts of two or three of these hypothetical faunal areas, that they have little importance in our discussion. The forest fauna is, of course, very different from that of the savannah. Further, the fauna of the Cameroon-Gaboon area supports many more indigenous genera than any other region of similar size in Africa. If we were to divide the Ethiopian region into faunal provinces, the Cameroon-Gaboon area would be one of our primary divisions. The discrepancy between the conditions found in the reptiles and in the amphibians probably lies in the fact that many amphibians are local in their distribution, often known only from their type localities, while the distribution of the reptiles, as that of the mammals, seems to be chiefly dependent on the climatic and vegetation zones. Vegetation, but chiefly hydrographic conditions, doubtlessly has considerable effect on the distribution of the Amphibia but, after a study of the data at hand, it seems premature to make any definite statement as to faunal zones. The distribution of the genera of frogs and toads south of the Sahara has been represented diagrammatically in the accompanying graph. It will be noted that the Cameroon-Gaboon region supports more than twice as many genera as the combined regions visited by the Expedition. This is the more significant in that the latter regions embrace together much more territory than the former. In the map I have indicated the areas considered. A cursory glance at the check list at the close of this paper will show that these areas can 152 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX hardly be called faunal zones. But they are more nearly faunal zones than any other regions which could be indicated. Areas 2, 8, and 10 have apparently been centers of generic differentiation, while 7 and 9 have been migi-ation routes for many species. Area 6 is chiefly char- acterized by the presence of many species at present not known from 5, which is climatically very similar to 6. Area 1, although forested as 2, lacks many of the genera found there. Area 4 is a forest outlyer with an amphibian fauna composed of a mixture from areas 3 and 9. The Fig. 1. Africa, subdivided into convenient areas for distributional discussion. For explanation, see opposite page. similarity of areas 4 and 3 suggests that the forests of the Upper Congo may have extended to the east coast, but the much richer fauna of area 2 leads one to suspect that the Cameroon-Gaboon region has fostered amphibian specialization longer than any other single region. The fact that I have been unable to distinguish well-defined or even poorly defined faunal zones suggests that such zones do not exist. The factors which control the distribution of one group of animals do not necessarily control the distribution of another. Isotherms do not limit the distribution of most African Amphibia. Humidity must play a part, .■ — Absent B. chudeaui. C2. — Parotoid glands more or less distinct. di. — Tympanum absent. Ci. — Snout rounded, parotoid glands small, narrow.. B. taitanus. €2- — Snout pointed, parotoid glands large, extending down sides. B. anoiis. di. — Tympanum present. d. — No tarsal fold. /i. — Subarticular tubercle of toes simple. gi. — First finger much longer than second. B. tuberosus. g-y. — First finger a little longer than second . . . B.funereus. fi. — Subarticular tubercle in part double. fifi. — First finger distinctly longer than second. B. dombensis. gi. — First and second fingers subequal. 168 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX hi. — Toes two-thirds webbed B. vulgaris. /i2- — Toes one-third webbed B. fenoulheti. eo. — Tarsal fold more or less distinct. /i. — Subarticular tul^ercle double B. mauritanicus. Ji. — Subarticular tubercle single. gi. — Toes at least half webbed. hi. — Parotoids small, oval, very distinct; dorsal surface covered by scattered but very promi- nent tubercles B. polycercus. hi. — Parotoids large, dorsal surface covered by in- distinct warts. ii. — Tarso-metatarsal joint reaching eye or nearly as far B. viridis. ii. — Tarso-metatarsal joint reaching tympanum. B. pentoni. gi. — Toes less than half webbed, h\. — First finger longer than second. ii. — Flanks distinctly marked off from dorsal siu-face by dorso-lateral fold and by contrasting colors B. brauni. 12. — Flanks not distinctly marked off from dorsal surface. ji. — Tympanum as large or nearly as large as eye B. regularis. ji. — Tympanum two-thirds the diameter of eye B. dodsoni. hi. — First finger nearly equal to second. ii. — Snout pointed; tympanum larger than eye. B. lemairii. ii. — Snout rounded, tympanum smaller than eye. ji. — Tarso-metatarsal articulation not reach- ing beyond tympanum. B. gariepensis. ji. — Tarso-metatarsal articulation extend- ing to eye or nearly as far. B. angusticeps. Bufo regularis Reuss Plate XXVII Bufo regularis Reuss, 1834, Mus. Senckenberg., I, p. 60 (type locality: Egypt).* BouLENGER, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 298 (Egypt, three localities; Abyssinia, Zambezi, Gambia, Old Calabar, Carangigo, Duque de Bragan^a, Midian, Coast of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Cape of Good Hope, Port EHzabeth, Port Natal). Peters, 1882, 'Reise nach Mossambique,' p. 178 (Mozambique, seven localities mentioned). Vaillant, 1882, 'Faune et Flore Pays Comalis,' p. 25 (Bender-Meraya). Fischer, 1884, Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., I, p. 26 (British East Africa: Naivasha Lake Region). Tristram, 1884, 'Survey of 1924] Xoble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 169 Western Palestine,' p. 160 (Western Palestine). Vaillant, 1884, BuU. Soc. Philom. Paris, (7) VIII, p. 171 (Assini); Bull. Soc. Zool. France, IX, p. 353 (EflBrou, Assini). S,\tjvage, 1884, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, IX, p. 201 (Majumba, Congo). MtJLLER, 1885, Verb. Naturf. Ges. Basel, VII, p. 671 (Gold Coast). DoLLO, 1886, Bull. Mus. Roy. Hist. Nat. Belgique, IV, p. 152 (Egypt, Sene- gambia, Gaboon, South Africa). P.arenti and Picaglia, 1886, Atti. Soc. Modena, Mem., (3) V, p. 77 (Red Sea). Bocage, 1887, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (1) XI, pp. 192, 208 (Angola: St. Salvador du Congo and Mossamedes). Boett- GER, 1887, Ber. Senck. Ges., p. 171 (Cape Town). Gunther, 1888, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 51 (Monbuttu, Upper Congo). Pfeffer, 1889 (1888), Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., VI, part 2, p. 12 (Mhondo, Unguu). Boettger, 1889, Ber. Senck. Ges., p. 291 (Pondoland). Heron-Royer and Vax Bambeke, 1889, .\rch. Biol., IX, p. 297, PI. xxiv, figs. 7-9 (tadpole, no locality). Schil- THUis, 1889, Tijd. Neder. Dier. Ver., (2) II, p. 286 (Boma, Congo). Boettger, 1890, 'Kat. Batr. Mus. Senck.,' p. 35 (Dahalak Island, Gaboon, Egypt, Abys- sinia). BtJTTiKOFER, 1890, 'Reisebilder aus Liberia,' II, pp. 444 and 478 (Li- beria). MtJLLER, 1890, Verb. Naturf. Ges. Basel, VIII, pp. 258 and 689 (Tumbo and Cape Colony). Gunther, 1892, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 555 (Shire Plateau, British Central Africa). Mat.schie, 1892, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freude Berlin, p. 110 (L'sambara, German East Africa); Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.), V, p. 610 (Transvaal). Pfeffer, 1893 (1892), Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., X, part 1, p. 103 (German East .\frica: L^segua, Quilimane, Mhonda). Boett- ger, 1893, Zool. Anz., XVI, p. 132 (Somaliland) . Matschie, 1893, Mitt. Deutsch. Schutzgebieten, VI, p. 55 (reprint) (Togo). Stejxeger, 1893, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XVI, p. 737 (Tana River; Kihmanjaro). Trimen, 1893, in Noble, 'Illustrated Official Handbook of the Cape and South Africa,' p. 87 (South Africa). Gunther, 1894, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 88 (East Africa, vicinity of Mt. Kenia). Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 185 (Duque de Braganga, St. Salvador du Congo, Mossamedes, Bihe, Benguella, Pungo- Andongo, Caconda, Dombe). Boulenger, 1895, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XVI, p. 169 (Goohs Mts.); Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 540 (Somaliland). Gunther, 1895, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XV, p. 526 (Shire Highlands; Buddu). Jeude, 1895, Notes Ley den Mus., XVI, p. 230 (Transvaal: confluence of Comati and Crocodile Rivers). Anderson, 1896, 'Herpetol. Arabia and Egj^pt.,' p. 110 (Arabia: Median; Egypt: several localities of Anderson 1898). Bocage, 1896, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, pp. 81, 96, 114, 119 (Portuguese Guinea, Mozambique, Angola, Transvaal). Boulenger, 1896, Ann. Mus. St or. Nat. Geneva, (2) XVI, p. 554 (Saati, Chinda, Eritrea); (2) XVII, pp. 14, 22 (Dabanac, Elba, Web Valley, Dolo, Magala Umberto, DegagoUa, Coromma in Gallaland; Bra via, Matagoi, Lugh, Web in Somaliland); Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 217 (Lake Abeia, Lake Stephanie). Mocquard, 1896, C. R. Soc. Philom. Paris, No. 19, p. 45 (L^pper Ubangi). Tornier, 1896, 'Kriechthiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 160 (German East Africa, fourteen localities). Werner, 1896, Jahrb. Ver. Magdeburg, p. 148 (Transvaal). Boulenger, 1897, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 281 (Zambi, Congo); Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (2) XVIII, p. 722 (Somaliland: Lugh, Badditu-Dime; Sancurar-Amarr Region); (2) XVII, p. 280 (Somali-Gallaland); Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 801 (Northern Nyasaland, five localities). Johnston, 1897, 'British Central Africa,' 1st Ed., p. 361a 170 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX (Nyasaland). Tornier, 1897, Arch. Naturg., LXIII, part 1, p. 66 (German East Africa); Anderson, 1898, 'Zool. Egypt.,' I, p. 353 (Egj^pt, nine localities). ScLATER, 1898, Ann. S. African Mus., I, p. 108 (South Africa). Tornier, 1898, in Werther, 'Die mittleren Hochlander des nordlichen Deutsch-Ost-Afrika,' p. 303 (German East Africa). Werner, 1898, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVIII, p. 202 (Barombi Station; Victoria, Cameroon). Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 435 ("Whole of Africa with the exception of Bar- bary"); 1901, Ann. Mus. Congo, II, fasc. 1, p. 2 (Lake Mwero). Stein- DACHNER, 1901, Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), LXIX, p. 335 (Mekka and vicinity). Boitlenger, 1902, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 15 (Mashonaland) ; in Johnston, 'Uganda Protectorate,' I, p. 447 (LTganda). Wer- ner, 1902, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LII, p. 342 (Windhoek, German South- west Africa). Andersson, 1904, in Jagerskiold, 'Res. Swed. Zool. Exp. to Egypt and the White Nile,' 1901, 1, fasc. 4, p. 12 (White Nile, Mahmudia). Camerano, 1904, Mem. Acad. Sci. Torino, (2) LIV, p. 247 (Wadi Haifa, Sudan). Peracca, 1904, Boll. Mus. Torino, XIX, No. 467, p. 6 (Eritrea). Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 107 (Angola: Duque de Bragancja, Pungo Andongo, Locomi, Canhoca, Marimba, between Benguella and Bihe); Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 250 (South Africa: Umfolosi Station, Hluhluwe Stream, Ngoye Hills, Wakkerstroom). Sclater, 1905, in Flint and Gilchrist, 'Science in South Africa,' p. 149 (South Africa). Boulenger, 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 158 (Portuguese Guinea: Bolama, Bissao, Farim, Rio Cassini; French Congo: Fernand-Vaz, Lambarene). Johxstox, 1906, 'Liberia,' II, p. 833 (Liberia). Calabresi, 1906, Mointore Zool. Ital., XXVII, p. 37 (Bardera, Somahland). Andersson, 1907, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LX, p. 24r4 (Part: Bibimdi, Cameroon). Boulenger, 1907, Mem. Proc. Manchester Lit. PhUos. Soc, LI, part 3, No. 12, p. 4 (Northern Rhodesia: Lukashashi Rive, Petauke, Mterige River); Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 479, PI. xxi (color) (Transvaal: Woodbush, Klein Letaba; Portuguese East Africa: Coguna, Beira). Werner, 1906, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), CXVI, part 1, p. 1907 (Gebel Sarsur on the White Nile, Khor Attar, Mongalla, Gondo- kor o). Boulenger, 1908, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) IV, p. 6 (Sesse Islands); Ann. Natal Mus., I, p. 221 (Zululand: Mseleni, Indukuduku). NiEDEN, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 507 (Cameroon: Barombi, Kribi, Bipindi, Ossindinge, Jaunde, Garua, Deidodorf, Ngoko). Odhner, 1908, Ark. Zool. Stockholm, IV, No. 18, p. 7 (Durban; Lake Sibayi). Bou- lenger, 1909, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) IV, p. 193 (Tzeghie, Abyssinia); p. 304 (Sesse Islands); Chubb, 1909, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 591 (Mata- beleland: Bulaway, Matopos). Pellegrin, 1909, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, XXXIV, p. 205 (Egypt : Wadi Haifa, Singa, Rahad River, Roseires). Peracca, 1909, in Abruzzi, '11 Ruwenzori,' Parte Scientifica, I, p. 175 (Ruwenzori). Andersson, 1910, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LXIII, p. 205 (Harrar, Abys- sinia). Boulenger, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 536 (Cape Colony, nine localities; Transvaal, three localities; Southern Rhodesia; Orange River Colony). Lonnberg, 1910, in Sjostedt, 'Kilimandjaro-Meru Exp.,' I, part 4, p. 26 (Kibonoto, Usambara, Tanga, Meru Steppe). Meek, 1910, Publ. Field Mus. Zool., VII, No. 11, p. 404 (British East Africa: Athi Plains, Molo, Lake Elmenteita). Nieden, 1910, Arch. Naturg., LXXVI, Beiheft 1, p. 246 1924] Xoble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 171 (Cameroon: Garua, Dodo, Banjo Range); 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1), Heft 2, p. 67, figs. 143 and 144 (Cameroon: Longo, Bamenda and localities of Nieden, 1908); Sitzber. Ges. Xaturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 452 (Tanga, German East Africa). Roux, 1910, Rev. Suis.se Zool., XVIII, p. 102 (Uganda: German East Africa: Bukoba, Busoga, Biaramuli). Werner, 1910, in Schultze, 'Zool. und Anthrop. Ergeb. Forschungreise im West und Zentr. Siid-Afrika,' IV, p. 291 (Kalahari, Okahandja, Cape Town). Axderssox, 1911, Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XLVII, Xo. 6, p. 34 (British East Africa: IMombassa, Meruboma, Escarpment). B.\rbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, LIV, Xo. 2, p. 135 (Cameroon; Gaboon; Angola). Boulexger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 169 (Uganda: Bussu. Bululo, Mbale). Hewitt, 1911, Rec. Albany Mus., II, part 3, pp. 227-228 (Transvaal; Kimberley, King Wil- liam's Town, Grahamstown, Cape Town). L.\>ipe, 1911, Jahrb. Xassau. Ver. Naturk., LXIV, p. 219 (Monrovia, Liberia; Harrar, Abj^ssinia; Dehane and Tanga, Cameroon). Sterxfeld, 1911, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (4) Heft 2, p. 58 (German Southwest Africa: Windhuk, Okahandja, Ivlein-Xamaland, Kalahari). Boulexger, 1912, Ann. Mus. Stor. Xat. Genova, (3) V, p. 332 (Abyssinia: Dolo Webi Mana). Hewitt, 1912, Rev. Albanj^ Mus., II, part 4, p. 281 INIodder River, Knysna, Oudtshoorn, Kaimans River). Xieden, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV^ p. 185 (Bukoba, Bwanja, Karagwe, Ussui, Ruanda shores and islands of Lake Kivu, Ruasa, Mtualen Gahama, south end of Lake Albert Edward, Beni, Bomeli, Usumbura, U^ara, northwest bank of Tanganyika, and Bugoie). Feracca, 1912, Annuar. Mus. Zool. Univ. Xapoli, (2) III, Xo. 25, p. 8 (Lake Bangueolo, Sekantui, Luangasci; Rhodesia). Werxer, 1912, in Brehm's 'Tierleben,' 4th Ed., IV, p. 223 (Africa). BoETTGER, 1913, in Voeltzkow, 'Reise in Ostafrika,' III, pp. 349, 3-56, 357, 360, 362, 365 (Pemba, Lamu Lsland, Mikindame, Dar-es-Salam, L^sambara, Ivili- manjaro). Hewitt axd Power, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 173 (South Africa: thirteen localities). Klaptocz, 1913, Zool. Jahrb. (Syst)., XXXIV, p. 289 (French Guinea: Konkoure, Mamou, Dabola). Nieden, 1913, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 452 (Windhuk, German Southwest Africa). Werxer, 1913, Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), LXXX- VIII, p. 719 (Port Elizabeth). Xiedex, 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, VII, p. 384 (German East Africa, twenty-four localities; Portuguese East Africa, five localities; British East Africa, eleven localities). Werner, 1915, in Michaelsen, 'Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Land und Siisswasser Fauna Deutsch- Siid-Westafrikas,' part 3, p. 371 (German Southwest Africa: Okahandja, Tsumeb, and Windhuk). Chabanatjd, 1919, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, p. 457 (Timbuctu, French West Africa; Agouagon, Dahomey). Werner, 1919, Denk. Akad. Wiss. Wien, XCVI, p. 452 (Anglo-Egyptian Sudan: sev- eral localities). Procter, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 420 (British and German East Africa; several localities). Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. et. Hist, et Scient. A. O. F., p. 449, (French Guinea and Liberia). Bufo regularis var. spinosa Boettger, 1888, Ber. Senck. Ges., p. 100 (Lower Congo: Quilu, Loango, Banana, Boma, Quanza). Bufo pantherinus Cope, 1889, Bull. U. S. Xat. Mus., Xo. 34, PI. lx. Mijller, 1885, Verh. Xaturf. Ges. Basel, VII, p. 137 (Xubia and Cape Ceres). Bufo garmani Meek, 1896, Publ. Field Mus. Zool., I, Xo. 8, p. 176 (Haili, Somaliland). 172 Bulletin American Mriseum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Bujo benguelensis Andersson, 1905, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, II, No. 20, p. 26 (Cameroon). (Not of Boulenger 1882.) (For bibliography of this .species ante Boulenger 1882, refer to Anderson, 1898, p. 353.) Sixty-two specimens, six of which are immature: thirteen from Medje, March 4 and August 29, 1910, August 31, 1913, April and June 1914; eight from Stanlej^ville, August 4, August 21, 1999, and March 30, 1915; four from Avakubi, October 3, 1909; six from Faradje, Febru- ary 17 and 22, 1911, October 4 and 22, 1912; nine from Garamba, May and June 1912; ten from near Lie, July 26, 1909; three from Niangara, November 1910; two from Akenge, September 1912; and one from each of the following localities: Leopoldville, July 9, 1909; Lukolela, July 17, 1909; Bafwaboka, December 3, 1909; Nepoko, March 4, 1910; Poko, August 1913; Thysville, June 2, 1915; and Boma, June 15, 1915. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 8406-8463; 8582-8585.) DiSTEiBUTiON. — Although it has been generally assumed that B. regularis is widely distributed throughout all of Africa except Barbary, Boulenger in 1900 and again in 1905 mentioned that he had not observed any specimens recently taken in the Cameroon-Gaboon area. Nieden (1908a) in referiing to the latter statement lists a number of Cameroon specimens. B. regularis occurs throughout the Ituri forest as the above- mentioned localities indicate, but it was found most abundantly, and in some localities only, in the clearings about habitations. This apparent preference of B. regularis for clearings may account for its absence in the Cameroon collections reported upon by Boulenger. Variation. — The specimens in our series (maximum head and body length, 98 mm. ; minimum, 18 mm. ; average, 73 mm.) vary in color from a pale yellowish, blotched with gray, to a uniform blackish brown. Only one specimen (No. 8412, Garamba, June 1912) shows any indica- tion of the bright pink tones mentioned by Boulenger (1907e, p. 479, PI. xxi). Some of the specimens in the series from the savannahs of Garamba can be matched in the series from the forest about Stanleyville. In life the majority of the specimens were some tone of "brown blotched with a darker brown; the iris a silvery brown with a golden band across its horizontal axis." B. regularis shows a slight sexual dimorphism other than size. Our large series of thirty^-four females, nineteen males, and three very young individuals shows that this dimorphism is not a constant feature. The majority of breeding males are spiny, each wart on the back consisting of a single spine surrounded by a group of smaller ones. The majority of 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 173 females are not spinj^ but possess large flat warts on their dorsal surfaces. Five sexually mature males are not spiny and, except for some indication of digital asperities (absent in one), more slender body form, and slightly smaller size (marked difference in some specimens), cannot be distin- guished externally from the breeding females of the same localities. Six of the females show an indication of spinosity. These specimens have more or less of the dorsal warts replaced by spines, but these spines are single, not compound as in the males. B. regularis is like B. marinus of South America in its ubiquity, but is unlike that species in that the spinosity of breeding males is not a constant character. Habits. — An examination of the sexual organs of the series of speci- mens has allowed me to infer that the breeding season of B. regularis is extended in the Belgian Congo through several months. One of two females (Nos. 8449-8450) taken at Avakubi, October 3, 1909, has the ovaries greatly distended with large ova, while the other has the "pepper and salt" gonads characteristic of the time directly following oviposition. One of another pair (Nos. 8444-8445) from Medje, August 29, 1910, has the distended ovaries, while the other has the post-oviposition condition. None of the females taken in any part of the Belgian Congo from November to ]March have the ovaries enlarged. April and May speci- mens show intermediate conditions. Two specimens from Akenge taken in September 1913 are both females exhibiting the "pepper and salt" ovaries. One specimen (No. 8451) from Stanleyville, August 21, 1909, possesses very large ova. The majority of the females taken in Medje during August have distended ovaries. It seems probable that the breeding season of B. regularis in the Rain Forest is extended through the months of August, September, and early October. The breeding season of B. regularis throughout the rest of Africa varies according to the locahty. Fischer (1884) states that breeding pairs were found in the vicinity of Naivasha Lake, British East Africa, on May 11. Andersson (1911) reports mated pairs in the vicinity of Nairobi on April 11, 1911, while Lonnberg (1910) gives a detailed account of a breeding chorus at Kibonoto, Kihmanjaro, on July 26, 1905. Hewitt and Powers (1913) discuss the breeding of B. regularis in South Africa: At Modder River the breeding season commences about the end of September or beginning of October, when the males resort to little pools amongst the rocks and during night-time make loud and incessant calls to attract the females; the vocal sac, bluish in color, becomes inflated to about twice the size of the head. The male call resembles the hoarse "wook-wook" of duck, and the female responds with a call Uke "woop," followed bj' a quick "wop-wop." 174 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX The field notes of Mr. Lang indicate that these toads do not confine their croaking to the time when they are in the water: "Five large toads taken at Stanleyville, August 4, 1909, were found catching insects about the palm oil lamps which fight the roads. They were frequently observed to catch small moths. These toads croaked very loudly at intervals, often repeating their call for the duration of half a minute." Thirty-eight stomachs contained food which consisted of 377 worker and soldier termites and the debris of many others; 46 beetles (carabids, curcuUonids, dung-beetles, etc.) ; 474 ants (males, females, and workers), and the debris of others; 7 heteropterous and 1 homopterous insects; 10 myriopods (julids, scolopendrids, etc.); 4 spiders; 30 dipterous larvae; 5 caterpillars; 3 isopods; 3 crickets; 1 grasshopper; 1 earwig; 2 leaf- hoppers; 5 caddice-flies ; and 4 snails {Limicolaria, etc.). Snakes are known to feed on B. regularis. A specimen (A. M. N. H. No. 12303) of Leptodeira hotamboeia taken at Garamba, July 5, 1912, disgorged a specimen of B. regularis which hopped away as soon as re- leased. Another toad of the same species was found in its stomach. Bufo funereus Bocage Plate XXVIII, Figure 1 Bufo funereus Bocage, 1866, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, I, p. 77 (type locality: Duque de Braganga, Angola). Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' pp. 281 and 475. Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 186 (Angola: Duque de Braganga and Caconda); 1897, Jorn. Sci. Losboa, (2) IV, p. 205 (Angola: Duque de Braganga and Caconda); 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 45 (Fernando Po). BouLENGER, 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 158 (Fernando Po and French Congo). Ferreria, 1906, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 166 (Angola). Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 509 (Longji, Cameroon). MtJLLER, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 KL, XXIV, p. 625 (Edea, Cameroon). Barbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge LIV, No. 2, p. 136 (Efulen, Cameroon). Chabanaud, 1919, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, p. 457 (Dahomey). Bufo benguelensis Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 299, PI. xix, fig. 3 (Benguella and Fernando Po). Bufo gracilipes Boulenger, 1899, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) III, p. 276, PI. xii, fig. 2 (Benito River, Gaboon); 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 436 (locahty of Boulenger 1899); 1903, Mem. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat., I, p. 62 (Spanish Guinea: Cape St. John). Bufo regularis Andersson, 1907, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LX, p. 244 (part: Bibundi, Cameroon). (Not of Reuss, 1834.) Seventy-two specimens ranging in size from 31 to 62.5 mm. : twenty- seven from Medje, one specimen September 14 and two September 23, 1910, one specimen in March, four in April, three in April or May, 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 175 thirteen in June and three in July 1914; sixteen specimens from Akenge, September and October 1913; thirteen specimens from Niapu, November 1913 and January 1914; four specimens from Niangara, November 1910 and June 1913; three specimens from Avakubi, October 31, 1909 and January 10, 1914; two specimens from Ngayu, December 12 and 20, 1909, two specimens from Boyulu, September 22, 1909; and one speci- men from each of the following: BafwaboH, September 13, 1909; Baf- wamoko, September 14, 1909; Batama, September 16, 1909; Bafwa- sende, September 23, 1909, and Poko, August 1913. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 8510-8581.) Distribution. — The fact that B. funereus was found by the Ameri- can Museum expedition only in the Rain Forest or outlying forest gal- leries, such as Niangara, renders the reported distribution of the species difficult to interpret. Careful comparison of specimens from southern Angola with those from the Rain Forest should be made before any explanation is offered for the unusual distribution. The species has not been found to extend its range into the savannah areas lying to the north or to the east of the Rain Forest, and there seems to be no reason for the appearance of the species in southern Angola. Vaeiation. — B. funereus has been carefully described by Boulenger (1900) under the name of B. gracilipes. It is a very distinct species of toad, with its nimierous, closely set warts above, narrow paratoids, and rather shm head. It could be confused only with the male of B. regularis. The absence of tarsal fold and short first finger distinguishes it from that species. Still young individuals sometimes have an indication of a tarsal fold (as in No. 8516), or at least have the outer tarsal warts arranged in a straight hne, simulating a fold. These yoimg specimens may be distinguished from the young of B. regularis by the smaller, more numerous granules of the back, narrower paratoids, and shght instead of distinct tarsal fold. The majority of the specimens in the series are nearly a uniform brown above, indistinctly marbled with a darker tone. Few of the speci- mens possess a well-defined pattern. This consists of two pairs of dark spots on the back and two pairs on the head, one pair of the latter being in front, and the other behind the orbits. The sides of the body are reticulated with a dark brown and the legs are crossbanded. Two of the males, which are less warty than the females, have the ground tone of the back a yellowish gray, and one specimen (No. 8457) has the legs heavily washed with a blackish brown. In life B. funereus was "brown- ish above with irregular dark markings. The sides of the body were distinctly fighter and there was an indication of alight vertebral line." 176 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX One specimen (No. 8518) from Ngayn, December 12, 1909, was "rusty brown above, pinkish on the chest and yellowish gray on the abdomen. The iris was light bronze." The majority of the males in our series may be readily distinguished from the females by their smaller size and smoother dorsal skin. The male (No. 8550) of a pair taken in embrace at Niangara, November 1910, is distinctly smaller than the female (No. 8551), being only 46 mm. in length as against 62 nmi. But a breeding pair taken at Medje on Sep- tember 23, 1910, does not show this difference, the male measuring 40 mm. and the female 49. Ten of the seventeen males have only a few scattered tubercles above, and not the dense matting of fine tubercles given as characteristic of the species. But six of the males, all from Niapu, January 1914, are exactly as tubercular above as the females. One male from Boynlu, September 22, 1909, represents an intermediate condition. It is apparent that smoothness of skin is not a constant feature in the male. Habits. — B. funereus was often taken "under dead tree trunks and among the leaves about the plantations. One was found in the rest house at Bafwamoko. The majority were collected in the forest under fallen trees and other dead wood." This species has perhaps a more extended breeding season than any of the other toads in the collection. Pairs in embrace were taken at Avakubi on October 3 (1909). At Niangara breeding pairs were observed about the middle of November (1910). Females with greatly distended ovaries were taken in July (Medje, 1914), on September 14 (Medje, 1910) on September 23 (Bafwasende, 1909), on December 12 (Ngayu, 1909) and in the middle of January (Niapu, 1914). This difference of sexual maturity is not wholly dependent upon difference in locality. Two specimens of nearly the same size (Nos. 8557 and 8558) taken at Medje on June 6, 1910 exhibit a great difference in the degree of development of their ova. Moreover, I fail to find any marked uniformity from any other locaUty, although such uniformity is the rule in the other species of toads. Males possess well-developed nuptial asperities from June 6 (Medje, 1914) to January 10 (Avakubi, 1914). But, since all except one of the seventeen males in the collection have some indication of the nup- tial asperities, too much emphasis should not be laid upon the de- velopment of these structures. Sexual maturity in B. funereus is very hregular, which condition may indicate a prolonged breeding season. The stomachs of sixty-two specimens contained food. This con- sisted of 426 worker termites, 86 winged termites and the fragments of 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 177 many others; 59 beetles (Cureiilionidse, longicorn, etc.) and the frag- ments of others; 735 worker ants and the heads of a few others; 2 hymen- opterous insects (a psammocharid and a mutilUd) ; 1 heteropterous and 3 hemipterous insects (Reduviidae, etc.); 6 myriopods (julids, polydes- mids, etc.); 6 spiders, 6 caterpillars; 3 roaches; 2 earwigs; 1 grass- hopper; and 1 leaf -hopper. Bufo tuberosus Giinther Bufo tuberosus Gunther, 1858, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 60, PI. in, fig. C (tjTDe locality: Fernando Po). Peters, 1875, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 202 (Abo, Cameroon). Boulenger, 1880, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 572 (Fernando Po; Gaboon); 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 304 (Fernando Po; Gaboon); 1887, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 565 (Rio del Rey, Cameroon). Werner, 1898, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVIII, p. 202 (Cameroon). BoxjLENGER, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 435 (Benito River, Gaboon); 1903, Mem. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat., I, p. 62 (Cape St. John, Spanish Guinea). BocAGE, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 45 (Fernando Po). Boulenger, 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 158 (Fernando Po). NiEDEN, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, Heft 4, p. 509 (Victoria, Johann- Albrechtshohe, Bipindi, Cameroon; Makomo, Spanish Guinea). Muller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 625 (Mundame, Cameroon). NiEDEN, 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' I, Heft 2, p. 68, fig. 147 (Victoria, Johann-Albrechtshohe, Bipindi, Cameroon). Barbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, LIV, No. 2, p. 135 (Kribi, Cameroon). Lampe, 1911, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LXIV, p. 220 (Cameroon: Bibundi and Campo). Six specimens, varying in size from 27.5 mm. to 68 mm. in length (snout to vent): Ngayu, three specimens, December 12; one, December 16, 1909; Bafwabaka, one specimen, probably December 1909; Medje, one specimen, April-May 1910 (A. M. N. H. Nos. 8400-8405). Distribution. — The range of Bufo tuberosus is considerably ex- tended by the discover}^ of these six specimens in the Ituri forest. No doubt further collecting will demonstrate that the species is widely distributed throughout the Rain Forest. But no specimens have as yet been taken west of Cameroon. * Variation. — Bufo tuberosus, with its prominent egg-shaped paro- toid glands and scattered dorsal spines, cannot be confused with any other forest toad. It has been so minutely described by Boulenger (1880, pp. 572-573) that little further need be said here. In none of the speci- mens of our series are the parotoid glands as large as those indicated by Gunther (1858, PL iii, fig. C). These structures vary in size from one-half (smallest specimen) to two-thirds (two largest specimens) the diameter between their anterior borders and the nostrils, and do not equal that distance as shown in Giinther's excellent figure. 178 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX The specimens in our series are not brightly colored and do not present the vertebral line mentioned by Boulenger (1900, p. 435). The predominating tones are grays and browns. The four specimens from Ngajii are somewhat differently colored from the other two in the series. The ground tone above is a pale gray, becoming white below. The dorsal sm-face is heavily blotched with steel-gray while the ventral surface is more or less marbled with same color. This marbling is sd extensive in one specimen (No. 8403) that the white tone has a stippled appearance. The other two specimens in the series are from northern localities. Their dorsal gray tones are suffused with a dark brown and there are no marblings on the ventral surfaces, which present a uniform muddy appearance. Habits. — Little is known about the habits of B. tuherosus. Most of the specimens in our series were "caught by pygmies in the forest; and were said to live in the swamps." Five of the specimens contained food in their stomachs. This con- sisted of 121 termites (workers and soldiers of two species), 38 ants (workers of several species) ; one beetle (Curculionidse) ; and one ichneu- monid wasp. Bufo polycercus Werner Plate XXVIII, Figure 2 Bufo polycercus Werner, 1897, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Munchen, XXVII, p. 211 (type locality: Cameroon); 1913, Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natiir.), LXXXVIII, p. 719. Bufo laiifrons Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 435, PI. xxvii, fig. 1 (Benito River, Gaboon); 1906, (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Geneva, (3) II, p. 158 (Fernando Po). (?) Calabresi, 1906, Monitore Zool. Ital., XXVTI, p. 37 (Southern Somaliland). Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 508 (Cameroon: Barombi, Victoria, Bipindi, Johann-Albrechtshohe, Longji, ■ Jaunde, and Jabassi; Spanish Guinea: Makomo). Miiller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 625 (Edea, Cameroon). Nieden, 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 67, Figs. 145 and 146 (Cameroon, same localities as Nieden 1908). Barbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, LIV, No. 2, p. 135 (Efulen, Cameroon). Lampe, 1911, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LXIV, p. 219 (Cameroon: Bibundi, Dehane, and Isongo). Boulenger, 1912, in Talbot, 'In the Shadow of the Bush', p. 470 (Nigeria). Nieden, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Airika Exp.,' IV, pp. 186 and 191 (South end of Lake Albert Edward; Entebbe on Lake Victoria; and forest between Mawambi and Avakubi, Belgian Congo); 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, VII, p. 386 (same as Nieden, 1912). Bufo regularis Werner, 1900, Arch. Naturg., LXVI, part 2, p. 58 (not of Reuss 1834). MocQUARD, 1902, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, VIII, p. 417 (French Guinea). Steindachner, 1906, Ann. Hofmus. Wien, XXI, p. 154 (Cameroon). 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 179 Forty-six specimens, all adult: twenty-three from Medje, seven of which were taken dming April-May 1910, one on August 29, 1910, one in March 1914, seven in April 1914, six in June 1914, and one in July 1914; eighteen specimens from Akenge, September and October 1913; two from Gamangui, Februarj'- 18, 1910; two from Niapu, November 1913 and January' 1914; and one from Ngayu, December 19, 1909. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 8464-8509.) Distribution. — B. polycercus is apparently confined to the Rain Forest and outlj-ing forest islands. Except for one very dubious record of B. polycercus in southern Somaliland (Calabresi, 1906), no specimens have ever been taken in other than forested regions. Our forty-six specimens help to confirm the opinion of Nieden (1912, p. 191) that this species has a continuous range throughout the Rain Forest. Relations. — B. polycercus has been confused with B. regularis by various authors, and it is probable that some of the specimens recorded from the Rain Forest as B. regularis may yet prove to be referable to the former, more typical, forest species. The distinguishing characters given by Boulenger (1900, p. 435), but more especially those pointed out by Nieden (1908a, p. 509), are very apparent in our two large series of specimens. As Nieden has indicated, the chief difference lies in the wartiness of the skin. B. regularis never possesses the large pointed warts on the sides of the body. Even when the dorsal sm-face of B. polycercus is nearly smooth, the lateral spines are prominent forming a ready means of distinguishing the two species. The largest warts in B. polycercus are arranged as in B. tuherosus in a group just behind each angle of the mouth. Both species occur together in the Rain Forest. The former, however, is readily distinguishable from the latter by its narrow, elongate parotoids. Variation. — The color of most of our specimens has faded in alcohol to some tone of brown indistinctly marked with black. In a few of the specimens the pattern is very distinct. It consists of two pairs of black spots, one pair on the scapular, the other on the sacral region, and one or two dark interorbital bars. The limbs are crossbarred with black and the sides vermiculated with the same color. A light vertebral line is generally present. In our brightest specimens (Nos. 8493 and 8496, females from Akenge, September 1913) the sides were tinged with salmon. This coloration served to distinguish the toad in the field. The description made in the field of one of the specimens (No. 8493) men- tioned above may be taken as characteristic of the species: "Ground tone brown above, grayish or greenish on the limbs; the dark spots on 180 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX the back a velvety black; sides of the head and body tinged with a rich pink; vertebral surface whitish changing to pink posteriorly. Iris silvery gray." Habits. — One pair of the toads was taken in embrace at Akenge during October 1913. Only one other male was found, that at Medje during May and June 1914. An examination of the ovaries of the forty- four females in the series has allowed me to infer that the breeding season may extend through more than one month. The ovaries of one speci- men (No. 8497) taken in September at Akenge exhibit post-oviposition conditions. Mature ova are found in three specimens (Nos. 8481-8483) from Medje taken in June and July, and nearly mature ova in another specimen (No. 8491) taken in May at the same locality. The ovaries of three specimens (Nos. 8506, 8505 and 8501) from Akenge, October 1913, are greatly distended. No specimen from any locality taken between the months of November and April have the ova at all enlarged. It is evident that the ova of B. polycerxus reach maturity between the months of May and October. The stomachs and intestines of nearly all the specimens contained parasitic worms. Several of the stomachs were covered with numerous cysts. The intestine immediately posterior to the pylorus of one speci- men (No. 8504) possessed a large rent. Since the edges of the rent were curled back and hardened, the wound must have been made before the capture of the toad. In spite of this opening of the alimentary tract into the coelum, the stomach of the toad contained food and the usual para- sitic worms were found in the intestine. Forty-two stomachs contained food: 41 winged termites and 234 workers; 72 beetles (Curculionidse; Staphylinidse, etc.); 14 male and female ants and 393 workers; 2 wasps {Polybioides tahida and P. melaina) ; 2 heteropterous and 6 hemipterous insects (Reduviidse, etc.), 5 dipterous larvse; 16 myriopods (Julidse, Scolopendridse and Polydes- midae); 14 spiders; 12 caterpillars; 4 beetle larvse, 2 isopods; 1 grass- hopper; 1 cricket; 1 leaf -hopper; and 1 snail. Bufo polycercus is fed upon by snakes and probably other animals. Partial remains of this toad were found in the stomachs of two specimens of Dipsadohoa unicolor (A. M. N. H. Nos. 12474 and 12475) taken at Medje during March 1914. Bufo superciliaris Boulenger Plate XXV, Figure 2 B^lfo superciliaris Boulenger, 1887, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 565 (type locality: Rio del Rey, Cameroon); 1890, p. .325 (Rio del Rey, Cameroon); 1900, p. 436 1924] Noble, Her petology of the Belgian Congo 181 (Benito River, Gaboon; and the Belgian Congo). Andersson, 1905, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, II, No. 20, p. 26 (Cameroon). Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 510 (Cameroon: Victoria, Bipindi, and Kribi). MtJLLER, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 625 (Edea, Cameroon). Nieden 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1), Heft 2, p. 66, fig. 142 (Spanish Guinea: Makomo; Cameroon; localities of Nieden 1908). Barbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, LIV, No. 2, p. 136 (Ja River, Cameroon). Lampe, 1911, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LXIV, p. 219 (Cameroon: Dehane and Campo). BouLENGER, 1912, in Talbot, 'In the Shadow of the Bush,' p. 470 (Nigeria). Boulenger, E. G., 1914, 'Reptiles and Batrachians,' p. 224, fig. (Cameroon). Bufo laevissimus Werner, 1897, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Mtinchen, XXVII, p. 212 (Cameroon); 1898, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVIII, p. 202, PI. ii, fig. 1 (Cameroon) . Bufo superciliosus Werner, 1900, Arch. Naturg., LXVI, part 2, p. 58. (Misspelling for Bufo superciliaris Boulenger.) Seventj-nine specimens, thirteen of which are skeletons: Medje, one specimen, January 1910, three, August 1910, seven, September 1910, twenty, April 1914, fourteen, June 1914, and eight, July 1914; Niapu, three specimens, November 1913, six, December 1913, and three, January 1914; Gamangui, seven specimens, February 1910; Ngayu, six specimens, December 1909; locality uncertain (tag corroded) one specimen. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 8586-8664.) Distribution. — As in the case of many other forest species formerly only known from the Cameroon-Gaboon area, the range of B. super- ciliaris was found to extend much farther eastward than formerly re- ported. The species is confined to the Rain Forest and represents the largest and most striking toad of this region. Still it has not been re- ported farther west than Nigeria. Future work may show that the species does not occur in the extreme western end of the forest, but our present knowledge of that area is so limited that little can be said. Variation. — The coloration of B. superciliaris has been adequately described by Boulenger (1887a). It may be added that the one or two pairs of black ocelK on the back are often narrowly outlined with pale yellow. The parietal chevron is not present in most of the large speci- mens. In life the coloration was generally brighter, especially the rich maroon wash of the sides; and the yellowish dorso-lateral line was sharply defined. The iris was a "dark bronzy brown." The fortj-three females and twentj'-two males in the series exhibit no sexual difference other than size. Fifteen fully adult males average 106.7 mm. from snout to vent (maximum, 112; minimum, 98 mm.) in contrast to 136.9 mm., the average of the same number of sexually 182 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX mature females (maximum, 149; minimum, 133 mm.). No nuptial asperities are developed on the digits of the breeding males. Habits. — Oviposition may occur throughout several months. It certainly occurs in April, for one specimen (No. 8587) taken at Medje early in April still contained ova in its cloaca and oviducts. About fifty eggs had been squeezed into the urinary bladder. No ova were found in the coelom, and the ovaries exhibited the usual post-oviposition condi- tions. B. superciliaris is potentially able to oviposit throughout most of the year. Females with greatly distended ovaries were taken in April (Medje, 1914), June and July (Medje, 1914), August (Medje, 1910), November and December (Niapu, 1913), January (Niapu, 1914) and February (Gamangui, 1910). Bufo superciliaris is active throughout the rainy season, which continues in most of the forest throughout the entire year except for a few weeks in February or March, these weeks varying with the locality and the year. During this rainy season B. superciliaris "was found practically everywhere in the forest, but during the dryer weeks the toad disappeared, only a single specimen or two to be found after long search- ing in some shallow depression, usually among the damp leaves of the forest, especially in hollows where the humus and moldering leaves re- main damp throughout the year. When disturbed, the quiescent toad would play dead, lowering the head to the ground, and drooping the prominent upper eyelids. At such times the toad is able to squirt the secretion of its parotoid glands to a distance of several feet. The natives are greatly afraid of this whitish secretion for they believe that it is able to destroy the ej^esight." The stomachs of fiftj-five specimens contained food. It is note- worthy that often large insects but never any vertebrates were found in the stomachs. The food consisted of 453 worker and soldier termites (aU but three from a single stomach) ; 86 beetles (mostly large longi- corns, carabids, Curculionidse, dung-beetles, etc.); 182 ants; 1 ichneu- monid and 1 chalcid wasp; 16 myiiopods (julids, polydesmids and platy- desmids); remains of 3 grasshoppers; 2 caterpillars, 1 isopod, 1 beetle larva, 1 ant-lion larva, 13 dipterous larvae and a small amount of leaves and other extraneous matter. Morphological Notes.— In correlation with the great body size, the eggs of B. superciliaris have not become very much larger than those of other forest toads but they are very much more numerous. The aver- age diameter of ten eggs (envelopes removed) from the urinary bladder of the specimen (No. 8587) mentioned above as having just deposited its 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 183 eggs is approximately 1.8 mm., maximmn diameter 2 mm., and mini- mmn 1.6; while the average of the same number of eggs removed from the ccelom of a gra\'id specimen of B. polyceixus (No. 8501) is 1.5 mm., maximmii 1.6 mm. and minimum 1.4. By removing a single lobe of an ovary, counting the ova in it, and multiplying by the total number of lobes, we may estimate the number of eggs in any gravid female. The number in the specimen of B. polycercus mentioned above was found to be between 1200 and 1500. B. superciliaris develops many more eggs than this. One specimen (Xo. 8588) was estimated to have at least three times, probably three and a half times, as many. That this rough esti- mate cannot be verj' far out of the way is shown by the fact that the ovaries of the two specimens vary in length in the proportion of one to two, while the ova differ in the proportion of two to three. The size of the ovaries is more or less dependent on the size of the toad, and in the present case the specimen of B. polycercus is 71 mm. long while the specimen of B. superciliaris is 142 imn. In apparent correlation with the great increase in number of eggs of B. superciliaris, the male reproductive organs are extraordinarily developed. Even before the breeding season and when the fat bodies are still very small, the tests become greatly lengthened and folded into many turns. Each testis of one specimen (No. 8586, Niapu, December 1913) is twisted back and forth across the kidney with sLx sharp turns. The kidneys are not oval but slightly lobate, the lobes underlying the turns of the testes. If the testes could be straightened out, they would measure at least twice as long as the kidneys. Our series of twenty-two males shows definitely that this twisting of the testes is due to an increase in length, but this increase is greater than that which I have observed in any other species of Bufo. Ranidse Of the thirty-nine genera of Salientia found in Africa, twenty-two, or fifty-six per cent, are ranids, and all but three of these twenty-two genera are confined to the continent. Two of the three exceptions, Megalixalus, and Hyperolius, are characteristically African but have ex- tended their range to Madagascar, while the third exception, Rana, is a recent arrival in Africa from the north. It is of little value to state that the African ranids (with the excep- tion of Rana) are all typically African, either indigenous to that continent or migrants from there, unless some attempt is made to determine the mutual relationships of these genera and to seek the stocks from which 184 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX they have arisen. This undertaking offers considerable difficulty be- cause our knowledge of the internal structure of most of these genera is very limited. From a study of their osteology it seems probable that certain of them, such as Chiromantis, very probably find their closest affinities in genera not found today in Africa, but others may very prob- ably have arisen directly from indigenous genera. A third category includes genera whose affinities to other genera are so close that their generic status is questionable. For purposes of discussion it is advisable to divide the twenty-two genera of ranids into a number of natural groups and to examine what evidence there is as to the affinities of these groups. Group I. — Astylosternus, Gampsosteonyx, Scotohleps, and Nyctir bates. These four genera form a natural group of closely related genera confined to the Cameroon-Gaboon area. It is a matter of opinion whether or not Gampsosteonyx is really generically distinct from Astylo- sternus. Scotobleps, Nyctibates, and Astylosternus differ from each other chiefly in the degree of ossification of the various parts of the pectoral girdle. I have remarked on certain specialized features of this group elsewhere.' Too little is known about the morphology of these and re- lated genera to offer an opinion as to the stock from which they have arisen. Still, it seems fairly certain that thej^ are local specializations of the oldest ranid stock of Africa. Group II. — Phrynobatrachus, Arthroleptis, Arthroleptides, Petro- pedetes, Dimorphognathus, Schoutedenella and Cardioglossa. These genera are all small, active ranids, very similar in general appearance. Witte (1919), in reviewing the genus Phrynobatrachus, states that since Bou- lenger has abandoned the extent of the webbing between the metatarsals as a character defining the genus Rana, the extent of this web in Phryno- batrachus is probably not a good character to distinguish Phryno- batrachus from Arthroleptis. As shown in Figure 5, the extent of the separation of the metatarsals is extremely variable. P. natalensis, the type of the genus, may be said to have the metatarsals as closely bound together as the majority of the species of Arthrolepis. The only character commonly used to distinguish Phrynobatrachus from Arthro- leptis is the separation of the outer metatarsals by a web but, since this distinction is entirely arbitrary, this character can be of little importance in distinguishing these genera. The form of the pectoral girdle was considered by Boulenger of primary importance in defining his subgenera of Rana. A study of this iNoble, 1920, p. 17. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 185 structure in all the species of Arthroleptis and Phrynobatrachus avail- able to me has helped to demonstrate that the character of the meta- tarsal region cannot be correlated with any grouping of -the species based on the structure of the pectoral girdle. Species ^tith a A-shaped omo- stemum (Plate XXIX) may or may not have the separated metatar- sals and species with an entire omosternum are at present grouped under both Arthroleptis and Phrynobatrachus. If we should abandon the metatarsal character entirely and use the form of the pectoral girdle in distinguishing Phrynobatrachus from Arthro- leptis, further difficulties would immediately present themselves. A complete series of intergradation may be found between the two ex- tremes of girdle form. Examples from this series are represented in Plate XXIX. Although no characters can be found to group into definite cate- gories the species at present ranged under Arthroleptis and Phryno- batrachus, still the study of the pectoral girdle has shown that the relation- ships between certain species are much closer than between others, and these relationships are indicated in part by a pectoral girdle of identical form in these related species. Thus the pectoral girdles of A. variabilis and A. pcecilonotus agree in all essential particulars; similarly those of A. bottegi, A.feae, and A. parvulus have the same form; and those of P. plicatus and P. dendrobates are indentical and are not verj^ different from that of A. batesii. If the form of the pectoral girdle is an index of relationship (as in Rana) it is of especial interest that the girdles of A. wahlbergi and P. natalensis, the type species of Arthroleptis and Phrynobatrachus respec- tively, should be identical. It is also important to note that the pectoral girdle of Cardioglossa leucomystax is very similar to that of A. wahlbergi while that of Dimorphognathus africanus is practically identical with that of A. batesii. This has been mentioned in my discussion of the classification of the Salientia (Noble, 1922). There is good reason to believe that Cardioglossa has been derived directly from an A. wahlbergi- A. variabilis stock by a loss of teeth and Dimorphognathus from an A. batesii stock by the development of teeth on the mandible. When all the species of Arthroleptis and Phrynobatrachus have been studied osteologically, a number of natural groups will be found. It has seemed advisable for the purposes of this paper and to avoid further complicating the synon5rmy to use the terms Arthroleptis and Phrynobatrachus in their old sense, although it is obvious from the above discussion not only that these genera are two very unnatural assemblages but also that the one 186 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX character which distinguished them from each other is untrustworthy, even undefinable. It is impossible to say at the present time from what stock this Arthroleptis-Phrynobatrachus group springs. Their procoelous vertebral column and cartilaginous metasternum are indicative of their generalized structure. They do not seem to have any close affinities in the Oriental or Neotropical regions. Group III. — Hylamhates, Kassina, Hyperolius, Megalixalus, Lepto- pelis, and Chiromantis. Two very distinct groups of species have up to the present time been referred to Hylamhates. This is the more surprising since Peters (1882, PL xxvi, fig. 4) gave an excellent figure of the pectoral girdle of the type of the genus, H. maculatus. In this species the omo- sternum is forked posteriorly and the metasternum is a broad cartilagi- nous plate. Two of the species taken by the American Museum expedi- tion, H. verrucosus (Plate XXXI, fig. 1) and H. greshoffi (Plate XXXI, fig. 2) have a similar pectoral girdle, but in all the other species usually referred to Hylamhates which I have examined the omosternum was found to be entire and the metasternum bony. Until intermediates can be found it seems advisable to distinguish the second group of species by a name. The first name available for that purpose appears to be Leptopelis. I am not at all sure that annectant forms will be found between the first and second groups. Leptopelis seems to comprise a distinct group of species as nearly related to Chiromantis as to the group of species which I now restrict to the genus Hylamhates. The pectoral girdle of Hyperolius, Megalixalus, and Kassina are very similar to that of Hylamhates (sensu stricto). The first two genera may have been derived directly from Hylamhates by a loss of the vomerine teeth. Hyperolius differs from Hylamhates only in the absence of these structures. In recent years much evidence has been accumulated to show the trivial significance of the absence of the vomerine teeth as defining natural groups. Among the pipids there is at least one case (Xenopus) where the presence or absence 'of vomerine teeth in the adult has not even specific importance (Boulenger, 1919, p. 3). Among the pelobatids there are several instances (Leptohrachium and Xenophrys) of the same (Bou- lenger, 1889, p. 750; Sclater, 1892, p. 348). In the toothed bufonids and hylids the presence of vomerine teeth is a variable feature in several genera: Telmatohius (Barbour and Noble, 1920, p. 416); Hyla (Van Kampen, 1906, p. 174, and Noble, 1918, p. 335). Among the ranids this variability of the vomerine teeth is even more frequent: Rhacophorus 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 187 (Boulenger, 1897, p. 234); Kassina (Peracca, 1907); Rana (Boulenger, 1897, p. 234); and Staurois (Boulenger, 1918c, p. 373). It appears then that the structural difference which distinguishes HyperoUus from Hylam- hates is very slight. Kassina possesses a peculiarity which leads one to suspect that it has not been evolved directly from Hylamhates. The terminal phalanges are dilated very much as in Chiromantis. Nevertheless, Kassina, with its widely divided omosternum, very probably was not evolved directly from Chiromantis. Chiromantis has much in common with Polypedates. That widely distributed genus is sufficiently generalized to form the stock from which Hylamhates, LeptopeUs, Kassina, Chiromantis, and their derivatives, HyperoUus and MegaUxalus, may have evolved. I have shown else- where (1917, p. 793) that T-shaped terminal phalanges may be changed during the ontogeny of an individual to simple terminal phalanges, and I have suggested that claw-shaped phalanges are easily derivable from these. Chiromantis, with its undivided omosternum and dilated terminal phalanges, stands nearest to the Polypedates stock than any of the other members of this group. Group IV. — Phrynopsis, Leptodactylodon, and Rothschildia. The first and last of these three genera are known to me only from the descriptions. Leptodactylodon seems to have much in common with Phrynopsis. Nevertheless, it does not always have a cartilaginous omosternum as often stated. A breeding ' male (No. 6726) which I examined was found to have a well ossified style to the omosternum. It seems probable that Leptodactylodon and Phrynopsis have been derived from some ranid stock of Group I. The affinities of Rothschildia are a puzzle. Its pointed terminal phalanges, united metatarsals, cartilaginous omosternum and sternum, clearly indicate that it cannot have any close relationship to Chiromantis in spite of Mocquard's (1905, p. 288) statement to the contrary. Further study may show that it is related to Phrynopsis, or possibly HyperoUus. Group V. — Rana and Conraua. The latter genus is probably not generically distinct from the former. Boulenger (1918) has recently dis- cussed the origin and affinities of the African species of Rana and, since not only the genus but also certain groups of species find their closest affinities beyond the continent, it seems very probable that the genus is only a recent migrant into Africa, probably by way of the northeast. It is interesting, however, that the genus should have extended so widely over the continent and have become such a dominant element of its batrachian fauna. 188 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Phrynobatrachus Giinther This genus has been recently monographed by Witte (1919 and 1921). As shown in the appended check list, I have not been able to agree with him on the status of certain of the species. Nevertheless, Witte's synop- sis so nearly agrees with my views that it does not seem advisable to offer an additional key to the species. Werner (1919) has recently published a key which expresses his views as to the recognizable species. Natalohatrachus Hewitt and Methuen is certainly synonymous with Phrynobatrachus. N. honehergi is closely allied to P. dendrobates and P. plicatus. A microphotograph of the pectoral girdle of N. bonebergi is represented in Plate XXIX, fig. 8. The species should be referred to Phrynobatrachus . Phrynobatrachus natalensis (A. Smith) Plate XXXIII, Figure 1; Text Figure 5 Stenorhynchus natalensis Smith, 1849, 'Illus. Zool. S. Africa,' Til, Appendix, p. 24 (type locality: Port Natal). Phrynobatrachus natalensis Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 112 (Natal and Angola: Duque de Braganga). Peters, 1882, 'Reise nach Mos- sambique,' III, p. 156 (Tette, Mozambique). Pfeffer, 1889, Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., VI, part 2, p. 10 (Zanzibar). Boettger, 1892, 'Kat. Batr. Mus. Senck.,' p. 19 (Abyssinia). Boulenger, 1892, in Distant, 'A Naturalist in the Transvaal,' p. 176 (Pretoria). Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 162 (High plateaux of the interior of Angola: Duque de Braganf;a, Quissange, Quindumbo, Caconda, and Bihe). Bocage, 1896, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, p. 101 (Mozam- bique); p. 211 (Hanha). Tornier, 1896, 'Kriechthiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 96 (German East Africa: Zanzibar, Usambara, Usagara, Kakoma, Unyam- wesi, Nyansa, Undussuma, and Kinangiri). Werner, 1896, Jahrb. Ver. Magde- burg, p. 148 (Transvaal). Tornier, 1897, Arch. Naturg., LXIII, part 1, p. 66 (German East Africa). Sclater, 1899, Ann. S. African Mus., I, p. 107 (South Africa). Tornier, 1901, Zool. Anz., XXIV, p. 64 (Port Elizabeth). Bou- lenger, 1902, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 15 (Mashonaland). Mocquard, 1902, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, VIII, p. 406 (British East Africa). Bou- lenger, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 108 (Angola: Bange Ngola); Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 251 (Zululand: Sibudeni). Ferreira, 1906, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 166 (Angola). Boulenger, 1907, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 482, PI. XXII, fig. 2 (Portuguese East Africa: Coguna and Beira). Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), CXVI, part 1, p. 1901 (Sudan). Boulenger, 1908, Ann. Natal Mus., I, p. 222 (Zululand: Mseleni and Hlabisa). Chubb, 1908, .\im. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) II, p. 220 (Matabeleland: Gwamaya and Kana Rivers). Odhner, 1908, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, IV, No. 18, p. 7 (South Africa: Durban, Umfolozi, and Lake Sibayi). Chubb, 1909, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 592 (Matabeleland: three localities). Boulenger, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 529 (Natal, Zululand, Transvaal, Orange River Colony, Southern Rhodesia, Angola, Central and East Africa). Lonnberg, 1924] Noble, Herpelology of the Belgian Congo 189 1910, in Sjostedt, 'Kilimandjaro-Meru Exp.,' I, part 4, p. 23 (Kilimanjaro). Meek, 1910, Publ. Field Mus., Zool., VII, p. 403 (British East .\frica: Nairobi and Lukenya). Roux, 1910, Rev. Suisse Zool., XVIII, p. 101 (Uganda: Busoga). Anderssox, 1911, Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XLVII, part 6, p. 28 (British East Africa: Nairobi, Thika, and Roiru River). Boulexger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Geneva, (3) V, p. 168 (Uganda: Bussu, Masindi, and Mbale). Hewitt, 1911, Ann. Transvaal Mus., Ill, part 1, p. 12 (South Africa); Rec. Albany Mus., Ill, part 2, pp. 209, 222, and 281 (summary of locahties with additions from Transvaal and Natal). Niedex, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 171 (Lake Region: Kifumbiro). Werxer, 1912, in Brehm's 'Tierleben,' 4th Ed., IV, p. 321 ("from the Egyptian Sudan to Natal and Angola"). Barbour, 1913, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XXVI, p. 149 (Sudan: Abiad). Hewitt axd Power, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 170 (Rhodesia: Marandellas; Transvaal: Christiana). Niedex, 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, VII, p. 356 (German East Africa, eight locahties; British East Africa, three localities; Portuguese East Africa, three localities). • Witte, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VI, fasc. 2, p. 4 (Partial resume of above locahties with additions: Zami on Lake Tsama, Abyssinia; and MacCarthy Island, Gambia, the most important of these). Chabaxaud, 1919, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, p. 456 (Agouagon, Dahomey; Sediou, French West Africa). Wer- xer, 1919, Denk. Akad. Wi.ss. Wien (math.-natur.), XCVI, p. 454 (Anglo- Egyptian Sudan, several locahties). Procter, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 413 (British and German East Africa, several locahties). Chabaxaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Et. Hist, et Sci. A. O. F., p. 452 (French Guinea and Libera, several locahties). Phrynobatrackus ranoides Boulexger, 1894, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 644, PI. XXXIX, fig. 2 (Natal: Pietermaritzburg). Sclater, 1899, .\nn. S. African Mus., I, p. 107 (South .\frica). Schexkel, 1902, Verb. Naturf. Ges. Basel, XIII, p. 150 (Natal). Boulexger, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 529 (Natal). Loxxberg, 1910, in Sjostedt, 'Kilimandjaro-Meru Exp.,' I, part 4, p. 23 (Kih- manjaro). Witte, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VI, fasc. 2, p. 4 (Resume with important additions: British Central Africa: Nyika Plateau; Belgian Congo: Pweto on Lake Moero, and Albertville; region of Chari Tchad). Procter, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 413 (Mongoro, German East Africa). Chabaxaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Et. Hist, et Sci. A. O. F., p. 452 (Dixine and Keronane, French Guinea). AVitte, 1921, Rev. Zool., App. IX, p. 9. Phrynobatrachiis natalensis forrri gracilis Axderssox, 1904, in Jagerskiold, 'Res. Swed. Zool. Exp. to Egj-pt and White Nile,' I, part 4, p. 10 (White Nile: Grab- el- Aish). Phrynobatrackus boulengeri Witte, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VI, fasc. 2, p. 6 (Portuguese East Africa: Beira and Cogima). Procter, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 413 (German East Africa, several localities). Chabaxaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Et. Hist, et Sci. A. O. F., p. 452 (French Guinea and Liberia, sev- eral localities). Witte, 1921, Rev. Zool., App. IX, p. 10. One hundred and forty-three specimens: eighty-nine from Faradje, January 19L3; eleven from the same locahty, October 1912; nine from the same locality, January 1914; one from the same locality, September 190 Bulletin Avierican Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX 1911-January 1912; and one, January 1914; fifteen from Garamba, May-June 1912; eight from Medje, October 1912; five from Vankerck- hovenville, April 1912; two from Yakuluku, November 1911; and two from Niangara; June 1913. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 9167-9309.) Distribution. — P. natalensis, although one of the most widely distributed species of African frogs, avoids the forest entirely or barely enters its margin (as at Medje). It ranges all over South Africa, East Africa, and the Sudan, occurring in the west in Gambia just north of the forest and in Angola directly south of the wooded regions. Our records afford further evidence of the uniform distribution of the species in the Sudanese savannahs, where it has not been taken north of Gambia, Lake Chad, and the Province of Sennar in Egypt. P. natalensis is a water frog, and its local distribution is more or less dependent on streams. The wide range of the species is indicative of its aggressiveness and adaptability to the varjang conditions of African waterways. Relations. — The specific status of P. ranoides has been discussed by Hewitt (19116) and in greater length by Nieden (1915) . Both of these investigators have failed to find any character by which to distinguish P. ranoides from P, natalensis. Witte (1919), in recently revising the genus, has used key characters for P. ranoides which fall well within the variabihty of P. natalensis as exhibited by our series. The recorded ranges of the two species coincide and, since I can find no characters with which to distinguish the two species, I have considered them identical. Four specimens' (Nos. 5213-5216) of P. natalensis from Cape Colony, received in exchange from the Albany Museum, and two others (Nos. 3192-3193) from Marianhill, Natal, received in exchange from the Durban Museum, are indistinguishable from our fully adult specimens from Faradje. I do not believe that this wide-ranging species can be separated into races. Still, a very young specimen (No. 6684) from Abiad, Dindu River, Sudan, received in exchange from the Museum of Com- parative Zoology, has a slightl}' more extensive webbing between the toes than our other specimens of the same size. Witte (1919) has described as a distinct species the specimens of P. natalensis from Portuguese East Africa figured by Boulenger (1907e). Several of the specimens in our series agree so well with Boulenger's figure both in the distinctness of the digital dilations and the formation of the dorsal folds that I cannot accept Witte's species. I refer it for the present to P. natalensis. Variation. — The figures given by Boulenger (1907e) illustrate the main types of color pattern exhibited in our series. Rough-skinned 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 191 specimens are generally slate-gray, with or without darker markings and a light vertebral Hne. Smooth-skinned specimens or those having ridges instead of tubercles above are extremely variable. These showed equally diverse types of coloration in life, the gi'oimd tone being any shade from gray to green and the pattern a brownish, yellowish, or greenish. The large series of specimens (Nos. 9167-9253) taken at one time at Faradje may be taken as an illustration of this variabihty. Mr. Lang described these as follows: "Color varying from a hght brown or gray to a dark browTi; a vertebral Hne of different widths present in most of the speci- mens; color of the vertebral line varying from a pale yellowish or reddish brown to a bright green; a narrow line sometimes present down the center of the broadest vertebral stripes, the latter generally bordered with a dark tone. Many of the specimens with a roughened skin, the raised portions often darker than the general body color. Iris varying from a bronze to a golden. Underside whitish tinged with green; the throat of the male washed with a dark tone." Habits. — All of the specimens were taken in the vicinity of pools left by the river or in stagnant ponds near the watercom'ses. The breeding season appears to be irregular; females with greatly distended ovaries were taken from May to October. A large percentage of the females taken at Faradje, October 1-15, were in this condition. Their ova averaged .7 mm. in diameter and had one hemisphere densely, the other very shghtly, pigmented. The total food content of ten partially full stomachs was 26 soldier and worker termites; 20 worker ants; and 1 caterpillar. Phrynobatrachus perpalmatus Boulenger Plate XXIX, Figure 4; XXX, Figure 2; Text Figure 5 Phrynobatrachus perpalmatus Boulenger, 1898, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 479, PI. XXXVIII, fig. 1 (tA'pe locality: Lake Moero); 1901, Ann. Mus. Congo, II, fasc. 1, p. 2 (Lake Moero). Andersson, 1904, in Jagerskiold, 'Res. Swed. Zool. Exp. to Egypt and White Nile,' I, part 4, p. 10 (Egj^jt: El Gerassi). Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), CXVI, part 1, p. 1902 (sum- mary of above localities). Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, fasc. 1, p. 7 (StanleyAolle and Medje, Belgian Congo). Witte, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VI, fasc. 2, p. 6 (summary of the above locaUties). Werner, 1919, Denk. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), XCVI, p. 455 (White Nile). Thirtj^-three specimens, three of them advanced tadpoles: twenty- six, both adults and larvae, from Stanleyville, August 1909; three adults from the same locality in March and one in April 1915; two from Niapu, January 1914; and one from Niangara, June 1913. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 9136-9166.) 192 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Distribution. — Werner (1907) has considered the occurrence of P. perpalmatus in the Sudan as sporadic. The distribution of the species is, on the whole, pecuhar. Very few species of hmited distribution occur both in the Rain Forest and on the open savannahs. Our specimens all come from the forest where the species seems to have a rather extended range over the eastern half of the Rain Forest proper and the outlying forest patches. Relations. — As Witte (1919, p. 2) has indicated in his recent re- view of the genus, P. perpalmatus holds a very distinct position because of its fully webbed toes. The metatarsals are nearly completely sepa- rated by the web, a condition found in no other species of Phrynohatrachus from the forest. The degree of separation of the metatarsals should not be used alone for generic differentiation, since in other species of Phrynohatrachus it has hardly specific value. P. perpalmatus, in the structure of its girdle (see above), skull, and tongue, shows a close affinity to that group of species assembled at present partly under Phrynohatrachus and partly under Arthroleptis but characterized by an unforked or slightly forked omosternum, tarsal tubercle, slender habitus, etc. Unfortunately, material is not available to define properly this group. Variation. — The majority of the specimens are a chocolate-brown with a light band on each side of the body. The sides of body below these bands are darker than the dorsal surfaces and are stippled with white. The legs are barred with dark brown. A light line runs the length of the hinder surfaces of the thighs. Indistinct dark spots are present on the dorsal surfaces, forming in very young specimens six longitudinal stripes. A narrow vertebral line of white is present in a few of the speci- mens both young and adult. There is a distinct sexual dimorphism. Sexually mature males have a yellow tinge to the throat which, although more or less spotted with dark brown, is a very bright yellow in a few of the specimens. This tinge may be very faint, but it is present in all of our adult males, and absent in all of our females. There is no difference in size between the sexes, an average pair (Nos. 9136-9137) measuring 26 and 24 mm. respectively from snout to vent. Several of the females are a little longer, the largest being 28 mm. in length. The three advanced larvae in the collection are not in a good state of preservation, having lost their horny mouth-parts. Their coloration is nearlj^ a uniform brown with some indication of a vertebral and dorso- lateral line of white. The spiraculum of the smallest specimen (12.5 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Conga 193 mm. from snout to vent; 36 mm, from snout to tip of tail) is sinistral, heavily pigmented and extends beyond the body for about a millimeter in the form of a tube slighth* fringed at the tip. Habits. — P. perpalmatus, as indicated by the extensive webbing between the toes, is essentially a water frog. All of our specimens were found near brooks or fresh-water swamps. At Stanltyville the species was: "common in a waterhole near the station, also in the grassy swamps nearby; very clever in concealing itself." The breeding season may occur in June. At least, only those fe- males taken during that month possessed greatly distended ovaries. Eggs removed from such individuals were a trifle less than a millimeter in diameter and were completely pigmented. Only eight stomachs of those examined contained food. This con- sisted of 7 ants; 3 beetles; 2 spiders; 2 waterbugs; 1 hemipterous insect (Gerris) ; 1 chalcid ; 2 larvae of Odonata ; 1 minute gryllid ; and two, probably dipterous, larvae. Phrynobatrachus plicatus (Giinther) Text Figure 5 Hyperolius plicatus Gunther, 1858, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 88, PI. vii, fig. C (type localitj^: Coast of Guinea). Phrynobatrachus plicatus Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 112 (Coast of Guinea). Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 163 (Loango Coast); 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 44 (Fernando Po). Boulenger, 1903, Mem. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat., I, p. 62 (Spanish Guinea: Cape St. John). AxdErssox, 1905, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, II, No. 20, p. 11 (Cameroon). Boulexger, 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 160 (Fernando Po and French Congo: Fernand Vaz); Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVII, p. 373 (Unyoro, Lake Albert Region). Niedex, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. BerUn, III, p. 500 (Cameroon: Efulen, Bipindi and Victoria; Spanish Guinea: Makomo). Muller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wi.ss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 624 (Edea, Cameroon). Niedex, 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 45, figs. 77 and 78 (Cameroon localities of Nieden 1908 and in addition Buea). Barbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, LIV, No. 2, p. 132 (Cameroon, Bitye and Efulen). Peracca, 1912, Ann. Mus. Zool. Univ. NapoH, (2) III, No. 25, p. 7 (Northern Rhodesia). Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, fasc. 1, p. 7 (Medje, Belgian Congo). Witte, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VI, fasc. 2, p. 8 (partial summary of above localities; in addition, Ogowe and Cape St. John, Gaboon, and Oban, Southern Nigeria). Phrynobatrachus auritus Boulexger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 440, PI. xxvni, fig. 2 (Benito River, Gaboon). Mocquard, 1902. Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, VIII, p. 410 (Gaboon). Phrynobatrachus discodactylus Boulexger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, fasc. 1, p. 7 (Medje, Belgian Congo). 194 Bulletin Avierican Museum, of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Sixty-three specimens, nearly all adult: eighteen from Boyulu, September 22, 1909; seventeen from Gamangui, February 1910; ten from Medje, April-May 1910; one from the same locality'-, September 1910; seven from Niangara, June 1913; four from Avakubi, two of which were taken in October 1909, and two in May 1914; three from Stanleyville, February-March 1915; one from each of the following localities: Lukolela, July 1909; Niapu, January 1914, and Akenge, April 1915. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 9048-9110.) Distribution. — P. plicatus has a wide range throughout the Rain Forest. It has been taken as far north and west as southern Nigeria, as far south as the Loango Coast and northern Rhodesia, and as far east as Unyoro in Uganda. Our records from many localities in the Rain Forest tend to show that the species has a uniform distribution through- out this region. The occurrence of the species in the outlying forest patches at Niangara and Unyoro is not surprising but Peracca (1912) has recorded the species far to the south of the Rain Forest. This latter record certainly requires confirmation. Relations. — In our large series of specimens from the Ituri, the small differences employed by Boulenger (1919) to distinguish P. dis- codactylus from P. plicatus disappear entirely and I am unable to recog- nize the former species as distinct. I have been able to find only the following characters in his description to separate his P. discodactylus from P. plicatus as usually described. These characters seem insignifi- cant in view of the variation already observed in the latter species (cf. Boulenger, 1903). (1.) Snout not longer than the eye. (2.) Nostril a little nearer the end of the snout than the eye. (3.) First finger a little shorter than the second. (4.) Slcin smooth or finely granular above, a glandular fold above the tympanum. (5.) Throat of the males with roimded, scattered tubercles. I have compared our series of eleven topotypes with a series of P. plicatus from Bitye and Metet, Cameroon. These four specimens, which must be considered typical P. plicatus, show several of the distinguish- ing features of P. discodactylus. In our scries of sixty-three specimens from the Congo all five characters show so much variation that it is at once evident that P. discodactylus cannot be considered distinct. Variation. — A statement that P. plicatus may or may not possess all the distinguishing characters given for P. auritus and P. discodactylus by no means covers the total range of variation found in our specimens, The distinctness and form of the dorsal fold, the sharpness of the snout. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 195 the presence or absence of the tympanum have been discussed by others. The tibia varies a httle in length, but the leg is never as short as that of P. acridoides compared by Boulenger (1919) with his P. discodactylus. It would be useless to attempt a description of the range of color variation in P. plicatus. The ground tone may vary from a bright pink to a pale gray, or it may be very dark brown. The tympanic stripe and the dark markings on the back are the most constant features of the pattern, but several of the specimens are nearly a uniform gray. The colors have faded but little in alcohol. The specimens in life showed the same variety of browns, pinks and grays. Habits. — It is very probable that the breeding season of P. plicatus is irregular. Females of our series show a maximum develop- ment of the ovaries early in February (Gamangui, 1910), early in July (Niangara, 1913), late in September (Boyulu, 1909), and early in October (Avakubi, 1909). Only three of all the stomachs examined contained food. This consisted of 1 beetle; 1 spider; and 1 ichneumonid wasp. Phrynobatrachus dendrobates (Boulenger) Plate XXIX, Figure 6; XXX, Figure 4; Text Figures 4 and 5 Arthroleptis dendrobates Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. .\fricaine, VII, fasc. 1, p. 8 (type locality: Medje, Belgian Congo). Witte, 1921, Rev. Zool. Africaine, IX, p. 16. Twenty-five specimens: eighteen from Medje, of which one was taken in March, four in April, and one in June 1910; ten in June and two in July 1914; two from Ngayu, December 1909; two from Gamangui February 1910; two from Niapu, January 1914; and one from near Kamunionge, September 1909. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 9111-9135.) Distribution. — P. dendrobates, so recently described as a species of Arthroleptis, is apparently confined to the Ituri forest. Our most eastern record is from Ngayu, our most western from Niapu. Relations. — The species must be referred to Phrynobatrachus, although the distinction between this genus and Arthroleptis is not at all apparent. I have discussed above the relationships of some of the species at present assembled under the two genera. The natural affinities of all of the species can only be determined by monographic treatment. For the present I have retained the genus Phrynobatrachus in its old sense. Boulenger's A. dendrobates must be referred to that genus, for the webbing between its metatarsals is at least as extensive as in P. nata- lensis, the type of the genus. The metatarsals of P. dendrobates are from Fig. 4. Phrynobatrachus dendrobates (Boulenger), adult c?. 196 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 197 one-fourth to one-third of then- length separated by webbing. The extent of this separation is thus a Uttle less than that of P. pUcatus (see Fig. 5. But many other features, such as the structure of the pec- toral girdle, the form of the body, and terminal phalanges, show that the species finds its closest affinity in P. pUcatus. Boulenger (1919, p. 9) in referring to his Arthroleptis dendrohates admitted that it held a unique position in that genus. It shows some affinity to some of the species at present grouped under Arthroleptis, perhaps most to A. batesii. But if we are to retain the genus Phrynobatrachus in its old sense we must refer the species to that genus. Variation. — The coloration above is generally reddish brown. The black marbhngs and white spots of the sides of the head and body are often indistinct. The most constant of the light spots is the one under the eye. It may be continued below the tympanum to the shoulder, forming a bright stripe. Several of the specimens show a distinct dorsal pattern. This consists of a dark interorbital bar, a A-shaped mark on the back, and crossbars on the legs. The brown throat-and-chest patch is divided longitudinally in the majority of the females by a light line which is lacking or indistinct in the males. One specimen (No. 9135) from near Kamunionge, September 21, 1909, differs strikingly in colora- tion from all the other specimens in our series. This deviation from the normal coloration is in the direction of one of the color phases of P. pUca- tus. Instead of having a more or less uniform coloration above, the pecimen thas two pale yellowish stripes, one on each side of the body from sthe eye o the groin. The dark area between these two stripes, as well as the dorsal surface of the head, is vermiculated with yellowish brown. The sexually mature male possesses not only the peculiar rugosities on the hind limbs, as described by Boulenger, but similar tubercles are scattered all over the posterior parts of the body. The distribution of these tubercles is somewhat similar to that found in Megalixalus spinosus. Habits. — The breeding season of P. dendrobates occurs probably in late June. Only females taken during that month possessed greatly swollen gonads. The eggs of several of these specimens (Nos. 9118 and 9128) while still within the ovarimn measured approximately 2 mm. in diameter and were heavily pigmented at one pole. Ten stomachs were found to contain food. In these the food was composed of 2 waterbugs; 2 caterpillars; 1 isopod; 1 fly; 1 cricket; and 1 ant. '^ 03 pq 1924] Noble, Herpelology of the Belgian Congo 199 Arthroleptis Smith Only thirty five of the numerous described species of Arthroleptis are probably distinct. Most of the species are very httle known and their ranges may not be so restricted as it would seem from the check list. The recognizable African species of Arthroleptis may be distinguished by the following key. The recentl}" described species, A. lameeri, A. houlengeri, A. schoutedeni, and A. procterx have been distinguished by a key (Witte, 1921) and for the sake of brevity are not included below. Oi. — One metatarsal tubercle, no tarsal tubercle, toes free or with a slight rudiment of web; third finger greath- elongated in males. 6i. — Tympanum hidden A. schebeni. fej. — Tympanum distinct. ci. — Tibiotarsal articulation not reaching beyond tympanum; tips of fingers and toes slightly dilated. di. — First finger as long as second. ei. — Metatarsal tubercle much shorter than inner toe. A. wahlbergii. Ci. — Metatarsal tubercle as long as inner toe. /i. — Tongue papilla present A. stenodactylus. fo. — Tongue papilla lacking A. lonnbergi. di. — First finger shorter than second, ei. — Tips of digits swollen. /i. — Skin tubercular above, tubercles forming three series. A. spinalis. ji. — Skin smooth above. g\. — Snout pointed, projecting beyond mouth, tympanum two-thirds diameter of eye A. xenochirus. g2. — Snout rounded, tympanum half diameter of eye. A. light footi. ei. — Tips of digits dilated into distinct disks A. schubotzi. cj. — Tibiotarsal articulation reaching eye or between eye and tip of snout. di. — First finger as long as or nearly as long as second. ei. — Digital expansions produced into a point A. xenodactylus. Co. — Digital expansions not pointed, often indistinct. /i. — Metatarsal tubercle as long as inner toe.. . .A. variabilis, fi. — Metatarsal tubercle shorter than inner toe. g\. — Habit stout, body depressed A. adolfi-friederici. g-i. — Habit slender, body not or but little depressed. h\. — Head not wider than bodj-, generally much narrower A. poecilonotus. hi. — Head wider than bod\' .^4. carquejai. dt. — First finger much shorter than second. ei. — Tips of fingers and toes very strongly dilated A. reicheri. e2. — Tips of fingers and toes distinctly but not strongly dilated. • A. tspniatus. 200 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX 02. — Two small metatarsal tubercles and a third tubercle on the tarsus; toes vnth at least a distinct rudiment of a web, third finger not longer in male than in female, fei. — Toes one-third webbed or less. ci. — Toes less than one-fourth webbed. di. — A conical or spine-hke tubercle on upper eyehd A. calcaratus. di. — No such tubercle. Ci. — Inner metatarsal tubercle nearer to tarsal tubercle than to outer one A. batesii. 62. — Inner metatarsal tubercle equally distant from or farther away from tarsal tubercle than from outer metatarsal tubercle, /i. — Skin smooth above. gi. — Snout a little shorter than diameter of orbit. A. minutus. §2. — Snout a little longer than diameter of orbit. A. werneri. fi. — Skin warty above. g\. — Tubercles confluent in shoulder region to form in- distinct folds • A. scheffleri. Qi. — Tubercles not so confluent. h\. — A median stripe A. gtdturostis. hi. — No median stripe. ii. — Tibio-tarsal articulation reaching end of the snout A.fraterculus. ii. — Tibio-tarsal articulation not reaching snout. A. tokba. c-i. — Toes more than one-fourth but not more than one-third webbed. di. — Tips of digits very slightly swollen A. parvulus. d2. — Tips of digits dilated into distinct disks. Ci. — Inner metatarsal tubercle considerably nearer to outer than to tarsal tubercle A. dispar. €2. — Inner metatarsal tubercle nearly equally distant from outer and from tarsal tubercle A. fese. bi. — Toes more than one-third webbed. Ci. — Tips of digits very sUghtly swollen. di. — Tibiotarsal articulation reaching end of snout A. moorii. di. — Tibiotarsal articulation reaching ej'e A. bottegi. C2. — Tips of toes dilated into very distinct disks. di. — Distance between the two metatarsal tubercles considerably less than distance between inner and tarsal tubercles. .A. ogoensis. d2. — Distance between the two metatarsal tubercles more than distance between inner and tarsal tubercles A. rouxi. Arthroleptis fese Boulenger Plate XXIX, Figure .3 Arthroleptis fese Boulenger, 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 161, PL I, figs. 4-6 (type locaUty: Prince's Island, West Africa). Chabanattd, 1921, BuU. Com. et Hist, et Sci. A. O. F., p. 454 (N'Nebela, French Guinea). 1924] Noble, Her petology of the Belgian Congo 201 Sixteen specimens: Faradje, one in February and one in March 1911, seven in October 1912; Stanlejo^ille, five in August 1909; Avakubi, two in January 1914. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 8979-8984; 9037-9046.) Distribution. — It was indeed surprising to find this species in the collections made at so great a distance from the type locaHty. Our speci- mens from Stanlej^lle and Faradje suggest that the species is a wide- ranging forest form. Relations.— ^4. dispar, the nearest relative oi A.Jese, is known from Saint Thomas and the Loango Coast. It is probable that the ranges of the two species do not overlap. A. parvulus, with which A. fese has much in common, has also an adjacent, not overlapping range. These facts argue for the close affinity of the three species. Variation. — Our specimens agree in structural detail with the original description except for one feature, The tibiotarsal articulation, extended forward, reaches to the anterior border of the eye or to the nostril and not just to the eye as stated by Boulenger. After the varia- tion I have found in the leg length of other species of Arthroleptis I have regarded this discrepancy as due to only individual variation. In five of our six specimens the dominant tone is grayish brown and not dark brown as the tj-pe series. Our specimens show equally as much variation as the specimens figured by Boulenger (1906, Figs. 4, 5, and 6). The white vertebral line is present in only one specimen. Three of the specimens agree among themselves in having the ground tone above a grajdsh brown with an irregular W-shaped mark of dark brown on the scapular region. In two of these specimens a few dark spots are present on the posterior part of the back, and crossbars appear on the legs. The specimen (No. 8984) taken at Faradje differs from the others in being nearly uniform dark brown above. Our specimens average a trifle larger than the types, our largest female being 18 mm, in length and our largest male, 15 mm. These specimens are sexually mature. Habits. — The five specimens taken at Stanlewille were "found hopping on the ground in an old coffee plantation." Two of these, taken August 12, 1909, had their ovaries greatly distended with com- pletely pigmented ova, averaging about .6 mm. in diameter. The stomachs of three of the specimens contained food, which amounted to only 2 ants and 1 beetle. 202 liiiUetin ArnfiHcan MuHeum of Noinroi flintory [Vol. XLIX Arthroleptis parvulus BouIcuk';'' ArthroleptiH -parvulun Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., C7) XVI, |). 109, PI. IV, figs. 3-36 (typo locality: Bange Ngola, northeastern Angola j. Three specimens: two from Matadi, June 1909, and one from Zambi, June 1915. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 8976-8978.; DiHTitiBUTiox. — This species, hitherto known only from the type series, seems to have a very rfistrictfjd ran^^e in the savaiinahs of north- ern Angola and western end of tfic Jielgian C'ongo. It is essentially a continuous range limiterl by the* forests on the north and by tlu; arid regions on the south. ItKLATiONS. — A. parvulufi, A. feae, and A. dispar form a distinct group of pJuynobatrachold speci(!s distinguished from th(; other groups of species referred to Arthroleptis by a combination of the following char- acters: slender form, tarsal tubercle, short webs, and unforked omo- sternurr). A. parvulus may be synonymous with A. dispar, but I have considered them distinct on the basis of the distinguishing characters given by Boulenger (1906, p. 164j. VAJiiA'i'iox. — One of our specimens (No. 8976j is practically identi- cal with on(; of the type specimens (cf. Boulenger, 1905a, Fig, 3) but the only oth(;r adult in our series is dilfeient not only in color but in limb proportions. Boulenger, in his original description, gives the tibiotarsal articulation as reaching the eye. In one of our specimens it reaches the anterior bordt-r of the eye, but in th(; other it extends to the end of the snout. A can;ful comparison of the specimens shows that this difference of leg-k;ngth is due almost entirely to a difference in tibia length. The tibia of tlie first is contained in th(; head and body length almost two times while the tibia of the second is contained 1.77 times. These two specimens differ structurally in no other way and, in view of the varia- bih'ty in the length of the tibia of A. pmdlonutus and A. variabilis, I feel siu'c thai tills diffeienee li;is no s|)ecial significance. The coloratirjn u'i the longer-legged specimen does not agree entirely with that given in tlu; original description. Its chief features are : ground color above, a brownish gray blotched with dark gray, the blotches form- ing an indistinct hour-glass-shaped mark on the shoulder r(!gion; a narrow, vertebral line of white continued along the [xjsterio/- surfaces of the thighs by a broader lifie of the same color; yellowish white below, the throat and sides of the body stippled with brown. A broad grayish area (jdged with black extends the k.-ngth of our smallest .specimen which is only 9 mm. from snout to vent. This pat- 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 203 tern is identical to one figured by Boulenger (idem, Fig. 3) for the adult and found in one of our adult specimens (No. 8976). Habits. — Two stomachs contained food, consisting of 2 minute beetles and 1 ant. Arthroleptis xenodactylus Boulenger Plate XXIX, Figure 7 Arthroleptis xenodactylus Boulenger, 1909, Anu. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) IV, p. 496 (type locality: Amani, German East Africa). Nieden, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 447 (Amani, German East Africa). Werner, 1912, in Brehm's 'Tierleben,' 4th Ed., IV, p. 321 (German East Africa). Nieden, 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, VII, p. 361 (Amani, German East Africa). Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, fasc. 1, p. 8 (Medje, Belgian Congo). A single adult female from Medje, June 30, 1910. (A. M. N. H. No. 8975.) Distribution. — Boulenger (1919) has recently reported this species from the very locality where our single specimen was found. The species apparently has a restricted range in the eastern end of the Rain Forest and the forest outlyer of Usambara. Relations. — A. xenodactylus is readily distinguishable from the other forest species of Arthroleptis by the pointed disks of the digits. The tongue of our only specimen is badly damaged and I have not been able to confirm the observations of others as to the absence of the median papilla. Still, there is present in this specimen at the extreme anterior end of the tongue a pair of small papillae which maj' or may not be homologous to the median one of other forms. A. xenodactylus is similar to A. poecilonotus in body form. I have referred above to the general relationships of these species. Variation. — Our specimen differs somewhat from the type but, in view of the variabihty of related species, these differences cannot warrant specific distinction. The tibiotarsal articulation of our specimen reaches only the eye. The tibia is contained into the head and body length 1.9 times. The nostril is nearer the end of the snout than the eye, and the tympanum is a little more than half the diameter of the eye. Our speci- men differs most strikingly from the type in color. The type was de- scribed as "brown above; loreal region dark brown; lower parts white, finely speckled with brown." In our specimen the dorsal surface of the thighs and a broad patch on the sides of the belly is a pale yellowish. The dark loreal stripe is continued well in back of the tympanum. The brown speckling of the lower surfaces is confined to the gular regions. 204 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX The specimen was described in the field as "ground tone above a brownish gray, lighter on the snout ; a few dark spots behind the eyes and on the back; on each side of the head a black line extending from the tip of the snout to somewhat beyond the t\aiipanum; limbs gray stippled with a lighter tone; anterior portions of the thighs reddish, the color extending partly over the dorsal surfaces." Habits.— The single specimen was taken on the forest floor. Its stomach contained no food. What little is known about the habits of A. xenodactylus has been briefly stated by Werner (1912). Arthroleptis bottegi Boulenger Arthroleptis bottegi Boulenger, 1895, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Geneva, (2) XV, p. 16, PI. IV, fig. 3 (type locaUty: Auata, Somaliland); 1896, (2) XVII, p. 14 (Galla- land: Tumpe, Hauacio, DegagoUa); 1897, (2) XVII, p. 280 (SomaU and GaUa- land); 1898, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 475 (Somaliland). Peracca, 1909, in Abruzzi, 'II Ruwenzori,' Parte Scientifica, I, p. 177 (Uganda: Toro). Lonn- BERG, 1910, in Sjostedt, 'Kilimandjaro-Meru Exp.,' I, part 4, p. 24 (Kiliman- jaro: Kibonoto). Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 168 (Bussu, Uganda). Nieden, 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, VIII, p. 362 (Kilimanjaro: Kibonoto). A single adult female, 29 mm. in length, from Garamba, May 1912. (A. M. N. H. No. 9047.) DisTEiBUTiON. — The discovery of this single specimen at Garamba extends the known range of A . bottegi farther westward into the Sudanese savannah areas. The species, although widely distributed in northeast Africa, is best known from Somaliland. Relations. — After the great variation of leg-length I have found in certain species of Arthroleptis discussed in this paper, it seems highly improbable that A. moorii is distinct from A. bottegi. Still, the known ranges of these two species are adjacent, not overlapping, and a few minor points of difference may be found in the original descriptions. A. moorii is known to me only from the description and I have not con- sidered it advisable to refer to it the sjmonjany of A. bottegi at this time. Variation. — Our specimen is a uniform olive-gray above with a light vertebral line narrowly edged with a dark tone. The sides of the body are indistinctly mottled with dark gray and irregular bars of the same color appear on the legs. The ventral surface is pale yellowish, lightly stippled on the throat and marbled on the chest with a dark brown. Habits. — The ovaries of our specimen are greatly distended with ova. It seems probable that the breeding season may occur about the time our specimen was taken or a little later, e.g., May or June. Noth- ing is known about the food habits of this species of Arthroleptis. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 205 Arthroleptis poecilonotus Peters Arthroleptis poecilonotus Peters, 1863, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 446 (type locality: Boutry, Coast of Guinea). BorLENGER, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 117 (same locality as above). Matschie, 1893, Mitt. Deutsch. Schutzgebieten, VI, p. 215 (Togo). Boulenger, 1890, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 324 (Gold Coast); 1906 (for 1905), Ann. jNIus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 161 (Fernando Po, Portuguese Guinea: Bolama and Rio Cassini; French Congo: Fernand-Vaz, Lambarene and N'Djole); 1906, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVII, p. 320. NiEDEX, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 501 (Cameroon: Buea, Victoria, Bipindi, Johann-Albrechtshohe, and Ebolowa). Mtjller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. .Ikad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 624 (Edea, Cameroon). Nieden 1910, Arch. Naturg., LXXVI, part 1, p. 242 (Bamenda, Cameroon); 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 50, fig. 97 (locahties of Nieden 1908 and in addi- tion, Bibundi, Cameroon). Lampe, 1911, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Natiuk., LXIV, p. 213 (INIowange, Cameroon). Boulenger, 1912, in Talbot, 'In the Shadow of the Bush,' p. 470 (Nigeria). Chabanaud, 1919, Bull. Mus. Nat. Hist., Paris, p. 457 (Dahomey). Arthroleptis macrodadylus Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 117, PI. XI, fig. 5 (Gaboon); 1885, Zool. Record, Rept., p. 23. GtNTHER, 1893, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 620 (N\^asaland) . Bocage, 1896, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, p. 104 (Nyasaland). Johnston, 1897, 'British Central Africa,' p. 361a (Nyasaland). Werner, 1899, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, p. 144 (Cameroon). Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 441 (Gaboon, Tumbo Island in the Gulf of Guinea, and Nyasaland); 1903, Mem. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat., I, p. 62 (Spanish Guinea: Cape St. John). Andersson, 1905, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, II, No. 20, p. 13 (Cameroon); 1907, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LX, p. 236 (Bibimdi, Cameroon). Lampe, 1911, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LIV, p. 214 (Bibundi, Cameroon). Arthroleptis hivittatus F. Mxiller, 1885, Verh. Naturf. Ges. Basel, VII, p. 671, PL IX, figs, k-l (Tumbo Island). Arthroleptis inguinalis Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 442, PI. XXVII, fig. 2 (Benito River, Gaboon). Mocquard, 1902, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris. VIII, p. 410 (Gaboon, near Lambarene). Boulenger, 1903, Mem. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat., I, p. 62 (Spanish Guinea: Cape St. John). Barbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, LIV, No. 2, p. 133 (Efulen, Cameroon). Arthroleptis pcecilonatus Nickel, 1901, HeMos, XVIII, p. 72 (Cameroon). (Mis- spelling for A. poecilonotus.) Foui" specimens: two from Avakubi, October 1909; and two from Medje, July 1914. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 8971-8974.) Distribution. — A. poecilonotus is well known from the Rain Forest. It has been recorded from the outlying forest "island" of Usambara, and the semi-forested area of Nyasaland. Giinther (1893) expressed some uncertainty as to his record of the species from the latter region. The occurrence of the species so far south of the Rain Forest requires confirmation. The records seem to show that A . poecilonotus is a typical 206 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX forest species which may or may not occur in the various stretches of forest which He beyond the Rain Forest proper. Relations. — A. poecilonotus is a well-defined species belonging to the typica group of Arthroleptis. This group is distinguished chiefly by its widely forked omosternum, slight indication of a web between the toes, and the elongate third finger in the males. A. poecilonotus is a smaller and more slender frog than A . variabilis, with which it has many features in common. It is also closely related to A. carguejai. This species was only briefly described, but judging from the figure (Fer- reira, 1906, plate facing p. 159) it has a darker and much more heavily spotted throat than any specimen of A. poecilonotus which I have examined. Variation. — Several investigators have remarked on the vari- ability of this species. Our series, three adult males and one young individual (male ?), shows that this variability is not limited to color. The two specimens (Nos. 8971-8972) from Avakubi measure 22 mm. and 20 mm. respectively in length (snout to vent), and yet the first has a tibia 10 mm. in length and the second, 11 mm. Thus the relative difference of the length of the tibia compared to the length of the body of these specimens is 2.2 to 1.8. The two specimens from Medje and two others (Nos. 3140 and 6694) from Cameroon have the tibia propor- tionately intermediate in length. One of the adult males from Medje is very warty above, while the other is nearly smooth. They are both chestnut-brown in color, deli- cately marbled with black. A broad triangle between the eyes, a series of confluent spots posterior to it, and a number of crossbars on the legs are the most conspicuous of these markings. The two specimens from Avakubi are both ashy gray above marked with blackish, very similar to the Medje specimens. In life these pat- terns were distinct but the ground tones were different. The smaller specimen was described in the field as "whitish gray above, faintly marbled with darker; silvery gray below with a white area on the abdomen." The larger specimen, on the other hand, was found to be "pale green above with irregular dark markings; whitish below, trans- lucent on the throat and hind limbs." Habits. — Nothing is known of the habits of this species of Arthro- leptis. Related forms have been found in the vicinity of forest pools. Only one stomach contained food. This consisted of three ants and fragments of a fly or beetle larva. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 207 Arthroleptis variabilis Matschie Plate XXIX, Figure 5; XXX, Figures 1, 3; XXXII, Figure 1 Arthroleptis variabilis Matschie, 1893, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 173 (type locality: Buea and Barombi, Cameroon). Werner, 1898, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVIII, p. 193 (Buea, Cameroon); 1899, XLIX, p. 144 (Victoria, Cameroon). Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 441 (Fernando Po, Cameroon and Gaboon). Schenkel, 1902, Verb. Naturf. Ges. Basel, XIII, p. 150 (Cameroon). Bocage, 1903, Jom. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 45 (Fernando Po). AivDERSSON, 1905, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, II, No. 20, p. 14 (Cameroon). Botjlenger, 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 160 (Buea, Cameroon and Fernando Po). Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 502 (Cameroon: Buea, Victoria, Johann-Albrechtshohe, Ebolowa, Bipindi, and Loppo). MtJLLER, 1910, Abb. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 624 (Edea, Cameroon). Nieden, 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 50, figs. 93-96 (localities of Nieden 1908 except Loppo, and in addition Bibundi, Cameroon). Barbour, 1911, BuU. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, LIV, No. 2, p. 133 (Kribi, Cameroon). Lampe, 1911, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LXIV, p. 213 (Cameroon: Bibundi, Isongo, and Mowange)! Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Et. Hist, et Sci. A. O. F., p. 452 (Dixine and Keronan^, French Guinea). Arthroleptis dispar Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 117 (part: West Africa). (Not of Peters, 1870.) Atthroleptis variabilis var. tuberosa Andersson, 1905, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, II, No. 20, p. 14 (Cameroon). Fifty-two specimens: twenty-eight from Akenge, September and October 1913; fom-teen from Medje, five of which were taken in March 1910, five in April-May 1910, two in September 1910, one in June 1914, and one in July 1914; seven from Gamangui, February 1910; and one from each of the following localities: Faradje, November 1911, Van- kerckhovenville, April 1912, and Avakubi, November 1913. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 8985-9036.) Distribution. — A. variabilis represents still another Cameroon species found abundantly in the Ituri. Like many of these wide-ranging forest forms, it also occurs in the forested areas lying beyond the Rain Forest proper. Relations. — Nieden, (1912) has considered his A. adolfi-friederici distinct from A. variabilis on the basis of its shorter metatarsal tubercle. This structure shows some variation in our large series. It averages a little longer than the inner toe, but several of the specimens have it a httle shorter. Nieden's largest specimen of A. adolfi-friederici was only one millimeter larger than our largest specimen of A. variabilis, and his type was about the average of our adult females. Whatever might be the true status of A. adolfi-friederici, I would, for zoogeographic reasons, regard the specimen recorded by Nieden (loc. cit.) from Avakubi as A. 208 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX adolfi-friederici as actually referable to another species. It should have been referred to either A. poecilonotus or A. variabilis. Without the specimen at hand, it would be difficult to say which. Its small size at sexual maturity makes it seem probably referable to the former species. Variation. — The great variation in color of A. variabilis has been commented upon by Peters (1875), Matschie (1893), Werner (1898), Andersson (1905), Nieden (1910a), and others. Our series shows con- siderably more uniformity than some of the series discussed by these investigators. Most of the specimens are nearly uniform reddish brown above, paler on the snout, and faintly mottled on the sides of the body. The black tympanic stripe is always more or less distinct. The throat is generally marbled with dark brown. A light vertebral stripe is often present. The specimens have faded but little in alcohol. One specimen (No. 9002) from Gamangui, February 13, 1910, was described in the field: "Dorsal surface brownish gray, paler on the head; a dark bar between the eyes; legs crossbarred with dark brown; throat mottled with gray, a light median line dividing it horizontally; abdomen grayish with blue green tints, becoming pinkish on the under surface of the thighs; iris golden." Habits. — An examination of the sexual organs of our series of speci- mens has led me to infer that the breeding season may occur in June and July. This inference is based on negative rather than positive evidence since our series of specimens taken during those months is limited. Of those stomachs examined seventeen contained food, consisting of 400 winged termites; 6 soldier and worker termites; 1 winged and 8 worker ants; 5 snails (Helixarion); 5 caterpillars; 3 roaches; 2 spiders; 1 myriopod (Julidse); and 1 beetle. Cardioglossa Boulenger Plate XXXII, Figure 2 This genus, which has been defined as a toothless Arthroleptis, is restricted in range to the Rain Forest. It includes five species which may be distinguished as follows : Ci. — Digits dilated into distinct disks. bi. — Toes half webbed C. dorsalis. 62. — Toes much less than half webbed C. elegans. 02. — Digits only slightly dilated. 61. — Tibiotarsal articulation reaching to tympanum or eye. ci. — Metatarsal tubercle as long as first toe; interorbital space much wider than upper eyeUd C. escalerae. 1924] Xoble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 209 Cj. — Metatarsal tubercle a Kttle shorter than inner toe; interorbital space only slighth- -n-ider than upper ej'ehd C. leucomystax. 62. — Tibiotarsal articulation reaching end of snout or beyond C. gracilis. Cardioglossa leucomystax (Boulenger) Plate XXXII, Figure 2 Arthroleptis leucomystax Boulenger, 1903, Mem. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat., I, p. 62, PI. V, figs. 1 and 2 (type locality: Cape St. John and the Benito River, Spanish Guinea; and Ivribi, Cameroon). Cardioglossa leucomystax Boclexger, 1906, Aun. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVII, p. 321. NiEDEN, 1908, ^litt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 506 (Cameroon: Victoria, Jaunde, and Johann-Albrechtshohe) ; 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 62, figs. 132 and 133 (localities of Nieden, 1908, and in addition Kribi, Cameroon). Boulexger, 1912, in Talbot, 'In the Shadow of the Bush,' p. 470 (Nigeria). Cardioglossa leucomystax var. nigromaculata Niedex, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berhn, III, p. 506 (Johann-Albrechtshohe, Cameroon); 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 63, fig. 133 (Bamenda and Johann-Albrechtshohe, Cameroon); Arch. Naturg., LXXVI, part 1, p. 245 (Bamenda, Cameroon); 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 182, PI. v, figs. 6 and 7 (Forest 90 km. west of the south end of Lake Albert Edward). Seven specimens: one from Medje in April-May 1910, one in March 1914, and two in June 1914; one from Gamangui, February 1910; one from Batama, September 1909; and one without an exact locality. (A. M. X. H. Nos. 9310-9316.) Distribution. — C. leucomystax is essentiall}' a forest frog. Our locality records tend to show that the species has a wide distribution throughout the Rain Forest. The fact that our specimens were taken singly and mostly by accident is indicative of the secretive nature of the species, which is indeed very little known. Relations. — It is difficult for me to believe that C. escalerse is really distinct from C. leucomystax. The two unimportant characters which I have used in the key are the only diagnostic ones in the original descriptions. The former species was described with toes free, while the latter with toes provided with a rudiment of a web. This apparent differ- ence disappears in our series, where the rudiment of a web is sometimes fleshy and indistinguishable from the metatarsal region. Variation. — The metatarsal tubercle shows so much variation in our series that its size can hardly be used as diagnostic of C. escalerae. In one specimen (No. 9316) it is about one-third as long as the inner toe, while in another (No. 9315) it is nearly as long as that structure. In view of the several color variations found by Nieden, our series shows great uniformity. The pattern in all of the specimens is practically identical with that well shown in the photograph (Plate XXXII, fig. 2). 210 * Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX The ground tone above varies from a pale gray to an olive-brown. The lateral spots very in shape but their arrangement is very much the same in all the specimens. The specimen (No. 9310) shown in the photograph was described in life: "dark brown above with indistinct tracing of pale lines; sides of the body heavily spotted with large dark blotches out- lined with pale blue ; sides of the head washed with the same dark tone, bordered below by a whitish line; throat brownish speckled with pale blue; abdomen marbled with dark brown and pale blue; appendages indistinctly crossbarred with dark brown; iris dark brown, the upper third golden," Habits. — The breeding season may occur in June, for only the specimens taken during that month are sexually mature. It is probable that the larval period is more or less abbreviated, for matm-e eggs taken from the ovaries are 2.5 mm. in diameter and are unpigmented. Noth- ing is known about the habits of the species. All of our specimens were taken in the forest and mostly by natives. Only three stomachs of those examined contained food. This was composed entirely of termites: 82 soldiers and workers were counted. Cardioglossa gracilis Boulenger Cardioglossa gracilis Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 445, text fig. 2 (tj-pe locality: Benito River, Gaboon). Werner, 1901, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LI, p. 634 (same locality). Boulenger, 1903, Mem. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat., I, p. 64 (Cape St. John, Spanish Guinea). Andersson, 1907, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LX, p. 244 (Bibundi, Cameroon). Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. BerUn, III, p. 507; 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 63 (between the Cameroon mountains and Rio del Rey). Barbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., LIV, No. 2, p. 135 (Ja River, Cameroon). Lampe, 1911, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LXIV, p. 217 (Bibundi, Cameroon). A single immature female from Bojoilu, September 22, 1909. (A. M. N. H. No. 9317.) Distribution. — C. gracilis, formerly known only from the Cameroon-Gaboon area, will probably be shown to have the same wide range in the Rain Forest as C. leucomystax, to which it is closely related, if not identical. Relations. — Two closely related species rarely ever occupy the same range, a fact which lends support to my opinion that the species may be identical. The only real difference I can find between them is the distinctly greater leg-length of C. gracilis, a difference we have seen to have Httle specific value in various species of Arthroleptis, the prototype of Cardioglossa. Our single specimen of C. gracilis has the tibiotarsal 1924] Xoble, Her petology of the Belgian Congo 211 articulation extending beyond the snout, but in every other way it is identical to C. leucomystax. Our specimen is only 26 mm. long. In most species of Phrynohatrachus and Arthroleptis the young individuals exhibit greater variation in leg-length than fuUy adult ones. None of the specimens of C. leucomystax in our series show any intermediate con- dition, and I have considered it advisable to keep C. gracilis and C. leucomystax distinct for the present. Variatiox. — The coloration of our specimen is practically identical to that of C. leucomystax as figured by Boulenger (1903, PL v, fig. 2), In other words, the dorsal pattern, indistinct in our series of C. leucomy- stax, is in this specimen very sharp. The dark lateral blotches, however, were outHned in hfe with yeUow instead of pale blue as in C. leucomystax and the ground tone above was a pale gray instead of a dark brown. Habits. — Our specimen was caught in the forest at BoyTilu near the road. Its stomach contained the fragments of several ants. Rana Linnaeus Boulenger has for some time had in preparation a revision of this genus. He has indicated (1918) that the genus might be divided into a number of subgenera characterized by differences in the skull, pectoral girdle, and metatarsal region. Procter (1919) has contributed some support to Boulenger 's view. Equally important differences of skull and metatarsal region are known in many other genera but these differences have not been considered of subgeneric value in these latter cases. The genus Hyla may be taken as an example. Smilisca has a very definite and peculiar skuU-form but that genus is generally merged into Hyla without even subgeneric distinction. The form of the omosternum has been shown above to be characteristic of groups of species of Arthroleptis. The characters upon which Boulenger bases his subgenera of Rana are apparent in the material I have examined, but it would be inconsistent to recognize with a name these differences in Ra7ia and disregard those in Arthroleptis. Until the use of subgenera becomes more universal in herpetology it is at least conservative to disregard them in our discussion. In view of Boulenger's forthcoming monograph, no attempt has been made to construct a key to the African species of Rana. The check list indicates what species are generally considered valid. My conclu- sions do not agree entirely with those of Boulenger. Witte (1921) has published a translation of part of Boulenger's forthcoming key. 212 Bulletin American Musemn of tW(ttiir(il If ifitory [Vol. XLIX Rana occipitalis Giinther Plate XXXIV, Fif?iirc, 2 Rana occijntalis Giinthiok, 1858, 'Cat. Hair. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. I'M), PI. xi (type localities: "West Afrioa," "Africa," and Oainhiaj. HouLENfiioK, 1882, 'Cat, Batr. Sal. iirit. Mus.,' p. 27 (Angola and the above localities). Sauvage, 1884, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, IX, p. '201 (Majurnba, French Confro). Miiu.EK, 1885, Verh. Naturf. Gcs. Basel, VII, pp. 275 and 070 (Tumbo Island and Senegambia). GuNTHER, 1888, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 51 (Monbuttu, Belgian Congo). BtJTTiKOFEK, 1890, 'Reisebilderaus Liberia, 'II, pp. 444 and 478 (Liberia). Boett- (iEK, 1892, 'Kat. Batr. Mus. Senck.,' p. '.i (Senegal). Matschie, 1893, Mitt. Deutsch. Scthutzgebieten, VI, p. 215 (Togolaiul). Bocjaue, 1895, 'Herjx'tol. Angola,' p. 155 (Littoral and northern Angola: l)u(jue de Braganea, Dondo, Airibaca, Novo Redondo, and ('aturnbella); 189(), Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, p. 80 (Portuguese (Juinea). ToitNiEH, 189(5, ' Kriechthien; Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 91 (Kakonia, (German East Africa); 1897, Arch. Naturg., LXIIl, part 1, p (15 (Gorman East Africa); 1898, in Werthcr, 'Die mittleren Hochliinder des nordli(rhen Deutsch-Ost-Afrika,' p. 299 (German East Afri(;a). Boulengek, 190() (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 160 (Bissau, Portuguese Guinea). Johnston, 19()(), 'Liberia,' II, p. 8.33 (Liberia). Weunek, 1907, Sitzbcr. Akad. Wiss. Wien (niath.-natur.), (^XVI, part 1, p. 1887 (Sudan: Mongalla). NiEOEN, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 495 (Garua, (Cameroon); 1910, 'Fauna Deut.schen Kol.,' (1) Ileft 2, p. 39 (.same locality); Arch. Naturg., LXXVI, i)art 1, p. 241 (Dodo, Cam(Toon). Bc)ulen(;ei{, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 1(57 (Bussu, Uganda). Lami'E, 1911, Jahrb. Nas.sau. Ver. Naturk., LXIV, p. 208 (Senegal). Werneh, 1912, in Brehm's 'Tierleben,' 4th Ed., IV, p. 312 (Afri(;a). Niedkn, 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, VII, p. 349 (Kakoma, German East Africui and F^ntcbbe, Uganda). Chabanaud, 1919, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, p. 45() ("Pirnbouclou, I'Vench West Africa; Agouagon, Dahomey). Rana {Fejdrvdrya) occipilnlis Bolkay, 1915, Anat. Anz., XLVIIl, p. 172, figs. 1-3 and 7 (Shirati, German East Africa). (Subgenus used generically for figures but not for text.) Rnna tiqrina var. occipitalis Boulengek, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africiaine, VII, fasc. 1, p. 4 (Poko, Medj(\ and Albertville, Belgian (Jongo; also summary of distribution). Rarta tiqrina occiinlalix Chahanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. VA. Hist, et Sci. A. (). F., p. 450 (French Guinea and Liberia). Fifty-s(>v('ii specimens: six from R'lradje, February 1911, one from the same locality in F('})ruary, Iwenly-thnH; in October and two in November 1912; foui' from Medje in Aiif^nst and two in Septembei' 1910; one I'roiii the same locality in April, one in March, and one in Jime 1914; two from Stanleyville in Atifj;ust 1909, one in March 1910, four in February and two in Ai)ril 1915; (wo from (Jaramba, .Juik; 1912; and one from each of the following localities: Mobeka, July 1909; Niangara, November 1910; Poko, July 1913; Z.-unbi, June 1915; and Malela, July 1915. (A. M. N. n. Nos. 10899-10955.) 1924] Xoble, HerpeMoffy of the Belgian Congo 213 Di&TRiBUTiox. — R. occipitalis is a river-frog and its range is not limited to a single vegetation zone. It is a vers" conspicuous frog, one not easily confused with any other species. Its wide distribution through- out both forest and plains from Senegal and the Sudan in the north to Angola and Tangan^-ika Territory- in the south suggests that few factors beside temperature and drainage control its dispersal. Relations. — Boulenger (1919) has reduced R. occipitalis to a sub- species of R. tigrina. R. occipitalis is only distinguishable from R. tigrina externally by its verj- distinct occipital furrow. Still. I am not at all convinced that the many differences of skeleton pointed out by Bolkay (1915) are to be attributed solely to individual variation. The ranges of R. oa-ipitalis and R. tigrina are not contiguous. For the present it seems ad\'isable to return R. occipitalis to its specific status. \"jLRLkTiox. — The variation in color pattern is largely dependent on a variation in the ground tone. Young specimens which have generally a Ught ground tone, are mo each about 33 mm. firom snout, to rent. Twenty-five stomachs wexe examined. In additKMaL to the S fmo^ and 1 toad mentioDed above, thex eontained 1 crab: IB beetles: 14 214 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX ants; 4 spiders; 2 winged dragon flies and 3 larvae; 3 termites; 3 crickets; 4 bees (Ceratina and Megachile) ; 3 pentatomids (Heteroptera) ; 2 julids (Myriopoda); 2 mole-crickets (Gryllotalpa) ; 1 horse-fly larva (Tabanidse) and 1 pupa; 1 isopod; 1 driver ant; 2 snails (Succinea, Limicolaria); 1 caterpillar; 1 fly; 1 grasshopper; 1 water-bug; 1 lombricid; and a number of leaves. Rana chapini, new species Text Figure 6a A single adult male, Batama, September 16, 1909 (A. M. N. H. No. 11260). Distribution. — R. chapini is apparently the forest representative of the R. nutti — R. angolensis stock. R. nutti is known from Abyssinia to western Tanganyika Territory, while R. angolensis has been recorded from Angola and Nyasaland south- ward to the eastern Cape Colony. Fig. 6. (a) Rana chapini, new species, and (b) R. angolensis Bocage, ventral aspect of foot, showing the difference in the extent of the webbing. Diagnostic Chaeacters. — Tibiotarsal articulation extending considerably beyond the snout; tibia contained one and a half times in the distance between snout and vent; toes webbed to half the length of the distal phalanges of the third and fifth toes, and to beyond the proximal joint of the penultimate phalanx of the fourth. A single metatarsal tubercle; skin smooth, a dorsolateral fold on each side; no external vocal sacks in the male; size large. Type. — The only specimen secured. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 215 Description of Type Specimen. — Vomerine teeth in two oblique series extend- ing from the anterior borders of the choanse to a level with their posterior margins; distance between the two series of teeth equal to about half the length of a single series. Head about a sixth longer than broad; snout obtusely acuminate, projecting shghtly beyond the mouth; once and a half as long as the eye; canthus rostralis obtuse; loreal region feebly concave; nostril equidistant from the eye and tip of the snout; the distance between the nostrils greater than the interorbital width which is much less than that of the upper eye-lid; tympanum very distinct, three-fourths the diameter of the eye and two and a half times as wide as the distance between it and the ej^e. Fingers pointed, first and second equal; subarticular tubercles distinct. Tibio- tarsal articulation extending beyond the snout for a distance of half the length of the head; heels strongly overlapping; tibia contained one and a half times in the distance between snout and vent, slightly longer than the foot. Toes pointed, nearly completely webbed, the web extending to the tip of the first and second toes, to more than half the length of the distal phalanges of the third and fifth toes and to beyond the proxi- mal end of the penultimate phalanx of the fourth toe; subarticular tubercles not prominent; an indistinct tarsal fold present, but no tarsal tubercle; inner metatarsal tubercle oval, one-third the length of the inner toe, no outer tubercle. Upper surfaces smooth; a narrow but very distinct dorsolateral glandular fold, extending to the groin on each side; a curved fold from the eye extending over the tympanum to the shoulder; lower surfaces smooth; posterior surfaces of the thighs granular. Color above uniform dark brown, grayish on the head and indistinctly spotted on the legs; posterior surfaces of the thighs spotted with a darker tone, ventral sur- faces yellowish, marbled with brown and white on the throat, chest and sides of the belly. In life, colors much the same but the head suffused with green and not gray. Vocal sacs internal, not indicated by folds on the sides of the throat. Measurements Snout to Vent 78 mm. Width of Head 21 " Foreleg 45 " Hind Leg (Vent to Tip of Longest Toe) 151 " Tibia 49 " Relations. — R. chapini is most closely related to R. nutli Boulenger, which Nieden (1912) has regarded as probably identical with R. delalandii Dumeril and Bibron { = R. angolensis auct.). It is, nevertheless, readily distinguishable from both of these species by its more extensive webbing between the toes. It is very probably a larger frog, for the largest male R. angolensis recorded by Boulenger (1918a) in his recent critical study of that species is three millimeters smaller than our single specimen of R. chapini. Habits. — Our specimen was taken in the grass bordering the brook at Batama. Its stomach contained fragments of a single beetle and a caterpillar. 216 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Rana albolabris Hollowell Plate XXXIV, Figure 1 Rana albolabris Hallowell, 1856, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, p. 153 (type locahty: West Africa). Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 59, figs. 2, 2a, and 26 (Gaboon and Fernando Po). Sauvage, 1884, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, IX, p. 201 (Majumba, Gaboon). Vaillant, 1884, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, IX, p. 353 (Assini, French West Africa). Boettger, 1888, Ber. Senck. Ges., p. 94 (Assini, French West Africa; Akkra, Gold Coast; Abo, Cameroon; Fernando Po; Dongila, Gaboon; Lambarene on theOgowe; Chinchoxo, Loango Coast; and Banana, Lower Congo); 1892, 'Kat. Batr. Senck. Ges.,' p. 12 (Banana, Lower Congo). Matschie, 1893, Mitt. Deutsch. Schutzgebieten, VI, p. 215 (Togo). Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 162 (Lower Congo and the Loango Coast). Tornier, 1896, 'Kriechthiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 96 (part: Bukoba, German East Africa); 1897, Arch. Naturg., LXIII, part 1, p. 65) (German East Africa); 1898, in Werther, 'Die mittleren Hochlander der nordlichen Deutsch-Ost-Afrika,' p. 300 (German East Africa). Boulenger, 1903, Mem. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat., I, p. 62 (Cape St. John, Spanish Guinea). Andersson, 1905, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, II, No. 20, p. 7 (Cameroon). Bou- lenger, 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 160 (Gaboon: Fernand Vaz and N'Djole: Cameroon: Buea; and P'ernando Po). Andersson, 1907, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LX, p. 229 (Bibundi, Cameroon). Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 496 (Spanish Guinea: Makomo; Cameroon: Bipindi, Jaunde, Ebolowa, Longji and Ossidinge). Mxjller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 624 (Edea, Cameroon). Nieden, 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 39, figs. 62-63 (Victoria and Cameroon localities of Nieden 1908) ; 1910, Arch. Naturg., LXXVI, part 1, p. 241 (Dodo, Cameroon). Barbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, LIV, p. 130 (Efulen, Cameroon). Lampe, 1911, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LXIV, p. 211 (Bibundi and Isongo, Cameroon). Nieden, 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, VII, p. 353 (Entebbe, Uganda; and Bukoba, German East Africa). lAmnodytes albolabris Vaillant, 1884, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (7) VIII, p. 171 (Assini) . Chiromantis lepus Andersson, 1903, Verh. Zool.-Brit. Ges. Wien, LIII, p. 142 (type locality: Cameroon); 1905, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, II, No. 20, p. 9, PI. i, figs. 1 and la (Cameroon). Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool., Mus. Berhn, III, p. 500 (Cameroon). Rana albilabris Boulenger, 1906, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVII, p. 323 (Unyoro, East of Lake Albert) (Emendation to R. albolabris); 1908, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) IV, p. 6 (Sesse Islands; Victoria Nyanza). Klaptocz, 1913, Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.), XXIV, p. 288 (Mamou French Guinea). Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, fasc. 1, p. 1 (Bafwadi, Bafwasikuli, Fundi. Mombaka, and Medje, Belgian Congo). Rana zenkeri Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 497 (type locality: Bipindi, Cameroon). Barbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Cambridge, LIV, p. 130, PI. I (Efulen, Cameroon). Rana (Hylorana) albolabris Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Et. Hist, et Sci. A, O. F., p. 450 (Kerouane, French Guinea and Sanikole, Liberia). 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 217 Ninety-six specimens: thirty-four from Niapu, January 1914; one from the same locahty, November 1913; two from Medje in April, nine in June, and six in July 1914; six from the same localit}^ in April- May, 1910; six from Stanleyville in August 1909 and four in April 1915; eight from Niangara, November 1910; two from Avakubi in October 1909 and one in September 1913; three from Faradje, February 1911; two from Nala, Jul}' 1913; and one from each of the following localities: Ukaturaka, July 1909; Ngayu. December 1909; Yakuluku, November 1911; Vankerckhovenville, April 1912; Dungu, Jul}^ 1913; Garamba, July 1912; and Akenge, September-October 1913. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 10992-11087.) Distribution. — R. albolabris is a very characteristic frog of the Rain Forest. Still, its range is not limited to that area. The species has been taken as far east as Bukoba in Tanganyika Territory, and Unyoro and Entebbe in Uganda. Specimens were taken by the expedition as far north as Yakuluku and Garamba. The species has been recorded south of the forest by Boettger (1892). It is probable that swamps and other moist areas have enabled R. albolabris to maintain itself in the savannahs beyond the forest. Relations. — It is only with considerable hesitancy that I have followed Boulenger (1919, p. 4) in referring R. zenkeri to the synonymy of this species. The distinguishing characters given by Nieden (1908a) are of little value in a large series, but I have examined a number of specimens in the Museum of Comparative Zoology from Cameroon which, although not breeding frogs, are considerabl}- larger than our largest sexually mature females of R. albolabris. These specimens, between 80 and 90 mm. in length, are much more granular above than an}- of our specimens, and the width of their head is a little greater. The average of the ten largest specimens of R. albolabris in our series is 68.3 mm. from snout to vent (maximum, 73 mm.; minimum, 66 mm.). Variation. — The ground tone varies in our series from a pale gray- ish to a dark brown. The dark spots above, the dark blotches below and the light tinge to the lips show various degrees of development. The labial stripe and the dorsal spots are present in the darkest individuals of our series. The labial stripe is not always present in the pale specimens. Two of our specimens (Nos. 11066-11067) from Faradje, taken February 15, 1911, may be considered typical. They were described in the field as: "grayish green above, with many irregular dark markings, several black bands across the hind limbs; sides of the body pale green- ish; the larger specimen metallic blue below, whitish on the belly and 218 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX pinkish on the appendages,, the smaller specimen nearly black below except for the hind limbs which are pinkish." Habits. — R. albolahris was found at Stanleyville, August 21, 1909, hopping on the ground in a coffee plantation; at Nala, July 1913, it was taken in the tall grass near the swamps; while at Faradje, February 1911, it was chiefly observed in the waterholes with Xenopus. Females which show the maximum degree of development of their ovaries were taken at Stanleyville in August and at Medje in May and June. Twenty-three of the stomachs examined contained food. The following material was recognizable: 25 ants; 6 caterpillars; 7 beetles; 2 grasshoppers; 2 spiders; 2 snails; 2 myriopods (julids); 1 slug (Vaginulidae); 1 membracid; 1 wasp (Psammocharidse) ; and 1 hemip- terous insect (Reduviidae) . Rana mascareniensis Dumeril and Bibron Rana mascareniensis Dumeril and Bibron, 1841, 'Erpet. Gen.,' VIII, p. 350 (type locality: Seychelles, Mauritius, and Bourbon). Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 52 (part: Barbary, Gambia, Zanzibar, and Seychelles; Angola: Braganga; Abyssinia: Sooroo Pass and Ain Sanihar). Mijller, 1885, Verh. Naturf. Ges. Basel, VII, pp. 275 and 670 (Senegambia and Tumbo Island). GtJNTHER, 1888, Proc. Zool. See. London, p 51 (Monbuttu, Belgian Congo). MocQUARD, 1888, Mem. Cent. Soc. Philom., p. 133 (Somaliland). Pfeffer, 1889, Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., VI, part 2, p. 10 (Alexandria, Egypt; Korogwe, German East Africa). Heron-Royer and Van Bambeke, 1889, Arch. Biol., IX, p. 252, PI. xvi, figs. 1-3 (locality an error). MtJLLER, 1890, Verh. Naturf. Ges. Basel, VIII, p. 253 (Bolama, Portuguese Guinea). Boettger, 1892, 'Kat. Batr. Mus. Senck. Ges.,' p. 10 (Senegal, Abyssinia, and Dahalak Island). Pfeffer, 1893, Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., X, part 1, p. 90 (Zanzibar; Alexandria, Egj^pt ; Korogwe, German East Africa). Boettger, 1893, Zool. Anz., XVI, p. 132 (Somaliland). Stejneger, 1893, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XVI, p. 738 (Seychelles). GtJNTHER, 1894, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 88 (Kribibi Basin, north of Lamu Island). Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 160 (Zanzibar and Mozambique). Boulenger, 1895, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (2) XV, p. 16 (Somaliland: Auata and near Aberio); Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 539 (Tooroo, Somaliland). Gl'nther, 1895, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XV, p. 526 (Uganda and Shire Highlands). Anderson, 1896, 'Herpetol. Arabia and Egypt,' p. 110 (localities of Anderson, 1898). Bocage, 1896, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, pp. 80 and 96 (Mozambique and Portuguese Guinea: Bisao and Bolama). Boulenger, 1896, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (2) XVI, p. 554 (Shoa, Abyssinia, and Saati, Eritrea); (2) XVII, pp. 14, 22 and 280 (Somali- land, Laffarug, Elba, Coromma, Lugh and Lake Abaia); Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 217 (Lake Rudolf and Dawa River). Tornier, 1896, ' Kriechthiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 92 (Zanzibar and German East Africa: Usambara, 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 219 Dar-es-Salaam, Korogwe, Yaquiro, Itoli, Victoria Nyanza, Pori Usiomi, Manjaro, Kwa Mumija and Bukoba). Werner, 1896, Jahrb. Ver. Magde- burg, p. 147 (Transvaal). Botjlenger, 1897, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 801 (Nj^asaland: N. W. Nyasa and Nyika Plateau). Tornier, 1897, Arch. Naturg., LXIII, part 1, p. 65 (German East Afrika); Andersox, 1898, 'Zool. Egypt.,' I, p. 346, PI. L, fig. 1 (Egypt: near Gizeh pjTamids, Mahallet el Kabir and the Freshwater Canal, Suez). Boulenger, 1898, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Geneva, (2) XVIII, p. 721 (Lugh, Somaliland). Ferreira, 1898, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) V, p. 240 (Rio Cuce and Caconda, Angola). Tornier, 1898, in Werther, 'Die mittleren Hochlander des nordlichen Deutsch Ost- Afrika,' p. 300 (German East Africa). Boulenger, 1901, Ann. Mus. Congo, II, fasc. 1, p. 2 (Lake Moero). Steindachner, 1901, Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), LXIX, p. 335 (Suez andSahiti). Boulenger, 1902, in Johnston, 'LTganda Protectorate,' p. 447 (Uganda). Mocquard, 1902, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, VIII, p. 406 (British East Africa: Atchi River). Boulenger, 1903, Mem. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat., I, p. 62 (Cape St. John, Spanish Guinea). Andersson, 1904, in Jagerskiold, 'Results Swed. Zool. Exp. to Egypt and the White Nile,' 1901, I, fasc. 4, p. 9 (Egypt: Inchas, White River and White Nile). Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 107 (Northeast Benguella, Angola); Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 251 (Sibudeni, Zululand); 1906 (for 1905), .-Vnn. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 160 (Portuguese Guinea: Bolama, Rio Cassini and Bissao, French Congo: Fernand-Vaz, N'Djole, and Cape Lopez). Andersson, 1907, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LX, p. 229 (Bibundi, Cameroon). Boulenger, 1907, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 481 (Beira, Portuguese East Africa). Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), CXVI, part 1, p. 1888 (Sudan: Khor Attar and Gondokoro). Boulenger, 1908, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) IV, p. 6 (Sesse Islands); Ann. Natal Mus., I, p. 222 (Zulu- land: Mseleni). Chubb, 1908, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) II, p. 219 (Matabele- land). Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 496 (part: Cameroon, several localities). Odhner, 1908, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, IV, No. 18, p. 6 (Natal and Lake Sibayi). Boulenger, 1909, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) IV, p. 304 (Sesse Islands). Chubb, 1909, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 592 (Gwamayaya River, Matabeleland). Pellegrin, 1909, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, XXXIV, p. 205 (Egypt: Singa and Agadi). Peracca, 1909, in Abruzzi, 'II Ruwenzori,' Parte Scientifica, I, p. 175 (Toro, Ruwenzori). Boulenger, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 527 (SaUsbury, Southern Rhodesia; "Egj-pt and Tropical Africa to Southern Rhodesia and Zululand"). Lonnberg, 1910, in Sjostedt, ' Kihmandjaro-Meru Exp.,' I, part 4, p. 22 (Kihmanjaro and Mombo, Usambara). MtJLLER, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 624 (Edea, Cameroon). Nieden, 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 37, figs. 49-51 (Part: Cameroon); Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 444 (Amani, German East Africa). Roux, 1910, Rev. Suisse Zool., XVIII, p. 101 (German East Africa: Bukoba and Njarugenje). Andersson, 1911, Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XLVII, part 6, p. 27 (British East Africa: Escarpment and vicinity of Nairobi). Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 167 (Bussu and Kabulamuliro, Uganda). Hewitt, 1911, Ann. Transvaal Mus., Ill, part 1, p. 12 (Victoria Falls, and Pirie, Cape Colony); Rec. Albany Mus., II, part 3, p. 222 (Marandellas, Rhodesia; Woodbush, Transvaal; also 220 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX partial summary of above localities) . Lampe, 1911, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LIV, p. 210 (part: Mombassa and Kawirondo, British East Africa; possibly Cameroon). Boulenger, 1912, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 322 (Abyssinia: Wabi Mana, Hawash River). Nieden, 1912, ' Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 166 (Lake Region: Bukoba, Kifumbiro Ruanda, Lake Mohasi, Lake Kivu, Lake Mulera and northwestern edge of Lake Tangan- yika). Peracca, 1912, Ann. Mus. Zool., NapoH, (2) III, No. 25, p. 7 (Northern Rhodesia). Werner, 1912, in Brehm's 'Tierleben,' 4th Ed., IV, p. 313 (Central and South Africa). Barbour, 1913, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XXVI, p. 149 (Gizeh, Egypt). Boettger, 1913, in Voeltzkow, ' Reise in Ostafrika,' III, pp- 356 and 362 (Lamu Island and Usambara). Hewitt and Power, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 168 (Eldorado and Marandellas, Southern Rhodesia). Klap- Tocz, 1913, Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.), XXXIV, p. 288 (French Guinea: Kouakry, Dubreka, Mamou and Koukoure). Pellegrin, 1914, Doc. Sci. Mis. Tilho, III, p. 128 (Northern Nigeria). Nieden, 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, VII, p. 351 (German East Africa, thirteen localities; British East Afrioa, five locali- ties). Werner, 1915, in Michaelsen, 'Beitrage zur Kenntnis des Land und Siisswasser Fauna Deutsch-Stidwestafrikas,' part 3, p. 372 (Okawanga, German Southwest Africa). Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, fasc. 1, p. 6 (Belgian Congo: Stanleyville, Bafwasende, Avakubi, Lesse, and Bosabangi). Werner, 1919, Denk. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-naturw.), XCVI, p. 453 (Senaar, Anglo-Egyptian, Sudan). Procter, 1921, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 412 (British and German East Africa). Rana esculenta Muller, 1885, Verh. Naturf. Ges. Basel, VII, p. 129 (Part: Egypt). Rana marchii Rochebrune, 1885, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (7) IX, p. 90 (Sangou- rougou, Senegal). Rana inascareniensis var. porossissima Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 160 (Angola: St. Salvador du Congo, Duque de Bragan^a, Ambaca, Quibula, Caconda, Rio Quando and Huilla). Rana sub punctata Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 161 (Duque de Braganga). Rana mascariensis Johnston, 1897, 'British Central Africa,' 1st Ed., p. 361o (Nyasa- land). (Misspelling for R. mascareniensis.) Meek, 1910, Publ. Field Mus., Zool., VII, p. 403 (British East Africa: Nairobi, Athi River and Lake Elmenteita). Rana mascarensis Flower, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 968 (Jebel Ain, White Nile). (Misspelling for R. mascareniensis.) Rana ({Ptychadena) mascareniensis Boulenger, 1918, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, XLIII, p. 114; C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, CLXV, p. 988. Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Et. Hist, et Sci. A. O. F., p. 451 (French Guinea and Liberia). (For bibliography ante Boulenger 1882, refer to Anderson, 1898, p. 346.) One hundred and thirty-eight specimens: twenty-six from Faradje in October 1912, four in January 1913, three in February, and one in April 1911 ; thirty-five probably from the same locality in October 1912; two from Stanleyville in February and thirty-six in April 1915; fourteen from the same locality in August 1909; five from Medje in March 1914; one from the same locality in July, two in August, and one in September 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 221 1910; two from Bafwasende, September 1909; two from Avakubi, October 1909; one from Garamba in May and one in June 1912; one from Niangara, November 1910; and one from Xga\Ti, December 1909. fA. M. N. H. Nos. 11122-11259.) Distribution. — Hewitt (19116, p. 222) has summed up the distribu- tion of R. mascareniensis as ''from Barbary and Egypt throughout Tropical Africa, southwards into Rhodesia (Gwamayaya River, Chubb). Mozambique, to Zululand (Mseleni and Sibudeni)." It is apparent that vegetation zones have little control over the range of R. mascarenieyisis. I am not at all sure that all the Cameroon records given above are refer- able to this species. R. bibroni appears to be much the commoner frog in that area and it has often been confused with R. mascareniensis. In other parts of the forest, such as the Upper Congo, R. mascareniensis is perhaps the dominant element of the amphibian fauna. Relations. — I have examined typical specimens of both R. mas- careniensis and R. bibroni from Cameroon. The latter species with its greatly prolonged snout and long legs is not to be confused with the former. Werner (1907) has proposed three new species of frogs closely related to R. mascareniensis. These, although reported from the Sudan, • are not represented in our collections made in the Uele region. The speci- mens captured at Farad je are indistinguishable from specimens taken at Medje and Stanleyville. Variations. — The well-preserved specimens in our series show an extraordinary constancy in the presence of the eight dorsal folds. But the color-variation is great and not correlated with either age or sex. The vertebral stripe, dorsolateral bands, and dorsal blotches exhibit gi'eat variation in specimens from a single locality. In life the specimens were equally variable. The series of twelve (Nos. 11209-11220) taken at Faradje on one occasion during October 1912 were described in the field as: "Dorsal surface generally pale brown, greenish or greenish brown; dorsolateral stripes yellowish, bright yellow in young specimens; verte- bral stripe varying from brownish to yellowish in color, and of vari- able width, sometimes lacking; crossbands of legs broken into spots or absent; sides of the body a greenish gray; ventral surface whitish." Habits. — These specimens described above were "found in meadows and plantations, also on the road at some distance from the swamps where they were most abundant." Perhaps the majority of the specimens were collected in the \acinity of the marshes. 222 Bulletin Artierican Museuvi of Natural History [Vol. XLIX A pair taken August 9, 1909, in a swamp at Stanleyville, were found in embrace. Two specimens (Nos. 11155-11156) taken at the same locality, August 26, 1909, contained eggs in the cloaca and oviducts. It is apparent that the breeding season of R. mascareniensis at Stanley- ville is at its height during the end of August. One specimen (No. 11242) taken at Faradje, October 1, 1912, has apparently just metamorphosed, for it is only 18 mm. in length. The breeding season at Faradje is probably not coincident with that at Stanleyville. Thirty-nine stomachs which contained food were found to have the following assortment recognizable: 11 winged ants; 10 beetles; 5 winged termites; 7 spiders; 2 caterpillars, 2 grasshoppers: 2 snails {Limicolaria) ; 2 roaches, 2 bugs; 1 cricket, 1 isopod; 1 fossorial wasp (Sphegoidea) ; 1 reduviid and 1 dragon-fly. There was also present in these stomachs a great many fragments of insects. Rana christyi Boulenger Plate XXXV, Figure 1 Rana christyi Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, p. 5 (type localitj^, Medje, Belgian Congo). Thirty-six specimens: sixteen topotypes, five of these taken in April-May, one in July, and two in August 1910; eight taken in June 1914; sixteen specimens from Boyulu, September 1909; two from Faradje, October 1912; one from Garamba, May 1912; and one from Stanleyville, August 1915. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 10956-10991.) Distribution. — R. christyi, if actually distinct from R. sequiplicata, represents at best only an eastern race of that species. Still, I do not care to use trinomials until the status of the two species is better under- stood. Our specimens were taken both in the Ituri forest and the Uele plains. R. sequi-plicata has been recorded from only the Cameroon- Gaboon area, except for Boulenger's (1919) record of it from Medje and Mocquard's (1906) very probably erroneous record of it from Transvaal. Relations. — Boulenger (1919) records both R. christyi and E. sequiplicata from Medje. The majority of our specimens agree with Boulenger's description of R. christyi, but a number of them approach so nearly the original description of R. sequiplicata that it seems very probable that Boulenger had similar specimens before him when he recorded R. sequiplicata from Medje. The differences which Boulenger (1919) points out for distinguishing R. christyi from R. sequiplicata dis- appear in our large series. Many of our specimens have small longi- tudinal folds between the pronounced dorsolateral folds. There is also 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 223 much variation in head form. I have examined a typical specimen (M. C. Z. 2652) of R. 3equipKcata in the Museum of Comparative Zoology from Efulen, Kribi, Cameroon. It differs from our specimens of R. christyi in lacking the pronounced dorsolateral folds, in having the vomerine teeth restricted to the inner edge of the choanae (e.g. not pro- jecting over their anterior end) and in having the webbing of the toes more extensive, especially noticeable on the fourth toe where it extends beyond the proximal joint of the penultimate phalanges (not falling just short of that joint as in our specimens of R. christyi) . In view of the well- known variation in R. oxyrhynchus and R. mascareniensis, the closest relatives of the species under discussion, I am not at all convinced that R. christyi deserves recognition as a distinct species. Variation. — Although short dorsal folds similar to those of R. sequiplicata may be present in this species, they are never as pronounced as the dorsolateral folds. In a few specimens of our series there is a A-shaped fold on the scapular region. Ovate tubercles forming short folds on the sides of the body are present in most of the specimens. The variation in coloration is chiefly due to a change of the ground color from a pale yellowish gray to a dark reddish brown. The majority of the specimens are grayish with a tinge of yellow or pink. A black interorbital bar, a A on the scapular region and a series of spots on the sides and posterior regions are present on the most highly colored speci- mens. Dark cross-bars are nearly always present on the upper surfaces of the legs but the spotting on the posterior faces of the thighs exhibits great irregularity and is sometimes entirely absent. In life, the specimens captured at Boynlu were either "light gray, nearly white above, with no spotting, except on the sides; or greenish to dark brown with a series of black spots between the pronounced dorsolateral folds." Habits.— These specimens described above were found "in tem- porary pools formed in the road through the forest. When approached the frogs would leap rapidly into the nearby grass and would hide under leaves or moss to escape detection. It was apparently the height of the breeding season for large masses of spawn were found in these pools. The chorus was very persistent, each performer uttering two sharp notes in rapid succession." These breeding frogs were taken at Boyulu, September 19, 1909. An examination of the sexual organs of specimens from this and other localities allows me to infer that oviposition may take place at Medje during May and August. A specimen (No. 10988) taken in May 1912, 224 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX at Garamba, has its ovaries greatly distended with large ova. It seems very probable that the breeding season is irregular and not coincident in different localities. Six stomachs contained food. This included 4 grasshoppers (Tetti- gonia, etc.); 1 snail (Helixarion); 1 caterpillar; 1 cricket; 1 beetle; 1 soldier termite; 1 winged ant; and 1 spider, Morphological Note. — I have remarked elsewhere (Noble, 1920) that the terminal phalanges of R. christyi normally pierce the skin as commonly as do those of R. mascareniensis. Boulenger (19176) has dis- cussed this problem in some detail and I may only add that in R. christyi there is present a dense capsule of connective tissue through which the exposed terminal phalanges may sHp (PI. XXVI, fig. 2). The number of exposed terminal phalanges is subject to considerable variation, but in general the inner digits exhibit this anomalous condition of the phalanges more commonly than do the outer ones. Rana oxyrhynchus A. Smith Plate XXXV, Figure 2 Rana oxyrhynchus A. Smith, 1849, 'lUus. Zool. S. Africa,' III, PI. lxxvii, fig. 2 (type locality: Kafirland and region of Port Natal). Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 51 (Angola: Braganga and Caragigo; Cape of Good Hope and and Natal). Peters, 1882, 'Reise nach Mossambique,' III, 147 (Zanzibar and Mozambique: Boror, Quilimane, and Cabageira). Boulenger, 1897, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 801 (Nyasaland: northwest Nyasa and Nyika Plateau). ScLATER, 1899, Ann. S. African Mus., I p. 107 (South Africa). Boulenger, 1901, Ann. Mus. Congo, (1) II, fasc. 1, p. 2 (Lake Moero). Peracca, 1904, Boll. Mus. Torino, XIX, No. 467, p. 4 (Eritrea). Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mus. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 108 (Angola: Duque de Braganc^a and Quanza River) ; 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 160 (Bissao, Portuguese Guinea); 1907, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 481 (Zoutspansberg, Transvaal; and Coguno and Beira, Portuguese East Africa); 1908, Ann. Natal Mus., I, p. 222 (Natal and Zululand; Kasi Bay); 1909, Trans. Zool. Soc. London, XIX, p. 240 (Ruwenzori); 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 527 (Rhodesia: Salis- bury and Livingstone). Roux, 1910, Rev. Suisse Zool., XVIII, p. 101 (Busoga, Uganda). Andersson, 1911, Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XLVII, No. 6, p. 28 (British East Africa: Lekiundo and vicinity of Blue Post). Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 168 (Bussu and Kakindu, Uganda). Hewitt, 1911, Rec. Albany Mus., II, p. 221 (partial summary of above locali- ties. In addition: Waterval Onder, Transvaal; Marandellas, Rhodesia). Lampe, 1911, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LXIV, p. 210 (Tuwa River, German East Africa, and Mowanee, Cameroon). Boulenger, 1912, in Talbot, 'In the Shadow of the Bush,' p. 470 (Nigeria). Hewitt, 1912, Rec. Albany Mus., II, p. 281 (Marianhill, Natal). Boettger, 1913, in Voeltzkow, 'Reise in Ostafrika,' III, pp. 346, 348, 356, and 357 (Zanzibar, Pemba, and Lamu Islands; Mikin- 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 225 dani, German East Africa). Hewitt and Power, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 168 (Marandellas, Rhodesia). Niedex, 1914, Sitzber. Gres. Xaturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 367 (German East Africa). Chabanatjd, 1919, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, p. 456 (Agouagon, Dahomey; Sedhiou, French West Africa). Procter, 1921, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 412 (Kagiado, German East Africa). Rana oxyrhyncha Muller, 1885, Verh. Naturf. Ges. Basel, VII, p. 130 (South Africa). Pfeffer, 1888, Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., VI, part 2, p. 10 (German East Africa: Kikoko); 1892, X, part 1, p. 90 (German East Africa: Korogwe and Kikoko). Matschie, 1893, Mitt. Deutsch. Schutzgebieten, VI, p. 215 (Togo). BocAGE, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 159 (Angola: Duque de Braganga, Pungo- Andongo, Benguella, Quissange, Quindumbo, Cohota, Caconda, and Rio Quando) ; 1896, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, pp. 80, 101, and 210 (Portuguese Guinea: Bolama; Mozambique; QuiUmane and Boror; and Angola: Hanha). Torxier, 1896, ' Kriechthiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 91 (Zanzibar and German East Africa: Undussuma, Kakoma, Korogwe, and Ivikoko); 1897, Arch. Xaturg., LXIII, part 1, p. 65 (German East Africa); 1898, in Werther, 'Die mittleren Hochlander des nordlichen Deutsch-Ost-Afrika,' p. 300 (German East Africa). MocQUARD, 1902, Bull. Mus. Hist. Xat., Paris, VIII, p. 406 (British East Africa: Atchi River). Ferreira, 1906, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 160 (Luinha River, Angola). Xiedex, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 495 (Ossidinge, Cam- eroon). LoxNBERG, 1910, in Sjostedt, 'Ivilimandjaro-Meru Exp.,' I, part 4, p. 22 (Kilimanjaro). Xiedex, 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 38, figs. 52 and 53; Arch. Xaturg., LXXVI, part 1, p. 241 (Garua District, Cam- eroon); Sitzber. Xaturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 444 (Amani, German East Africa); 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 166 (Kifumbiro, Mporo, and near Beni); 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, VII, p. 349 (German East Africa, twenty localities; Portuguese East Africa, three locahties; British East Africa, six localities). Rana oxyrhynehus Werxer, 1896, Jahrb. Ver. Magdeburg, p. 147 (Transvaal). (Mis- spelling for R. oxyrhyyichwi.) Rana (Ptychadena) oxyrhynehus Ch.abaxaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Et. Hist, et Sci. A. O. F., p. 451 (French Guinea; several locahties). Thirty-four specimens: ten from Medje in April-May and one in July 1910; three from the same locahty in April and two in June 1914; two from Faradje in February, seven in March, and one in April 1911; tw^o from the same locality in December 1912 and one in September 1911-June 1912; two from Niapu, January 1914; one from Garamba in May and one in June 1912; one from Gamangui, February 1910. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 11088-11121.) Distribution. — R. oxyrhynehus is widely distributed over Africa south of the Sudan. It is unknown from the Abyssinian-Somaliland area except for a single record by Peracca (1904) of its occurrence in Eritrea. It is replaced in the Sudan proper by several related species. Our speci- mens from Garamba and Faradje are indistinguishable from those from 226 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX the Rain Forest. The range of R. oxyrhynchus is about as extensive as that of R. mascareniensis. In the case of both species vegetation zones seem to have Httle effect upon the distribution. Relations. — R. oxyrhynchus is distinguished from the other species of Rana by a combination of the following characters : six or more longi- tudinal folds on the back (rarely broken); tibio-tarsal articulation ex- tending considerably beyond the snout; toes webbed to the tips of the third and fifth toes, the tips not dilated; a single metatarsal tubercle present. R. oxyrhynchus with its very extensive webbing is not to be confused with R. mascareniensis with which it is often associated. Variation. — The majority of our specimens are identical with two specimens (Nos. 3191 and 5199) of R. oxyrhynchus from Natal. In a few, however, the dorsal folds are partially discontinuous. The series of specimens (Nos. 11088-11097) from Medje, April-May 1910, exhibits all stages from a field of irregular folds scarcely definable as rows to the more frequent arrangement of eight complete folds extending the length of the back. It is evident that a series of complete folds is not a constant feature of the species. The variation in color is chiefly due to a multipHcation of the black spots of the back. The ground tone is generally reddish or greenish brown. A broad vertebral stripe of pale brown is present in some of the specimens. The specimens have changed but little in preservation. The field description for one specimen (No. 11104) from Gamangui, taken February 14, 1910, may be considered characteristic for the species: "Dark gray above, tinged with brown; a dark bar between the eyes; many irregular dark markings on the body and hind limbs; throat and abdomen yellowish, a few dark markings on the lips and across the chest; upper half of iris yellowish, lower half a dark brown." Habits. — R. oxyrhynchus was found to be "abundant in the swamps, along the brooks, and near the shores of rivers." Specimens taken at Medje in April and May 1910 were found in the forest where "they were observed to hop rapidly over the ground and take shelter among the fallen leaves. There they were discovered with difficulty for their colors blended well with the decaying leaves. They croaked very loudly during the evening and at night in puddles near a village." Females exhibiting the maximum development of the ovaries were taken at Medje during April, May, and July. It seems probable that they were breeding during this period. Only fourteen stomachs of those examined contained food. The larger part of this was too fragmentary for identification. The following 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 111 was the total amount of material distinguishable: 4 grasshoppers; 2 snails (i7e/«xanon); 1 beetle; 1 spider; and 1 cricket. Rana ornatissima Bocage Plate XXXIII, Figure 2 Rana ornatissima Bocage, 1879, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (1) VII, pp. 89 and 98 (type locality: Bihe, .\ngola); 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 157, PI. xvi, fig. 2 (high plateaux of .\ngola: Bihe and Galanga); 1987, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, p. 202 (same localities). Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist.. (7) XVI, p. 107 (Bingondo in northern Bihe, Angola). Hildebrandtia ornatissima Nieden, 1907, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde, p. 228. Rana ruddi (?) Hewitt and Power, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 168 (Eldorado, Southern Rhodesia). (Not of Boulenger, 1907.) Rana (Hildebrandtia) ornatissima Boulenger, 1919, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, VIII, p. 34 (Southern Rhodesia and Mossamedes, Angola). Twenty specimens from Garamba: fourteen taken in Maj^, five in June and one in July 1912. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 10879-10898.) Distribution. — Boulenger (1919d) gives the range of R. ornatis- sima as extending from Angola to Southern Rhodesia. Our specimens were taken far north of this region. Relations. — It was onh^ with considerable hesitation that I have referred our specimens to R. ornatissima. Our specimens are certainly nearer to that species as defined by Boulenger (1919f/) than to any other. Perhaps the most distinctive character of our specimens is their short webs. Two phalanges of the third toe are free. Nevertheless, all the specimens have the dorsolateral folds very obscure. In some specimens there is no indication at all of such folds. The t}^npanum is at least three-fourths the size of the eye, and in the majority of the specimens it equals it in diameter. Apparently our specimens exhibit some of the distinguishing features of R. macrotympamim and R. ornata, but I can find no constant character in our series with which to separate our speci- mens from R. ornatissima. The explanation of this condition probably lies in the fact that R. ornatissima is at best a subspecies of R. ornata and that R. macrotympanum, known only from Gallaland, is synonymous with R. ornata. Boulenger (1905a) formerly indicated that R. budgetti was "merely a color variety" of R. ornatissima. R. togoensis probably falls in the same category. It seems to me that the only recognizable species of the section Hildebrandtia are R. ruddi, R. moeruensis and R. ornata. Our material, coming from only a single locality, exhibits so much varia- ability that it practically confirms this opinion. Still, I do not care to unite R. ornatissima with R. ornata until I have examined typical material from East Africa. 228 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [\ ol. XLIX \'.\iiiATiON. — Aside from the variability in size of the tympanum and roughness of the back, our series shows Uttle uniformity in the length of the hind limb. The tibiotarsal articulation reaches either the tjTnpanum or the eye. In ten specimens of various sizes taken at Garamba in ]May, the tibia into the head and body length averaged 2.3 times (maximum. 2.5; minimmn, 2.2). None of these ten specimens were sexually mature, the largest being a female 64 nun. from snout to vent. The color-pattern shows great uniformity throughout om- series. Its variation is limited to a breaking up of the two dorsal stripes into segments and to a confluence or a restriction of the spots on the sides of the back and body. Habits. — In the fifteen stomachs which contained food, four young toads were found. These toads were not smaU. One specimen of R. ornatissima, a female 57 mm. in length, taken in ^lay 1912, contained a badly crushed specimen of Bujo regularis 31 mm. in length, or 54 per cent of the length of the R. ornatissima. Another specimen of R. ornatis- sima, taken the same time as the other, but measuring only 42 nam. in length, had swallowed an unidentifiable toad 24 nun. in length. A third specimen of R. ornatissima, taken in June and measuring 57 mm. from snout to vent, contained in its stomach two whole specimens of B. regularis, each 22 nun. in length. It is apparent that young toads form a large part of the diet of R. ornatissima. The remainder of the food consisted of 6 ants ; 6 crickets : 5 beetles ; 4 bugs: 4 grasshoppers; 3 snails; 3 caterpillars: 2 m\Tiopods; 2 lum- bricids: 2 spiders: 2 larvae (beetle ?); 1 termite; and some extraneous matter, including flowers. Chibomantis Peters The distribution of the species of Chiromantis illustrates ver\- well the distinctness of the forest and open country faunas. C. rufescens is apparently confined to the forest (see belowj, while the other four recog- nizable species of the genus have more or less extensive ranges in the open country from Abyssinia to northern South Africa. The five species of Chiromantis may be distinguished as foUows: Gi. — Outer finger webbed to one-third or less its length. 6i. — Disks of digits small. Ci. — Loreal region concave, interorbital space less than upper eyelid. C. kacho^xskii. d. — Loreal region not concave, interorbital space equal to or broader than upper eyehd C. peiersii. bu — Disks of digits very large C. kelleri. 1924] Xoble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 229 aj, — Outer finger webbed more than one-third its length. 61. — Outer finger one-half to two-thirds webbed C. xerampelirui. 6j. — Outer finger three-fourths to completely webbed C. rufescens. Chiromantis rufescens Gunther; Plate XXXAT Polypedaies rufescens Guxther. 1S65, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 4S6 (type locality: West Africa). Chiromantis rufescens Boulexgee. 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.." p. 92, PI. x, fig. 2 (TTest Africaj. Torxier, 1896, 'Kriechthiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 96 (Usambara, German East Africaj; 1S97. Arch. Xaturg., LXIII. part 1, p. 65 (German East Africa). Werxzr. 1S9S. Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVlii, p. 193 (Cameroon). Mocquard. 1S99. BuU. iNIus. Hist. Xat., Paris, V, p. 219 (Plains of the Zambezi . BorLEXGEE. 1900. Proc. Zool. Soc. London. LE, p. Mo (Cameroon and Gaboon^. Axdeessox. 190-5. Ark. Zool.. Stockholm. U, Xo. 20, p. 10 (Cameroon). BorEEXGEB, 1906 (for 1905. Ann. Mus. Stor. Xat. Genova. (-3) LI. p. 165 (Fernando Po). Mocqeaed, 190S, in Foa, 'Restiltats Scienufiques des Voyages en Afrique d'Edouard Foa,' p. ooS (Plains of the Zam- bezi). Xiedex, 190S. Mitt. Zool. Mus. BerHn. LEI, p. 500 (Cameroon: Victoria, Buea, Bipindi, .Jaunde. Johann-Albrechtshohe. and Ebolowa). Mttleer, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wis.?.. 2 Kl.. XXR'. p. 624 (Mtmdame. Cameroon 1. Xiedex, 1910. -Fauna Deutschen KoL." (1; Heft 2. p. 52, figs. 102-104 ilocahties of Xieden. 190S . B.\ebot:b. 1911. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool.. Cambridge, LFV, Xo. 2, p. 132 ^Eftilen. Cameroon,!. Despax. 1911, in Cottes. "La Mission Cottes au Sud-Cameroim.' p. 241 (Cameroon). Lampe. 1911. Jahrb. Xassau. Ver. Xaturk., LXr\', p. 212 (Cameroon: Bibundi, Isongo, and Mowangei. Xiedex, 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. BerUn. YIL. p. 363 (Part: Csambara, German East Africa). BorxEXGEB. 1919. Rev, Zool. Africaine, YU. fasc. 1, p. 9 (Medje, Belgian Congo) . Thirty-six specimens, all from Medje: two in June and two in August 1910: one in Februan-, three in April, two in May and twentj- sLx in June 1914. (A. M. X. H. Xos. 9364-9399. ) DiSTRiBUTiox. — It is apparent from the literature given above that C. rufescens is primarilj- a Rain Forest form. Its occurrence in the foiest outlyer of Usambara was to be expected but it seems highly probable that Mocquard's records of R. rufescens in the Zambezi region should be referred to C. xerampelina. These two species are very much alike but I cannot agree with Xieden (1915 1 that they are identical. If they should be proved identical, then C. rufescens would have an extraordinan,' range throughout the Rain Forest of western .\frica and the arid plains of the southeastern provinces. Relatioxs. — Xieden (1915) has discussed the status of the two species in considerable detail, and I can add only that the small series before me does not bear out his opinion that the two species are identical. Our specimens of C. rufescens from Medje are identical with a large 230 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX series in the Museum of Comparative Zoology from Cameroon. All the well-preserved specimens in both series differ from two beautiful speci- mens (A. M. N. H. Nos. 3133 and 3187) of C. xerampelina from Mokowe, Zululand, in having a more extensive webbing between the digits and in being some tone of reddish brown instead of ash}^ gray. One of these specimens (No. 3187) is a sexually mature male, 63 mm. from snout to vent, distinctly larger than any of the males of C. rufescens in our series (maximum, 57 mm.; minimum, 54 mm.; average, 56.1 mm. for ten breeding males). I agree with Nieden that head-form has very little importance in distinguishing the two species but, if well-preserved specimens are compared, a difference is very apparent in the extent of the webbing along the outer fingers. Several of the specimens of C. rufescens are very pale but they are tinged with yellow and are not ashy as both of our specimens of C. xerampelina. Variation. — The ground color of our series varies from a pale yellow to a dark reddish brown. The narrow interorbital band of dark brown and the broader bands of the same color across the shoulder and sacral regions are more or less connected by a delicate network of reddish brown. The photograph (Plate XXXVI, fig. 1) shows well the pattern characteristic of our specimens. The colors have changed but little in alcohol. The yellows and red- dish browns were sharply contrasted in life. Very conspicuous was the iris, which was pale yellow finely veined with dark brown and bearing a dark spot just before and another just behind the pupil. Most of the breeding males in our series are shagreened above with small spines. While none of the females possess these spines, some of the breeding males, taken at the same locality as the others, lack them en- tirely. It is apparent that these spines are not a constant secondary sexual character. There is a marked difference between the sexes in size, the females being conspicuously larger. The largest female (No. 9384) in our series is 71 mm. from snout to vent. The average of ten breeding females is 67.2 mm. (maximum, 71 mm., minimum, 64 mm.). It is apparent that even the smallest sexually mature female is larger than the largest male. Habits.— The man}^ writers who have commented on the peculiar habits of Chiromantis rufescens have considered the species arboreal. This term would ordinarily convey the idea that the species is tree-dwell- ing in the sense of the South American Hylas. It was therefore of interest to learn that Messrs. Lang and Chapin found the frog never high in the trees and generally on low bushes or in ponds near streams. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 231 Observations made b}^ them confirm the well-known account of the breeding habits of C. rufescens as given by Peters (1876). Egg "nests" . were taken at Medje on May 28, June 17, and June 24, 1914. These were found on the stems and leaves of trees, often at a distance from water. On one occasion one "nest" was found on one side and another on the other side of a single large leaf. Only one of the several nests dis- covered was found attached to the trunk of a tree low to the ground. All of the "nests" were found within five or six feet of the ground, and some of them were very disorderly, the gelatinous foam smeared over several leaves, and the egg cluster fully exposed to the light. It has been general^ assumed after the observation made on re- lated species of frogs (especially noteworthy : Siedecki, 1908 and 1909) that the foam "nests" of C. rufescens were formed by beating of the hind limbs of the copulating frogs. Mr. Lang was able to confirm this opinion in observing a female beating a froth even in the absence of the male. I quote directly from the field notes: "We received an especially large female and I put it alive in a little box where it would be safe from the ants. A short time later on opening the lid of the box I was amazed to find it sitting on a patch of frothy matter (60 mm. in diameter and 45 mm. high) which looked exactly like the beaten white of egg. It was apparent that the frog had been working the mass with its legs for they were covered with the gelatinous substance. This substance could be squeezed by pressure from the anus of the frog. It was colorless, jelly- like and when rubbed between the fingers became foamy like the matter under the frog. Later the frog was observed to move its legs slowly backward and forward in beating more air into the foamj- mass." Unfortunately, none of the egg-masses were preserved. Eggs taken from the cloaca of a female (No. 9398) are unpigmented and average 2.0 mm. in diameter. This specimen was taken as late as July 5, 1914. It is therefore apparent that the breeding season of C. rufescens is ex- tended through at least the month of June. The majority of our females taken during that month show post-oviposition conditions of their ovaries, but a few still possess eggs in the ovarium. Of eleven stomachs which contained food, only the following variety was identifiable: 2 beetles, 1 caterpillar; 1 heteropterous insect (penta- tomid) ; 1 wasp (Odynerus) and 1 leaf -hopper. Kassina Girard This genus of characteristically savannah frogs embraces but two species. These two species are readily distinguishable from each other. 232 Bullelin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Oi. — Toes one-third webbed. Brownish above with a darker tone; a light inguina^ area K. obscura. Oi. — Toes with a shght rudiment of a web, often indistinct. Greenish above, more or less striped on the back; no inguinal spot K. senegalenns. Kassina senegalensis (Dumeril and Bibron) Cystignathus senegalensis Dumreil and Bibron, 1841, 'Erpet. Gen., VIII, p. 418 (type locality: Lakes in the vicinity of Galam, Senegal). Cassina senegalensis Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 131 (Cape of Good Hope and the Zambezi). Gunther, 1893, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 618 (Nyasaland). Boclenger, 1895, Ann. ]Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (2) XV, p. 17 (Auata, Somaliland). Tornier, 1896, ' Kriechthiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 157 (German East Africa: Mossai-Xij'ka and Dar-es-Salaam). Johnston, 1897, 'British Central Africa,' 1st Ed., p. 361a (Nyasaland). Tornier, 1897 •Arch. Naturg., LXIII, part 1, p. 66 (German East Africa). Anderson, 1898, Zool. Egypt, I, p. 348 (Egji^t: Sennar District). Sclater, 1899, Ann. S. African Mus., I, p. 108 (South Africa). Boulenger, 1901, Ann. Mus. Congo, (1) II, fasc. 1, p. 2 (Lake Moero); 1902, in Johnston, 'Uganda Protectorate,' I, p. 447 (Uganda). Mocquard, 1902, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, VIII, p. 409 (British East Africa: Atchi River). Schenkel, 1902, Verh. Naturf. Ges. Basel, XIII, p. 150 (Natal). Boulenger, 1907, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 482 (Illovo, Natal). Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), CXVI, part 1, p. 1905 (Sennar, Eg>'pt). Chubb, 1908, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) II, p. 220 (Matabeleland: Kana, Shangani, and Bubi Rivers). Odhner, 1908, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, IV, No. 18, p. 7 (Northern Zululand: Sibayi-Lake) . Chubb, 1909, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 592 (IMatabeleland: Kana River). Boulenger, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 532 ("Tropical Africa," Cape Colony, Natal, and Southern Rhodesia). Lonnberg, 1910, in Sjostedt, 'Kilimandjaro-Meru Exp.,' I, part 4, p. 25 (Kilimanjaro). Meek, 1910, Publ. Field Mus., Zool., VII, p. 404 (British East Africa: Nairobi and Athi Plains). Andersson, 1911, Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XLVII, No. 6, p. 32 (British East Africa: Nairobi and PimdameUa). Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mils. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 169 (Uganda: Mbola). Hewitt, 1911, Ann. Transvaal Mus., Ill, part 1, p. 13 (Cape Colony); Rec. Albany Mus., II, p. 224 (Resume of distribu- tion with additional South African localities); 1912, II, p. 280 (Kaaimans River, Cape Colony). Nleden, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 181 (Ruanda, Lake Region). Hewitt and Power, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 170 (Cape Colony: Kimberley, Kaaimans River, Bechuana- land: Madibi). Nieden, 1913, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde BerUn, p. 452 (German Southwest Africa: Windhuk and Klein Nauas); 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, VII, p. 370 (partial resume ■with additional locaUties. British East Africa: Eibwezi. German East Africa: LTkerewe Island, Tanga, and Kilwa). Procter, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 419 (Nairobi, British East Africa and German East Africa). Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Et. Hist, et Sci. A. O. F., p. 459 (Dixine, French Guinea). Cassina wealii Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 131 PI. x, fig. 7 (Kaffraria). Sclater, 1899, Ann. S. African Mus., I, p. 108 (South Africa). 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 233 BouLENGER, 1910, Anil. S. .Airican Mus., V, p. 532 (Cape Colony and Xatal). Chabanaitd, 1921, Bull. Com. Et. Hist, et Sci. A. O. F., p. 460 (Bej^la and N'Zebela, French Guinea; Sanikole, Liberia). Cassina ar9?/mr'z7 taken it in aban- doned ant-hills near a vlei far remote from bush, but in s^meral it seems to favor Ijush or for(\st districts and is said to climb trees. Andrew Smith took his specimens in burrows in the ground." In the stomachs of nineteen of our specimens the following assort- ment of food was found: over 200 worker and soldier termites; 7 worker ants; 1 cricket; 1 grasshopper; 1 beetle; and 4 larvie (beetle ?). Leptopelis Glint her It has been pointed out ahovc that this genus possesses a very differ- ent pectoral girdk^ than Ilylamhates, th(^ g(MUis with which it has hitherto been confused. Only the following (Mght species can at this time be included in the genus, but dissection will reveal that many of the species grouped under Hylambates are actually referable to Leptopelis. oi. — Finders free />. anchietse. 02. — Fingcr.s inoro or loss webbed. bi. — Fingers less than one-third \vel)l)('(l. Ci. — Metatarsal tubercle oval, not conijiressed . L. nolaht^. Cj. — Metatarsal 1ul)er('le pronunent, eoinpressed. di. — Third and fifth toes eonipletely webbed L, tess7na7ini. d2. — Third and fifth toes two-thirds webbed L. aubryi, hi. — Fingers at least one-third webbed. C\. — Head greatly widened behind eyes, nearly full l)readth of tympanum seen from above />. hrcviro.'r finger. ci. — A conical tubercle on heel, two or three tubercles forming a seam on forearm near elbow L. calcaratus. Ci. — No tubercle on heel or forearm L. rufus. Leptopelis anchietae (liocage) Plate XXXI, Figure 4; XXXVIII, Figure 2 Hylambates anchiets' Bur age, IS?:}, .lorn. Sci. Lisboa, IV, p. 22t> (type locality: in terior of Mossamedes). Boulenokk, 1SS2, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 133 (same as above); 1S90, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, j). 324 (.\ngola). Bocage, 1895, 'HeriuMol. Angola,' p. 177, PI. xix, figs. 4 and 4(j ("hauts platea\ix de rintericur" of Angola: Huilla, Caconda and Quindumbo); 1897, .lorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, p. 205 (Angola: Huilla). Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, J). 110 (N. F:. Benguella, Angola). Nieden, 1910, Arch. Naturg., LXXVI, part 1, p. 243 (Cameroon: Bamenda); 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. .54, figs. 54 and 55 (.same locality). 1924) Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 235 Ten adults: six from Fanidje, October 1912 and January 1913 and one from each of the following localities: Niangara, November 1910; Yakuluku, November 1911; Vankerckhovenville, April 1912; and Garamba, June 1912. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 8668-8677.) Distribution. — Prior to 1910, Leptopelis anchietae was known only from Angola. Tornier's record (1896, p. 66) of its occurrence in Tan- ganyika Territory was shown by Nieden (1915, p. 368) to be an error. In 1910 Nieden recorded the species from Bamenda, a high savannah area north of the Cameroon forests. Nieden 's record, supported by the fact that the American Museum expedition found the species only in the savannah areas north of the Ituri, suggests the probability that the spe- cies may be a typical savannah form with a more or less continuous range throughout the savannahs skirting the Rain Forest. I have recently examined a specimen (M. C. Z. 3484) taken from the stomach of a snake captured near the Guaso Nyiro River, Kenya Colony. This specimen differs from our specimens of L. anchicix in having slightly smaller digital expansions. Further, the U-shaped mark on the back is darker and broader than in any of the specimens of L. anchicisa before me. No other differences are apparent to distinguish this East African specimen from our series from the Sudan. For the present, we must con- clude that L. nnrhuiar' occurs not only in the savannahs north and south of the Rain Forest but also in Kenya Colony. Relations. — Boulenger (1906, p. 166) has considerably reduced the number of species related to //. hocagii, biit in his synopsis (idem, p. 170; of the genus Hylamhaies he has distinguished anchiei3C' from that species by its less-developed metatarsal tubercle. Judging only from the descriptions, and Rocage's figures (1895), I would be inclined to reduce anchietae-, also, to synonymy. Our series of ten specimens show so nuich variation that little weight can be placed on the degree of development of the "shovel." Still, an examination of a series of specimens from Angola may show that anchicU- jxissesses a distinctive coloration or some other constant diffcn'iu-e. If not identical, anchietae is very closely re- lated to hocagii. Variation. The "sliovel" varies from a little more than one-half the length t»f tlie iiuiei- toe, to nearly the length of it. This range covers the differences given by Roulenger (1906) for distinguishing the sj^ecies from horagri. It is to be noted that the metatarsal t\ibercle as indicated by Rocage (1895, PI. xvii, fig. 1 ) is distinctly longer than the inner toe. Seven of the ten specimens have a well-marked i)att(M-n on their dorsal surfaee. This pattern consists of three dark longitudinal stripes 236 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX which flow broadly together just behind tlie head. The ground tone in alcohol is either brown or gray. There is an additional broad stripe on each side. In the smallest specimens this stripe is edged above with a white hne. A similar white line occurs above the anus and along the legs as shown in the photograph (Plate XXXVIII, fig. 2). The speci- mens have faded little in alcohol, for no greens were present. One specimen (No. 9676), a sexually immature female, taken at Faradje, in February, was observed in the field to be: "light brown above, with three nearly black lines extending the length of the back. A broad stripe of dark brown was present on the sides of the head and body. The lower margin of this stripe was stippled with a white or bluish tone. The tip of the snout and the lips were lighter than the rest of the head. The iris was dark brown of bronzy lustre." Our specimens vary in size from 33 mm. to 51 mm., from snout to vent. There is apparently no sexual dimorphism other than size. No breeding pairs were taken and the degree of this difference is not exactly known. Habits. — One female (No. 8670), taken at Garamba in June 1912, has the ovaries greatly distended with large ova. Since none of the other five females taken during other months approach this condition, it is probable that the breeding season occurs in June or July. The stomachs of only six individuals contained food. Only the following was distinguishable: 4 grasshoppers, 2 beetles, and 1 cricket. Leptopelis notatus (Buchholz and Peters) Hylambates notatus Buchholz and Peters, in Peters, 1875, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 205, PI. ii, fig. 1 (type locality: Cameroon). Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 505 (Cameroon: Bipindi and .Jaunde); 1909, Arch. Naturg., LXXV, part 1, p. 365 (Cameroon); 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 55, fig. Ill (Cameroon: Victoria, Bipindi, and Jaunde). Hylambates rufus BorLENGER, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 136 (part: West Africa). (Not of Reichenow.) • Hylambates cubitoalbus BorLENGER, 1906, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVII, p. 323 (Zima, South Cameroon and Unyoro, Lake Albert Region); 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 171. Barbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, LIV, No. 2, p. 134 (Kribi, Cameroon). Hylambates aubryi Andersson, 1909, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LXII, p. 168 (part: Cameroon). (Not of A. Dumeril.) A single immature female taken at Medje in July 1914. (A. M. N. H. No. 8874.) Distribution. — This little-known species is apparently confined to the rain forests. I have recently examined in the Museum of Compara- 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 237 live Zoology at Harvard a fine series (M. C. Z. 3446-3448) from Lolodorf, Cameroon). Relations. — This series convinces me that L. notatiis must be a distinct species in spite of Andersson's statement to the contrary. Our specimen is nearly uniform grayish-brown (70) above and possesses the characteristic white" spots on the elbow, knee, and heel. Nieden (1909) has claimed these white marks to be diagnostic of the species. Certainly none of the immature specimens of L. aubryi or L. rufus in our series show any condition approaching that found in the specimen under consideration. Our specimen is only 27 mm. in length (head and body). Nothing is known of its habits. Leptopelis calcaratus (Boulenger) Plate XXXI, Figure 3 Hylambates calcaratus Boulenger, 1906, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVII, p. 322 (type localities: Efulen, Cameroon; Spanish Guinea: Cape St. John and the Benito River District); 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 169 (Buea, Cameroon). Nieden, 190S, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berhn, III, p. 506 Makomo, Spanish Guinea). Baebotjr, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp, Zool., Cam- bridge, LIV, No. 2, p. 135 (five miles inland from Kribi, Cameroon). Hylambates rufus Nieden, 1909, Arch. Naturg., LXXV, part 1, p. 364 (West Africa). (Not of Reichenow.) Thirty-five specimens: three from Niapu, January 1914; the rest from Medje, taken as follows: during 1910, three in April, one in June and two in July; during 1914, two in April, one in May, sixteen in June and six in July. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 8676-8712.) Distribution. — The range of L. calcaratus is apparently limited to the Rain Forest. The few references in the literature to this species do not include any record of its occurrence west of Cameroon. This is not surprising in view of the fact that the species has until recently been con- fused with L. rufus. Relations. — Boulenger, in his original description of L. calcaratus, states: "this species stands very near H. rufus, Reichn., differing only in the rather less depressed head and in the presence of a conical tubercle on the heels." Nieden (1909), not finding these characters diagnostic, reduced L. calcaratus to sjTionymy. After a careful comparison of our large series with an equally large one of L. rufus, I cannot agree with Nieden for, while the characters given by Boulenger are somewhat variable, there are other differences which are constant : 238 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX L. calcaratus Spur on the heel always more or less developed A denticulated ridge along the forearm. Fingers a trifle less than half webbed, no seam extending along the inside of the outer finger. End of the snout always of much lighter color than the rest of the head. Ventral coloration when distinct (faded in most females) consisting of a dark wash or marbling on the sides of the belly and across the chest; the central part of the- belly white or sHghtly spotted. A sexually mature pair measuring cf 40 mm. 9 56.5 mm. Maximum size 9 58 mm. L. rufus Spur generally absent; an indication of a tubercle in some young specimens. A smooth seam often present on the forearm. Fingers half webbed or more, a seam generally present on the inside of the outer finger. End of the snout (except sometimes the lip) of same color as the rest of the head. Ventral coloration when distinct con- sisting of a coarse network of dark color extending uniformly across the entire ventral surface or restricted to the chest; never a sharply differentiated light area on the belly. A sexually mature pair measuring cf 45 mm. 9 68 mm. Maximum size 9 73 mm. Variation. — Only one specimen (No. 8712) in our series lacks the spurs. This specimen has the denticulated seam along the forearm and the light snout. The absence of the spurs may be due to rubbing or some other injury after fixation. Most of the specimens in the series are reddish brown above, with some indication of dark spotting; a few are uniform gray above with a light tip to the end of the rostrum. The gray specimens (such as No. 8682) were gray in Ufe. One specimen (No. 8706) was described in the field as "yellowish gray above, tip of the snout a lighter tone ; a brownish patch on the anus outlined with a pale yellow. Skin granular above, the larger granules yellowish. Iris golden with a dark brown outer edge." Another specimen (No. 8683) was described as "dark brown above, sides a distinctly lighter tone; hind legs with irregular dark cross-bands; tip of the snout a pale yellowish ; a spot of the same color below each eye ; the denticulated ridge along the forearm and the spur on the heel tinged with the same light tone." Habits. — This last-mentioned specimen was caught "among j^el- lowish leaves on the ground." The other specimens also were apparently taken on the forest floor. None of the thirtj'-five specimens were found in copulation. Twenty-six of them are females, exhibiting an extraordinary irregularity of development in their sexual products. One specimen (No. 8708) 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 239 taken in April 1914 at Medje contained eggs in its oviducts. These eggs averaged 3 nun. in diameter and were unpigmented. Other speci- mens taken at Medje in June 1914 and Juty 1910 contained in their ovaries eggs of nearly the same size. On the other hand, specimens taken at Niapu in January possessed fully developed ova. One of two specimens (Nos. 8685 and 8686) of identical size taken at Medje in July 1914 contained very large ova, while the other specimen had apparently just laid its eggs. The breeding season may occur in July but, since there is little uniformity in the degree of sexual maturity of specimens taken dming July as well as the other months, it is probable that the breeding season is irregular. Very little data is available on the breeding season of any of the forest frogs. Only a very small percentage of the stomachs contained food. The contents of thirteen stomachs consisted of 7 grasshoppers ; 2 roaches ; 2 spiders; 1 caterpillar; 1 cricket; and 2 ants. Leptopelis aubryi (A. Dumeril) Plate XXXI, Figure 6; XXXVIII, Figure 1 Hyla aubryi A. Dumeril, 1856, Rev. Mag. Zool., (2) VIII, p. 561 (type locality: Gaboon). Hylambates aubryi Peters, 1878 (for 1877), Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 618 (Chinchoxo, Loango Coast). Boulengek, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 135 (Ashanti, Gaboon, and the Gold Coast). Sauvage, 1884, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, IX, p. 201 (Majumba, Congo). Vaillant, 1884, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (7) VIII, p. 171 (Assini); Bull. Soc. Zool. France, IX, p. 353 (.\ssini: Effirou and Couacrou). Mxjller, 1885, Verb. Naturf. Ges. Basel, VII, p. 671 (Tumbo Island). Boettger, 1888 (for 1887-1888), Ber. Senck. Ges., p. 99 (Massabi, Loango Coast). MtJLLER, 1890, Verb. Naturf. Ges. Basel, VIII, p. 257 (Tumbo Island). Boettger, 1892, 'Kat. Mus. Senck. Ges.,' p. 21 (Massabi, Loango Coast). Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 181 (Loango Coast: Mas- sabi and Chinchoxo). Tornier, 1896, ' Kriechthiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 158 (part: fsambara, German East Africa); 1897, Arch. Naturg., LXIII, part 1, p. 66 (German East Africa). Boulexger, 1903, Mem. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat., I, p. 64 (Spanish Guinea: Cape St. John). Andersson, 1905, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, II, No. 20, p. 20 (Cameroon). Boulenger, 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, pp. 168-169 (Buea, Cameroon). Andersson, 1907, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LX, p. 242 (Bibundi, Cameroon). Nieden,« 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. BerUn, III, p. 502 (Cameroon: Bipindi, Ebolowa; Spanish Guinea, Mokomo). Andersson, 1909, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LXII, p. 107 (part: Cameroon). Nieden, 1909, Arch. Naturg., LXXV, part 1, p. 365, figs. Ic and 2c (West Africa); 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 55, figs. 112-114 (Victoria, Cameroon and localities of Nieden 1908); Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 448 (Amani, German East Africa). Barbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, LIV, No. 2, p. 134 (Efulen, 240 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Cameroon). Lampe, 1911, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LXIV, p. 215 (Cameroon: Bibundi, Isongo, and Mowange). Andersson, 1913, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LXVI, p. 78 (part: Bibundi, Cameroon). Nieden, 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, VII, p. 368 (Usambara, German East Africa). Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Et. Hist, et Sci. A. O. F., p. 460 (N'Zerlkore, French Guinea). Hylambates ocellatus Mocquard, 1902, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, VIII, p. 413 (Gaboon). Steindachner, 1906, Ann. Hofmus., Wien, XXI, p. 154 (Cameroon: Nyang District). Barbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, LIV, No. 2, p. 134 (Ja River, Cameroon). Nyctibates Isevis Barbour,' 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, LIV, No. 2, p. 131, PI. II, fig. 1 (Efulen, Cameroon). Seventy-one specimens, nearly all adult: Medje, one in January, sixteen in April-May, one in July and three in September 1910, one in January, two in March, three in April, two in May, seventeen in June and five in July 1914; Bafwaboli, seven in September 1909; Stanley- ville, eight in August 1909; Niapu, one in November 1913 and two in January 1914; Avakubi, one in October 1909; Ngayu, one in December 1909; Vankerckhovenville, one in April 1912. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 8810- 8873, 11261-11267.) Distribution. — L. auhryi is apparently more restricted to the Rain Forest than its close relative L. rufus. Nieden (1915, p. 368) has shown that the several records of L. auhryi from Tanganyika Territory in regions beyond the forest should be credited to the latter species. He concludes (translation): "Amani is apparently the only place in Tan- ganyika Territory where this essentially West African species has until now been known, a fact which is not surprising, since there has been found in mountainous Usambara numerous West African forms as well as East African species." There was only one region outside the Rain Forest where the expedi- tion observed L. auhryi in any abundance. This was at Vankerckhoven- ville in a large patch of forest fringing the river. It was not taken at any of the other forest outlyers, such as those at Niangara or Faradje. Relations. — L. auhryi cannot be confused with L. rufus if typical specimens are examined. Intermediate specimens in most cases will probably be found to be referable to L. fessmanni. The relation of L. auhryi to L. tessmanni is discussed in some detail under the latter species. Variation. — Twenty of our seventy-one specimens are males. These differ markedly in size from the females. Ten of the sexually mature males average 44.4 mm. in length (head and body) ; maximum, 47 mm. ; minimum, 40 mm. The average length of the same number of 'Type examined. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 241 sexually mature females is 64 mm.; maximum, 75 mm.; minimum, 61 mm. The males possess two glandular circular areas on the chest, one at the base of each forelimb. Our specimens show considerable variation in color. The ground color is some dull tone of gray, brown, or green. White spots are present on the dorsal surface of some specimens. These are very numerous on one specimen (No. 8857) from Bafwaboli, taken September 12, 1909. The ventral surface when pigmented is stippled with brown and there is no network of color as in L. rufus. In alcohol the dorsal color pattern is sometimes indistinct but in life there was always some indication of a pattern. The ground tone varied in life from a dark brown to a pale yellow, or from a dark bluish-gray to a light green. A pale yellowish line extended from the tip of the snout to half the length of the body in many of the specimens. Some indication of this line was present on all of them. A dark stripe was generally present below this line. One specimen (No. 8810), a photograph of which is reproduced on Plate XXXVIII. fig. 1, was described in life as follows : ''General color above a light brown; on each side of the body a broad irregular band of gray, extending from the nostril to the lumbar region where it breaks up into a series of grayish- green blotches, this band edged above with a narrow, dark red line; wedge-shaped mark of dark brown on the back; head tinged with the same color, Ihnbs indistinctl}' crossbanded; above the anus and on the heel a narrow line of yellowish or pinkish; ventral surface uniform white, shading into pink posteriorly; iris an irridescent golden bronze." Habits. — At Vankerckhovenville in April (1912), L. aubryi was found mostly in the grass, on low bushes or among the leaves of large plants; at Medje in July (1910) chiefly on the ground, upon logs, or among other forest debris. At Bafwaboli in September (1910) many frogs of this species were "taken at night with the help of a candle. They were found sitting on leaves of young oil palms planted recently at the station where most of the natural vegetation had been destroyed. The frogs called only at night when they uttered deliberately at short inter- vals a sharp musical note." The breeding season of L. aubryi may be extended from April through June or longer. One specimen (No. 8843) taken at Medje in April 1914 had a number of eggs in its oviducts. Other specimens from Medje taken as late as June had the ovaries greatly distended with large ova. Another specimen (No. 8858) taken September 12, 1909 at Baf- waboli still possessed large ova. L. aubryi is potentially ready for oviposition throughout several months. 242 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Most of the stomachs examined contained httle food. The contents of only twenty-seven were identifiable. The food consisted of 13 cater- pillars; 9 grasshoppers (and fragments of others); 6 snails (Helixarion, etc.); 3 spiders; 2 beetles; 2 crickets; 1 winged ant; 1 slug (Vaginulidse) ; and a considerable amount of leaves and other extraneous matter. Leptopelis rufus Reichenow Plate XXXVII Leptopelis rufus Reichenow, 1874, Arch. Naturg., XL, part 1, p. 291, PI. ix, figs, la and 16 (type locality: Victoria, Cameroon, at foot of Cameroon mountains). Hylambates rufus Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 136 (Gaboon, Cameroon, and Fernando Po). Sauvagb, 1884, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, IX, p. 201 (Majumba, Congo). Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 445 (Fernando Po, Cameroon and Gal:)Oon). Bocage, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2), VII, p. 45 (Fernando Po). Boulenger, 1903, Mem. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat., I, p. 64 (Spanish Guinea: Cape St. John). Andersson, 1905, Ark. Zool., Stock- holm, II, No. 20, p. 18 (part: Cameroon). Boulenger, 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 169 (Cameroon: Buea; Fernando Po: Punta Frailes and Basile; French Congo: Fernando- Vaz). Andersson, 1907, Jahrb. Na.ssau. Ver. Naturk., LX, p. 240 (Bibundi, Cameroon). Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 505 (Cameroon: Victoria, Johann-Albrechtshohe, and Bipindi; Spanish Guinea: Makomo; and Fernando Poj; 1909, Arch. Naturg., LXXV, part 1, Figs, lb, 2b, and 3a (West Africa). Krefft, 1910, Blatter Aquar. Terr. Kunde, XXI, p. 463 (German East Africa). MtJLLER, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 625 (Cameroon). Nieden, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berhn, p. 447 (Amani, German East Africa); 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 56, figs. 115, 117, and 118 (localities of Nieden, 1908, except for Fernando Po). Barbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, LIV, No. 2, p. 134 (Kribi, Cameroon). Lampe, 1911, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LXIV, p. 216 (Cameroon: Bibundi and Isongo). Bou- lenger, 1912, in Talbot, 'In the Shadow of the Bush' (Nigeria). Nieden, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 179 (Lake Region, five locali- ties). Werner, 1912, in Brehm's 'Tierleben,' 4th Ed., IV, p. 320, PI. iii, figs. 3 and 4. Nieden, 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, VII, p. 368 (German East Africa: Tanga, Usambara, Amani, Derema, and Nguru). Hylambates millsonii Boulenger, 1894, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 644 (mouth of the Niger). Barbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, LIV, No. 2, p. 135 (Ja River, Cameroon). Hylambates anchietae Tornier, 1896, ' Kriechthiero Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 157 (German East Africa: Forest of Magila and Usegua, Verneleguide, west of Lake Albert); 1897, Arch. Naturg., LXIII, part 1, p. 66 (German East Africa). (Not of Bocage.) Hylambates aubryi Tornier, 1896, ' Kriechthiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 158 (part: Tanga, German East Africa). (Not of A. Dumeril.) Hylambates aubryi Andersson, 1909, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk,, LXII, p. 107, fig. 3 (part: Cameroon), (not of A. Dumeril); 1913, LXVI, p. 79, fig. (Bibundi, Cameroon). 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 243 Hylamhates ritfiis var. boulengeri Werner, 1898, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVIII, p. 197 (Victoria, Cameroon). Andersson, 1907, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LX, p. 241 (Bibundi, Cameroon). Hylamhates rufus var. modesta Werner, 1898, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVIII, p. 197 (Cameroon). Hylamhates rufus var. ventHmaculata Werner, 1898, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVIII, p. 198 (Cameroon). Hylamhates rufus var. aubryoides Andersson, 1907, Jabrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LX, p. 241 (Bibundi, Cameroon). Eighty-three specimens: Medje, 1910, one in January, fourteen in April, four in August, and two in September; 1914, one in March, ten in April, seven in May, thirty in June, and two in July; Gamangui, two in February 1909 and one in January 1910; Niapu, five in January 1914; Batama, one in September 1909; Ngayu, one in December 1909; Niangara, one in November 1910; and Poko, one in August 1913. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 8713-8795.) DiSTEiBUTiON. — L. rufus has been recorded from several localities in Tanganyika Territory where no large forests occur. The species may be considered a true forest inhabitant which has migrated along the wooded river-banks beyond the limits of the forest. It is also possible that the forest once had a greater extent ; especially is this true in Tan- ganyika Territory. The American Museum expedition found the species only in the Rain Forest and outljang forest island of Niangara. Relations. — Of the various species which have been confused with L. rufus in the past, L palmatus and L. brevirostris require special con- sideration. Both these species are confined to the Cameroon-Gaboon area (except for one doubtful record of L. brevirostris in Tanganyika Territory) and afford further evidence of this region being a center of specialization for the frogs and toads. The adult of L. palmatus is distinctly larger than any specimen of L. rufus which I have examined. One specimen (M. C. Z. 2454) measures 83 mm. from snout to vent, two others (M. C. Z. 2745 and 2665) measure 81 mm. and 80 mm. respectively. The web between the fingers is more extensive than in any specimen of L. rufus before me. As Andersson (1909, p. 105) has pointed out, Boulenger (1882, p. 136) in his catalogue exaggerated the extent of the web. But a comparison of Peters' (1869, PI. ii) original figure with any specimen of L. rufus will show that the web between the second and third fingers is more exten- sive in L. palmatus than in the latter species. Although Nieden (1909) recognized L. palmatus as distinct from L. rufus, he made L. brevirostris a "variety" of the latter. L. rufus ex- 244 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX hibits an extraordinary range in head-form but in all the eighty-three specimens of our series and in the numerous specimens of this species in the Museum of Comparative Zoology I find none which show that the species intergrade. The dorsolaterally placed tympanum is the most striking feature of L. hrevirostris, but I have seen no specimen of L. rufus that is so coarsely granular above as the several specimens of L. hrevi- rostris examined. The two specimens of that species in the American Museum possess very short omosternums (Plate XXXI) distinctly different from L. rufus. It seems to me that the buccal nursing habits of L. hrevirostris may represent further evidence of its specific identity. I have referred L. millsonii to the synonymj'^ of L. rufus because I find nothing in the original description to distinguish it from that species. The only specimen of the former species available for study is an imma- ture individual (M. C. Z. 2647) from the Ja River, Cameroon. This specimen is identical with young specimens of L. rufus in our series. Variation. — There are only sixteen males in our series. Ten of the sexually mature ones average 45.6 mm. in length (maximum, 50 mm.; minimum, 42 mm.). In contrast to this, ten sexually mature females average 68.3 mm. (maximum, 73 mm.; minimum, 65 mm.). It is indeed strange that both the smallest and largest sexually mature female in our series of sixty-seven should contain eggs in the oviducts. The former (No. 8730) is 52 mm. in length and the latter (No. 8727) 73 mm. The majority of the specimens are a uniform grayish blue above, or a reddish brown stippled with a darker tone. The sides of most are a gray- ish brown spotted with white. A number of smaller spots are scattered over the back of a few of the specimens. In eighteen of the specimens the grayish brown of the sides is extended over the chest and abdomen in the form of a network. In most of the specimens in our series this network is only partly developed, being restricted to the throat and sides of the abdomen. Twenty-five have a uniform whitish under-surface. The reddish-brown specimens have generally a number of large dark brown spots above. These sometimes tend to form crossbars on the back. Specimens taken at Medje in March, June, August, and January were reddish brown in life, with some indication of darker markings on the back and across the limbs. In some specimens a light spot was present under the eye and there was a sprinkling of fine light spots on the posterior part of the body. In a few specimens the brown shaded off into a gray on the sides. Others were distinctly tinged with green. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 245 The photograph of one specimen taken at Niapu in January 191-1 is reproduced on Plate XL, fig. 1. This specimen (No. 8732) was de- scribed in life as follows: "Greenish brown above, faintly stippled with yellowish; a series of very delicate transverse stripes of a golden tone extending across the back; the stripe between the eyes and those in the lumbar region more distinct than the others, which are confluent and not very distinct from the ground tone; sides of the body a lustrous green, the legs a grayish green, and the digital expansions a pale yellowish-brown; a narrow line of yellowish white above the arms; posterior surfaces of the thighs and sides of the body spotted with the same color; ventral surface yellowish faintly reticulated with purplish." Habits. — The specimen described above was found "under dry leaves in a moist situation. When picked up it emitted at short inter- vals a loud squeal. The dry season had lasted nearly two months and this tree frog, as all the other frogs and toads, had hidden itself away." "During the rainy season the tree frogs were usually found sitting beneath the leaves of plants which fringe the plantations. Specimens taken at Medje in March were found on shrubbery or lianas a short distance above the ground." The breeding season of L. rufus is v.ery probably extended through several months. One specimen (No. 8733) taken at Medje in June 1914, has eggs in its oviducts, while another (No. 8730) from the same locality, taken August 4, 1910, exhibits the same condition. Specimens with dis- tended ovaries were taken at Medje, in March (1914) and at Ngayu in December (1909). It is therefore possible that the breeding season of L. rufus may be a little later than that of L. aubryi, but it is more probable that the two seasons greatly overlap. This latter probability would lend further support to my suggestion (see below) that L. tessmarini is a hybrid of L. rufus X L. aubryi. Only forty-five stomachs contained food. This consisted of 22 grasshoppers; 15 beetles; 12 caterpillars; 5 spiders; 2 mantids; 2 roaches; 2 ants; 1 heteropterous insect; 1 moth; 1 cricket; and 1 myriopod. Leptopelis tessmanni (Nieden) Hylambates tessmanni Nieden, 1909, Arch. Naturg., LXXV, part 1, p. 365, figs. 4a and 46 (Makomo, Spanish Guinea). Hylambates aubryi Andersson, 1909, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LXII, p. 107 (part: Cameroon); 1913, LXVI, p. 78 (part: Bibundi, Cameroon). Twenty-four specimens, all from Medje, three taken in April, three in May, nine in June, and four in July 1914; one taken in March, two in 246 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX April-May, one in August, and one in September 1910. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 8796-8809; 11268-11277.) Distribution. — L. tessmanni will probably be shown to be con- fined to the Rain Forest. The specific status of the species is not at all well understood and Httle may be said at this time as to its range. EELATioNS.^The twenty-four specimens listed above would doubt- lessly be referred by Nieden to L. tessmanni. They form a very uniform series intermediate between L. auhryi and L. rufus but showing no inter- gradations into either species. They possess the following: L. rufus characters. — (1) Third and fifth toe webbed to the base of the terminal phalanges; (2.) No indication of a dorsolateral line behind the tympanum; L. auhryi characters. — (1) Fingers less than one-third webbed; (2.) Ventral pigmentation when present, stippled, never forming a network. Special Characters. — Average size larger than either L. auhryi or L. rufus (in- cluding the largest females); average head and body length of fifteen specimens 73.2 mm.; maximum, 79 mm.; minimum, 60 mm. From the above list, it would seem that L. tessmanni is a distinct species intermediate between but larger than either L. rufus or L. auhryi. Still, there is one remarkable feature about this series of speci- mens. In spite of their large size and the fact that they were taken at various seasons, none of the specimens are sexually mature. More than half of them have the gonads rudimentary and only two specimens (Nos. 11276-11277) show any signs of their ovaries developing beyond an immature condition. Two possibilities are suggested by the above facts. Either these large specimens are very immature (except the two specimens men- tioned) or they are sterile adults. With the material before me, I am inclined to the latter view. The possibility then arises of their being hybrids of the two species they resemble, L. auhryi and L. rufus. But hybrids in nature are very little known and it is not at all certain that hybrids formed from a cross of two related species of frog would be sterile. Born (1886, p. 263), in discussing this latter difficulty, states (translation) : In most cases, however, where not only fertih'ration but also development pro- gresses regularly nature assures the integral preservation of the species in that the hybrid becomes sterile. This statement has not been entirely confirmed by the experiments of recent years. Further evidence is needed. For the present we cannot regard L. tessmanni as anything more than a very interesting form inter- mediate between L. auhryi and L. rufus, but larger than either and, unlike any other species of Leptopelis, exhibiting a high percentage of sterility. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 247 Variation. — All the specimens in the series are a nearly uniform bluish green above, without any indication of a dorsal pattern. The}'- were described in life as '* bright green above, with no markings of any sort; the yellow hne on the posterior limbs restricted or absent." Others were described as changing from this uniform green to a uniform brown. Habits. — The stomachs of five specimens examined contained fragments of orthopterous insects onty. Hylambates a. Dumeril The status of this genus has been discussed above and its composite natm-e indicated. The species which at the present time must be re- ferred to this genus may be distinguished by the following key. oi. — Fingers free. 61. — Toes slightly webbed at base. Ci. — Tibiotarsal articulation not reaching beyond shoulder; metatarsal tubercle weak, not compressed H. cassinoides. c-2, — Tibiotarsal articulation reaching between shoulder and eye; meta- tarsal tubercle strong, compressed. di. — Tips of fingers and toes scarcely dilated. ei. — Foot not more than half length of head and body. .H. bocagii. e-i. — Foot more than half length of head and body. H. marginatus. d2. — Tips of fingers and toes distinctly dilated. ei. — Skin finely areolate above H. hyloides. 62. — Skin with scattered warts above H. verrucosus. 62- — Toes at least half webbed. ci. — Metatarsal tubercle strong, very prominent H. argenteus. Ci. — Metatarsal tuljercle weak, feebly prominent. du — Tibiotarsal articulation reaching eye; vomerine teeth just behind level of choana^ H. leonardi. do. — Tibiotarsal articulation not reaching eye; vomerine teeth on level with posterior border of choange H. maculatus. Oi. — Fingers more or less webbed. fei. — Fingers less than one-third webbed. ci. — Toes more than half webbed H. greshoffii. Ci. — Toes webbed half way, three distal phalanges of fourth toe and two of fifth free, rfi. — Metatarsal tubercle weak, not compressed. ex. — Tibiotarsal articulation reaching tympanum H. ragazzii. 62. — Tibiotarsal articulation reaching eye or further. /i. — Upper parts smooth H. vermiculatus. U- — Upper parts with scattered small round warts. H. mnnutellii. di. — Metatarsal tubercle strong, compressed. e-i. — Vomerine teeth between choanse; tibiotarsal articulation reaching eye or a little beyond H. johnstoni. 248 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX 62. — Vomerine teeth behind choange. /i. — Tibiotarsal articulation not reaching eye. . .H. brevipes. J2. — Tibiotarsal articulation reaching eye or beyond. ^1. — Tibiotarsal articulation reaching eye. . . H. christyi. §2. — Tibiotarsal articulation reaching end of snout. H. haugi. 62. — Fingers at least one-third webbed, toes more than half webbed. H. natalensis. Hylambates verrucosus Boiilenger Plate XXXVIII, Figure 3 Hylambates verrucosus Boulenger, 1912, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) X, p. 141 (type locality; Mabira Forest, Chagwe, Uganda). Two adults of opposite sex, taken at Medje, the female in March and the male in May 1914. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 8665-8666.) Distribution. — The American Museum expedition's fortunate dis- covery of this species in the Ituri forest affords further evidence of the homogeneity in fauna between the Rain Forest and the outlying forests of Uganda. Relations. — The species was formerly known only from a single female. The male possesses the two gular vocal sacks separated by a gular pad as in H. leonardi. While H. verrucosus is perhaps closely re- lated to H. leonardi, it is readily distinguishable from this and all other species of Hylambates by its unique coloration, especially by the large patches of "flash color." Variation. — Boulenger, in his original description of the species, states that the toes are barely one-fourth webbed. In our specimens the fourth toe is webbed for about one-fourth its length. The first toe is not webbed, the second is webbed to the distal end of the metatarsal, the third and fourth toes to the distal end of the proximal phalanx and the fifth to slightly beyond this point. It is evident that Boulenger's expression applies only to the longest toe. Our two specimens are nearly identical in coloration. In the female the dorsal surface is not so dark as that of the male and an indistinct pattern of a number of darker spots is visible. The orange "flash colors " have faded in alcohol to a yellowish white. The ventral surfaces of both specimens are not uniform dark purplish brown as described by Boulenger for the type, but are closely stippled with yellowish white. In life the specimens were browner, and the indistinct blotches appeared black. The iris was a dark bronze color of nearly a uniform tone. The male is readily distinguishable from the female. It possesses vocal .sacs already mentioned and is smaller in size, measuring 48 mm. 1924] Noble, Herpctologij of the Belgian Congo 249 from snout to vent, in contrast to 53 nun., the length of the female. Almost as striking a character, which I take to be entirely sexual, are the numerous white asperities which entirely cover the dorsal surface of the male. In addition to these asperities, the male possesses the large flat warts of the female, but the asperities are minute and bear no rela- tion to the warts. Habits. — The female, taken in March, possessed very mature ova, suggesting that the breeding season may occur shortly after this month. When captured, the male appeared "very sluggish, preferring to crawl into the crevices of a palm tree than to leap away from its captors." The stomach of the two specimens contained the unidentifiable fragments of several insects. Hylambates greshoffii Schilthuis Hylambates greshoffii Schilthuis, 1889, Tijd. Neder. Dier. Ver., (2) II, p. 286, Figs a and b (type locality: Boma, Belgian Congo). Boulenger, 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, pp. 168 and 171 (refers to type). NiEDEN, 1909, Arch. Naturg., LXXV, part 1, p. 336 (refers to type). A single adult male taken at Stanleyville, August 13, 1909. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 8667.) Distribution. — It is thirty years since H. greshoffii was made known to science and since that time no specimens, to my knowledge, have hitherto been secured. The fact that our single specimen was taken at Stanleyville suggests that the type may have been collected in the forested area north of Boma and that the species may have a wide distri- bution in the Rain Forest. Relations. — Boulenger (1906) has compared the species with H. leonardi and Nieden (1909) with H. tessmanni. In external features H. greshoffii is very distinct from any other species of Hylambates or any species of the allied genus LeptopeUs. Its completely webbed toes, nearly webless fingers, smooth skin, and uni- form coloration readily distinguishes H. greshoffii from these forms. It is apparently related to H. leonardi, but is remarkable in lacking the gular vocal sacs and gular pad characteristic of that related species. Variation. — Our specimen agrees entirely with the brief descrip- tion of Schilthuis. To this description it may be added that the tibio- tarsal articulation reaches the middle of the eye, that the tibia is con- tained 2.1 times into the head and body length, and that the disks of the digits are not quite as large as the tympanum. In alcohol the specimen is a uniform reddish brown above and white below. In life the dorsal 250 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX surface was "a light rusty brown, very waxy in appearance. The brown tone graded off into an orange red on the digits and into a pink on the throat. The belly was a yellowish white, fading gradually into the yellowish brown of the sides. The iris was of the brilliancy and color of an emerald, in sharp contrast to the sombre tones of the body." Habits. — The single specimen was caught on the ground in a coffee plantation. Its alimentary tract contained the wings of a grasshopper. Hyperolius Rapp In no genus of frogs are there so many undefinable, intergrading species as in Hyperolius. It is the most dominant tree frog of Africa and yet systematically it is the most unsatisfactory. Eleutherodadylus of the American tropics perhaps affords a close parallel but this is apparently an older genus where specialization has proceeded to a greater extent and we do not find the great structural uniformity of Hyperolius.- The number of described species of Hyperolius has become so large, and the differences employed appear so trivial, that many herpetologists have either left certain of their species unidentified in their reports or have omitted the genus entirely. Nieden (1912 and 1915) refused to complicate the already involved synonymy of Hyperolius by referring the numerous specimens which he had before him to any of the described species. Werner (1907) did exactly the opposite; after admitting that "the more than fifty described species of this large and difficult genus" were too intangible for him he proceeded to describe as new all the species in his collection. This extreme rashness may have been due to the example of recent workers; some years before he (1898) left one of the species of Hyperolius he was considering sp. indet. Bocage (1896), Muller (1910), Andersson, (1911) and Klaptocz (1913) have adopted this latter system of ridding themselves of the more troublesome specimens. Others, such as Pfeffer (1892) and Hewitt (1911) have simply deplored the confusion into which the species of Hyperolius have been thrown, but they have contributed little to help matters. It was at once obvious that with the few species of Hyperolius avail- able in the museums in America I could contribute little of value to the problem. Nevertheless, I append a rough key to the sixty-one species I consider valid and a table of their reported distribution in Africa. A comparison of the key with the variation discussions under the species will show some great discrepancies. The key has been compiled from the literature, and at least it may serve as a check on the published descriptions. I have found both the key and the table useful in my work 1924] Xoble, Herpetology of the Belgian CoJigo 251 on the genus and, if considerable allowances are made for the incorrect identification by early authors, both key and table should be useful to future workers. The first sj^nthetic work on the genus Hyperolius was attempted by Tornier (1896). Unfortunatel}^, he lost sight of the natural groups as exhibited by structural features and contiguous ranges. Without any insight into the genetic relations of the species he arranged all the speci- mens he could secure in a nmnber of series (often representatives of one species in several different series) just as anyone might do with almost any group of vertebrates exhibiting great variation in color pattern. I fail to see that Tornier's elaborate plate (1896, PI. iii) is a distinct contribution to the phylogeny of the genus, for, in order to show that the color variations could be arranged in a series, Tornier has utterly dis- regarded the few constant characters of structure. Our studj^ of the genus shows that coloration is not always present, but, when the pattern is complete, it has a constant form in each species. Variation is thus limited within each species to a fading of a definite pattern (possible ex- ceptions in certain species such as H. marmoratus) . This fading is well shown for H. symetricus bj^ Andersson (1911, PI. i, figs. 2a-2e). Studies in variation within the species will do much to untangle the synonymy of the many undefinable species of Hyperolius. Resume of the African Species of Hyperolius «!. — Outer fingers less than a third webbed. bi. — Tibiotarsal articulation reaching not beyond eye. d. — Uniform above (excluding sides of head). H. aylmeri, H. concolor, H. platyrhinus, H. pusillus. ci. — Spotted above (with or without a lateral stripe). H. pleurotaenius, H. riggenbachi, H. vermiculatus, H. tristis. C3. — Striped above H. molleri, H. spurrelli. Ci. — Striped or spotted on sides onlv. . H. balfouri, H. hivittatus, H. cin- namovieo-ventris. Ci. — Occipital spot and a more or less confluent median pattern . .H. platyceps. 62- — Tibiotarsal articulation reaching bej-ond eye. ci. — Uniform above H. thomensis. C2. — Spotted or stippled above. H. san.sibaricus, H. benguellensis, H. nasutus, H. platycephalus, H. pimctulatus. Ci. — Marbled and spotted above H. pliciferus. C4. — Striped above H. granidatus, H. quinquevittatus. Ci. — Striped or spotted on sides only. H. cinctiventris, H. osorioi, H. sugillatus. aj. — Outer fingers one-third or more webbed. bi. — Tibiotarsal articulation extending not beyond eye. 252 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Ci. — Uniform above (typically so) H. pachydermus, H. steindachnerii. 02. — Spotted or stippled above . . . .H. argus, H. guttatus, H. guttulatus, H. sordidus, H. viridiflavus. C3. — Marbled above H. ferniquei, H. marmoratus. C4. — Striped above H.fulvoirittatus, H. oxyrhynchus. Ci. — Striped or marbled on sides only. H. hayoni, H. fasciatus, H. flavo- viridis, H. fusciventris, H. picturatus, H. fiiscigula, H. rhodoscelis, H. H. fimbriolatus, H. hurgeoni. Ce. — Occipital spot and a more or less confluent median pattern. H. symetricus, H. undulatas, 1)2. — Tibiotarsal articulation reaching beyond eye. Ci. — Two irregular, more or less diagonal zones of color above. H. phantasticus. Cfi. — Uniform above H. salinse, H. tuberilinguis. C3. — Spotted or stippled above H. bocagei, H. langi, H. ocellatus. d. — IVIarbled above H. lagoensis. Cs. — Striped above H. toulsonii. C6. — Striped or rnarbled on sides only H. hurtonii, H. chlorosteus, H. horstockii, H. microps, H. seabrai. C7. — A symmetrical spot and a more or less median pattern . . H. acutirostris. Forest Open Country Species .2 a Si Ig l'5 a 0 0 c (S ce 0 &£ c 0 u u 0 0. a 0 b£l a 0 E 1 .s "o a s E 03 3 53 ■J < 1 < 0 fcO 00 t> h^l < CQCQ H OQ Hyperolius acutirostris Buchholz and Peters X X X Hyperoliu^ argus Peters X X Hyperolius aylmeri (E. G. Boulenger) X Hyperolius balfouri (Werner) X Hyperolius bayoni (Boulenger) X Hyperolius benguellensis (Bocage) X Hyperolius bivittatus (Ferreira) X Hyperolius bocagei Steindachner X Hyperolius burgeoni (Witte) X Hyperolius burtonii (Boulenger) X Hyperolius chlorosteus (E. G. Boulenger) X Hyperolius cinctiventris Cope X X X X X Hyperolius cinnamomeo-ventris Bocage X Hyperolius concolor (Hallowell) X X X X X X Hyperolius fasciatus (Ferreira) X Hyperolius ferniquei (Mocquard) X Hyperolius fimbriolatus Buchholz and Peters X X Hyperolius fiavoviri dis Peters X Hyperolius fulvovitt atus Cope X X Forest Open Country Species .2 SI" 11 CLlO 55 1 o u o 0. 0, o te a o o o o "o c s g < < o Hyperolius fusdgula Bocage X X X X Hyperolius fusciventris Peters X X Hyperolius granulatus (Boulenger) X Hyperolius guttatus Peters X X Hyperolius guttulatus Giinther ? Hyperolius horstockii (Schlegel) X Hyperolius lagoensis (Giinther) X Hyperolius langi Noble X Hyperolius marmoratus Rapp X X X X X X X Hyperolius microps Giinther ? X X ? Hyperolius molleri (Bedriaga) X Hyperolius nasutus Giinther X X X X X Hyperolius ocellatus Giinther X X X Hyperolius osorioi (Ferreira) X Hyperolius oxyrhynchus (Boulenger) X Hyperolius pachydermus (Werner) X Hyperolius phantasticus (Boulenger) X X Hyperolius piduratus Peters X X X X Hyperolius platycephalus (Pfeffer) X Hyperolius platyceps (Boulenger) X X Hyperolius platyrhinus (Procter) X Hyperolius pleurotsenius (Boulenger) X X Hyperolius pliciferus (Bocage) X Hyperolius punctulatus (Bocage) X Hyperolius pusillus (Cope) X X X X X X Hyperolius quinquevittatus Bocage X X Hyperolius rhodoscelis (Boulenger) X Hyperolius riggenbachi (Xieden) X Hyperolius salinae (Bianconi) X Hyperolius sansibaricus (Pfeffer) X Hyperolius seabrai (Ferreira) X Hyperolius sordidus (Fischer) X X X Hyperolius spurrelli (Boulenger) X Hyperolius steindachnerii Bocage X X X Hyperolius sugiUatus Cope X Hyperolius symetricus (Mocquard) X Hyperolius thomensis Bocage X Hyperolius toulsonii Bocage X Hyperolius tristis Bocage X X Hyperolius tuberilinguis Smith X Hyperolius undulatus (Boulenger) X X Hyperolius vermiculatus (Pfeffer) X Hyperolius viridiflavus (Dumeril and Bibron) X 253 254 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX H3rperolius concolor (Hallowell) Plate XXXIX, Figure 3 Ixalus concolor Hallowell, 1844, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Philadelphia, p. 60 (type locality: Liberia). Rappia concolor Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 124 (Gold Coast, Shire Valley and Portuguese East Africa: Quilimane). Fischer, 1884, Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., I, p. 27 (vicinity of Naivasha Lake). MtJLLER, 1890, Verh. Naturf. Ges. Basel, VIII, p. 257 (Zanzibar). Boulenger, 1891, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 308 (Shire Valley). Matschie, 1892, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 110 (German East Africa); 1893, Mitt. Deutsch. Schutz- gebieten, VI, p. 215 (Togoland); 1894, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 88,(Niemps, British East Africa). Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 173 (Angola: Duque de Braganga, Huilla, Caconda, Rio Quando and Bihe); 1896, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, pp. 101 and 211 (Mozambique and Angola: Hanha). Tornier, 1896, 'Kriechthiere Deutsch Ost-Af rikas, ' p. 146 (part: German East Africa). MocQUARD, 1897, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 19 (Lambarene, Gaboon). Boulenger, 1901, Ann. Mus. Congo, (1) II, fasc. 1, p. 2 (Lake Moero). Bocage, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 54 (Prince's Island). Boulenger, 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 165 (Prince's Island, St. Thomas and Portuguese Guinea: Bolama). Andersson, 1907, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LX, p. 237 (Bibundi, Cameroon). Boulenger, 1908, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) IV, p. 6 (Sesse Islands); Ann. Natal Mus., I, p. 223 (Zulu- land: Lower Umbiluzi); 1909, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) IV, p. 304 (Sesse Islands). Roux, 1910, Rev. Suisse Zool., XVIII, p. 102 (Bukoba, German East Africa). Andersson, 1911, Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XLVII, No. 6, p. 32 (Mount Kenia). Hewitt, 1911, Rec. Albany Mus., II, p. 223 (partial summary of above locahties). Lampe, 1911, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LXIV, p. 78 (Bibundi and Isongo, Cameroon). Peracca, 1912, Ann. Mus. Zool. Univ. Napoh, (2) III, No. 25, p. 8 (Rhodesia: Lake Bangueolo). Boettger, 1913, in Voeltzkow, 'Reise in Ostafrika,' III, p. 346 (Zanzibar). NiEDEN, 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berhn, VII, p. 375. Chabanaud, 1919, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, p. 456 (Agouagon, Dahomey). Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Et. Hist, et Sci. A. O. F., p. 457 (French Guinea and Liberia: sev- eral locahties). Fifty-four specimens: thirty-two from Vankerckhovenville, April 1912; five from Garamba in April, three in May and one in June 1912; one from Faradje in February and another in April 1911; four from the same locality in March, and two in October 1912; three from Niangara, June 1913; and two from Poko, August 1913. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 9984- 9999, 10800-10837.) Distribution. — The systematic status of H. concolor is very un- satisfactorj'-, making the reported distribution of the species equally puzzling. The American Museum expedition found the species only in the open country lying to the north of the forest. The species is typically a savannah form with an extreme range in the Sudan, East Africa, and Angola and with reported occurrences in the Rain Forest. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 255 Relations. — Our specimens average in coloration distinctly differ- ent from any described species of HyperoUus. Structurally they are identical with the type (A. N. S. P. 3216) of H. concolor; in the shape of the head, the extent of the digital webbing and the leg-length they agree entii-ely with it. The color of the type specimen has completely faded/ both dorsal and ventral surfaces being a uniform white. The original description of H. concolor is brief. A few of our specimens agree entirely with it but the majority are very different. A dorsolateral stripe of bluish gray and a fine speckling of dark brown appear in most of the specimens. The ground color is some tone of brown and not green as Boulenger (1882) has added to the description of the species. Mocquard (1897) has found a dorsolateral stripe in his specimens of H. concolor and Andersson (1907) mentions a speckling. Still, it seems obvious that several authors at least have not had the same species at hand when dis- cussing specimens which they referred to H. concolor. Our specimens are certainly very near to the type of that species, differing only in an incon- stant color feature. It is this inconsistency of the blue-gray dorsolateral line and dark speckling which prohibits the separating of our Sudanese specimens from typical H. concolor of Liberia. Judging only from the descriptions, I would be inclined to refer, first of all, E. balfouri to the synonymy of this species. H. sansibarica is supposed to differ from H. concolor in lacking the webs between the fingers. The webs are rudimentary but very distinct in our series of the latter species. H. salinx has been described with half-webbed fingers, but no other striking feature distinguishes it from H. concolor. Without an examination of the types of these related species, any change in the synonymy would lend further confusion, especially since many of the related species have been inadequately defined. Variation. — The series of thirty-two specimens taken at Van- kerckhovenville during April 19 12 shows a great range of variation, prac- tically as much as is exhibited by our entire series. The general color above varies from a yellowish gray to a dark chocolate-brown. The majority of the specimens have some indication of the slaty-blue dorso- lateral stripe. Nine of the thirty-two specimens lack the speckling above. Of these nine only two have no trace of the dorsolateral line and are therefore identical with the type of H. concolor as originally described (except for the ventral staining of the type) . The ventral surfaces of our >In this connection I may add that the type specimen of H. fulvovittatus, although still in the collec- tions of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, has become reduced to a few bones and frag- ments of white skin. 256 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX specimens are uniformly yellowish, sometimes stippled with brown on the chin. In a few of the specimens the abdomen and ventral surface of the legs are darker, but apparently due to discoloration. The variation occurring in life is well summed up in the field descrip- tion for five specimens (Nos. 10819-10823) from Garamba, taken April 14, 1912: '^ General color above pale buff to gray; iris pale bronzy to dark bronzy and showing considerable variegation in the same individual; dorsolateral stripes grayish green to dark gray; pads, underside of the thigh, outer side of the lower leg bright pinkish; ventral surface whitish." Habits. — Specimens taken during April, May and June show the greatest development of the ovaries. The breeding season may be an extended one. Of those stomachs examined only eight contained food. This con- sisted of 2 winged termites; 1 caterpillar, 1 moth; and fragments of various insects, mostly beetles. Hyperolius pusillus (Cope) Crumenifera pusilla Cope, 1862, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, p. 343 (type locality: Umvoti, Natal). Rappia pusilla Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. i27 (same locality, erroneously stated "Umvoti, West Africa")- Schilthuis, 1889, Tijd. Neder. Dier, Ver., (2) II, p. 286 (Boma, Belgian Congo). (Species doubtfully recorded.) Boulenger, 1890, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 324 (Brass, Niger). MIjller, 1890, Verh. Naturf. Ges. Basel, VIII, p. 688 (Brass, Nigeria). Sclater, 1899, Ann. S. African Mus., I, p. 108 (South Africa). Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 445 (Niger Delta to Gaboon). Mocquard, 1902, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, VIII, p. 410 (Gaboon). Andersson, 1905, Ark. Zool., Stock- holm, II, No. 20, p. 17 (Cameroon). Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berhn, III, p. 504 (Cameroon). Muller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 624 (Edea, Cameroon). Nieden, 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 61 (Cameroon). Hewitt, 1911, Rec. Albany Mus., II, pp. 210 and 224. Forty-one specimens: twenty-five from Garamba in May and six in June 1912; two from Faradje in April 1911; two from the same locality in March and one in October 1912; two from Vankerckhoven- ville, April 1912; one from Niangara, June 1913; one from Matadi, December 1914; and one from Zambi, June 1915. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 10838-10878.) Distribution. — Our specimens are all from the open country lying to the north or the south of the forest. The only Rain Forest specimens referred to H. pusillus which I have been able to examine are those recorded by Barbour (1911, p. 133) from Cameroon. At least one of these (M. C. Z. 2746) is identical with specimens I have considered H. 1924] Nohle, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 257 ocellatus and differ widely both in structure and color from the original description of H. pusillus. It seems to me that other forest records for that species ma}- prove referable to other species and that H. pusillus will be found to occur only in the open country. The present known range of H. pusillus extends from the Sudan to Natal. Relations. — H. pusillus is one of the least understood species of the genus. It was described as having an "incomplete" pattern, and many workers have referred to it their specimens which possessed only a partially developed pattern, although a larger series might have shown that they were not considering the same species. In our series of speci- mens, those of minimum coloration are inseparable from H. pusillus as originally described, but the highly colored specimens differ greatly from any described species. Our series exhibits a gradual change from a pale brownish ground color and dark frenal stripe characteristic of H. pusillus to a yellowish ground tone covered with evenlj^ spaced pink spots, then to a net pattern of black regularly arranged about the spots, and finally to almost a uniform black dorsal surface with only a slight indication of the pink spots, which in this stage appear very much like mould or growths of fungus. Our specimens agree entirely with H. pusillus structurally. The vocal sac in the male has the deep posterior pockets, but the !' median frenum '' is not always distinct. Except for the elaborate vocal apparatus with its broad gular disk the pale specimens in our series are identical with H. citrinus Giinther (1864, PI. xxvii, fig. 2). This species has been generall}^ referred to H. cinctiventris, from which it seems to differ in color. Although H. cinctiventris has been recorded by Giinther (1888) from the region where most of the above specimens were found, it is, nevertheless, unrepresented in our collection. With the extraordinarily great range of color variation exhibited by our series of H. pusillus, it is obvious that many described species may possibly be referable to this one. Shght differences appearing in the original descriptions would probably disappear in a large series of speci- mens, but lack of comparative material has prevented me from reducing the more questionable species to sjmonymy. H. pachydermus is credited with half-webbed fingers. The palest specimens in our series are other- wise identical with it. H. bayoni has brownish thighs, and it sometimes possesses a vertebral stripe. Still, it has many other features in common with H. pusillus. H. sordidus, recently recorded from the Ituri by Boulenger (1919), has the black streaking above of our highly colored specimens but it lacks the pink spots. H. platycephalus agrees very well 258 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX in color with one stage in our series but the species was described as having much longer legs than occur in our specimens. Finally. H. rho- doscelis is superficially very similar to certain of our specimens but it possesses a light dorsolateral stripe. Variation. — The main color changes exhibited by our series have been outlined above. In hfe the majority of the specimens were bright yellow with pinkish spots. A number were pale gray with a dusky tinge to the canthal region. The thighs and ventral surfaces of the appendages ranged from pinkish to scarlet. One of the darkest specimens (No. 10873) was described in the field as "blackish above with curious yellowish spots each with a dark center; sides and ventral surfaces of the body yellow- ish; thighs, digits and under surfaces of the appendages bright pinkish; iris dark bronzy." Habits.— Specimens taken at Vankerckhovenville in April and at Farad je in October 1912 were found in the grass bordering the swamps. Certain specimens taken at Garamba in May possessed the most highly developed sexual organs in our series, but other specimens from this same locality and taken the same time had their gonads in all stages of develop- ment. The breeding season may be irregular. In ten stomachs which contained food there were found eighteen winged ants and the fragments of a number of other insects. Hyperolius pleurotaenius (Boulenger) Plate XL, Figure 1 Rappia pleurotstnia Boulenger, 1906, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVII, p. 322 (type locality': Zima, Cameroon and Benito River, Spanish Guinea); 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 165 (Fernand-Vaz, French Congo). NiEDEN, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 504 (Ebolowa, Cameroon); 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 60 (Zima and Longji, Cameroon). Thirt3'-one specimens: fifteen from Medje in June and six in July 1914; two from the same locality in April-May and two in July 1910; three from Gamangui, February 1910; one from Bafwasende, September 1909; one from Stanlej^ville in August 1913 and one in April 1915. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 9950-^9980.) Distribution. — Although H. pleurotsenius was formerl}^ known only from the Cameroon-Gaboon area, the American Museum expedi- tion found it common in the Ituri. The species will probably be shown to have a wide range in the Rain Forest. Relations. — None of our specimens agree entirely with the original description of H. pleurotsenius for they lack the white spots above. 1924] Xoble, Herpelology of the Belgian Congo 259 Nieden (1910a) states that these spots may be present or absent. Our specimens agree in all other details with both Boulenger's and Nieden's descriptions. They can be referable to no other species. A combination of rudimentary web between the fingers, short legs, purplish ground tone, broad dorsolateral stripe which is often edged with a very dark border and spotted wath a similar tone distinguishes H. pleurotxnius from all other forest forms of Hyperolius. Variations. — Although our specimens have no well-defined white spots, the ground tone of purplish brown sometimes appears spotty, and in several of the specimens forms very distinct spots. The ground tone is sometimes very faint and the general color is yellowish instead of purplish brown. The light-colored specimens were greenish in life, the dark ones more brownish than purplish. The dorsolateral stripes were yellow and in several of the specimens, including the one photographed (Plate XL, fig. 1), vermilion spots were present on the anterior surface of the thighs. Habits. — A number of the specimens were taken on the forest floor. Only a few had been recently feeding, for only three stomachs of those examined contained food. This included 3 winged termites; 1 cater- pillar; 1 ant; and 1 beetle. Hyperolius nasutus Giinther Hyperolius nasutus Gunther, 1864, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 482, PI. xxxiii, fig. 3 (tjTje locality: Duque de Braganga). Rappia nasuta Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 127 (Duque de Braganga, Angola). Schilthuis, 1889, Tijd. Neder. Dier. Ver., (2) II, p. 285 (Boma, Belgian Congo). Gxjnther, 1893, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 619 (Xyasaland). Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 169 (Angola: Duque de Braganga, HuiUa and Caconda) ; 1896, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, p. 104 {Nyasa- land); 1.897, (2) IV, p. 204 (Angola). Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 110 (Angola: Bange Ngola and Canhoca); 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 169 (L^ganda: Bululo and Kabulamuliro). Hewitt, 1911, Rec. Albany Mus., II, part 3, p. 224 (Marandellas, Rhodesia). Hewitt AND Power, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 170 (Southern Rhodesia). Rappia puncticulata Pfeffer, 1893, Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., X, p. 99 (Zanzibar). LoNNBERG, 1910, in Sjostedt, 'Kilimandjaro-Meru Exp.,' I, part 4, p. 25 (Ki- bonoto, KiHmanjaro). Roux, 1910, Rev. Suisse. Zool., XVIII, p. 102 fJinga, Uganda. Xiedex, 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, VII, p. 375. Rappia papyri Werner, 1903, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), CXVI, part 1, p. 1903, PI. iv, fig. 14 (Sudan); 1912, in Brehm's 'Tierleben,' 4th Ed., IV, p. 322 (White Nile). Forty-one specimens: thirteen from Faradje, January 1913; ten from the same locality, December 1912; six from Garamba, May 1912, 260 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX and two from the same locality, March 1912; ten from Vankerckhoven- viUe, April 1912. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 9905-9945.) Distribution. — Hyperolius nasutus is a savannah species. Its range circumscribes the forest except in the northwest. Although appar- ently most abundant in the savannahs Ijdng within ten degrees of the equator, the species has been taken as far south as Southern Rhodesia. Relations. — A combination of small size, pointed snout, slender form, long hind legs and short webbing between the toes renders H. nasutus readily distinguishable from the other species of Hyperolius occurring in the Sudanese area. In H. nasutus the color-pattern, which is not strikingly different from that of several of the other species, is very often reduced or completely absent. Variation. — Variation in H. nasutus is not limited to color. The tibiotarsal articulation may reach only to the middle of the eye or it may extend to nearly the end of the snout. The webbing between the fingers is often scarcely noticeable, and the webbing between the toes generally extends to only half the length of the penultimate phalanges of the third and fifth toes, and to four-fifths the length of the antepenulti- mate of the fourth toe. All but four of our forty-one specimens have some indication of the white dorsolateral stripe. About half of them lack the dark stippling above. In alcohol the ground tones vary from a pale yellowish, greenish, or brownish. The series (Nos. 9936-9945) from Vankerckhovenville were described in the field as: "Ground tones varying from dark gray or brown to pale buff or greenish ; dorsolateral stripes golden ; ventral surfaces whitish or grayish." Habits. — All the specimens were taken in the vicinity of swamps. At Faradje they were found associated with Phrynobatrachus natalensis in the rank vegetation close to the water's edge. Of those stomachs examined, only seven contained food. This consisted mostly of ants, of which twenty-two workers were recogniz- able. Hyperolius marmoratus Rapp Hyperolius marmoratus Rapp, 1842, Arch. Naturg., part 1, p. 289, PI. vi, figs. 1 and 2 (type locality: Natal). Rappia marmorata Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 121 (part: Zambesi, Natal, Cape of Good Hope, Donda River, Gambia, West Africa, and Angola: Benguella, Huilla, and Ambris). Sauvage, 1884, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, IX, p. 201 (Majumba, French Congo). Muller, 1885, Verb. Naturf. Ges. Basel, VII, p. 671 (Liberia). Dollo, 1886, Bull. Mus. Roy. Hist. Nat. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 261 Belgique, IV, p. 152 (region of Lake Tanganyika). Schilthuis, 1889, Tijd. Neder. Dier. Ver., (2) II, p. 285 (Boma, Belgian Congo). Pfeffer, 1893, Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., X, p. 94 (Mozambique: Quilimane). Treviex, 1893, in Noble, 'Illustrated Official Handbook of the Cape and South Africa,' p. 87 (South Africa). GtJNTHER, 1895, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XV, pp. 526-527 (Uganda and Nj'asaland: Mandala). Bocage, 1896, Jorn Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, pp. 96, 113, and 211 (Portuguese Guinea, ^Mozambique, and Angola: Hanha). Werner, 1896, Jalu-b. Ver. Magdeburg, p. 148 (Natal). Boulenger, 1897, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XIX, p. 281 (Zambi, Belgian Congo); Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 800 (Northwest Nyasaland). Johnston, 1897, 'British Central Africa,' 1st Ed., p. 361a (Nyasaland). Sclater, 1898, Ann. S. African Mus., I, p. 108 (South Africa). Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 444 (Gaboon); 1901, Ann. Mus. Congo, (1) 11, fasc. 1, p. 2 (Lake Moero). Tornier, 1901, Zool. Anz., XXIV, p. 64 (Boma, Belgian Congo). Boulenger, 1902, in John- ston, 'Uganda Protectorate,' I, p. 447 (Uganda); Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 15 (Mashonaland); 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 109 (Angola: seven locahties); 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 165 (Bolama, Portuguese Guinea and Lambarene, French Congo); 1907, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p, 482 (Portuguese East Africa: Beira); 1908, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) IV, p. 6 (Sesse Islands; Victoria Nj^anza). Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berhn, III, p. 503 (Bipindi, Cameroon). Odhner, 1908, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, IV, No. 18, p. 7 (South Africa: Durban and Lake Sibayi). Peracca, 1909, in Abruzzi, 'II Ruwenzori,' Parte Scientifica, I, p. 177 (Fort Portal, East Africa). Boulenger, 1910. Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 530 (Sahs- hury, Southern Rhodesia; Delagoa Bay, Mozambique; Otjimbora, German Southwest Africa; Kentani, Port St. Johns, and Cape Peninsula, Cape Colony), Lonnberg, 1910, in Sjostedt, 'Kilimandjaro-Meru Exp.,' I, part 4, p. 24, PI. i (Kilimanjaro: Kibonoto). Meek, 1910, Publ. Field Mus. Zool., VII, p. 404 (British East Africa: Athi Plains and Lukenya). Nieden, 1910, 'Fauna Deut- schen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 59 (Bamenda, Cameroon); Arch. Naturg., LXXVI, part 1, p. 243, fig. 3 (Cameroon). Roux, 1910, Rev. Suisse Zool., XIII, p. 101 (Bukoba, German East Africa: Busoga and Njarugenje, Uganda). Barbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, LIV, No. 2, p. 134 (Anda, Lake Azingo, Gaboon). Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 168 (Uganda: five locahties). Hewitt, 1911, Ann. Transvaal Mus., Ill, part 1, p. 13; Rec. Albany Mus., II, pp. 210 and 223 ("West .Africa, Congo, Angola, Abyssinia, East Africa and on the eastern side extending southwards as far as eastern Cape Colony"; seven localities enumerated in South Africa). Peracca, 1912, Ann. Mus. Zool. Univ. Napoli, (2) III, No. 25, p. 7 (North Rhodesia: Luangasci and Lake Bangweolo). HET\^TT and Power, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 170 (Southern Rhodesia). Nieden, 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Beriin, VII, p. 375. Chabanaud, 1919, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, pp. 456-7 (Agouagon, Dahomey; Ivory Coast near Mbayakio). Procter, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 417 (Basil and Nairobi, British East Africa). Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Et. Hist, et Sci. A. O. F., p. 458 (N'Zerekore, French Guinea and Samikole, Liberia). Rappia marmorata var. paralleliis Boettger, 1888, Ber. Senck. Ges., p. 96 (Vista, Ango-Ango and Lukvmgu, Lower and Middle Congo); 1892, 'Kat. Batr. Mus. 262 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Senck.,' p. 20 (localities of Boettger, 1888). Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 164 (Chinchoxo and the Lower Congo; also Bocage's localities for var. insig- nis). Werner, 1896, Jahrb. Ver. Magdeburg, p. 148 (Natal). Rappia marmorata var. marginata Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 164 (Duque de Braganc^a, Angola). Rappia marmorata var. taeniolata Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 164 (Duque de Braganga, Huilla, Caconda, and Cohata, Angola). Ferreira, 1898, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) V, p. 241 (Caconda, Angola). Rappia marmorata var. huillensis Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 164 (Huilla, Cahata, Quindumbo, and Bihe, Angola). Ferreira, 1898, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) V, p. 241 (Caconda, Angola). Rappia marmorata var. variegata Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 164 (Cohata and Quindumbo, Angola). Rappia marmorata var. insignis Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 164 (St. Sal- vador du Congo, Quanza, Novo Redondo, and Dombe, Angola); 1896, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, p. 80 (Bolama, Portuguese Guinea). Ferreira, 1906, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VH, p. 160 (Cambondo and Quilombo, Angola). One specimen from Zambi, and one from Matadi, June 1915. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 9903-9904.) Distribution. — These two specimens, which are typical H. parallelus of Giinther and "variety" parallelus of several authors, are very Hkely not conspecific with many of the specimens referred to in the above literature. Whether they be considered a subspecies of H. marmoratus or simply a color form appearing most often in our region, the statement made long ago by Boettger (1888) would apply equally well today for the distribution of this parallelus group of H. marmoratus (translation) : This variety appearing very constantly in the Lower Congo extends along the West Coast from the Cape, from where Giinther received his specimens, across Angola at least to Chinchoxo in Loango. The species itself is distributed in numerous color forms, which often have received special names, over the whole of tropical Africa from Senegal and Gambia on one side to Abyssinia on the other and appears also to dwell in one part of subtropical South Africa, in Natal and Cape Colony. It is a significant fact that the American Museum expedition did not meet with H. marmoratus in the Ituii. Relations. — Because of the undoubted variability of H. marmoratus and the less certain variability of many other species, many authors have referred their uncertain specimens to this species. The several specimens of H. marmoratus in the Museum of Comparative Zoology and the Ameri- can Museum from regions other than the Lower Congo are so totally different in coloration from our series that it seems absurd to refer our specimens to the same species. Our specimens are undoubtedly identi- cal with Giinther's H. parellelus and only a large series of specimens from 1924] Xoble, Herpetohgy of the Belgian Congo 263 South Africa can determine the identity of Giinther's species with H. niannoratus of Rapp. Variation. — Our two specimens are nearly identical in coloration, differing only in the abundance of spots on the appendages. They agree very well with Giinther's figure (1858, PI. viii, fig. a). They are both sexually immature females measuring 28 and 33 mm. respectively from snout to vent. Habits. — Nothing is known of the conditions under which our two specimens were taken. Only one stomach contained food. This consisted of fragments of an unidentifiable grasshopper. Hyperolius picturatus Peters Plate XL, Figure 3 Hyperolius picturatus Peters, 1875, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 206, PI. ii, fig. 2 (type locality: Victoria, Cameroon). Rappia picturatus Matschie, 189.3, ^Slitt. Deutsch. Schutzgebieten, VI, p. 215 (Togoland). Werner, 1898, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVIII, p. 195 (Cameroon). Boulenger, 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. St or. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 165 (St. Thomas and French Congo: Fernand-Vaz and Lambarene). Barbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, LIV, No. 2, p. 133 (Anda, Lake Azingo, Gaboon). Boettger, 1913, in Voeltzkow, 'Reise in Ostafrika,' III, p. 349 (Pemba Island). Boulen-ger, 1919. Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, fasc. 1, p. 10 (Medje, Belgian Congo). Rappia ynarmorata Boulenger, (?) 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 122 (part: Cameroon). Fifty-six specimens : twenty-two from Medje in June 1914 ; five from the same locality in July and one in August 1914; five from the same locality in April-^May 1910; seventeen from Gamangui in February 1910; two from Vankerckhovenville in April 1912; and one from each of the following localities: Garamba, May 1912; Niangara, November 1910; Bafwasende, September 1909; and Avakubi, October 1909. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 9863-9899; 9901-9902.) Distribution. — H. picturatus has very probably been confused with several other species and its recorded range may not represent its actual distribution. H. picturatus is primarily a Rain Forest form, but how widely it occurs beyond the forest is unknown. Relations. — Our several specimens from beyond the limits of the forest are decidedly smaller at sexual maturity than the specimens from the Rain Forest. But in color, in proportions and in all structural char- acters they are identical with them. The specific limits of the numerous 264 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX species of Hyperolius are extremely variable and not well understood. It does not seem advisable to separate a species on size alone. Boulenger (1906) has commented on the close similarity of H. pic- turatus with H. concolor and H. fuscigula. The key characters which I have used above show little variation in our series. H. picturatus has much in common with H. fuscigula and may not be distinct from it. Without a large series of specimens of all the related species, it would be impossible to determine the true status of H. picturatus. Variation. — Our series exhibits an extraordinary uniformity in col- oration. The ground tone above varies from a pale straw-color to a dark bluish-green, but the pattern is essentially the same in all the specimens. The dorsal surface is always immaculate and sharply delimitated from the ventral color by an irregular dark line which is lateral and not dorso- lateral as in several other forest species. In life H. picturatus was either uniform green above or green tinged with yellow laterally. The anterior and posterior surfaces of the thighs were brilliant red in all. One specimen (No. 9890), a photograph of which is reproduced on Plate XL, fig. 3, was described in life as "green above, sides yellowish, a dark streak in front of the eye continued back along the abdomen and dividing the yellowish color of the sides from the creamy tint of the ventral surface ; front and rear surfaces of the thighs a bright red. Iris bronzy." Sexually mature females from Medje, taken in June 1914, average 32 mm. (maximum, 33 mm.; minimum. 31 mm.). On the other hand, a sexually mature female from Vankerckhovenville, taken in April 1922, measures only 20 mm. from snout to vent. I have indicated above that the last specimen may not be conspecific with the others, but there is no other character but size with which to distinguish it as a race. Habits. — At Medje, H. picturatus was often found resting on the plantain leaves; at Vankerckhovenville, it was taken in the papyrus swamps. The breeding season may occur in June. At least, the sex- ual organs of specimens taken during that month show the greatest development. Twelve stomachs of those examined contained food. The following assortment was recognizable: 4 flies (Lucilia ?); 3 worker ants; 1 roach; 1 gryllid; and fragments of membracids, beetles and numerous small leaf-hoppers. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 265 Hyperolius phantasticus (Boulenger) Rappia phantastica Boulenger, 1899, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) III, p. 274, PI. xi, fig. 2 (tjTie locality: Benito River, Spanish Guinea); 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 444 (same locality); 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 165 (Fernand-Vaz, French Congo). Muller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 624 (Edea, Cameroon). Nieden, 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 61 (Edea, Cameroon). Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, fasc. 1, p. 10 (Stanleyville, Belgian Congo). Two specimens from :Me(lje, April 1914. (A. N. H. N. Nos. 9981- 9982.) Distribution. — H. phantasticus is a forest species, already recorded from the Upper Congo by Boulenger (1919). Our two specimens from Medje now add an Ituri locality to its range, which very probably extends widely through the forest. Relations. — Both of our specimens lack the bright colors char- acteristic of H. phantasticus, but both have the vertical loreal region and half -webbed fingers of that species. Boulenger (1899a) has stated the close affinity between H. phantasticus and H. steindachnerii. Although the latter species has been recorded (Boulenger, 1919) from the locality w^here our tw^o specimens were taken, our specimens are certainly not referable to that species. In head-form and type of color-pattern our specimens do not agree. I have examined fifteen specimens of H. stein- dachnerii from Kribi and Ja River, Cameroon. No specimens in our collection from the Ituri have the ventral spotting of that species. In the larger of our two specimens which I have referred to H. phantasticus, color is present dorsally in zones as described for H. phantasticus and not in spots as I have observed in H. steindachnerii. Bright colors are often variable in batrachians. The type of color-pattern of our specimens agrees with H. phantasticus and there are no sti-uctural characters to distinguish these specimens from it. If not identical with H. phantasticus, our specimens are more closely related to it than to an^- other species of Hyperolius now described. Variation.- — The dorsal colors of the larger of our two specimens are not bright yellow and red, as described for H. phantasticus, but dull greenish yellow and purphsh brown. The yellowish tone is much more extensive on the head than in the type of H. phantasticus. The distribu- tion of the light and dark areas ventrally in our larger specimen is very much as described for H. phantasticus but the dark tone is not black but purplish brown, slightly darker than the purplish tone above. In life some black was present but the predominating tones were purplish brown on a yellowish ground. 266 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX The smaller specimen has a somewhat different coloration from the larger. The ground tone is the same dull greenish-yellow, but only a slight tinge of purple is visible on the back and tip of the snout. In life there was a slight indication of a pale dorsolateral stripe. The colors in life were much the same as in alcohol, no bright reds or yellows being present. Habits. — Nothing is known of the habits of H. phantasticus. The larger of our specimens is a sexually mature male, 27 mm. from snout to vent. It may have been breeding, for its vocal sac is greatly distended. The stomachs of both of our specimens were empty. Hyperolius langi, new species Plate XXXIX, Figure 1 A single adult 9 , Niapu, January 1914. (A. M. N. H. No. 9983.) Distribution. — The species is known only from the type. Diagnostic Chaeacters. — Outer fingers one-third, toes nearly completely webbed; tibiotarsal articulation extending to half the distance between the eye and the nostril; dorsal surface very finely granular. Reddish brown above, a yellowish canthal streak broadening out into a wide spot in the scapular region; a sprinkling of yellowish spots on the distal portions of the tibia; concealed surfaces yellowish. Type. — The only specimen secured. Description of Type Specimen. — Head broader than the body; broader than long; snout subacuminate, equal in length to the greatest diameter of the eye; the profile of the tip vertical, canthus rostralis distinct; loreal region slightly oblique, concave; nostril nearly at the end of the snout; interorbital space one and a third times the greatest diameter of the upper eyelid; tympanum hidden. Outer fingers one-third webbed (half the length of the penultimate phalanges of the two outer digits). Third and fifth toes webbed nearly to the disks, fourth toe to the base of the penultimate phalanx; tibiotarsal articulation extending midway between the eye and the end of the snout; heels well overlapping when the folded legs are held at right angles to the body; breadth of the tibia contained four and a half times in its length; tibia contained nearly two times in the head and body length; subarticular and metatarsal tubercle well-developed. Skin very finely granular above, throat smooth, belly coarsely granular, no fold across the chest. Reddish brown above, lighter below; an indistinct stripe of pale yellow along the canthus rostralis, through the eye and widening out to a broad spot on the scapular region. Portions of the appendages, which are concealed when the legs are folded, flesh color; a few indistinct spots of yellow on the distal portions of the tibia. In life the ground tone more brown, less red than in the preserved specimen; the light pattern yellowish and much more distinct ; lower surfaces greenish, translu- cent, the throat lighter; iris bronzy. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 267 Measurements Snout to Vent 30 mm, Width of Head 30 " Foreleg 19 " Hing Leg (Vent to Tip of Longest Toe) 47 " Tibia 16 " Relatioxs. — H. langi differs from all the other species of Hyperolius in color-pattern. The dark ground tone with a light canthal stripe broadening out on the scapular region is not found in any other species. H. lan^i has some resemblance to H. aylmeri. In the key it falls nearest H. bocagei. Habits. — The stomach of our single specimen contained nothing but a single ant. Hyperolius ocellatus Giinther Plate XXXIX, Figure 2 Hyperolius ocellatus Gunther, 1858, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 88, PI. vii, fig. B (type localities: Fernando Po and Angola). Rappia ocellata Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 125 (same localities) BocAGE, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola.' p. 165 (same localities). Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 444 (same localities). Bocage, 1903, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 45 (Fernando Po). Andersson, 1905, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, II, No. 20, p. 17 (Cameroon). Boulenger, 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Geneva, (3) II, p. 165 (Fernando Po). Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 503 (Cameroon and Fernando Po); 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 60, fig. 127 (Bibundi, Cameroon). Barbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, LIV, No. 2, p. 133 (Bitye, Ja River, Cameroon). Lampe, 1911, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LXIV, p. 78 (Bibundi and Isongo, Cameroon) . Rappia pusilla B.^rbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, LIV, No. 2, p. 133 (Efulen, Cameroon). (Not of Cope 1862.) Four specimens: one from Niapu in January; two from Medje in June and one in July 1914. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 9946-9949.) Distribution. — The occurrence of H. ocellatus in the Ituri, although not unexpected, is of interest because of the rarity of the species in collec- tions. H. ocellatus is apparently a forest form and its reported occurrence in Angola requires confirmation. Relations. — At least one of our specimens is identical with a specimen (M. C. Z. 2649) from Bitye, Ja River, Cameroon, referred by Barbour (1911) to H. ocellatus and probably originally identified as such by Boulenger. All of our specimens are very similar to this one, and all differ from the type specimens as originally described in that they lack the white outlines to the dorsal spots, and the brown marblings to the 268 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX sides of the body. Further, the fingers are more nearly half than two- thirds webbed. Nevertheless, after the variation we have seen in other species of Hyperolius, I do not believe that the specimens from the Ja River and the Ituri are specifically separable from the types of H. ocel- latus, described from Fernando Po and Angola. VARiATiON.^In all four specimens the tibiotarsal articulation ex- tends beyond the eye, and the fingers are at least half webbed. Colora- tion, also, shows little variation. The ground tone is uniformly pink, in alcohol, and the spots are black. The distribution of these spots an- teriorly and their fading out posteriorly is well shown in the photograph (Plate XXXIX, fig. 2). The specimen photographed was described in Mfe as "dull milky white with a tinge of pinkish or bluish; many round black spots on the back and forelimbs; throat chrome yellow; rest of ventral surface translucent, tinged with green; iris golden. Ground tone while under observation changing from white to bluish, and from pink to yellowish." Habits. — Nothing is known of the habits of this species of Hyperolius. Only two stomachs contained food, and this was very frag- mentary, consisting mostly of pieces of beetle elytra. Hyperolius acutirostris Buchholz and Peters Plate XL, Figure 2 Hyperolius acutirostris Buchholz and Peters, 1875, in Peters, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 207 (type locality' : Cameroon). Rappia acutirostris Tornier, 1896, 'Kriechthiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 154 (Cameroon). Werner, 1898, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XL VIII, p. 194 (Cameroon). Andersson, 1905, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, II, No. 20, p. 17 (Cameroon). Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 504 (Cameroon); 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 60 (Cameroon). Despax, 1911, in Cottes, 'Mission Cottes au Sud-Cameroun,' p. 242 (Gaboon). Lampe, 1911, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LXIV, p. 214 (Cameroon: Bibundi and Isongo). Rappia tuberculata Mocqtjard, 1897, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 18 (Lower Ogowe, Gaboon); Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, p. 55 (Lower Ogowe, Gaboon). Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 444 (Ogowe River, Gaboon). MxJLLER, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 KL, XXIV, p. 624 (Cameroon). Boulenger, 1912, in Talbot, 'In the Shadow of the Bush,' p. 470 (Nigeria). Thirty-three specimens : fourteen from Medje in June and eleven in July 1914; one from the same locality in May, four in July, one in August and one in September 1910; one from Bafwasende, September 1909. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 9813-9845.) Distribution. — H. acutirostris was formerly known only from the Cameroon-Gaboon area and Nigeria. Our large series from the Ituri 1924] Xoble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 269 shows that the species must be equally abundant at the eastern end of the Rain Forest. Our series adds another species to the list of batrachians which range thi'oughout the forest at least as far west as Nigeria. Relations. — Of the many species of Hyperolius which have been described and which I have recognized in the above table as actually distinct, onlj^ three have been described as possessing a well-developed digital web and a symmetrical pattern consisting of an interorbital bar and a more or less median pattern. In the key I have distinguished H. acutirosfris from the other two species of this group by its longer hind limbs. In some of the specimens of H. aciitirostris the tibiotarsal articu- lation reaches only to the anterior border of the eye. But the species may be distinguished from H. symetricus by its longer snout (longer than the eye) and from H. undulatus by the presence of a partial gular disk in the male. Further, the two latter species are East African while H. acuti- rostris is known only from the Rain Forest. The orange, or bright flesh- color, tinge serves as a ready means of distinguishing H. acutirostris from the other species in our collection. Its color-pattern is also unique in our series, but this color-pattern is not always present. A large per- centage of the specimens, doubtlessly referable to H. acutirostris, are nearly a uniform flesh-color above and below. There is nothing in the original description of H. tuherculatus to separate it from H. acutirostris. The range of the two species overlap and I see no reason for keeping the two species distinct. Variation. — The majority of our specimens are nearly smooth. The most granular are those with the greatest development of color pattern. The variation in color-pattern is well illustrated in a series (Nos. 9826-9836) from Medje, all taken in July 1914. In the specimen (No. 9826) with the most complete pattern the interorbital spot is in the form of a triangle directed backward; a dark area behind the shoulder is formed bj' the confluence of two undulating bands which form a zig- zag pattern on each side of the upper surface; a dark bar across the thighs, two across the feet, one across the forearms, and another across the hands, stand out in sharp contrast to the pale reddish ground- tones. The ventral surface is immaculate. The specimens in the series may be arranged to represent stages in the reduction of the pattern. In the first stage the undulating bands break up into a series of segments. Of these the most pronounced is the interorbital triangle, a spot in the scapular region, a pair of spots behind the shoulder, and a pair of spots in the sacral region. A dark area remains above each arm. The final 270 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX stage is a complete loss of the dark pattern, the whole upper surface be- coming flesh-color. Under the lens, contracted chromatophores may be distinguished. They give the whole dorsal surface a slightly darker tinge than the ventral surface. In some cases the pattern has not been re- duced (or produced) evenly. One specimen (No. 9834), in addition to a reduced pattern, is covered above with a number of fine dark dots. The specimens have changed but little in preservation. In life the ground tone was generally a reddish brown, although in a few it was tinged with green. The appendages, especially the webs, were suffused with pink. One specimen (No. 9825) may be taken as typical for the species. It was described as "reddish brown above, lighter on the sides; yellowish on the throat; reddish on the appendages, especially their lower surfaces; a dark spot on the crown; another behind the shoulder; another on the sacral region and several across the appendages; these dark marks not very conspicuous. Iris dark gray, nearly black." Habits. — Nothing is known of the habits of this species. It is inferred from an examination of the gonads of our large series that the breeding season may occur in June, at least at Medje. Only two stomachs contained food. This consisted of the fragments of several insects. • Megalixalus Giinther The comparison of the osteology of two species of this genus with that of a number of species of Hyperolius has not revealed any important differences. Megalixalus may be defined as Hyperolius with a vertical pupil. The twelve recognizable species of the genus may be distin- guished by the following key. Ci. — Toes two-thirds webbed or more (not more than a single phalanx of the third and fifth digit and two phalanges of the fourth free) . bi. — Tympanum distinct. Ci.- — Tibiotarsal articulation reaching end of snout; color above yellowish brown with dark confluent spots on appendages and posterior parts of back M. pantherinus. Ci. — Tibiotarsal articulation reaching eye.- di. — Fingers with short web continued as a seam to disks; brownish above thickly stippled with black M. lindholmi. d2. — Fingers nearly free, no seam. ei. — Uniform brownish above M. immacidatus. eo.- — Upper parts dark violet, with round yellow spots. M. flavomaculatus. bz. — Tympanum hidden. Ci.- — Spinous warts present on dorsal surface of the bodj' or on upper surface of snout alone. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 271 di. — Spines restricted to snout, fingers nearly free M. spinifrons. di. — Spines most numerous posteriorly, fingers two-thirds or more webbed M. spinosus. Co. — Skin smooth or shghtly granular above. di. — Three light bands extending length of back, never confluent; adult females not over 30 nun. in length M. leptosomus. di. — Two light bands on back confluent or broken in sacral region; adult females over 30 mm. in length M. fornasinii. dz. — Pale brown above, with a faintly marked band, commencing on snout and progressively widening on the back . . . .M. loveridgii. 02. — Toes less than two-thirds webbed. fei. — Digital disks small M. gramineus. bi. — Digital disks large. Ci. — Grayish above with two brown fines along back M. brax:hycnemis . C2. — Grayish above stippled with red, four longitudinal brown lines con- verging on head M. vittiger. Megalixalus spinosus (Buchholz and Peters) Plate XLI, Figure 2 Hyperolius spinosus Buchholz and Petees, in Peters, 1875, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berfin, p. 208, PI. i, fig. 3 (type locaUty: Cameroon). Megalixalus spinosus Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 130 (Cameroon). Werner, 1898, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVIII, p. 196 (Cameroon). Boulenger, 1903, Mem. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat., I, p. 64 (Cape St. John, Spanish Guinea). Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 504 (Fernando Po and Cameroon: Victoria and Bipindi); 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 58, fig. 124 (Cameroon: Victoria and Johann-Albrecht- sthohe). Lampe, 1911, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LXIV, p. 215 (Bibundi, Cameroon). Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, fasc. 1, p. 10 (Medje, Belgian Congo). Two specimens, cf and 9 , from Medje, June 1914. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 9400-9401.) Distribution. — Boulenger (1919) has already remarked upon the occurrence of this typical Cameroon form in the Ituri. The singular form of M. spinosus would lead us to expect that the species was confined to the forest. Relations. — In spite of its extraordinarily produced head, extended webs, and roughened skin, M. spinosus shows close affinity to other species of Megalixalus in its internal structure. The omosternum is not so widely forked as in M. fornasinii, and the claw-shaped terminal phalanges are decidedly more blunt at the tips, but on the whole the species is internally a typical Megalixalus. Variation. — It is only the male of our two specimens which has along the ventral surface of the tarsus the enlarged horny spines com- 272 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX mented upon by several authors. I strongly suspect these tarsal spurs are characteristic of only the male sex. Both of our specimens are sexually mature, apparently breeding, and yet, oddly enough, the male is a httle larger than the female, being 38.5 mm. (from snout to vent) as against 37 mm. Another feature which I take to be a secondary sexual character of the male is a pair of gular glands, one below each angle of the jaw. These are ovoid in shape, 3X5 mm. in size, of the same color as the throat, and without any indication of excrescencies. They deserve histological com- parison with the brachial glands of Leptopelis rufus and L. aubryi. The female specimen is grayer than the male and more heavily marbled with black; the dorsal spines are less prominent and are not disinctively colored as in the male (in alcohol) . The latter was described in the field as "translucent green above, with many rounded protuber- ances often of a lighter shade; dark gray on the snout; a blackish inter- orbital bar of triangular form, the point directed posteriorly; a black- ish triangular mark in the shoulder region pointing forward ; a large dark blotch in the sacral region; all these dark markings more or less con- nected by a fine reticulation of same color; sides of the body grayish clouded with a darker tone; ventral surface whitish, heavily marbled with gray." Habits. — Both specimens were taken by natives, the male between the stones bordering a forest brook. The female contained in her ovaries a small number of very large eggs (over 3 mm. in diameter). They were pigmented at one pole. Future field work will probably reveal that M. spinosus has a peculiar life history. Nearly all frogs with large eggs have an abbreviated larval life, but in all the other cases of heavily yolked eggs, with which I am familiar, the eggs in the ovarium are unpigmented Both stomachs contained a small amount of food. This consisted of the fragments of several insects and a syrphid fly larva (Eristalis) . Megalixalus leptosomus (Peters) HyperoUiis leptosomus Peters, 1877, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 619, fig. 5 (type locality: Chinchoxo, Portuguese Cor go). Megalixalus leptosomus Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 129 (same locality). Tornier, 1896, ' Kriechthiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 157 (Island of Zanzibar and German East Africa: Tanga and Undussuma). Mocquard, 1897, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (8) IX, p. 19 (Gaboon: Lambaren^). Tornier, 1897, Arch. Naturg., LXIII, part 1, p. 66 (German East Africa). Vaillant, 1904, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, X, p. 436 (Senegal: Douma). Boettger, 1913, in Voeltzkow, 'Reise in Ostafrika,' III, p. 362 (Usambara). Chabanaud, 1924] N'oble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 273 1919, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, pp. 456-7 (Agouagon, Dahomey). Chaba- NAUD, 1921, Bull. Com. Et. Hist, et Sci. A. O. F., p. 459 (French Guinea and Liberia; several localities). Megalixalus stuhlmannii Pfeffer, 1893 (for 1892), Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., X, part 1, p. 99 (Zanzibar). Megalixalus leptosomus quadrinttatus Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), CXVI, part 1, p. 1900 (Sudan: Khor Attar). Megalixalus vittiger Barbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, LIV, No. 2, p. 134 (Bitye, Cameroon). (Not of Peters.) Megalixalus for nasinii Nieden, 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, VH, p. 372 (part: German East Africa). (Not of Bianconi.) Nine specimens: three from Faradje, December 1911, one Sep- tember and one December 1912; one from Stanleyville, August 1909; one from Garamba, March 1911; one from Vankerckhovenville, April 1912; and one from Medje, July 1914. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 9402-9410.) Distribution. — The range of M. leptosomus presents an anomaly. While it is highly probable that the species has been confused with M. fornasinii, this confusion would not account for the almost undoubted occurrence of the species in two such dissimilar habitats as the Gaboon and Sudan areas. Our specimens were taken in such scattered localities in both the Rain Forest and Sudanese savannahs that it is apparent that factors other than hydrographic and vegetational ones govern the distribution of the species. Relations. — The literature cited in the above synonymy does not include all the references to M. leptosomus, but only those which I am able to judge actually apply to that species. M. leptosomus has been confused with M. fornasinii by many authors. Nieden (1915), after reviewing the discussion, concludes that the two species are identical. I agree with Nieden that the characters formerly used for separating the two species are of little or no value, but I cannot admit that our series of M. leptosomus shows any intergradation to the distinctly larger and very differently colored M. fornasinii. The two sexually mature males in our series measure from snout to vent 22.5 mm. (No. 9404) and 25 mm. (No. 9402), respectively; the three adult females, 28 mm. (No. 9405), 25 mm. (No. 9408), and 26 mm. (No. 9409), respectively. As I have indicated in the key, these specimens differ decidedly from M. fornasinii in color- pattern. I feel certain that our specimens are identical with Werner's M. I. quadrivittatus from farther north in the Sudan. There is nothing in Peters' original description or figure of M. leptosomus to distinguish our specimens from the type of that species. Werner compares his race with East African specimens, but it appears from his remarks that 274 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX these specimens were actually referable to M. fornasinii and not to M. leptosomus. Variation. — One of the characters used by Boulenger (1882) and others to distinguish the two species was the presence or absence of tubercles on the dorsal surface. It has been pointed out by Werner (1898) and Nieden (1915) that M. fornasinii shows considerable variation in this respect. In AI. leptosomus I find that it is only the female and immature specimens which are smooth above ; sexually mature males are covered dorsally with extremely fine but sharply pointed tubercles. A large series would probably show some variation in this respect (e.g., as in Chiromafitis) but for the present we may consider these tubercles char- acteristic in M. leptosomus of only the breeding male. Our series shows little variation in color and I have employed pattern as a distinguishing character of this species as of many species of the re- lated genus Hijperolius. As Werner (1907) has pointed out, the light stripes are not silvery in life but are reddish brown; the dark stripes, a dark reddish or purplish. Habits. — The majority of our specimens were taken in the vicinity of papyrus swamps. Werner (1907) found his specimens under similar conditions. The specimen (No. 9405) taken at Stanleyville was found on the forest floor. The three specimens (Nos. 9408-9410) taken at Faradje in February 1911 "were found sitting in the hollow trunk of a rotten papaw tree which was lying on the ground." Vaillant (1904) has reported that McClaud found in February at Douma, Casamance (Senegal), in the internode of a green bamboo about thirty estivating frogs of this species. The specimens taken at Faradje during the same month were apparently not estivating but simply passing the day in hiding. Only two stomachs contained food, and in these stomachs only 2 spiders and 1 hemipteron were recognizable. Megalixalus fornasinii (Bianconi) Plate XLI, Figure 1 Euchnemis fornasinii Bianconi, 1850, 'Spec. Zool. Mosamb., Rept.,' fasc. 2, p. 23, PI. V, fig. 1 (type locality : Mozambique). Megalixalus fornasiniiBovh'E'NGEH, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 130 (Mozam- bique, Shire Valley, Zanzibar, and Lake Nyasa). Peters, 1882, 'Reise nach Mossambique,' III, p. 160, PI. xxiv, fig. 2, PI. xxvi, fig. 6 (Boror and Inhambane, Mozambique). Pfeffer, 1889, Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., VI, part 2, p. 10 (German East Africa: Mhonda and Kingani). Boulenger, 1890, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) VI, p. 93 (Ugogo, German East Africa). MiJLLER, 1890, Verb. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 275 Naturf. Ges. Basel, VIII, p. 257 (Zanzibar). Boulenger, 1891, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 308 (Shire Valley and Lake Nyasa). Boettger, 1892, 'Kat. Batr, Mus. Senck.,' p. 21 (Mozambique). Pfeffer, 1893, Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., X, p. 99 (German East Africa: Kingani, Mhonda, and Unguu). Gunther, 1894, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 88 (British East Africa: Ngatana). Bocage, 1896,, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, p. 101 (Mozambique). Tornier, 1896, 'Kriech- thiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 156 (Zanzibar and German East Africa: Tanga, Dar-es-Salaam, and certain locahties given above). GtJNXHER, 1897, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 801 (Nyasaland). Johnston, 1897, 'British Central Africa,' 1st Ed., p. 361a (Nyasaland). Tornier, 1897, Arch. Naturg., LXIII, part 1, p. 66 (German East Africa). Werner, 1898, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVIII, p. 195 (Cameroon). MocQrARD, 1899, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, V, p. 219 (Zambezi). Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 445 ("Gold Coast to Congo, Nyasaland, East Africa from the Zanzibar Coast to Delagoa Bay"). Nickel, 1901, Hehos, XVIII, p. 72 (German East Africa). Andersson, 1905, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, II, No. 20, p. 18 (Cameroon). Boulenger, 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Geneva, (3) II, p. 166 (Fernando Po; Cameroon: Buea; and French Congo: Fernand Vaz and Lambarene). Andersson, 1907, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LX, p. 238, figs. 1-3 (Bibundi, Cameroon). Moc- QUARD, 1908, in Fo^, 'Result. Sci. Voyages en Afrique d'Edouard Foa,' p. 558 (Plain of the Zambezi). Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berhn, III, p. 504 (Fernando Po and Cameroon: Victoria and Bipindi). Boulenger, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 531 (Tropical Africa and Portuguese East Africa). Lonn- BERG, 1910, in Sjostedt, 'Kihmandjara-Meru Exp.,' I, part 4, p. 25 (Mombo, German East Africa). Muller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. .\kad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 625 (Edea Cameroon). Nieden, 1910, 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (1) Heft 2, p. 58, figs. 121-123 (Cameroon: Bibundi, Victoria, and Bipindi). Barbour, 1911, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, LIV, No. 2, p. 134 (Lake .\sebbe, Gaboon, and Efulen, Cameroon). Lampe, 1911, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LXIV, p. 215 (Cameroon: Bibundi, Isongo, and Mowange). Hewitt, 1911, Rec. Albany Mus., II, p. 224 (Distribution of Boulenger, 1900). Boettger, 1913, in Voeltzkow, 'Raise in Ostafrika.,' Ill, pp. 346 (Zanzibar). Hewitt, 1913, Ann. Natal Mus., II, p. 479 (part: Marianhill, Natal). Nieden, 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berhn, VII, p. 372 (part: German East Africa). Chabanaud, 1919, BuU. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, p. 457 (Dahomey); 1921, Bull. Com. Et. Hist, et Sci. A. O. F., p. 459 (French Guinea and Liberia: several localities). Megalixalus schneideri Boettger, 1889, Ber. Senck. Ges., p. 276 (Bonamandune, Cameroon j . Megalixalus fornasinii var. umcoZor Boettger, 1913, in Voeltzkow, 'Reise in Ost- afrika,' III, p. 349 (Pemba). Megalixalus fornasinii Boulenger, 1902, in Johnston, 'Uganda Protectorate,' I, p. 447 (Uganda). (MisspelUng.) Forty specimens: twenty-four from Bafwasende, September 23, 1909; nine from Medje in June and five in July 1914; two from Gamangui, February 1910. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 9411-9450.) Distribution. — The range of M. fornasinii is not limited by the Rain Forest as our locality records would imply. The species appears 276 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX equally al^undant in East Africa from Pemba Island and Ngatana south to Marianhill. This distribution is exceptional and probably dependent on causes other than those affecting the distribution of the majority of African batrachians. Relations. — Hewitt (1913) has considered M. spinifrons identical with this species. In another paper (Hewitt, 1912, p. 280) he has dis- cussed the status of the two species more fully. Hewitt's arguments ia,i\ to be convincing when based on the spinosity of the two species for, as pointed out below, the presence or absence of spines is a sexual not a specific character of M. fornasinii. A single specimen of M. spinifrons from Marianhill, Natal, received in exchange from the Durban Museum, shows only a trace of the dorsal striping. It is a female, 20 mm. in length, with ova half developed. It has very prominent spines on the head and scapular regions. Our series of M. fornasinii shows that in this species the spines are characteristic of only certain adult males. The presence of these spines in the female, the vaiiable coloration, and per- haps the smaller size distinguish M. spinifrons from M. fornasinii. M. fornasinii shows so much uniformity in coloration throughout its range that I have used its color-pattern as a key character. The only exception to this uniformity has been reported by Boettger (1913) from Pemba Island. I have referred his "variety" unicolor doubtfully to M. fornasinii. Specimens from that region require comparison with West African specimens before any further statement may be made. Andersson (1907) has shown the range of color-pattern variation in M. fornasinii. His extreme dark specimen (Plato XLI, fig. 1) so nearly approaches the description of M. schneideri that I have not hesitated in referring the latter to the synonymy of M. fornasinii. M. schneideri was known only from the type, although Cameroon is herpetologically well known. Variation. — Our series does not show as much variation in color- pattern as the series described by Andersson. In life the pale dorsal stripes were generally whitish or brownish gray. In a number of speci- mens taken 10 o'clock in the morning, September 23, 1909, at Bafwasende, the pale stripes were golden or of a light bronzy tone. Spines are present on the dorsal surface of nearly all of the adult males in our series. A few of the adult males do not have any indication of them. All seven of our adult females are perfectly smooth above. This would seem to indicate that in M. fornasinii, as in many other African frogs, spinosity is a variable feature but one peculiar to the adult male. 1924] A'oble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 277 Two specimens (Xos. 9447-9448) from Medje, June 1914, are of especial interest. The first is 15 mm. from snout to vent and still pos- sesses a larval tail 8 mm. long. The second is 16.5 mm. in head and body length and has a tail 5 mm. long. These two specimens are identical in coloration with the adults and show no tendenc}^ toward the complete stripes of ilf . leptosomus. In this distinctive coloration, and in their large size at metamorphosis the young of M. fornasinii are sharply differ- entiated from the young of M. leptosomus. There is a distinct difference in the size of the sexes of M. fornasinii. Our series of seven adult females average 34.9 mm. (maximum, 37 mm.; minimum, 33 mm.) ; while our series of thirty-one adult males average 29.8 mm. (maximum, 32 mm.; minimum, 27 mm.). Habits. — Nothing is known of the breeding season of this species. Females with greatly distended ova were taken at Bafwasende in Sep- tember. Here they were found common in the immediate vicinity of the station. Three of the stomachs examined contained food. The only distin- guishable forms in these stomachs were 2 roaches. Brevicipitidae Five genera of brevicipitids lacking the maxillary teeth and two possessing them have been described from Africa. The relationships of these seven genera are not very clear. This msiy be due to the fact that the family as a whole is a derived one (see Noble, 1922), the African genera having had a polyphyletic origin. Every indication points to their having evolved from a comparatively' ancient stock, the same that foimd access to Madagascar and gave rise to no less than thirteen genera, four of which have lost the maxillary teeth. We have postulated an early migration of a toothed brevicipitid stock into Africa and a subsequent introduction into Madagascar. This migration maj' have occurred more than once, since the assemblage of genera at present in Africa does not form a natural group. CalluUna is apparently most closely related to the recently described Aphantophryne of New Guinea. Nieden's original description of the former genus is very brief and Fry (1916, p. 770) in his admirable paper on the latter overlooked the former genus entirely. Hemisus and Breviceps are so specialized that little may be said as to their nearest relatives. Their extraordinary modification leads one to suspect that they may be representatives of the oldest batrachian fauna of Africa. 278 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Didynamipus does not seem closely related to any brevicipitid. It appears externally very much like a bufonid. Boulenger (1906, p. 159) apparently had a specimen of Didynamipus sjostedti before him when he described Atelophryne minuta and referred it to the Bufonidse. I take these two species to be identical and Boulenger 's Atelophryne synonymous with Didynamipus. Boulenger does not state that he has examined the internal structure of his material. Phrynomantis is one of the few genera of African batrachians which is not confined to the continent. Still, P. fusca, the single exotic species of Phrynomaritis, may not be congeneric with the African forms. It was described long ago from the islands of Amboyna and Batanta in the East Indies and is today very unsatisfactorily known. Peters and Doria (1878; p. 420) have pointed out some differences between the coracoid of P. fusca and P. bifasciata. Further, P. fusca does not possess a metatarsal tubercle and has different digital proportions from the African species. Less difficulty is experienced in assuming that P. fusca is a case of con- vergent evolution than in assuming land-bridges or former wide dispersals to account for the present distribution of the species grouped under Phrynomantis . ^ Cacosternum seems to be most closely related to recently described Anhydrophryne, which in its scarcely dilated sacral diapophyses is more primitive than any known brevicipitid. Hewitt (1919, p. 186) would apparently derive the toothless Phrynomantis as well from Anhydro- phryne or from a closely related stock, but he proceeds very cautiously: ''From the above-mentioned facts it will be understood that the sup- posed relationship between Phrynomantis, Cacosternum, and Anhydro- phryne is an inference based solely on the characters of the pectoral girdle, due allowance being made for the fact that these three genera are South African, the two latter being peculiar to the continent." The re- lationships of these brevicipitids have been discussed in greater detail in my earlier paper (Noble, 1922). It seems highly probable that they have all evolved from a primitive stock. Cacosternum and Anhydro- phryne have little in common with any exotic genera. Nevertheless, they possess a few features in common with Anodonthyla of Madagascar and Calliglutus of Borneo. Hemisus Giinther This genus is the only brevicipitid represented in the collection. It embraces two closely related species which may be distinguished as follows. 'Van Kampen (1923, 'The Amphibia of the Indo-Australian Archipelago') has doubtfully re- ferred P. fusca to Oreophryne celebensis. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 279 ai. — Inner metatarsal tubercle not longer than free part of inner toe. . . .H. guttatum. Oi. — Inner metatarsal tubercle longer, generally much longer than free part of inner toe H. marmoratum. Hemisus marmoratum (Peters) Plate XLII; Text Figures 7 and S Engystoma marmoratum Peters, 1855, Arch. Naturg., part 1, p. 58 (type locality, Cabageira, Portuguese East Africa). Hemisus marmoratus Peters, 1882, 'Reise nach Mossambique,' p. 173, PI. xxv, fig. 1; PI. xx\^, figs. lOcf, 106, and 10c (Portuguese East Africa: Caba^eira and Boror). Hemisus Sudanese Boulexger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 178 (Kordofan, Egypt: Coast of Guinea, Benguella, Angola; and West Africa). Schilthctis, 1889, Tijd. Neder. Dier. Ver., (2) II, p. 286 (Boma, Lower Congo). MtJLLER, 1890, Verb. Naturf. Ges. Basel, VIII, p. 689 (South Africa). Bocage, 1896, Jom. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, p. 102 (Quihmane, Portuguese East Africa). Tornier, 1896, ' Ivriechthiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 160 (German East Africa: Tanga, Ivihengo, Kahoma, and Kawende); 1887, Arch. Naturg., LXIII, part 1, p. 66 (German East Africa). Axderssox, 1898, 'Zool. Egypt.,' I, p. 349 (Kordofan). Torxier, 1898, in Werther, ' Die mittleren Hochlander des nordUchen Deutsch- Ost-Afrika,' p. 303 (German East Africa). Mocqu.\rd, 1902, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, VIII, p. 417 (Kouroussa, French Guinea). Axderssox, 1904, in Jagerskiold, 'Res. Swed. Zool. Exp. to Eg^-pt and the White Nile,' 1901, I, fasc. 4, p. 10, figs. (Egypt: south of Kaka). Werxer, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), CXVI, part 1, p. 1906 (Kordofan, Kaka on the White Nile, and Bahr-el-Ghazal; also Portuguese East Africa, German East Africa, and the Upper Ubangi). Pellegrix, 1909, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, XXXIV, p. 205 (Abu Naama on the Blue Nile). Loxxberg, 1910, in Sjostedt, 'Kilimandjaro- Meru Exp.,' I, part 4, p. 25 (Kibonoto, Kilimanjaro District). Boettger, 1913, in Voeltzkow, 'Reise in Ostafrika,' III, p. 347 (Zanzibar). Chabanaud, 1919, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, p. 457 (Agouagon, Dahomey and French Guinea). Hemisus sudanensis Pfeffer, 1889, Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., VI, part 2, p. 12 (German East Africa: Kihengo and Kiste); 1893, X, part 1, p. 103 (Quihmane, Portuguese East Africa and Kihengo, German East Africa). Hemisus marmoratum Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola, p. 183, PI. xviii, fig. 2 (Angola: St. Salvador du Congo, Dondo, and Catumbella); 1896, Jom. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, p. 102 (localities of Peters 1882). Boulexger, 1901, Ann. Mus. Congo, (1) II, part 1, p. 2 (Lake Moero); 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 107 (Semba Acendu, Angola); 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 160 (Bolama, Portuguese Guinea). Bles, 1907, 'The work of John Samuel Budgett,' p. 443 (Gambia). Boulexger, 1907, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 480 (Portuguese East Africa, Beira); 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 535 ("Tropical Africa southwards to Angola, Mashonaland, and Beira"). Meek, 1910, Publ. Field Mus. Zool., VII, p. 404 (British East Africa: Lukenya Hills). Hewitt, 1911, Ree. Albany Mus., II, part 3, p. 226. Niedex, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr. Afrika Exj)..' IV, p. 183 (region east of Kasongo Forest, Belgian Congo and area north of Lake Tanganj'ika). Werxer, 1912, in Brehm's 'Tier- 280 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX leben,' 4th Ed., IV, p. 280 (East and West Africa). Hewitt, 1913, Ann. Natal Mus., II, p. 480 (Southern Rhodesia: Tsessebe Siding, Francistown). Nieden, 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, VII, p. 381 (German East Africa, four localities; Portuguese East Africa, three locaUties; and British East Africa, two localities). Procter, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 420 (Gonya and Morogoro, German East Africa). Chab.^naud, 1921, Bull. Com. Et. Hist, et Sci. A. O. F., p. 450 (Kerouane and Dieke, French Guinea; Sanikole, Liberia). Hemisus taitanus Peters, 1882, 'Reise nach Mossambique,' III, p. 175 (Taita, German East Africa). Ninety-six specimens: ninety-two of these from Niangara, June 1913; one from Faradje, July 1911; one, October and another, November 1912, from the same place; and one from Zambi, June 1915. (A. M. N. H. Nos. 8875-8970.) Distribution. — Although Boulenger (1910a) has given the range of the species as ''tropical Africa southwards to Angola, Mashonaland, and Beira," an examination of the locality records will show that this Fig. 7. Hemisus mar^noratum CPeters). Lateral aspect of head to show individual variation in length of the snout. statement does not include its actual distribution. H. marmoratum occurs in the savannahs both to the north and to the south of the Rain Forest. It has a wide range in the open country of East Africa. It has been taken as far south as Southern Rhodesia, and as far west as Kouroussa by Mocquard (1902a), so that the distribution of the species as a whole shows that it is a typical wide-ranging savannah form. Relations. — Various investigators have pointed out that Stein- dachner's figure (1863, PI. i, figs. 10-12) of H. sudanense represent a much longer snouted species than the typical H. marmoratum. Bocage (1895, p. 184) and Nieden (1912, p. 183) have indicated that the species 1924] Nohle, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 281 should be considered distinct. Nevertheless, Boulenger (1910) has re- ferred H. sudanense to H. marmoratum without discussion and has later (1910a) included it in the synonjnny of the latter species. In this he has recently been followed by Hewitt (1913). Our ninety-two specimens taken during June at Xiangara show such an extraordinary range of variation that there can be no doubt that Boulenger was correct in his disposition of H. sudanense. The snout, foot, and tibia vary greatly in length, while two of the specimens have the inner metatarsal tubercle only slightly more pronounced than that of H. guttatum. Onh' one speci- men of the latter species is available for study. This has the distance between the eye and the tip of the snout distinctly shorter than the distance between the anterior corners of the eyes. Still, it may be distin- guished from H. marmoratum by its very small "shovel." Since the sub- articular tubercles are often absent in the latter species, I cannot agree with Boulenger (1910) in considering their absence diagnostic of H. guttatum. In brief, it is apparent that the genus Hemisus is represented by but two closely related forms. Variation. — As in many other species of frogs, the snout does not show a constant form. Its length does not always vary in proportion to its width. In our series the distance between the eyes is generally four- fifths the distance between the eye and the end of the snout. In a few of our specimens the distance between the first two of these points is equal to the distance between the latter two, while in others it is but three-fourths that distance. The length of the tibia is another variable feature. In males and females of 32 mm. in length (head and body) the tibia is contained in the distance between snout and vent two and one-half times. In gravid females it is contained three times or more. This is a great range of differ- ence, but one apparently due to the fact that as the body of the female increases in size, to accommodate the eggs, the posterior appendages do not lengthen in proportion. In individuals of the same size there is a certain degi'ee of variation, difficult to measure because of the small size of the elements. Specimens having the longest tibia were found to have the longest feet. The difference between the extremes, generally less than a milli- meter, may be seen in Figure 8 of a foot from each of two males of iden- tical size, 33 mm., taken at Niangara in June 1913. The "shovel" is least developed in one individual (Xo. 8935) which has apparently not been digging for some time since the ends of the digits were fleshy, not callous as in most specimens. The "shovel" was not well developed in 282 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX another specimen which had the right forelimb amputated at the wrist and the left hind hmb at the knee, both wounds completely healed. This specimen, a male, 33 mm. long, has probably not been able to do much digging with its one remaining "shovel." Fig. 8. Hemisus marm/yratvm .(Peters) .* ' Ventral aspect of left feet to show individual variationMn development of "shovel" and length of digits. Sexually mature males average 32mm. in length (maximum, 34 mm.; minimum, 31 mm.). Gravid females average 47 mm. (maximum, 50 mm.; minimum, 45 mm.). Breeding males have a broad glandular surface covering the upper surfaces of the wrist and three inner fingers. No black asperities are visible on these surfaces. Adult males have a much darker throat than females of the same size. A few of the adult females have a throat which approaches that of the adult male in color. The coloration of most of our specimens does not agree with that generally given for the species. The majority are dark reddish-brown above, spotted with yellow on the sides of the body and on the upper surfaces of the appendages. Some of the specimens lack the spots entirely and are grayer, less reddish than the others. All of the speci- mens except one have the ventral surface exclusive of the gular region immaculate. This one (No. 8935) has the ventral surface chocolate- brown spotted with pale yellow. It is interesting that this peculiar colora- tion should be correlated with a small "shovel" and elongate tibia and foot with the ends of the digits devoid of callouses. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 283 In life the ground-tone above was ''dark brown, spotted with yel- low on the sides ; ventral surface pinkish, translucent. Iris a dark bronzy tone." Habits.— Tornier (1896), Werner (1907), and Bles (1907) have briefly commented on the habits of H. marmoratum. The American Mu- seum expedition was able to confii-m the statement of earlier workers that the species lives mostl}' underground, chiefly in the nests of termites. I quote directh^ from Mr. Lang's field notes: ''After heavj^ rains great numbers of this species came out of their bm'rows, and were then easily caught. Only three were found under other circumstances: one in a papyrus swamp; another on a small heap of fresh earth where an elephant had been recenth^ digging; and the third about one inch below the surface of rather firm ground underlying a fallen log. "One specimen was kept in a tin box with soft moist sand. When disturbed by lifting of the cover, the creature would burrow rapidly out of sight. In the process of the digging, it not only used its hind limbs, but after a start had been made, it would use its snout for pushing the soil upward over its back." The degree of development of the ovaries in our huge series of speci- mens from Niangara suggests that the breeding season of H. marmoratum may occur in the Uele District about the same time as Budgett found it to take place in Gambia, namely, about the second week in July. StiU, such a large proportion of the females are immature that it seems very probable that two years or more are required for them to reach sexual maturity. H. marmoratum has been often termed an "ant-eater." The fol- lowing summary of the stomach contents of twenty-two specimens indicates that the name is an appropriate one: over 910 soldier and worker termites; 55 minute, blind, driver ants and 41 worker ants. BIBLIOGRAPHY^ Abbott, W. L. 1893. ' Notes on the Natural History of Aldabora, Assumption, and Glorios Islands.' Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XVI, pp. 759-764. Abruzzi, LuiGi Amedeo Di Savoia. 1909. 'II Ruwenzori, Parte Scientifica. Risultati deUe osservazioni e studi compiuti sul materiale raccolto dalla spedi- zione.' 2 Vols. 8 vo. Milan. Vol. I, 603 pp., 74 Pis.; Vol. II, 286 pp., 40 Pis. Anderson, John. 1892. 'On a small collection of Mammals, Reptiles, and Batra- chians from Barbary.' Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 3-24, PI. i. 1893. ' On a New Species of Zamenis and a New Species of Bufo from Egypt.' Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XII, pp. 439-440. 1895. 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Peters machte eine Mittheilung uber eine neue Nager- gattung, Chiropodomys pencillatus, so wie uber einige neue oder weniger bekannte Amphibien und Fische.') Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, pp. 448-461, Pis. i-ii. 1875. 'tlber die von Hrn. Professor Dr. R. Buchholz in Westafrika ge- sammelten Amphibien.' Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berhn, pp. 196-212, Pis. i-iii. 1876. 'Eine zweite Mittheilung iiber die von Hrn. Professor Dr. R. Buch- holz in Westafrika gesammelten Amphibien.' Monatslier. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, pp. 117-122, 1 PI. 1877. 'tJbersicht der Amphibien aus Chinchoxo (Westafrika), welche von der Afrikanischen Gesellsehaft dem Berliner zoologischen Museum libergeben sind.' Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, pp. 611-621, PI. 1878. 'tjber die von Hrn. J. M. Hildebrandt wahrend seiner letzten ost- afrikanischen Reise gesammelten Saugethiere und Amphiliien.' Monats- ber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, pp. 194-209, 2 Pis. 1882. 'Natur^\issenschaftliche Reise nach Mossambique, auf Befehl seiner Majestat des Konigs Friedrich Wilhelm IV in den Jahren 1842 bis 1848 ausgefuhrt.' Zoologie, HI, Amphibien. 4vo, xv + 191 pp., 33 Pis. Peters and Doria. 1878. ' Catalogo dei Rettili e dei Batraci raccolti da O. Bec- cari, L. M. D'Albertis e A. A. Bruijn nella sotto-regione Austro- Malese.' Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (1) XIII. pp. 32.3-450, Pis. I-VII. Pfeffer, G. 1889. 'tJbersicht von Herrn Dr. Franz Stuhlmann in Agypten, auf San- sibar and dem gegentiberliegenden Festlande gesammelten Reptilien, Amphibien, Fische, Mollusken und Ivrebse.' Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., VI, part 2, (1888), pp. 5-12. 1893. 'Ostafrikanische Reptihen und Amphibien gesammelt von Herrn Dr. F. Stuhlmann.' Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., X, part 1 (1892), pp. 71-105, Pis. i-ii. 1905. -'Die zoogeographischen Beziehungen Slidamerikas, betrachtet an den Klassen der Reptilien, Amphibien und Fische.' Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.), Suppl. 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Soc, XXVI, pp. 53-128, Pis. viii-xi. 1900. 'On the Hyobranchial Skeleton and Larynx of the new Aglossal Toad, Hymenochirus boeitgeri.' Journ. Linn. Soc, XXVII, No. 178, pp. 454-460, PI. XXXI. RocHEBRUNE, A. T. DE. 1885. ' Vertebratorum novarum vel minus cognitorum orse Africse occidentalis incolarum.' Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (7) IX, pp. 86-99. RoTjx, Jean. 1905. 'La Famille des Ranidse.' Zool. Anz., XXVIII, Nos. 24-25, pp. 777-785. 1906. ' Synopsis of the toads of the genus Nectophryne B. and P., with special remarks on some known species and description of a new species from German East Africa.' Proc. Zool. Soc. London, I, pp. 58-65, PI. ii. 1910. 'Reise von Dr. J. Carl im NordUchen Zentral-Afrikanischen Seen- gebiet. ReptiUen und Amphibian.' Rev. Suisse Zool., XVIII, pp. 95-103. Sauvage, H. E. 1884. 'Notice sur une Collection de Reptiles et de Poissons, recueillie a Majumba, Congo.' Bull. Soc. Zool. France, IX, pp. 199- 208, PI. VI. ScHENKEL, E. 1902. ' Achter Nachtrag zum Katalog der herpetologischen sammlimg des Basler Museum.' Verh. Naturf. Ges. Basel, XIII, pp. 142-199. ScHERER, Joseph. 1903. 'Der Spornfrosch (Xenopus muelleri).' Blatt. Aquar. Terrar., XIV, pp. 61-62. ScHiLTHTjis, L. 1889. 'On a Small Collection of Amphibia from the Congo with Description of a New Species.' Tijd. Neder. Dier. Ver., (2) II, pp. 285- 286. ScHMALZ, P. 1910. 'EineExkursionnachKarthago.' Blatt. Aquar. Terrar., XXI, pp. 412-415, 4 figs. Schmidt, K. P. 1919. 'Contributions to the Herpetology of the Belgian Congo Based on the Collection of the American Museum Congo Expedition. Part I: Turtles, Crocodiles, Lizards, and Chameleons.' Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., XXXIX, pp. 385-624, Pis. vii-xxxii. ScHWARz, E. H. L. 1918. 'The Progressive Desiccation of Africa. The Cause and the Remedy.' S. African Journ. Sci., XV, pp. 139-178, figs. 1-8. ScLATER, W. L. 1892. 'On some Specimens of Frogs in the Indian Museum, Cal- cutta, with Descriptions of several new species.' Proc. Zool. Soc. Lon- don, pp. 341-348, PI. xxiv. 1899. 'List of the Reptiles and Batrachians of South Africa, with Descrip- tions of New Species.' Ann. S. African Mus., I, pp. 95-111, PI. v. SiEDLECKi, M. 1908. 'tJber Bau, Lebenweise und entwicklung des javanischen Flugfrosches (Rhacophorus reinwardtii Boie).' Bull. Acad. Sci. Cracovie, pp. 682-689. 1909. 'Zur Kenntnis des javanischen Flugfrosches,' Biol. Centralblatt., XXIX, pp. 704-737, Pis. vii-x. Steindachner, F. 1891. 'Uber einige neue und seltene Reptilien und Amphibien.' Anz. Akad. Wiss. Wien, XXVIII, pp. 141-144. 1924] Noble, Herpelology of the Belgian Congo 301 1891o. 'tjber die Reptilien und Batrachier der westlichen und ostlichen Gruppe der Canarischen Inseln.' Ann. Hofmus. Wien, VI, pp. 287-306. 1891b. 'liber einige neue und seltene Reptilien und Amphibien arten.' Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), C, part 1, pp. 291-316, Pis. i-n. 1901. 'Expedition S. M. Schiff "Pola" in das Rothe Meer. XVII Bericht liber die Herpetologischen Aufsammlungen.' Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. (nat. cl.), Wien, LXIX, pp. 325-335. Stejneger, L. 1893. 'On some collections of Reptiles and Batrachians fro-m East .Africa and the adjacent islands recently received from Dr. W. L. Abbott and Mr. William Astor Chanler, with descriptions of new species.' Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XVI, pp. 711-741. Sternfeld, R. 1911. 'Die ReptiUen (ausser den Schlangen) und Amphibien von Deutsch Siidwestafrika.' 'Fauna Deutschen Kol.,' (4) Heft 2, pp. 4-65. Sternfeld and Nieden. 1911. ' Zoologische Ergebnisse der Expedition des Herrn Hauptmann a. D. Fromm, 1908-09 nach Deutsch-Ostafrika. 3. Rep- tilia, Amphibia.' Mitt. Zool. Mus. BerUn, V, part 3, pp. 383-385. TORNIER, GtJSTAV. 1896. 'Die Kriechthiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas. Beitrage zur Systematik und Descendenzlehre,' xiii + 164 pp., 5 Pis., 11 text figs., Berlin. 1897. 'Reptilien und Amphibien. (Zur Faunistik Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas.)' Arch. Naturg., LXIII, part 1, pp. 63-66. 1898. [Reptilia and Amphibia.] In Werther, C. W., 'Die mittleren Hoch- lander des nordlichen Deutsch-Ost-Afrika.' BerUn. 1901. 'Die Reptilien und Amphibien der Deutschen Tiefseeexpedition, 1898-99.' Zool. Anz., XXIV, pp. 61-66. 1905. ' Pseudophryne vivipara n. sp. ein lebendig gebarender Frosch.' Sitzber. Akad. Wiss., BerUn, II, pp. 855-857. 1910. ' Die mosaikentwicklung der Froschlarven bei ihrer Endumwandlimg.' Arch. Entwicklungsmech. Org., XXX, part 2, pp. 497-515, 10 figs. Vaillant, L. 1882. 'Mission G. Revoil aux pays SomaUs. ReptUes et Batraciens.' 8 vo, Parris, 37 pp., 3 Pis. 1884. 'Note sur une collection de Reptiles rapportee d'Assinie par M. Chaper.' Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, (7) VIII, pp. 168-171. 1884a. 'Catalogue raisonne des Reptiles et Batraciens d'Assinie.' Bull. Soc. Zool. France, pp. 343-354, PI. xii. 1904. 'Sur I'habitat singuher d'un Batracien Anoure {Megalixalus lepto- somus Peters) de I'Afrique tropicale ouest.' Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, pp. 436-438. 1908. ' La reproduction des Xenopus Isevis Daudin a la menagerie du Mu- seum d'Histoire naturelle.' Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, p. 203-204. VoGT, Theodor. 1910. 'Ueber eine ostafrikanischen Frosch larve mit eigenartiger Lippenbildimg.' Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berhn, pp. 287-289, text fig. Werner, Franz. 1893. ' Herpetologische Nova.' Zool. Anz., XVI, pp. 81-84. 1894. 'Zweiter Beitrag zur Herpetologie von Ost-Algerien.' Verh. Zool.- Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIV, pp. 75-87. 302 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX 1896. 'Reptilien und Batrachier aus Sud-Afrika.' Jahrb. Ver. Magdeburg, pp. 139-148. 1897. 'Ueber einige neue oder seltene Reptilien und Frosche der zoolo- gischen Sammlung des Staates in Miinchen.' Sitzber. Akad. Wiss., Miinchen, XVXII, pp. 203-215. 1897a. 'Ueber Reptilien und Batrachier aus Togoland, Kamerun und Tunis, aus dem Kgl. Museum fiir Naturkunde in Berlin, I.' Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVII, pp. 39.5-408, PL ii. 1898. 'Ueber die Reptilien und Batrachier aus Togoland, Kamerun und Tunis, aus dem Kgl. Museum flir Naturkunde in Berlin, II.' Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVIII, pp. 191-213, PI. ii. 1899. 'Ueber Reptihen und Batrachier aus Togoland, Kamerun, und Deutsch-Neu-Guinea, grosstentheils aus dem k. Museum fiir Natur- kunde in Berhn, III.' Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, pp. 132-157. 1899a. ' Beschreibung einiger neuer Schlangen und Batrachier.' Zool. Anz., XXII, pp. 114-117. 1901. 'Beschreibung neuer Dendrobatiden, mit einer Revision dieser Batrachier-Familie.' Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LI, pp. 627-634. 1906. 'Bemerkungen liber einige seltenere Reptilien und Batrachier der zoologischen Staatssammlung in Miinchen.' Abh. Akad. Miinchen, XXII, pp. 381-384. 1907. 'Ergebnisse der mit Subvention aus der Erbschaft Treitl unter- nommenen zoologischen Forschungsreise Dr. Franz Werner's nach dem agjTDtischen Sudan und Nord-Uganda. XII. Die Reptilien und Amphibien.' Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), CXVI, part 1, pp. 1823-1926, Pis. i-iv. 1909. 'Reptihen, Batrachier, und Fische von Tripolis und Barka.' Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.), XXVII, pp. 595-646, PL xxx. 1910. 'Reptiha et Amphibia.' In L. Schultze, 'Zoologische und Anthro- pologische Ergebnisse Forschungsreise in WestUchen und Zentralen Siid-Afrika,' IV, pp. 271-370. 1912. In Brehm's 'Tierleben,' 4th Ed., IV, Lurche und Kriechtiere, part 1. 1913. 'Ergebnisse einer Botanischen Forschungsreise nach Deutsch- Ostafrika und Sudafrika (Kapland, Natal und Rhodesia) von J. Brunn- thaler. I. Teil. I. Reptilien und Amphibien.' Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), LXXXVIII, pp. 714-719, PL i. 1913a. 'Neue oder seltene Reptilien und Frosche des Naturhistorischen Mxiseums in Hamburg.' Mitt. Natiu-hist. Mus., Hamburg, XXX, 1912, pp. 1-51. 1915. 'Reptilia und Amphibia.' In Michselsen, 'Beitrage zur Kenntnis der land un Sussewasserfauna Deutsch-Sudwestafrikas, part 3,' pp. 325- 376, PL VII. 1919. 'Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Mit Unterstiitzung der Kaiser- Uchen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien aus der Erbschaft Treitl Von F. Werner L'nternommenen Zoologischen Expedition nach dem Anglo-Agyptischen Sudan (Kordofan) 1914. IV. Bearbeitung der Fische, Amphibien und Reptilien.' Denk. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.- naturw.), XCVI, pp. 437-509, 2 Pis. 1924] • Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 303 WrEDERSHEiM, R. 1892. 'Das Gliedmassenskelet der Wirbelthiere mit besonderer beruehsichtigung des Schulter und Beckengurtels bei Fischer, Amphibien und Reptilien.' Jena. WiTTE, Gaston-Fe. de. 1919. 'Revision du Genre Phrynobatrachus Glinth. et Description d'une Espece Nouvelle.' Rev. Zool. Africaine, VI, fasc. 2, pp. 220-228. 1921. 'Description de Batraciens Nouveaux du Congo Beige.' Rev. Zool. Africaine, IX, pp. 1-21, Pis. i-v. 1922. 'Description d'un Batracien Nouveau recolte au Mayumbe par le Dr. Schouteden.' Rev. Zool. Afr., X, pp. 320-322. WoLTERSTORFF, W. 1911. 'Ueber das AuiBnden des Pleurodeles poireti in der Umgebung von Maskara (Algier).' Blatt. Aquar.- Terrar., XXII, p. 517. Zenker, G. 1892. ' Beobachtungen iiber die Reptilien und Amphibien des Yaunde- Larides.' Mitt. Deutsch. Schutzgebieten, V, pp. 181-184. A CHECK LIST OF THE AMPHIBIA OF AFRICA Caudata Oppel, 1811, 'Ordn. Rept./ p. 72 Salamandridse Plkurodeles Michahelles, 1830, Isis, p. 195 Type: waltl Pleurodeles waltl Michahelles Pleurodeles waltl Michahelles, 1830, Isis, p. 195. Molge waltlii Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Grad. Brit. Mus.,' p. 27. Type Locality: Southern Spain. Range: Spain and Portugal; Morocco eastward to Tunisia, and south of the Sahara at Dieke, French Guinea. Teiturus Rafinesque, 1815, 'Analyse de la Nature' (Palermo), p. 78 Type: cristatus^ Triturus hagenmuUeri (Lataste) Glossoliga hagenmuUeri Lataste, 1881, Le Naturaliste, I, p. 371. Molge hagenmuelleri Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Grad. Brit. Mus.,' p. 26. Type Locality: Bona, Algeria. Range: Algeria. Triturus poireti (Gervais) Triton poireti Gervais, 1835, Bull. Soc. Sci. Nat., p. 113. Molge poireti Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Grad. Brit. Mus.,' p. 25. Type Locality: Barbary.^ Range : Algeria. Salamandka Laurenti, 1768, 'Syn. Rept.,' p. 41 Type: salamandra Salamandra salamandra (Linnaeus) Lacerta salamandra Linnaeus, 1758, 'Syst. Nat.,' 10th Ed., I, p. 204. Salamandra maculosa Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Grad. Brit. Mus.,' p. 3. Type Locality: Europe. Range: Barbary; central and southern Europe to Syria. ^Triturus is a substitute name for Triton Laurenti, preoccupied. The name Triturus was proposed several times by Rafinesque, at least twice before the name Molge of Merrem. The type cristatua seems to be the earUest designated type of Triturus. . . 2This locality has not been verified from the original description. Only a subsequent description is available to me (1836, Ann. Sci. Nat., VII, p. 313). 304 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 305 Gymnophiona J. Miiller, 1832, Zeitsch. Phys., p. 206 Cseciliidse Bdellophis Boulenger, 1895, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 412 Type: vittatus Bdellophis unicolor Boettger BdeUophis unicolor Boettger, 1913, in Voeltzkow, 'Reise in Ostafrika,' III, p. 353, PI. XXIII, fig. 18. Type Locality: Peccetoni, Kenya Colony. Range: Known only from the type locality. Bdellophis vittatus Boulenger Bdellophis vittatus Boulenger, 1895, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 412, PI. xxrv, fig. 4. Xieden, 1915, :\Iitt. Zool. Mus. BerUn, VII, p. 389. Type Locality : LTsambara, Tanganyika Territory. Range: Tangamaka Territory. BOULENGERULA Tornier, 1896, 'Ivriechthiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 164 Type: houlengeri Boulengerula houlengeri Tornier Boulengerula houlengeri Tornier, 1896, 'Kriechthiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 164. Nieden, 1913, 'Das Tierreich; Gymnophiona,' p. 27, fig. 19. Type Locality: L'sambara, Tanganyika Territory. Range: Usambara, Tanganyika Territory. Boulengerula denhardti Nieden Boulengerula denhardti Nieden, 1912, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde BerUn, p. 199. Type Locality: Tana region, Kenya Colony. Range: Known only from the tj-pe locality. Dermophis Peters, 1879, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 937 Type : mexicanus Dermophis gregorii Boulenger Dermophis gregorii Boulenger, 1894, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 646, PI. xl, fig. 4. Type Locality: Ngatana, Kenya Colony. Range: Known only from the type locality. Dermophis thomensis (Bocage) Siphonops thomensis Bocage, 1873, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, IV, p, 224. 306 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Dermophis thomensis Boulenger, 1894, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 646, PI. XL, fig. 5. Type Locality: St. Thomas. Range: St. Thomas and Rolas Islands, Gulf of Guinea. Geotrypetes Peters, 1880, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 55 Type : seraphini ( = petersii) Geotrypetes petersii Boulenger Geotrypetes petersii Boulenger, 1895, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XV, p. 329. Nieden, 1913, ' Das Tierreich ; Gymnophiona,' p. 15, fig. 14. Type Locality: "West Africa." Range: Gaboon to Togo. Herpele Peters, 1879, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 939 Type: squalostoma Herpele bornmuelleri Werner Herpele hornmuelleri Werner, 1899, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLIX, p. 144. Type Locality: Victoria, Cameroon. Range: Known only from the type locality. Herpele multiplicata Nieden Herpele multiplicata Nieden, 1912, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 210. Type Locality: Mundame, Cameroon. Range: Known only from the type locality. Herpele squalostoma (Stutchbury) Cifcilia squalostoma Stutchbury, 1834, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, XVII, p. 362. Herpele squalostoma Peters, 1879, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 939, PI., fig. 8. Type Locality: Gaboon. Range : Cameroon-Gaboon area including Fernando Po. Hypogeophis. Peters, 1879, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 936 Type: rostratus Hypogeophis guentheri Boulenger Hypogeophis guentheri Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Grad. Brit. Mus.,' p. 96, PI. VII, fig. 1. Type Locality: Zanzibar. Range: Known only from the type locality. Scolecomorphus Boulenger, 1883, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (5) XI, p. 48 Type : kirkii 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 307 Scolecomorphus kirkii Boulenger Scolecomorphus kirkii Boulenger, 1883, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (5) XI, p. 48. Nieden, 1913, 'Das Tierreich; Gymnophiona,' p. 28, fig. 20. Type Locality: "Probably vicinity of Lake Tanganyika." Range : Ny asaland . UEiEOTYPHLUS Peters, 1879, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 933 Type: oxyurus Uraeotyphlus seraphini (A. Dum6ril) Coedlia seraphini A. Dumeril, 1859, Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, X, p. 222. Uraeotyphlus seraphini Boulenger, 1895, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XV, p. 328. Type Locality: Gaboon. Range: French Guinea south to Gaboon. Salientia Laurenti, 1768, 'Syn. Rept.,' p. 24 Pipidae Hymenochirus Boulenger, 1896, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XVIII, p. 420 Type: boettgeri Hymenochirus boettgeri (Tornier) Xenopus boettgeri, Tornier, 1896, ' Kriechthiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 163, fig. L. Hymenochirus boettgeri Boulenger, 1896, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XVIII, p. 420; 1899, (7) IV, p. 122. Type Locality: "Wandesoma," Ituri Forest, Belgian Congo. Range: Cameroon and Gaboon, eastward to the limits of the Ituri Forest. Hymenochirus curtipes Noble Hymenochirus curtipes Noble, see above, p. 155, PI, XXIII. Type Locality" : Zambi, Lower Congo. Range: Known only from the type locaUty. Hymenochirus feae Boulenger Hymenochirus fese Boulenger, 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 158, PI. I, fig. 1. Type Locality: Fernand-Vaz, French Congo. Range: Known only from the type locality. PSEUDHTMENOCHIRUS Chabanaud, 1920, Bull. Et. Hist, et Scient. A.O.F., p. 494 Type: merlini 308 Bulletin Avierican Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Pseudhymenochirus merlini Chabanaud Pseudhijmeiiochirus merlini Chabanaud, 1920, Bull. Et. Hist, et Sclent. A.O.F., p. 494; 1921, op. cit., p. 448, Pi. i. Type Locality: Dixine (near ConaJa-y) French Guinea. Range: Known only from the type locality. Xenopus Wagler, 1S27, Lsis, p. 726 Type: boiei=lsevis Xenopus clivii Peracca Xenopus clivii Peracca, 1898, Boll. Mus. Torino, XIII, No. 321, p. 3. Type Locality: Eritrea. R.\nge: Eritrea and Abyssinia.^ Xenopus Isevis (Daudin) Bufo Is-i'is Daudin, 1803, 'Hist. Nat. des Rainettes,' p. 85, PI. xxx, fig. 1. Xenopus laevis Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 456. Type Locality: Unknown. Range: South Africa, northward to Angola on the west, and probably Kilimandjaro on the east. Xenopus muelleri (Peters) Dactylethra muelleri Peters, 1844, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 37. Xenopus muelleri Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 457 (part). Type Locality: Mozambique. Range: The Sudan and East Africa. Xenopus tropicalis (Gray) Silurana tropicalis Gray, 1864, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (3) XIV, p. 316. Xenopus calcaratus Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 458. Xenopus tropicalis Miiller, 1910, Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., 2 Kl., XXIV, p. 625. Type Locality: Lagos, West Africa. Range: The Rain Forest. Discoglossidse DlSCOGLOSSUS Otth, 1837, Neue Denkschr. Allgem. Schweiz. Naturf. Ges., I, p. 6, figs. 1-8 Type : pictus Discoglossus pictus Otth Discoglossus pictus Otth, 1837, Neue Denkschr. Allgem. Schweiz. Naturf. Ges., I, p. 6, figs. 1-8. Type Localities: Sicily and Spain, apparently Lower Italy also. Range: Southwestern Europe and northwestern Africa. 'Recorded also from Cameroon, see discussion above, p. 158. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 309 Bufonidae^ BUFO Laurenti, 1768, 'Sjti. Rept.,' p. 25 (part) Type : vulgaris = bufo Bufo angusticeps Smith Bufo angusticeps Smith, 1849, 'lUus. Zool. S. Africa,' III, PI. lxix, figs. 1 and la. Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 300. Type Locality: "Interior of South Africa." Range: Cape Colony.^ Bufo anotis Boulenger Bufo anotis Boulenger, 1907, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XX, p. 48, PI. iii; 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 537. Type Locality: Chirinda Forest, southea.stern Mashonaland. Range: Known only from the type locality. Bufo blanfordii Boulenger Bufo blanfordii Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 301, PI. xiXj fig. 4. Type Localities: Ain Sambar and Sooroo, Abyssinia. Range: Eritrea south through Abyssinia to Gallaland. Bufo brauni Nieden Bufo brauni Xieden, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 450. Werner, 1913, Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), LXXXVIII, p. 718. Type Locality: Amani, Tanganyika Territory. Range: Tanganyika Territory. Bufo buchneri Peters Bufo buchneri Peters, 1882, Sitzber. Gres. Naturf. Freunde BerHn, p. 147. Type Locality : Lunda, Angola. Range: Known only from the type locaUty. Bufo carens Smith Bufo carens Smith, 1849, ' Illus. Zool. S. Africa,' III, PI. Lxvni, fig. 1. Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 301 (part). Type Locality: "Interior of South Africa." Range: South Africa and East Africa as far north as Nairobi, British East Africa. Bufo chevalieri Mocquard Bufo chevalieri Mocquard, 1908, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, XIV, p. 262. Type Locality: Ivory Coast. Range: Known only from the Ivory Coast. 'For use of this name see Noble, 1922. ^Recorded also from Transvaal and the Lake Region but perhaps through error. 310 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Bufo chudeaui Chabanaud Bufo chudeaui Chabanaud, 1919, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, p. 454. Type Locality: Senegal: Bata marsh (Sahel de Nioro). Range: Ivnown only from the type locality. Bufo dodsoni Boulenger Brifo dodsoni Boulenger, 1895, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 540, PI. xxx, fig. 5. Type Locality: Rassa Alia, Somahland. Range: The Sudan, Somali, and Galliland. Bufo dombensis Bocage Bufo dombensis Bocage, 1895, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) IV, p. 51. Boulenger, 1905, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 250. Type Locality: Dombe, southern Angola. Range: Angola. Bufo f enoulheti Hewitt and Methuen Bufo fenoulheti Hewitt and Methuen, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 108. Type Locality: Newington and Woodbush, northeastern Transvaal. Range: Northeastern Transvaal. Bufo funereus Bocage Bufo funereus Bocage, 1866, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, I, p. 77. Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' pp. 281 and 475. Type Locality: Duque de Bragan?a, Angola. Range: Dahomey, south through the Rain Forest to southern Angola. Bufo gariepensis Smith Bufo gariepensis Smith, 1849, Tllus. Zool. Si Africa,' III, PL LXix, figs. 2 and 2a. Hewitt and Power, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 174. Type Locality : Banks of the Orange River. Range: Cape Colony, Orange River Colony, and Natal. Bufo lemairii Boulenger Bufo lemairii Boulenger, 1901, Ann. Mus. Congo, (1) II, fasc. 1, p. 1, PI. i, fig. 1. Type Locality: Pweto, Lake Moero. Range: Known only from the type locaUty. Bufo lonnbergi Andersson Bufo lonnbergi Andersson, 1911, Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. Handl., XLVII, No. 6, p. 35, PI. II. Type Locality: Mount Kenia, Kenya Colony. Range : Known only from the type locaUty. Bufo mauritanicus Schlegel Bufo mauritanicus Schlegel, 1841, in Wagner, 'Reisen in der Regentschaft Algier,' III, p. 134. Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 298. Type Locality: Algiers, Algeria. Range: Africa north of the Sahara. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 311 Bufo pentoni Anderson Bvfo pentoni Anderson, 1893, Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist., (6) XII, p. 440; 1898, Zool. Egypt, I, p. 355, PI. L, fig. 4. Ttpe Locality: "Shaata Gardens, situated about one mile outside of Suakin," EgJTt- Range: Egypt as far south as Nigeria, northern Cameroon (Garua), the Sudan, and Eritrea. Bufo polycercus Werner Bitfo polycercus Werner, 1897, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss., Mlinchen, XXVII, p. 211; 1913, Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), LXXXVIII, p. 719. Type Locality: Cameroon. Range: Rain Forest and outlying forest islands.^ Bufo preussi Matschie Bufo preussi ^Nlatschie, 1893, Sitzber. Ges. Xaturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 175. Boulenger, 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. St or. Xat. Geneva, (3) II, p. 158. Type Locality: Buea, Cameroon. Range : Cameroon. Bufo regularis Reiiss Bufo regularis Reuss, 1834, Mus. Senckenberg., I, p. 60. Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 298 (figured in Boulenger, 1907, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 479, PI. xxi, figs. 1-4). Type Locality: Eg>pt. Range: All of Africa except Barbary. Bufo steindachnerii Pfeffer Bufo steindachnerii Pfeffer, 1893 (1892), Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., X, pt. 1, p. 103, PI. II, fig. 8. Type Locality: Ivihengo, East Africa. Range: Gallaland, south through Tanganyika Territory. Bufo superciliaris Boulenger Bufo superciliaris Boulenger, 1887, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 565. . Type Locality: Rio del Rey, Cameroon. Range : Rain Forest as far west as Xigeria. Bufo taitanus Peters Bufo taitanus Peters, 1878, :Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berhn, p. 208, PL ii, fig. 9 . Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 305. Type Locality: Taita, East Africa. Range: Abyssinia, south to Portuguese East Africa, west to Lake Tanganyika. Bufo tuberosus Giinther Bufo tuberosus Gunther, 1858, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 60, PI. iii, fig. C. Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 304. Type Locality: Fernando Po. Range : Rain Forest as far west as Cameroon. •Recorded also from southern Somaliland but probably through error. 312 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Bufo vertebralis Smith Bufo vertebralis Smith, 1849, 'Illus. Zool. S. Africa,' III, PI. lxviii, figs. 2 and 2a. Hewitt and Power, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, III, p. 173. Type Locality: "Interior districts of southern Africa, northeast of the Cape Colony." Range: Cape Colony and Orange River Colony. Bufo viridis Laurenti Bufo viridis Laurenti, 1768, 'Syn. Rept.,' pp. 27 and HI, PI. i, fig. 1. Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 297. Type Locality: Vienna, Austria. Range: Europe, Asia, and Africa north of the Sahara. Bufo vittatus Boulenger Bufo vittatus Boulenger, 1906, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 573, fig. 98. Type Locality: Entebbe, Uganda. Range: Uganda and the Sudan. Bufo vulgaris Laurenti Bufo vulgaris Laurenti, 1768, 'Syn. Rept.,' pp. 28 and 125. Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 303. Type Locality: Not given, but by inference Europe. Range: Europe, Asia, and northwestern Africa. Heleophrtne^ Sclater, 1899, Ann. S. African Mus., I, p. 110 Type : purcelli Heleophryne natalensis Hewitt Heleophryne natalensis Hewitt, 1913, Ann. Natal Mus., II, p. 477, PI. xxxix. Type Locality: Krantzkloof, Natal. Range: Known only from the type locality. Heleophryne purcelli Sclater Heleophryne purcelli Sclater, 1899, Ann. S. African Mus., I, p. Ill, PI. v, figs. 3 and 3a. Hewitt, 1909, Ann. Transvaal Mus., II, p. 45. Type Locality: Stellenbosch, Cape Colony. Range: Known only from the type locality. Heleophryne regis Hewitt Heleophryne regis HcAvitt, 1909, Ann. Transvaal Mus., II, p. 45; 1913, Ann. Natal Mus., II, p. 477, PI. xxxiv. Type Locality: Knysna, Cape Colony. Range: Known only from the type locality. Nectophryne Buchholz and Peters, 1875, in Peters, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 202 Type: afra 'For a discussion of the relationships of this genus see Noble, 1922. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 313 Nectophryne afra Buchholz and Peters Nectophryne afra Buchholz and Peters, 1875, in Peters, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Beriin, p. 202, PI. ii, fig. 5. Roux, 1906, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, I, p. 59. Type Locality: Cameroon. Range: Rain Forest as far west as southern Nigeria. Nectophyrne batesii Boulenger Nectophryne batesii Boulenger, 1913, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) XII, p. 71, fig. Type Locality: Bitye, Ja River, Cameroon. Range: Rain Forest as far west as the Ja River, Cameroon. Nectophryne parvipalmata Werner Nectophryne parvipalmata Werner, 1898, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVIII, p. 201, PI. II, figs. 7 and 7a. Roux, 1906, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, I, p. 61. Type Locality: "Kamerun?" Range: Cameroon. Nectophryne tornieri Roux Nectophryne tornieri Roux, 1906, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, I, p. 63, PI. ii, fig. 4. Nieden, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 450. Type Locality: L^kami, Tanganyika Territory. Range: Tanganyika Territory. Nectophryne werthi Nieden Nectophryne icerihi Nieden, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Ges. Freunde BerHn, p. 439. Type Locality: Dar-es-Salaam, East Africa. Range: Known only from the type locality. PSEUDOPHRYNK Fitzinger, 1843, 'Syst. Rept.,' p. 32 Type: australis Pseudophryne vivipara Tornier Pseudophryne vivipara Tornier, 1905, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, II, p. 855 (part). Nieden, 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Beriin, VII, p. 383. Type Localities: Rungwe and Kinga Mountains, East Africa. Range: KnowTi only from the type localities. Wernebia Poche, 1903, Zool. Anz., XXVI, p. 701 Type: fulva Wemeria fulva (Andersson) Stenoglossa fulva Andersson, 1903, Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LIII, p. 144. Wemeria fulva Poche, 1903, Zool. Anz., xxvi, p. 701. Type Locality: Cameroon range (Buea). Range: Ivnown only from the type locality. 314 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Hylidae Hyla Laurenti, 1768, 'Syn. Rept.,' p. 32 (part) Type: viridis Hyla arborea meridionalis Boettger Hyla arborea var. meridionalis Boettger, 1875, Abh. Senck. Naturf. Ges., IX, p. 186. Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 380 (part). Type Localities: Southern France and Teneriffe. Range: Northwest Africa, Madeira, Canary, and Balearic Islands, south of France, Italy, and the PjTenean peninsula. Hyla arborea savignyi Audouin H]jla savignyi Audouin, 1812, 'Suppl. Rept.,' PI. ii, figs. 13i and 132. Hyla arborea var. savignyi Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 380. Type Locality: Indefinite, probably Egypt. Range: Probably Lower Egypt: also Corsica, Elba, Sardinia, Greek Archipelago, southwestern Asia, Corea, China, and Japan. Hyla wachei Nieden Hyla wachei Nieden, 1911, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde BerUn, p. 285. Type Locality: Dire Daua, Abyssinia. Range: Known only from the type locaUty. Ranidae Arthroleptides Nieden, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berhn, p. 445 Type: martiensseni Arthroleptides martiensseni Nieden Arthroleptides martiensseni Nieden, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 445. Type Locality: Amani, Tanganyika Territory. Range: Known only from the type locaUty. Arthroleptis Smith, 1849, 'lUus. Zool. S. Africa,' III, Appendix, p. 24 Type: wahlbergii Arthroleptis adolfi-friederici Nieden Arthroleptis adolfi-friederici Nieden, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 440; 1912,1 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch. Zentr.-Afrika-Exp.,' IV, p. 175, PI. v, figs. 4a-c. Type Localities: Rugege forest, Lake Region. Range: Cameroon eastward to the Lake Region. ^Called adolfi friderici here. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 315 Arthroleptis batesii Boulenger AHhroleptis batesii Boulenger, 1906, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVII, p. 318. Type Localities: Efulen and Zima, Cameroon. Range : Cameroon. Arthroleptis bottegi Boulenger Arthroleptis bottegi Boulenger, 1895, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (2) XV, p. 16, PL V, fig. 3. Type Locality: Auata River, Somaliland. Range: Somaliland, south to Uganda and Kilimanjaro, west to Garamba, Belgian Congo. Arthroleptis boulengeri Witte Arthroleptis boulengeri Witte, 1921, Rev. Zool. Afr., IX, p. 12, PI. iv, fig. 2. Type Locality: Saint Louis, Lake Tanganiko, Belgian Congo. Range: Known only from the type locality. Arthroleptis calcaratus (Peters) Hemimantis calcaratus Peters, 1863, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 452. Arthroleptis .calcarata Peters, 1875, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. BerUn, p. 210. Xieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 502. Type Locality: Boutrj-, Ashanti. Range: Ashanti to Gaboon, including Fernando Po and St. Thomas. Arthroleptis carquejai Ferreira Arthroleptis carquejai Ferreira, 1906, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 165, fig. on PI. Type Locality: Cambondo, Angola. Range: Kno^Ti only from the type locahty. Arthroleptis dispar Peters Arthroleptis dispar Peters, 1870, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 649, PL ii, fig. 3. Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 117. Type Locality: Prince's Island. Range: Cameroon-Gaboon area, including St. Thomas and Prince's Island, north to French Guinea. Arthroleptis fraterculus Chabanaud Arthroleptis fraterculus Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Et. Hist, et Scient. A.O.F., p. 456, PL III, figs. 4 and 5. Type Locality: Macento, French Guinea. Range : Known onh' from the type locaUty. Arthroleptis fese Boulenger Arthroleptis fese Boulenger, 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 161, PL I, figs. 4-6. Type Locality: Prince's Island. Range: Rain Forest as far west as Prince's Island, north to French Guinea. Arthroleptis gutturosus Chabanaud Arthroleptis gutturosus Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Et Hist, et Scient. A.O.F., p. 452, PL II. 316 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Type Locality: Sanikole, Liberia. Range: Known only from the type locality. Arthroleptis lameerei Witte Arthroleptis lameerei Witte, 1921, Rev. Zool. Afr., IX, p. 12, PL iv, fig. 1. Type Locality-: Lofoi (Katanga), Belgian Congo. Range: Known only from the type locality. Arthroleptis lightfooti Boulenger Arthroleptis lightfooti Boulenger, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, pp. 529 and 538. Type Locality: Newlands, near Capetown. Range: Known only from the type locality. Arthroleptis lonnbergi Nieden Arthroleptis lonnbergi Nieden, 1915, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, VII, p. 361. Type Locality: Mombo, TJsambara. Range: Known onlj' from Usambara, Tanganyika Territory. Arthroleptis macrodactylus Boulenger Arthroleptis macrodactylus Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 117, PI. XI, fig. 5. Andersson, 1905, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, II, No. 20, p. 14. Type Locality: Gaboon. Range: Cameroon-Gaboon area, eastward to Nyasaland. Arthrol eptis minutus Boulenger Arthroleptis minutus Boulenger, 1895, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 539, PL xxx, fig. 4; 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Geneva, (3) II, pp. 161 and 163. Type Locality: Durro, western Somaliland. Range: Somaliland and British East Africa, westward across the Sudan to Portu- guese Guinea. Arthroleptis moorii Boulenger Arthroleptis moorii Boulenger, 1898, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 479, PL xxxviii, fig. 2. Type Locality: Kinyamkolo, Lake Tanganyika. Range: Lake Tanganyika to Stanley Pool. Arthroleptis ogoensis Boulenger Arthroleptis ogoensis Boulenger, 1906 (for 1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Geneva, (3) II, p. 162, PL I, figs. 7-8. Type Locality*: Lambarene, Ogowe. Range : French Congo, north to French Guinea. Arthroleptis parvulus Boulenger Arthroleptis parvulus Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 109, PL IV, figs. 3-36. Type Locality: Bange Ngola northeast Angola. Range: Northeast Angola and region of the Lower Congo. Arthroleptis poecilonotus Peters Arthroleptis poecilonotus Peters, 1863, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 446. 1924] Xoble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 317 Type Locality: Boutry, Ashanti. Range: Entire Rain Forest from Portuguese Guinea to the French Congo, and east- ward to the Lake Region; recorded also from Usambara and Nyasaland. Arthroleptis procterae Witte Arthroleptis procterae Witte, 1921, Rev. Zool. Afr., IX, p. 11, PL iii, fig. 2. Type Locality: Beni (Kivu), Belgian Congo. Range: Known only from the tj'pe locaUty. Arthroleptis reichei Nieden Arthroleptis reichei Nieden, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 437. Type Locality: Crater Lake, Ngosi Volcano, north of Langenburg, Tanganyika Territory. Range: Known only from the type locaUty. Arthroleptis rouxi Nieden Arthroleptis rouxi Xieden, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutseh. Zentr.-Afrika-Exp.,' IV, p. 178, PI. V, figs. oa-b. Type Locality: Buddu Forest, Lake Victoria. Range: Known only from the t^T^e locaUty. Arthroleptis schebeni Xieden Arthroleptis schebeni Xieden, 1913, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 451. Type Locality: Ivlein Xauas, Southwest .Africa. Range: Southwest Africa. Arthroleptis schefHeri Nieden Arthroleptis scheffleri Xieden, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Xaturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 438. Type Localities: Kibwesi, Xairobi, Zanzibar, and M'papua, East Africa. Range : Kenya Colony and Tanganyika Territory, westward to the Lake Region. Arthroleptis schoutedeni Witte Arthroleptis schoutedeni Witte, 1921, Rev. Zool. Afr., IX, p. 13, PI. iv, fig. 3. Type Locality: Lofoi (Katanga), Belgian Congo. Range: Known only from the type locality. Arthroleptis schubotzi Nieden Arthroleptis schubotzi Xieden, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Xaturf. Freunde Berhn, p. 440; 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutseh. Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 177, PI. v, • fig. 3. Type Locality: Usumbura, Tanganyika Territory. Range: Known only from the type locaUty. Arthroleptis spinalis Boulenger Arthroleptis spinalis Boulenger, 1919, R^. Zool. Africaine, VII, fasc. 2, p. 187. Type Locality: St. Louis, Lake Tanganyika, Belgian Congo. Range: Kno-wn only from the type locaUty. Arthroleptis stenodactylus Pfeffer^ Arthroleptis stenodactylus Pfeffer, 1893 (1892), Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., X, pt. 1, p. 93. K =A. whytii auct.) 318 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Type Locality: Kihengo, Tanganyika Territory. Range: Portuguese East Africa and Nyasaland, northward to Tanganyika Territory; recorded also from Spanish Guinea but probably through error. Arthroleptis tseniatus Boulenger Arthrolepiis txniatus Boulenger, 1906, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVII, p. 319. Type Locality: Zima, southern Cameroon. Range: Known only from the type locaUty. Arthroleptis tokba Chabanaud Arthroleptis tokba Chabanaud, 1921, Bull. Com. Et. Hist, et Scient. A.O.F., p. 454, PI. in, figs. 2, 3. Type Localities: N'Z^bela and N'Zerekore, French Guinea. Range: Known only from the type localities. Arthroleptis variabilis Matschie Arthroleptis variabilis Matschie, 1893, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berhn, p. 173. Type Localities : Buea and Barombi, Cameroon. Range: Rain Forest as far west as Cameroon and Fernando Po, north to French Guinea. Arthroleptis wahlbergii Smith Arthroleptis wahlbergii Smith, 1849, 'lUus. Zool. S. Africa,' III, Appendix, p. 24. Type Locality: "Interior of Southern Africa." Range : Cape Colony north to northern Tanganyika Territory. Arthroleptis werneri Nieden Arthroleptis werneri Nieden, 1910, Aich. Naturg., LXXVI, part 1, Heft 1, p. 242. Type Localities: Banjo District and Bamenda, Cameroon. R.\nge: Known only from the type locahties. Arthroleptis xenochirus Boulenger Arthroleptis xenochirus Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 108, PI. IV, figs. 2 and 2a. Type Locality: Marimba, Angola. Range: Angola and Cameroon. Arthroleptis xenodactylus Boulenger Arthroleptis xenodactylus Boulenger, 1909, Ann. Mag Nat. Hist., (8) IV, p. 496. Type Locality: Amani, Tanganyika Territory. Range: Eastern end of the Rain Forest and the forest at Usambara. ASTYLOSTERNUS Werner, 1898, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVIII, p. 200, figs. Type : diadematus Astylostemus diadematus Werner Astyhsternus diadematus Werner, 1898, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVIII, p. 200, figs. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 319 Type Locality; Victoria, Cameroon. Range: Cameroon. Astylostemus oxyrchynchus Nieden^ Asiylosternus oxyrchynchiis Nieden, 1908, Zool. Anz., XXXII, p. 660; Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 499. Type Loc.\lity: Lolodorf, Cameroon. Range: Cameroon. Astylostemus robustus (Boulenger) Trichobatrachus robustus Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 443, PI. xxx; 1901, II, p. 709, PI. xxxvin, fig. 1. Astylostemus robustus Nieden, 1908, Zool. Anz., XXXII, p. 659. Type Locality : Benito River, Spanish Guinea. Range: Spanish Guinea and Cameroon. Cardioglossa Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 445 Type: gracilis Cardioglossa dorsalis (Peters) Hylambates dorsalis Peters, 1875, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. BerUn, p. 209, PL III, fig. 5. Cardioglossa dorsalis Nieden, 1908, Zool. Anz., XXXII, p. 661. Type Locality: Yoruba, Lagos. Range : Known only from the type locality. Cardioglossa elegans Boulenger Cardioglossa elegans Boulenger, 1906, Ann. Mag, Nat. Hist., (7) XVII, p. 321. Type Locality: Efulen, Cameroon. Range : Known only from the type locality. Cardioglossa escalerse Boulenger Cardioglossa escalerse Boulenger, 1903, Mem. Soc. Esp. Nat. Hist., I, p. 64, PL V, fig. 4. Type Locality: Cape St. John, Spanish Guinea. Range : Known only from the type locality. Cardioglossa gracilis Boulenger Cardioglossa gracilis Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 446, text fig. 2. Type Locality: Benito River, Spanish Guinea. Range: Rain Forest, west to the Cameroon-Gaboon area. Cardioglossa leucomystax (Boulenger) Arthroleptis leucomystax Boulenger, 1903, Mem. Soc. Esp. Nat. Hist., I, p. 62, PL V, figs. 1-2. 'Later corrected to oxyrhynchua. 320 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Cardioglossa leucomystax Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 506. Type Localities: Cape St. John and the Benito River, Spanish Guinea; and Kribi, Cameroon. Range: Rain Forest, from Cameroon east nearly to Lake Albert Edward. Chibomantis Peters, 1855, Arch. Natm-g., XXI, part 1, p. 56 Type: xerampelina Chiromantis kachowskii Nikolsky Chiromantis kachowskii Nikolsky, 1900, Ann. Mus. Zool. St. Petersbourg, V» p. 246. Type Locality: Ferad, Abyssinia. Range: Known only from the type locality. Chiromantis kelleri Boettger Chiromantis kelleri Boettger, 1893, Zool. Anz., XVI, p. 131. Type Locality: SomaUland, Lake Laku and region north of Webi Valley. Range: Known only from the type locality. Chiromantis rufescens (Giinther) Polypedates rufescens Giinther, 1868, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 486. Chiromantis rufescens Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 92, Pi. X, fig. 2. Type Locality: "West Africa." Range: Rain Forest as far west as the Cameroon-Gaboon area; found also in Usambara, Tanganyika Territory, and reported, perhaps incorrectly, from the Zambezi. Chiromantis petersii Boulenger Chiromantis petersii Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 93, PI. x, fig. 1. Type Locality: "Interior of East Africa." Range: Somaliland, south to Transvaal. Chiromantis xerampelina Peters^ Chiromantis xerampelina Peters, 1855, Arch. Xaturg., XXI, part 1, p. 56. Pfeffer, 1893 (1892), Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., X, part 1, p. 91. Type Localities: Tette and Sena, Mozambique. Range : Transvaal, north to Kenya Colony. CONRAUA Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berhn, III, p. 497 Type: robusta Conraua robusta Nieden Conraua robusta Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berhn, III, p. 497. Chiromantis umbelluzianus (Ferreira, 1920, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (3) VIII, 6 pp., 2 pis.) seems to be hardly distinct from this species. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 321 Type Locality: Cameroon. Range: Ivnown only from the type locality. DlMOSPHOGNATHUS Boulenger, 1906, Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist., (7) XVII, p. 321, fig. 2 Type : africanus Dimorphognathus africanus (Hallowell) Heteroglossa africana Hallowell, 1857, Proc. Acad. Xat. Sci., Phila., p. 64. Dimorphogtiathus africxma Boulenger, 1906, Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist., (7) X\T;I, p. 321, fig. 2. Type Locality : Gaboon. Range: Cameroon-Gaboon area. Gampsosteonyz Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 442, PI. xxix Type: hatesi Gampsosteonsrx batesi Boulenger Gampsosteonyx batesi Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 442, PI. XXIX. Type Locality: Benito River, Spanish Guinea. Range: Cameroon-Gaboon area. Hylambates'^ A. Dumeril, 1853, Ann. Sci. Nat., (3) XIX, p. 162 Type: maculaius Hylambates argenteus Pfeffer Hylambates argenteus PfeSer, 1893 (1892), Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., X, pt 1, p. 100, PI. II, fig. 3. Type Locality: Marsh south of Bagamoyo, Tanganyika Territory'. Range: Tanganyika Territory. Hylambates bocagii (Giinther) Cystignathus bocagii Giinther, 1864, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 481, PI. xxxni, fig. 2. Hylambates bocagii Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 133, figs. Type Locality: Duque de Braganga, Angola. Range: Savannahs north and south of the Rain Forest; reported from Portuguese Guinea, Abyssinia, Kenya Colony, and Angola. Hylambates brevipes Boulenger Hylambates brevipes Boulenger, 1906 (1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Geneva, (3) II, p. 168, PI. II, fig. 4. Type Locality: Musola, Fernando Po. Range: KnowTi only from the type locality. 'Many of the species included in this genus are probably referable to Leptopelis, see above discus- sion, p. 186. 322 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Hylambates cassinoides Boulenger Hylamhales cassinoides Boulenger, 1903, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XII, p. 556. Type Locality: MacCarthy Lsland, Gambia. Raxge: KnowTi only from the iype locality. Hylambates christyi Boulenger Hylamhales christyi Boulenger, 1912, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) X, p. 141. Type Locality: Mabira Forest, Chagwe, Uganda. Range: IvnowTi only from the tj^je locality. Hylambates enantiodactylus^ Calabresi Hylambates enantiodactylus Calabresi, 1916, Monitore Zool. Ital., XXVII, p. .36, PI. II, fig. 2. Type Locality: Bardera, Somahland. Range: Known onlj- from the type locality. Hylambates greshoffiii Schilthiiis Hylambates greshoffiii Sclulthuis, 1889, Tijd. Neder. Dier. Ver., (2) II, p. 286, fig. Type Locality: Boma, Lower Congo. Range: Belgian Congo, from Stanleyville to Boma. Hylambates haugi Mocquard Hylambates haugi Mocquard, 1902, Bull. Mus. Nat. Hist., Paris, VIII, p. 413. Type Locality: Near Lambarene, Gaboon. Range: Known onh- from the type ]ocalitj\ Hylambates hyloides Boulenger Hylambates hyloides Boulenger, 1906 (1905), Ann. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 167, PI. II, figs. 1 and 2. Type Locality: Bolama, Portuguese Guinea. Range: Portuguese Guinea south to Liberia. Hylambates johnstoni Boulenger Hylambates johnstoni Boulenger, 1897, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 803, PI. XLVi, fig. 4. Type Locality: Kondowe-Karonga and Nyika Plateau, Nyasaland, Range: Transvaal, north to Usambara, Tanganyika Territory. Hylambates leonardi Boulenger Hylambates leonardi Boulenger, 1906 (1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 167, PL II, fig. 3. Nieden, 1909, Arch. Naturg., LXXV, part 1, p. 362, figs. 1 and 2. Type Localities: Punta FraUes, Fernando Po, and N'Djole, French Congo. Range: Cameroon-Gaboon area including Fernando Po. Hylambates maculatus A. Dumeril Hylambates maculatus A. Dumeril, 1853, Ann. Sci. Nat., (3) XIX, p. 165, PI. VII, figs. 1-16 and 4. Peters, 1882, 'Reise nach Mossambique,' III, p. 159, PI. XXVI, fig. 4. >Thi8 species will doubtlessly be demonstrated to be a Chiromantis and for that reason it is not included in the key. 1924] A'oble, Herpeiology of the Belgian Cor^go 323 Type Locality: Zanzibar. Raxge: Mozambique, north to Zanzibar. Hylambates marginatus Bocage Hylamhates marginatus Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 178. Type Locality: Quissange, interior of Benguella, Angola. Range: Angola. Hylambates natalensis (A. Smith) Polypedates natalensis A. Smith, 1849, Tllus. Zool. S. Africa,' III, Appendix, p. 25. Hylarnbates natalensis Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. ]Mus.,' p. 135, figs. Type Locality: " Small river a httle to the westward of Port Natal." Range: Xatal. Hylambates ragazzii Boulenger Hylambates ragazzii Boulenger, 1896, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Geneva, (2) XVI, p. 554. Type Locality: Shoa, Abyssinia. Raxge: Ivnown only from the type locality. Hylambates vannutellii Boulenger Hylambates vannutellii Boulenger, 1898, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (2a) XVIII, p. 722, PI. X, fig. 3. Type Locality: "Between Badditii and Dime," Somahland. R.vn'ge: Known only from the type locality. Hylambates vermiculatus Boulenger Hylambates vermiculatus Boulenger, 1909, Ann. IMag. Nat. Hist., (8) IV, p. 497. Nieden, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 448. Type Locality: Amani, Tanganj-ika TerritorJ^ Range: Tanganj-ika Territorj-. Hylambates verrucosus Boulenger Hylambates verrucosus Boulenger, 1912, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) X, p. 141. Type Locality: Mabira Forest, Chagwe, L'ganda. Range: Known only from the type locality. Hypeeolius Rapp, 1842, .\rch. Naturg., VIII, part 1, p. 289 Type : marmoratus Hyperolius acutirostris Buchholz and Peters Hyperolius acutirostris Buchholz and Peters, 1875, in Peters, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. BerHn, p. 207, PL ii, fig. 4. Rappia acutirostris Tornier, 1896, ' Kriechthiere Deutsch-Ost-Afrikas,' p. 154. Type Locality : Cameroon. Range: Rain Forest as far west as Nigeria. Hyperolius argus Peters Hyperolius argus Peters, 1855, Arch. Naturg., part 1, p. 57. 324 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Rappia argus Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 122. Type Locality: Boror, Mozambique. Range : Mozambique and Nyasaland to Tanganyika Territory. Hyperolius aylmeri (E. G. Boulenger) Rappia aylmeri E. G. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, I, p. 243. Type Locality: Sierra Leone. Range: Known only from the type locality. Hyperolius balfouri (Werner) Rappia balfouri Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), CXVI, Abt. 1, part 2, p. 1904, PL iv, fig. 15. Type Locality: Gondokoro, Sudan. Range : Known only from the type locality. Hyperolius bayoni (Boulenger) Rappia bayoni Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) V, p. 168. Type Localities: Uganda: Bussu, Bululo, Mbale, Jinja, Kabulamuliro, and Entebbe. Range: Known only from the type localities. Hyperolius benguellensis (Bocage) Rappia benguellensis Bocage, 1983, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) III, p. 119. Type Locality: Cahata, Angola. Range : Angola. Hyperolius ferreirai Noble Rappia bivittatus^ Ferreira, 1906, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 161, PI. Type Localities: Angola: Rio Luinha, Quilombo, N'gollo Bumba. Range: Known only from the type localities. Hyperolius bocagei Steindachner Hyperolius bocagei Steindachner, 1869, 'Reise Novara, Zool., I, Amph.,' p. 51, PI. V, fig. 11. Type Locality: Angola. Range: Angola. Hyperolius burgeoni (Witte) Rappia burgeoni Witte, 1921, Rev. Zool. Afr., IX. p. 19, PL v, fig. 2. Type Locality: Madyu (Uele), Belgian Congo. Range: Known only from the type locaUty. Hyperolius burtonii (Boulenger) Rappia burtonii Boulenger, 1883, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (5) XII, p. 163. Type Locality: Ancober River, Gold Coast. Range : Known only from the type locality. Hyperolius chlorosteus (E. G. Boulenger) Rappia chlorostea E. G. Boulenger, 1915, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, I, p. 243. Type Locality: Sierra Leone. Range : Known only from the type locaUty . »Thi3 name is preoccupied by Hyperolius bivittatus Peters, 1855, Arch. Naturg., part 1, p. 56. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 325 Hyperolius cinctiventris Cope Hyperolius cinctiventris Cope, 1862, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., p. 324. Rappia cinctiventris Boettger, 1888, Ber. Senck. Ges., p. 98. Type Locality: Umvoti, Natal. Range: All of Africa, exclusive of the Rain Forest, from French Guinea, Somaliland and the Sudan, southward. Hyperolius cinnamoineo-ventris Bocage Hyperolius cinnamomeo-ventris Bocage, 1866, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, I, p. 75. Rappia cinnamorneiventris Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 172, PL xix, fig. 1. Type Locality: Duque de Braganga, Angola. Range: Angola. Hyperolius concolor (Hallowell) Ixaliis concolor Hallowell, 1844, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., II, p. 60. Rappia concolor Boulenger, 1882, ' Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 124. Type Locality: Liberia. Range: All of Africa from Portuguese Guinea and Kenya Colony south to Angola and ^Mozambique; not reported from the Congo Basin. Hyperolius fasciatus(Ferreria) Rappia fasciata Ferreira, 1906, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 164, fig. on PL Type Locality: Quilombo, Angola. Range: Kno\^ii only from the type locaUty. Hyperolius ferniquei (Mocquard) Rappia ferniquei Mocquard, 1902, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, VIII, p. 407. Type Locality: Atchi River, Kenj-a Colony. Range: Known only from the type locality. Hyperolius fimbriolatus Buchholz and Peters Hyperolius fimbriolatus Buchholz and Peters, in Peters, 1876, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 121. Type Locality: Lambarene, French Congo. Range: Cameroon-Gaboon area and the Lower Congo. Hyperolius flavoviridis Peters Hyperolius flavoviridis Peters, 1855, Arch. Naturg., XXI, part 1, p. 57. Type Locality: Boror, Mozambique. Range: Mozambique to Kenj'a Colony. Hyperolius fulvovittatus Cope Hyperolius fulvovittatus Cope, 1860, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., p, 517. Type Locality: Liberia. Range: Zanzibar to Nyasaland, also Angola. Hyperolius fuscigula Bocage Hyperolius fuscigula Bocage, 1866, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, I, p. 76. Type Locality: Duque de Braganca, Angola. Range: Liberia to Angola. 326 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Hyperolius fusciventris Peters Hyperolius fusciventris Peters, 1876, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 122. Type Locality: Liberia. Range: Spanish Guinea to Liberia. Hyperolius granulatus (Boulenger) Rappia granulata Boulenger, 1901, Ann. Mus. Congo., (1) II, fasc. 1, p. 4, PI. II, fig. 3. Type Locality: Pweto, Lake Aloero. Range: Lake Moero and Tanganyika Territory. Hyperolius guttatus Peters Hyperolius guttatus Peters, 1875, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 207, PI. ii, fig. 3. Type Locality: Boutry, Ashanti. Range: Ashanti to Cameroon. Hyperolius guttulatus Giinther Hyperolius guttulatus Giinther, 1858, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 86, PI. vn, fig. A. Type Locality: Africa. Range: Known only from the type specimens. Hyperolius horstockii (Schlegel) Hyla horstockii Schlegel, 1844, 'Abbildung.,' p. 24. Hyperolius horstockii Giinther, 1858, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 85. Type Locality: Northern part of Cape of Good Hope. Range: South Africa as far north as northern Rhodesia. Hyperolius lagoensis (Giinther) Rappia lagoensis Giinther, 1868, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 487, PI. xl, fig. 2. Hyperolius lagoensis 1875, Peters, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 207. Type Locality: Lagos. Range: Lagos and Nigeria. Hyperolius langi Noble Hyperolius langi Noble, see above, p. 266, PI. XXXIX, fig. 1. Type Locality: Niapu, Belgian Congo. Range : Known only from the type locality. Hyperolius marmoratus Rapp^ Hyperolius marmoratus Rapp, 1842, Arch. Naturg., VIII, part 1, p. 289, PI. vi, figs. 1 and 2. Type Locality: Natal. R.\nge: All of Africa from Portuguese Guinea and Kenya Colony southward. Hyperolius microps Giinther Hyperolius microps Giinther, 1864, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 311, PI. xxvn, fig. 3. ^Rappia soror Chabanaud, 1921, p. 458, seems to belong here. 1924] Noble, Herpetohgy of the Belgian Congo 327 Type Locality: Roviima Bay, East Africa. Range: Mozambique to Angola; recorded probably through error from French Guinea. Hyperolius molleri (Bedriaga) Rapjria molleri Bedriaga, 1892, 'Amph. Kept. Guinee,' p. 10.^ Type Locality: S. Thome. Range: S. Thome. Hyperolius nasutus Gtinther Hyperolius nasutus Gtinther, 1864, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 482, PI. xxxin, fig. 3. Type Locality: Duque de Braganga, Angola. Range: The Sudan to southern Rhodesia, westward south of the Rain Forest to Angola and the Lower Congo. Hyperolius ocellatus Giinther Hyperolius ocellatus Giinther, 1858, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 88, PI. vii, fig. B. Type Localities: Fernando Po and Angola. Range: Angola and the Rain Forest, west to Cameroon. Hyperolius osorioi (Ferreira) Rappia osorioi Ferreira, 1906, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VII, p. 162, fig. on PI. Type Locality: Quilombo, Angola. R an'ge : Known only from the type locaUty. Hyperolius oxyrhynchus (Boulenger) Rappia oxyrhynchus Boulenger, 1901, Ann. Mus. Congo, (1) II, fasc. 1, p. 5, PI. II, fig. 4. Type Localities: Pweto and Lofoi, Belgian Congo. Range: Known only from the type localities. Hyperolius pachydermus (Werner) Rappia pachyderma Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. (math.-natur.), Wien, CXVI, part 1, p. 1903. Type Locality: Gondokoro, Sudan. Range: Kno^-n only from the type locahty. Hyperolius phantasticus (Boulenger) Rappia phantasiica Boulenger, 1899, Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist., (7) III, p. 274, PI. XI, fig. 2. Type Locality: Benito River, Gaboon. Range: Rain Forest as far west as Camero6n. Hyperolius picturatus Peters Hyperolius picturatus Peters, 1875, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 206, PI. ii, fig. 2. Type Locality: Boutry, Ashanti. Range: Rain Forest and Kenya Colony. 'This paper not examined, but the description appearing in another form (Bedriaga, 1892) has been available. 328 Bidletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol, XLIX Hyperolius platycephalus (Pfeffer) Rappia platycephala Pfeffer, 1893 (1892), Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., X, part 1, p. 96, PI. ii, fig. 2. Type Locality: Quilimane, Mozambique. Range: Mozambique. Hyperolius platyceps (Boulenger) Rappia platyceps Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 444, PL xxvu, fig. 4. Type Locality: Benito River, Gaboon. Range: Cameroon and Angola.^ Hyperolius platyrhinus (Procter) Rappia platyrhimis Procter, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 416. Type Locality: Nairobi, Kenya Colony. Range: Kno^^^l only from the type locality. Hyperolius pleurotsenius (Boulenger) Rappia pleurotsenia Boulenger, 1906, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVII, p. 322. Type Localities: Zima, Cameroon and Benito River, Spanish Guinea. Range: Cameroon-Gaboon area and Upper Congo. Hyperolius pliciferus (Bocage) Rappia plicifera Bocage, 1893, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) III, p. 118. Type Locality: Caconda and Duque de Bragan^a, Angola. Range: Angola. Hyperolius punctulatus (Bocage) Rappia punctulata Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 168. Type Locality: Banks of the Quanza River, Angola. Range: Angola. Hyperolius pusillus (Cope) Crumenifera pusilla Cope, 1862, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., p. 343. Rappia pusilla Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 127. Type Locality: Umvoti, Natal. Range: Nigeria and the Sudan southward to Natal. Hyperolius quinquevittatus Bocage Hyperolius quinquevittatus Bocage, 1866, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, I, p. 77. Type Locality: Duque de Braganga, Angola. Range: Angola and the Upper Congo. Hyperolius rhodoscelis (Boulenger) Rappia rhodoscelis Boulenger, 1901, Ann. Mus. Congo, (1) II, fasc. 1, p. 3, PI. II, fig. 1. Ty'pe Locality: [Pweto, Lake Moero. Range: Known only from the tj^pe locality. Ji/. platyceps var. angolensis (Ferreira) may not be conspecific with H. platyceps, in which case the range of the latter form would be restricted to the Cameroon-Gaboon area. 1924] Noble, Herpetologtj of the Belgian Congo 329 Hyperolius riggenbachi (Nieden) Rappia riggenbachi Nieden, 1910, Arch. Naturg., LXXVI, part 1, Heft 1, p. 244, fig. 4. Type Locality: Banjo, Cameroon. Range: Ivhowti only from the type locality. Hyperolius salinse (Bianconi) Euchnemis salinae Bianconi, 1850, 'Spec. Zool. Mosamb., Kept.,' p. 24, Pi. v, fig. 2. Rappia salin3s Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 123. Type Locality: Mozambique. Range: Kenya Colony to Mozambique. Hyperolius sansibarica (Pfeffer) Rappia sansibarica Pfeffer, 1893 (1892), Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., X, part 1, p. 97, PI. II, fig. 4. Type Locality: Zanzibar. Range: From Zanzibar to Bukoba, Tanganyika Territory. Hyperolius seabrai (Ferreira) Rappia seabrai Ferreira, 1906, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) VH, p. 163, fig. on PI. Type Locality: Duque de Braganga, .\ngola. Range: Kno^-n only from the type locahty. Hyperolius sordidus (Fischer) Rappia sordida Fischer, 1888, Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., V, p. 10. Type Locality: Cameroon. Range: Rain Forest. Hyperolius spurrelli (Boulenger) Rappia spurrelli Boulenger, 1917, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) XIX, p. 408. Type Locality: Obuasi, southern Ashanti. Range : Kno\\Ti only from the type locality. Hyperolius steindachnerii Bocage Hyperolius steindachnerii Bocage, 1866, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, I, p. 75. Type Locality: Duque de Braganga, Angola. Range : Angola and the Rain Forest as far west as Cameroon. Hyperolius sugillatus Cope Hyperolius sugillatus Cope, 1862, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., p. 342. Type Locality: Umvoti, Natal. Range: Natal to Angola. Hsrperolius symetricus (Cope) Rappia symetrica Mocquard, 1902, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat., VIII, p. 408. Type Locality: Atchi River, Kenya Colony. Range: Kenya Colony. Hyperolius thomensis Bocage Hyperolius thomensis Bocage, 1886, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, XI, p. 74. Type Locality : S.Thome. Range: S. Thome. 330 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Hyperolius toulsonii Bocage Hyperolius toulsonii Bocage, 1867, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 845, fig. 3. Type Locality: Loanda, Angola. Range : Angola. Hyperolius tristis Bocage Hyperolius tristis Bocage, 1866, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, I, p. 76. Rapjria tristis Bocage, 1895, 'Herpetol. Angola,' p. 171, PI. xix, fig. 2. Type Locality: Duque de Braganga, Angola. Range: Angola and the Lower Congo. Hyperolius tuberilinguis Smith Hyperolius tuberilinguis Smith, 1849, 'Illus. Zool. S. Africa,' III, Appendix, p. 26. Type Locality: "Country to the eastward of Cape Colony." Range: Caffraria. Hyperolius undulatus (Boulenger) Rappia undulata Boulenger, 1901, Ann. Mus. Congo, (1) II, fasc. 1, p. 4, PI. ii, fig. 2. Type Localities: Pweto and Lofoi, Belgian Congo. Range: Lake Moero to Cape Colony. Hyperolius vermiculatus (Pfeffer) Rappia vermiculata Pfeffer, 1893 (1892), Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., X, part 1, p. 98, PI. I, fig. 12. Type Locality: Zanzibar. Range : Known onlj' from the type locality. Hyperolius viridiflavus (Dumeril and Bibron) Eucnemis viridi-flavus Dumeril and Bibron, 1841, 'Erpet. Gen.,' VIII, p. 528. Type Locality: Abyssinia. Range: Abyssinia, SomaUland, and Uganda. Kassina Girard, 1853, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., VI, p. 421 Type: senegalensis Kassina obscura Boulenger Cassina obscura Boulenger, 1894, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 644, PI. xxxix, fig. 3. Peracca, 1909, in Abruzzi, 'II Ruwenzori,' Parte Scientifica, I, p. 177. Type Locality: Let Merafia, Shoa, Abyssinia. Range: Abyssinia, south to the Sudan, LTganda, and Gallaland. Kassina senegalensis (Dumeril and Bibron) Cystignathus senegalensis Dumeril and Bibron, 1841, 'Erpet. Gen.,' VIII, p. 418. Cassina senegalensis Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 131. Type Locality: Lakes in the vicinity of Galam, Senegal. Range: Open country south of the Sahara; accidental in the Rain Forest. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 331 Leptodactylodon Andersson, 1903, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LIII, p. 141 Type: ovatus Leptodactylodon albiventris (Boulenger) Bulua albiventris Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XV, p. 283. Leptodactylodon albiventris Nieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, part 4 p. 501. Type Locality: Efulen, Cameroon. Range: Cameroon. Leptodactylodon boulengeri Nieden Leptodactylodon boulengeri Nieden, 1910, Arch. Naturg., LXXVI, part 1, Heft 1, p. 242, fig. 2. Type Localiti': Banjo, Cameroon. Range: Known only from the type locality. Leptodactylodon ovatus Andersson Leptodactylodon ovatus Andersson, 1903, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LIII, p. 141 Type Locality: Cameroon. Range: Cameroon. Leptopelis Giinther, 1858, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 89 Type: aubryi Leptopelis anchietae (Bocage) Hylambates anchietae Bocage, 1873, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, IV, p. 226. Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 133. Type Locality : Interior to Mossamedes, Angola. Range: Savannahs directly to the north, east, and sduth of the Rain Forest; best known from Angola. Leptopelis aubryi (A. Dumeril) Hijla aubryi A. Dumeril, 1856, Rev. Mag. Zool., (2) VIII, p. 561. Leptopelis aubryi Giinther, 1858, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 89. Type Locality: Gaboon. Range: Rain Forest, the forest at Amani, East Africa, and possibly other Rain Forest "outlyers." Leptopelis brevirostris (Werner) Hylambates brevirostris Werner, 1898, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XLVIII, p. 199, PI. II, figs. 5 and 6. Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 445. Type Locality: Victoria, Cameroon. Range: Cameroon-Gaboon area including Fernando Po; reported also from Tan- ganyika Territory. 332 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol, XLIX Leptopelis calcaratus (Boulenger) Hylambates calcaratus Boulenger, 1906, Abii. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVII, p. 322. Type Localities: Efulen, Cameroon; Cape St. John and Rio Benito, Spanish Guinea. Range: Cameroon-Gaboon area. Leptopelis notatus (Buchholz and Peters) Hylambates notatus Buchholz and Peters, in Peters, 1875, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. BerUn, p. 205, PI. ii, fig. 1. Type Locality: Cameroon. Range: Cameroon-Gaboon area. Leptopelis palmatus (Peters) Hylambates palmatus Peters, 1868, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 453, PI. II, fig. 2. Type Locality: Prince's Island, Range: Cameroon-Gaboon area including Fernando Po and Prince's Island. Leptopelis rufus Reichenow Leptopelis rufus Reichenow, 1874, Arch. Naturg., XL, part 1, p. 291, PI. ix, figs, la and 16. Type Locality: Victoria, Cameroon (at foot of Cameroon Mountains). Range: Rain Forest and the forest at Usambara, Tanganyika Territory. Leptopelis tessmanni (Nieden) Hylambates tessmanni Nieden, 1909, Arch. Naturg., LXXV, part 1, p. 365, fig. 4. Type Locality: Makomo, Spanish Guinea. Range: Cameroon-Gaboon area. Megalixalus Gunther, 1868, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 485 Type : infrarufus = seychellensis Megalixalus brachycnemis Boulenger Megalixalus brachycnemis Boulenger, 1896, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XVII, p. 403, PI. xvii, fig. 2. Type Locality: Chiradzulu, Nyasaland. Range: Nyasaland. Megalixalus flavomaculatus (Gunther) Hyperolius flavomaculatus Gunther, 1864, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 310, PI. XX VII, fig. 1. Megalixalus flavomaculatus Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 128. Type Locality: Rovuma Bay, East Africa. Range: Known only from the type locaUty. Megalixalus fornasinii (Bianconi) Euchnemis fornasinii Bianconi, 1850, 'Spec. Zool. Mosamb., Rept.,' PI. v, fig. 1. 1924] Noble, Herpetohgy of the Belgian Congo 333 Megalixalus fornasinii Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 130. Type Locality: Mozambique. Range: Rain Forest and East Africa, from Pemba Island south to Marianhill, Natal. Megalixalus gramineus Boulenger Megalixalus gramineus Boulenger, 1898, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Grenova, (2) XVIII, p. 721, PI. X, fig. 2. Type Locality: Between Badditii and Dime, Kenya Colony. Range: Kenya Colony. Megalixalus immaculatus Boulenger Megalixalus immaculatus Boulenger, 1903, Mem. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat., I, p. 63, PI. V, fig. 3. Type Locality: Cape St. John, Spanish Guinea. Range: Spanish Guinea and French Congo. Megalixalus leptosoiuus (Peters) Hyperolius leptosomus Peters, 1877, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. BerUn, p. 619, PI., fig. 5. Megalixalus leptosomus Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 129. Type Locality : Chinchoxo, Portuguese Congo. Range: Rain Forest, Sudan, and Tanganjaka Territory. Megalixalus lindholmi Andersson Megalixalus lindholmi Andersson, 1907, Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk., LX, p. 239, figs. 4^6. Type Locality: Bibundi, Cameroon. Range: Cameroon. Megalixalus loveridgii Procter Megalixalus loveridgii Procter, 1920, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 418. Type Locality: Morogoro, Tanganyika Territory. Range: Known only from the type locahty. Megalixalus pantherinus Steindachner Megalixalus pantherinus Steindachner, 1891, Anz. Akad. Wiss. Wien, XXVIII, No. 14, p. 142. Type Locality: Leikipia, Kenya Colony. Range: Known only from the type locaUty. Megalixalus spinifrons (Cope). Hyperolius spinifrons Cope, 1862, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., p. 342. Megalixalus ? spinifrons Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 130. Type Locality: Umvoti, Natal. Range: Cape Colony and Natal. Megalixalus spinosus (Buchholz and Peters) Hyperolius spinosus Buchholz and Peters, in Peters, 1875, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. BerUn, p. 208, PI. i, fig. 3. Megalixalus spinosus Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 130. Type Locality: Cameroon. Range: Rain Forest as far west as the Cameroon-Gaboon area. 334 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Megalixalus vittiger (Peters) Hyperolius vittiger Peters, 1876, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 122. Megalixalus vittiger Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Geneva, (.3) V, p. 169. Type Locality: Liberia. Range: Rain Forest and Uganda. Nyctibates Boulenger, 1904, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XIII, p. 261 Type: corrugatus Nyctibates corrugatus Boulenger Nyctibates corrugatus Boulenger, 1904, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XIII, p. 261. Type Locality: Efulen, Cameroon. Range: Cameroon. Petbopedetes Reichenow, 1874, Arch. Naturg., XL, part 1, p. 290 Type: comeronensis Petropedetes cameronensis Reichenow Petropedetes cameronensis Reichenow, 1874, Arch. Naturg., XL, part 1, p. 290, PI. IX, figs. 2, 2a and 26. Boulenger, 1906 (1905), Ann. Mus. Stor. Nat. Genova, (3) II, p. 164, fig. Type Locality: Bimbia, Cameroon. Range: Cameroon and Fernando Po. Petropedetes johnstoni (Boulenger) Cornufer johnstoni Boulenger, 1887, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 564. Petropedetes johnstoni Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 439. Type Locality: Rio del Rey, Cameroon. Range: Cameroon. Petropedetes natator Boulenger Petropedetes natator Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XV, p. 281. Type Locality: Sierra Leone. Range: Known only from the type locality. Petropedetes newtonii (Bocage) Tympanoceros newtonii Bocage, 1895, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (2) III, p. 270; IV, p. 18, PL Petropedetes newtoni Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 439. Type Locality: Fernando Po. Range: Cameroon-Gaboon area including Fernando Po. Petropedetes palmipes Boulenger Petropedetes palmipes Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XV, p. 282. Type Locality: Efulen, Cameroon. Range: Cameroon. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 335 Phbynobatbachus Gunther, 1862, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 190 Type: natalensis Phrynobatrachus acridoides (Cope) Staurois acridoides Cope, 1867, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., VI, p. 198. Phrynobatrachus acridoides Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 113. Type Locality: Zanzibar. Range: Mozambique to Eritrea in the east, Gambia to the French Congo in the west; not known from the interior of the continent except for a number of records from Nyasaland and the East African highlands. Phrynobatrachus acutirostris Nieden Phrynobatrachus acutirostris Nieden, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch.-Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 173, figs. lo-c. Type Locality: Rugege Forest, Lake Region. Range: Lake Region. Phrynobatrachus bonebergi (Hewitt and Methuen) Xatalobatrachus bonebergi Hewitt and Methuen, 1913, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. -Ifrica, III, p. 107. Type Locality: Marianhill, Natal. Range: Known only from the type locaUty. Phrynobatrachus capensis Boulenger Phrynobatrachus capensis Boulenger, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, pp. 529 and 538. Type Locality: Cape Flats, Cape Colony. Range : Known only from the type locahty . Phrynobatrachus dendrobates (Boulenger) Arthroleptis dendrobates Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Africaine, VII, fasc. 1, p. 8. Type Locality: Medje, Belgian Congo. Range: Ituri Forest, Belgian Congo. Phrynobatrachus francisci Boulenger Phrynobatrachus francisci Boulenger, 1912, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) X, p. 141. Type Locality: Province of Zaria, Northern Nigeria. Range: Senegambia to the French Congo. Phrynobatrachus giorgii Witte Phrynobatrachm giorgii Witte, 1921, Rev. Zool. Afr., IX, p. 8, PI. in, fig. 1. Type Locality: Yambata, Lower Congo. Range: Known only from the type locality. Phrynobatrachus graueri (Nieden) Arthroleptis graueri Nieden, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freimde BerUn, p. 441. Phrynobatrachus graueri Nieden, 1912, 'Wiss. Ergeb. Deutsch.-Zentr. Afrika Exp.,' IV, p. 174, PI. V, figs. 2a-b. Type Locality: Rugege Forest, Lake Region. Range: Known only from the type locality. 336 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Phrynobatrachus krefEtii Boulenger Phrynobatrachus krefftii Boulenger, 1909, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) IV, p. 496. Type Locality: Amani, Tanganyika Territory. Range : Tanganyika Territory and the Belgian Congo as far west as the Rain Forest. Phrynobatrachus natalensis (A. Smith) Stenorhynchus natalensis A. Smith, 1849, 'lUus. Zool. S. Africa,' III, Appendix, p. 24. Phrynobatrachus natalensis Giinther, 1862, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 190. Type Locality: Port Natal. Range: All of Africa, south of the Sahara and exclusive of the Rain Forest (possibly encroaching upon the border of the latter). Phrynobatrachus perpalmatus Boulenger Phrynobatrachus perpalmatus Boulenger, 1898, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 479, PL XXXVIII, fig. 1. Type Locality: Lake Moero. Range: Lake Moero, north to El Gerassi, Egypt, including the Ituri Forest. Phrynobatrachus plicatus (Giinther) Hyperolius plicatus Gunther, 1858, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 88, PI. \^I, fig. c. Phrynobatrachus plicatus Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 112. Type Locality: Coast of Guinea. Range: Rain Forest and outlying forested regions to the east; recorded perhaps incorrectly from northern Rhodesia; not reported further west than Nigeria. Phrynobatrachus steindachneri Nieden Phrynobatrachus steindachneri Nieden, 1910, Arch. Naturg., LXXVI, part H Heft 1, p. 241. Type Locality: Banjo, Cameroon. Range: Known only from the type locality. Phrynobatrachus tellinii Peracca Phrynobatrachus teUinii Peracca, 1904, Boll. Mus. Torino, XIX, No. 467, p. 4. Type Locality: Between Massaua and Cheren, Eritrea. Range: Known only from the type locaUty. Phbynopsis Keffer, 1893 (1892), Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., X, p. 101, PL ii, figs. 5 and 6 Type: boulengerii Phrsmopsis boulengerii Pfeffer Phrynopsis boulengerii Pfeffer, 1893 (1892), Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., X, p. 101, PL n, figs. 5 and 6. Type Locality: QuiUmane, Mozambique. Range: Mozambique. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 337 Phrynopsis ventrimaculata Nieden Phrynopsis ventrimoculata Xieden, 1908, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, III, p. 499. Type Locality: Longji, Cameroon. Range: IvnowTi only from the type locality. Rana Linn^us, 1758, 'Syst. Nat.,' 10th Ed., I, p. 210 Type: temporaria Rana adspersa (Dumeril and Bibron) Pyxicephalus adspersiis Dumeril and Bibron, 1841, 'Erpet. Gen.,' VIII, p. 444. Rana adspersa Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mns.,' p. 33, fig. Type Locality: South Africa. Range: South Africa northward to the Sudan and Kenya Colon j^ in the east and Angola in the west. Rana aequiplicata Werner Rana mascareniensis var. sequiplicata Werner, 1898, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, XL VIII, p. 192. Rana sequiplicata Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 437. Type Localities: Victoria and Buea, Cameroon. Range: Rain Forest as far west as Cameroon; recorded also from the Transvaal (Mocquard, 1906) but probabty through error. Rana albolabris Hallowell Rana albolabris Hallowell, 1856, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., VIII, p. 153. Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Mus.,' p. 59, PI. v, fig. 2, 2a and 26. Type Locality: West Africa. Range: Rain Forest and surroimding territory: Lower Congo, Lake Region, Uele District, and French Guinea. Rana angolensis Bocage Rana angolensis Bocage, 1866, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, I, p. 73. Boulenger, 1918, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, VII, part 2, p. 131. Type Locality: Duque de Bragan^a, Angola. Range: Eastern parts of Cape Province, northward to Portuguese East Africa, Nyasaland, and Angola. Rana ansorgii Boulenger Rana ansorgii Boulenger, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 107, PI. iv, fig. 1. Type Locality: Between Benguella and Bih6, Angola. Range: Angola to Cameroon. Rana beccarii Boulenger Rana beccarii Boulenger, 1911, Ann. Mus, Stor. Nat., Geneva, (3) V, p. 160. Type Locality: Filfil, Eritrea. Range: Eritrea and Abyssinia. 338 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Rana bibronii Hallowell Raria bibronii Hallowell, 1845, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., II, p. 249. Type Locality: Liberia. Range: French Guinea and Liberia to Gaboon. Rana budgetti Boulenger Rana budgetti Boulenger, 1903, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XII, p. 555. Type Locality : IMacCarthy Island, Gambia. Range: Known only from the type locality. Rana bunoderma Boulenger Rana bunoderma Boulenger, 1907, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XIX, p. 214. Type Locality: Caconda, Angola. Range: Known only from the type locality. Rana chapini Noble Rana chapini Noble, 1920, see above, p. 214. Type Locality: Batama, Belgian Congo. Range: Known only from the type locality. Rana christyi Boulenger Rana christyi Boulenger, 1919, Rev. Zool. Air., VII, p. 5. Type Locality: Medje, Belgian Congo. Range: Ituri forest and Vele plains. Rana cordofana (Steindachner) Pyxicephalus cordofanus Steindachner, 1869, 'Reise Novara, Zool., I, Amph.,' p. 8. Rana cordofana Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 31. Type Locality: Kordofan, Egypt. Range: The Sudan. Rana crassipes Buehholz and Peters Rana crassipes Buehholz and Peters, in Peters, 1875, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berhn, p. 201. Type Locality: Abo, Cameroon. Range: Cameroon-Gaboon area. Rana cryptotis Boulenger Rana cryptotis Boulenger, 1907, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XX, p. 109. Type Localiiy: Mossamedes, Angola (Kafitu Swamps and Catequero). Range: Known onlj^ from the tj^je locality. Rana darlingi Boulenger i Rana darlingi Boulenger, 1902, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 15, PI. iii, fig. 1. Type Locality: Mashonaland (Mazoe or between UmtaU and Marandellas). Range: Mashonaland to Victoria Falls, Rhodesia. Rana delalandii (Dumeril and Bibron) Pyxicephalus delalandii Dumeril and Bibron, 1841, 'Erp6t. G6n.,' VIII, p. 445, PI. Lxxxvii, figs. 1, la, and 16. Rana delalandii Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 31. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 339 Type Locality: South Africa. Range: South Africa northward in the east to Eritrea and the Sudan, in the west to Southwest Africa. Rana elegans Boulenger Rami degam Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 59, PI. v, fig. 1. Type Locality: "West Africa." Range: Gaboon. Rana esculenta ridibunda Pallas Rana ridibunda PaUas, 1771, 'Reise,' I, p. 458. Rana esculenta var. ridibunda Boulenger, 1897, 'Tailless Batr. Europe,' H, p. 270, PI. XVII, figs. 100a, 101. Type Locality: Caspian Sea, Volga, and Jaico. Range: .Africa north of the Sahara, western Asia, and aU of Europe (except north- western and central portions and Italy). Rana fasciata Dumeril and Bibron Rana fasciata Dumeril and Bibron, 1841, 'Erpet. Gen.,' VIII, p. 389. Type Locality: Cape of Good Hope. Range: South Africa north to the Shire Plateau, Nyasaland. Rana flavigula (Calabresi) Pyxicephalus flarigida Calabresi, 1916, Monitore Zool. Ital., XXVII, p. 34, PL II, fig. 1. Type Locality: Oroflillo, Somaliland. Range: Known only from the tj^je locahty. Rana floweri Boulenger Rana flou-eri Boulenger, 1917, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) XX, p. 417. Type Locality: Roseires on the Blue Nile. Range: Known only from the tj^pe locahty. • Rana fullebomi Xieden Rana fiilleborni Nieden, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 436. Type Locality: Crater Lake of N'gosi volcano, Langenburg, Tanganyika Territory. Range: Known only from the type locality. Rana f uscigula Dumeril and Bibron Rana fuscigula Dumeril and Bibron, 1841, 'Erpet. Gen.,' VIII, p. 386. Boulenger, 1918, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, VIII, part 2, p. 131. Type Locality: South Africa. Range: Cape Colony northward to Nyasaland; recorded as far north as Abyssinia and Southwest -Africa, but probably due to confusion with closely related species. Rana galamensis Dumeril and Bibron Rana galamensis Dumeril and Bibron, 1841, 'Erpet. Gen.,' VIII, p. 367. Bou- lenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 61. Type Locality: Galam Lakes, Senegal. Range: Tj'pically the open country from Senegal and the Sudan south to Portuguese East Africa; recorded from the forested regions of Nigeria and Cameroon. 340 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Rana goliath Boulenger Rana goliath Boulenger, 1906, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVII, p. 317. Type Locality: Efulen, Cameroon. Range : Cameroon. Rana gondokorensis Werner Rana gondokorensis Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien, CXVI, part 1, pp. 1889 and 1891, PI. iir, fig. 9. Type Locality: Gondokoro, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. Range: Known only from the type locality. Rana grayii A. Smith Rana grayii A. Smith, 1849, 'lUus. Zool. S. Africa,' III, PL lxxviii, figs. 2, 2o-c. Type Locality: Western districts of Cape Colony. Range: South Africa north to Transvaal. Rana guerzea Chabanaud Rana guerzea Chabanaud, 1920, Bull. Com. Et. Hist, et Sclent. A. O. F., p. 493. Type Localities: N'Zebela, and N'Zer6kore, French Guinea. Range: Known only from the type localities. Rana johnstoni Giinther Rana johnstoni Giinther, 1893, Proc. Zool. Soe. London, p. 620. Type Locality: Chiromo, Nyasaland. Range : Nyasaland. Rana katangae Witte Rana katangae Witte, 1921, Rev. Zool. Afr., IX, p. 3, PI. ii, figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4. Type Locality: Lofoi, Katanga. Range : Known only from the type locality. Rana lemairei Witte Rana lemairei Witte, 1921, Rev. Zool. Afr., IX, p. 1, PI. i. Type Locality: Lofoi, Katanga. Range : Known only from the type locaUty. Rana leonensis Boulenger Ra7ia leonensis Boulenger, 1917, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) XIX, p. 407; XX, p. 418. Type Locality: "Sierra Leone," corrected to Bibianaka, Gold Coast. Range: Known only from the type locaHty. Rana longirostris Peters Rana longirostris Peters, 1870, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 646, PI. i, fig. 5. Type Locality: Keta, Gold Coast. Range: Gold Coast to Gaboon. Rana macrotympanum (Boulenger) Pyxicephalus macrotym-panmn Boulenger, 1912, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) X, p. 140. Rana (Hildebrandtia) macrotympanum Boulenger, 1919, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, VIII, part 1, p. 33. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 341 Type Locality: West of the Jiiha River, Gallaland. Range: Known only from the type locality. Rana bufonia (Boettger) Maltzania bufonia Boettger, 1881, Abh. Senck. Ges., XII, p. 418, PI, i, figs. 3a-e. Rana maltzanii Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 34. Type Locality: Rufisque, Senegal. Range: Known only from the type locality. Rana mascareniensis Dumeril and Bibron Rana mascareniensis Dumeril and Bibron, 1841, 'Erpet. Gen.,' VIII, p. 350. Type Localities: Seychelles, Mauritius, and Bourbon. Range: All of Africa, from Egypt and the Sahara, south to Southwest Africa, Rhodesia, and Zululand. Rana merumontana Lonnberg Rana merumontana Lonnberg, 1910, in Sjostedt, 'Kilimandjaro-Merii Exp.,' I, part 4, p. 21, PI. i, figs. 4« and 46. Type Locality: IMeru. Range: Known only from the type locality. Rana moeruensis Boulenger Rana moeruensis Boulenger, 1901, Ann. Mus. Congo, (1) II, fasc. 1, p. 2, PI. i, fig. 2. Type Locality: Pweto, Lake Moero. Range: Known only from the type locality. Rana miotympanum Boulenger Rana (Hildebrandiia) miotympanum Boulenger, 1919, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, VIII, part 1, p. 34. Type Locality: Loanda, Angola. Range: Angola. Rana natalensis (A. Smith) Pyxicephalus natalensis A. Smith, 1849, 'Illus. Zool. S.Africa, Rept./ Ill, Appen- dix, p. 23. Rana natalensis Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 30. Type Locality: "Country to the eastward of Cape Colony." Range: Natal to Transvaal. Rana newtoni Bocage Rana newtoni Bocage, 1886, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, XI, p. 73. Type Locality: S. Thome. Range: S. Thome and Fernando Po. Rana nutti Boulenger Rana nutti Boulenger, 1896, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XVIII, p. 467; 1909, Trans. Zool. Soc. London, XIX, p. 240, PI. viii, figs. 1 and 2. Type Locality: Lake Tanganyika. Range: Abyssinia southward to Uganda and Tanganyika Territory. 342 Bulletin American Museum of Xatural History [Vol. XLIX Rana nyassse Giinther Rana nyassae Giinther, 1892, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 558. Type Locality: Shire Highlands, Nyasaland. Range: Nyasaland. Rana occipitalis Giinther Rana occipitalis Giinther, 1858, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 130, PI. xi. Type Localities: "West Africa," "Africa," Gambia. Range: Senegal and the Sudan, south to Angola, and Tanganyika Territory. Rana ornata (Peters) Pyxicephalus ornatus Peters, 1878, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 207, PI. II, fig. 7. Rana ornata Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 33. Type Locality: Taita, Kenya Colony. Range: Somaliland to Portuguese East Africa. Rana ornatissima Bocage Rana ornatissima Bocage, 1879, Jorn. Sci. Lisboa, (1) VII, p. 98. Rana (Hildebrandtia) ornatissima Boulenger, 1919, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, VIII, p. 34. Type Locality: Bihe, Angola. Range : Uele Region, south through the savannahs, to Angola and Southern Rhodesia. Rana oxyrh3mchus A. Smith Rana nxyrhynchus A. Smith, 1849, 'Illus. Zool. S. Africa,' III, PI. lxxvii, figs. 2 and 2a-c. Type Locality: Kafirland and region of Port Natal. Range: Eritrea, Uele Region, and Portuguese Guinea, southward throughout Africa. Rana perpalmata Witte Rana perpalmata Witte, 1922, Rev. Zool. Afr., X, p. 320. Type Locality: Chiloango Basin, Lower Congo. Range: Known only from the type locality. Rana pulchra Boulenger Rana pulchra Boulenger, 1896, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6) XVIII, p. 468. Type Locality: Lake Tanganyika. Range: Known only from the tj^pe locality. Rana pumilio Boulenger Rana pumilio Boulenger, 1920, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (9) VI, p. 106. Type Locality: ^Medine, Senegal. Range: Known only from the type locahty. Rana ruddi Boulenger Rana ruddi Boulenger, 1907, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 480, PL xxii, fig. 1. Rana {Hildebrandtia) ruddi Boulenger, 1919, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, VIII, part 1, p. 36. Type Locality: Beira, Portuguese East Africa. Range: Known only from the type locality. 1924] Noble, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 343 Rana schillukorum Werner Rana schillukorum Werner, 1907, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien, CXVI, part 1, pp. 1889 and 1890, PI. iii, fig. 10. Type Locality: Khor Attar, Sudan. Range: Known only from the type locality. Rana stenocephala Boulenger Rana stenocephala Boulenger, 1901, Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist., (7) VIII, p. 515. Type Locality: Entebbe, Uganda. Range: Luanda. Rana subsigillata A. Dumeril Rana subaigillata A. Dumeril, 1856, Rev. Mag. Zool., p. 560. Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 23. Type Locality: Gaboon. Range: French Guinea south to Gaboon. Rana togoensis Boulenger Rana [Hildebrandtia) togoensis Boulenger, 1919, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Africa, VIII, part 1, p. 34. Type Locality': Mangu, Togo. Range: Togoland. Rana trinodis Boettger Rana trinodis Boettger, 1881, Abh. Senck. Ges., XII, p. 414, PI. i, figs. 2a-e. Pfeffer, 1893 (1892), Jahrb. Hamburg. Wiss. Anst., X, part 1, p. 90. Type Localities: Dakar and Rufisque, Senegal. Range: Senegambia and Kenya Colony southward through the open country to Mozambique. Rana tuberculosa (Giinther) Pyxicephalus rugosus Giinther, 1864, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 479, PI. xxxin, fig. 1. Rana tuberculosa Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 30. Type Locality: Pungo Andongo, Angola. Range: Angola. Rana venusta Werner Rana venusta Werner, 1907, Sitzljer. Akad. Wiss. Wien, CXVI, part 1, pp. 1889 and 1892, PI. iv, fig. 11. Type Localities: Mongalla, Lagos, and Enteljbe, Victoria Xj'anza. Range: Known only from the above localities. ROTHSCHILDIA Mocquard, 1905, Bull. Mus. Hist. Xat., Paris, XI, p. 288 Type: kounhiensis Rothschildia kounhiensis Mocquard Rothschildia kounhiensis Mocquard, 1905, Bull. Mus. Hist. Xat., Paris, XI, p. 288. 344 Bulletin American Musemn of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Type Locality: Ouardji, Valley of Kounhi, Abyssinia. Range: Known only from the type localitj\ SCHOUTEDENELLA Witte, 1921, Rev. Zool. Africaine, IX, p. 18 Type: globosa Schoutedenella globosa Witte Schoutedenella globom Witte, 1921, Rev. Zool. Africaine, IX, p. 18. Type Locality: Lofoi (Katanga), Belgian Congo. Range: I^own only from the type locality. SCOTOBLEPS Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. 8oc. London, II, p. 438, PI. xxviii, fig. 1 Type: gabonicus Scotobleps gabonicus Boulenger Scotobleps gabonicus Boulenger, 1900, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, II, p. 439, PI. XXVIII, fig. 1. Type Locality: Benito River, Spanish Guinea. Range: Cameroon and Spanish Guinea. Brevicipitidae Anhydrophrnye Hewitt, 1919, Rec. Albany Mus., Ill, p. 182, PI. v, text fig. Type: rattroyi Anhydrophryne rattrayi Hewitt Anhydrophryne rattrayi Hewitt, 1919, Rec. Albany Mus., Ill, p. 182, PI. v, text fig. Type Locality: Hogsback, Amatola Range, Cape Colony. Range: Known only from the type locality. Breviceps Merrem, 1820, 'Tent. Syst. Amph.,' p. 177 Type: gibbosus Breviceps adspersus Peters Breviceps adspersus Peters, 1882, 'Reise nach Alossambique,' III, p. 177. Bou- lenger, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 534. Type Locality : Da maraland and Transvaal. Range: Southwest Africa, Colony, and Cape Transvaal. Breviceps gibbosus (Linne) Rana gibbosa Linne, 1758, 'Syst. Nat.,' 10th Ed., I, p. 211. Breviceps gibbosus Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 176. Type Locality: Indefinite. Range: South Africa north to southern Angola and British Central Africa. 1924] Noble, Herpefology of the Belgian Congo 345 Breviceps macrops Boulenger Breviceps macrops Boulenger, 1907, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XX, p. 46, fig. and PI. 11. Type Locality: Namaqualand. Range: Xamaqualand. Breviceps mossambicus Peters Breviceps 7nossambicus Peters, 1855, Arch. Xaturg., XXI, part 1, p. 58. Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 177. Type Localities: Island of Mozambique and Sena. Raxge: South Africa, north to Angola, Lake Moero, and northern Tanganyika Territory. Breviceps verrucosus Rapp Breviceps verrucosus Rapp, 1842, Arch. Xaturg., VIII, part 1, p. 291, PI. vi, fig. 5. Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 177. Type Locality: Xatal. Range: South Africa, north on the east to Uganda. Cacosternitm Boulenger, 1887, Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist., (5) XX, p. 51 Type: boettgeri Cacosternum boettgeri (Boulenger) Arthroleptis boettgeri Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. jNIus.,' p. 118, PI. xi, fig. 6. Cacosternum nanum Boulenger, 1887, Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist., (5) XX, p. 52. Cacosternum boettgeri Boulenger, 1896, (7) XVII, p. 321. Type Locality: Vleis, Kaffraria. Range: wSouthwest Africa and South Africa, north to Kenya Colony. Callulina Xieden, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Xaturf. Freunde BerUn, p. 449 Type : kreffti Callulina kreffti Xieden Callulina kreffti Xieden, 1910, Sitzber. Ges. Xaturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 449. Type Localities: Amani and Tanga, Tanganyika Territory. Range: Known only from the type localities. DiDYNAMIPUS Andersson, 1903, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LIII, p. 143 Type: sjostedti Didynamipus sjostedti Andersson Didynaniipus sjostedti Andersson, 1903, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, LIII, p. 143; 1905, Ark. Zool., Stockholm, II, Xo. 20, p. 24, PI. i, figs. 3, 3a-d. Type Locality: Cameroon. Range: Cameroon. 346 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Hemisus Gunther, 1858, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 47 Type: guttatum Hemisus guttatum (Rapp) Engystoma guttatum Rapp, 1842, Arch. Naturg., VIII, part 1, p. 290, PI. vi, figsl 3 and 4. Hemisus guttatum Gunther, 1858, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 47. Boulenger, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 535. Type Locality: Natal. Range: South Africa north to southern Angola and Zululand. Hemisus marmoratum (Peters) Engystoma marmoratum Peters, 1855, Arch. Naturg., XXI, part 1, p. 58. Hemisus marmoratus Peters, 1882, 'Reise nach Mossarnbique,' III, p. 173, PI. XXV, fig. 1; PL XXVI, figs. 10, 10a, and 106. Hemisus marmoratum Boulenger, 1910, Ann. S. African Mus., V, p. 535. Type Locality: Cabageira, Portuguese East Africa. Range: Gambia and Egypt, south to southern Rhodesia; practically absent from the forest, but occurring to the north and south of it. Phrynomantis Peters, 1867, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 35 Type : fusca Phrynomantis affinis Boulenger Phrynomantis affinis Boulenger, 1901, Ann. Mus. Congo, (1) II, fasc. 1, p. 6, PI. II, figs. 5-5f/. Type Locality: Pweto, Lake Moero. Range: Known only from the type locaUty. Phrynomantis annectens Werner Phrynomantis annectens Werner, 1910, in Schultze, Denkschr. Med. Naturw. Ges. Jena, XVI, p. 294. Hewitt, 1911, Ann. Transvaal Mus., Ill, part 1, p. 54. Type Locality: Aar River, Cape Colony. Range: Known only from the type locality. Phrynomantis bifasciata (Smith) Brackymerus bifasciatus Smith, 1849, 'Illus. Zool. S. Africa,' III, PI. lxiii. Phrynomantis bifasciata Boulenger, 1882, 'C?t. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 172. Type Locality: "Country to the east and northeast of the Cape Colony." Range: South Africa northward to Angola in the west, to northern Kenya Colony in the east. Phrynomantis microps Peters Phrynomantis microps Peters, 1875, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 210, PI. III, fig. 6. Boulenger, 1882, 'Cat. Batr. Sal. Brit. Mus.,' p. 173. 1924] Kohle, Herpetology of the Belgian Congo 347 Type Locality: Accra, Gold Coast. Range: Gold Coast eastward through the Sudan, possibly reaching Tanganyika Territory. Phrynomajitis nasuta Methiien and Hewitt Phrynomantis nasuta Methuen and Hewitt, 1914, Ann. Transvaal Mus., IV, p. 122. Type Locality: Kraiklooft, Southwest Africa. Raxge: Known only from the type locaUty. PLATES XXIII TO XLII Plate XXIII Hymenochirus curtipes, new species, type. BCLLETIN A. M. X. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate XXIII ^C/C/l2(J^A Plate XXIV Xenopnti miilleri (Peters), larvse, ventral asj)ect. Two stages in development of ribs. Larva in Fig. 1, 57 mm. in total leno;th, in Fig. 2, 67 mm. a, ribs; b, notochord (the hypochordal cartilage is not visible); c, coccyx; d, connective tissue capsule for anterior lobe of lung; e, sacral diapophyses. Bllletin a. M. X. II. \<.L. XI.IX, Pl.ATtXXIV Plate XXV Fig. 1. Nedophryne ajra Buchholz and Peters (dead specimen). Fig. 2. Bufo superciliaris Boulenger. I'lli.etin a. M. X. H. Vol. XLIX. Pi atk XX\ Plate XXVI Fig. 1. Kassina senegalensis (Dumeril and Bibron), digit showing T-shaped terminal phalanx and intercalary bone. Fig. 2. Rami chridiji Boulenger, third and fourth digits of foot, the former with exposed terminal phalanx in its capsule of con- nective tissue. Fig. .3. Nednphryne guentheri Boulenger, terminal phalanx. Fig. 4. N edo-phryne afra Buchholz and Peters, left hand, ventral aspect, showing l)oth the form of the terminal phalanges and extent of the digital lamellae. Bllleti.n a. M. X. H. \'<)L. XLIX, Pl.ATt X.WI Plate XXVII Buforegularis'Rexiss. Fig. 1, cf ; Fig. 2, 9. BlLLETIX A. M. X. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate XX\I1 Plate XXVIII Fig. 1. Bufo funereus Socage. Fig. 2. Bufo polycercus Werner. Bulletin A. M. X. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate XXMII Plate XXIX Ventral Aspect of Pectoral Girdles. Fig. 1. Arthroleptis wahlhergi Smith. Fig. 2. Arthroleptis batesii Boulenger. Fig. 3. Arthroleptis fese Boulenger. Fig. 4. Phrynobatrachus perpahiiatiis (Boulenger). Fig. 5. Arthroleptis variabilis Matschie. Fig. 6. Phrynobatrachus dendrobates (Boulenger). Fig. 7. Arthroleptis xenodadylus Boulenger. Fig. 8. Phrynobatrachus bonehergi (Hewitt and Methuen). BULLETIN A. -M. N. H. Vol. wax, Plate XXIX m I ■■ ^F^fs m ■ V*K,'>^^^| ^ n H 21 1 B Plate XXX Fig. 1. Arthroleptis variohilis Matschie, maximum expansion of terminal phalanx. Fig. 2. Phrynohatnichus perpalmatus (Boulenger), maximum expansion of terminal phalanx. Fig. 3. Arthroleptis variabilis Matschie, left hand, dorsal aspect. Fig. 4. Phrynobatrachus dendrobates (Boulenger), left hand, dorsa) aspect. Bulletin A. M. N. H. \oL, XLIX, Plate XXX Plate XXXI Ventral Aspect of Pectoral Girdles. Fig. 1. Hylambates rerrucofms Boulenger. Fig. 2. Htjlambate.s gre.shoffi Schilthuis. Fig. 3. Leptopelis calcarntu^ (Boulenger). Fig. 4. Leptopelis anchietse (Bocage). Fig. 5. Leptopelis auhryi (Werner). Fig. 6. Leptopelis brevirostris (A. Dum^ril). Bllletin a. .M. N. H. \oL. XLIX, Plate XXXl Plate XXXII Fig. 1. Arthroleptis variabilis Matschie. Fig. 2. Cardioghssa leucomystax (Boulenger). Bi-LLEriN A. M. N. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate XXXII Plate XXXIII Fig. 1. Phnjnobatrachus natalerms (A. Smith). Fig. 2. Rana ornatissima Bocage. Bulletin A. M. X. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate XXXIII Plate XXXIV Fig. 1. Rana albolabris Hallowell. Fig. 2. Rana occipitalis Giinther. Bulletin A. M. N. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate XXXIV Plate XXXV Fig. 1. Rana christyi Boulenger. Fig. 2. Bana oxi/rhijnrhus A. Smith. Bulletin A. M. X. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate XXXV Plate XXXVI Fig. 1. Chiromantis rufescens (Gtinther). Fig. 2. Two types of "nest" of C. rufescens (Gtinther); the first on the trunk of a tree, and the second on low hanging leaves. Bulletin A. M. N. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate XXXVI Plate XXXVII Lepiopelis nifiis Reichenow, showing both complete and incomplete patterns. BtTLLExn* A. M. X. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate XXX\ il Plate XXXVIII Fig. 1. Leptapelis aubryi (WerneT). Fig. 2. Leptapelis anchietse (Bocage). Fig. 3. Hjihuiihates verrucosus Boulenger. BULLLTIN A. M. X- H' Vol. XLIX, Plate XXXVIIi Plate XXXIX Fig. 1. Hyperolius langi, new species. Fig. 2. Hyperolius ocellatus Giinther. Fig. 3. Hyperolius concolor (Hallowell). Bulletin A. M. N. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate XXXIX Plate XL Fig. 1. Hyperolins phnrotsenius (Boulengeri. Fig. 2. Hyperolius acufirostris Biichholz and Peters. Fig. 3. Hijperolius pichirahi>i Peters. Bt LLETIX A. M. X. H. Vol. XLIX, Plate XL Plate XLI Fig. 1. Megalixalus fornasinii (Bianconi). Fig. 2. Megalixalus spinosus (Buchholz and Petcis) Bulletin A. M. X. II. Vol. XLIX, Plate XLI Plate XLII Hemiaus marmoratum (Peters). Vol. XLIX, Plate XLII 'CSi^ 59.57,21 (67.5) Article III.— THE DERISIAPTERA OF THE A:MEEICAX MUSEUM CONGO EXPEDITION, WITH A CATALOGUE OF THE BEL- GIAN CONGO SPECIES^ By James A. G. Rehx The Academy of Natural Scienxes of Philadelphia The Dermaptera secured bj' the American Museum Congo Expedi- tion were collected entirely in the north-eastern Belgian Congo, no material from the Lower Congo being contained in the series. As previous collections of the order made in the Congo were largely from the Lower Congo or from the Lake Kivu-Ruwenzori regions, the present representation is of particular interest. Taken partly in the Forest Province and partly in the Sudanese Subprovince of the Savannah Province (of Engler) the series has, in addition, a value much out of proportion to its size, as the extent of the range of a number of species can now be more clearl}^ defined from the information here given. It is the intention of the author in a future paper on the American Museum Congo Expedition collection of Orthoptera, with which order the Dermaptera often have been associated, to summarize analytically the distributional data here presented in detail under the respective species. The number of specimens of Dermaptera contained in the collection of the Congo Expedition is two hundred and seventy-two, representing thirteen genera and nineteen species, of which one species (Diplatys qusesitus) is new. The study of the material brought to light the neces- sity of placing in synonymy for the first time one generic and four specific names. A few specimens from Elisabethville, Katanga, belonging in the Hebard Collection, which is on deposit in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, have been discussed in the present report, as it seemed desirable to include all available material from the Belgian Congo. The paucity of available material from the Katanga district makes this series of Dermaptera and Orthoptera of especial interest. The author has used consistently the term "German" East Africa to cover the region formerly so called, the marks indicating that the qualifying term has been quoted. This method seems to be the best ta follow at this writing, as knowledge of the recent division of the former German possession is by no means general; the present names, where different from former ones, are given in parentheses. 'Scientific Results of the American Museum Congo Expedition. Entomology, No. 8. 349 350 Bulletin American Museum of Nalural History [Vol. XLIX The catalogue of the Dermaptera known from the Belgian Congo follows the systematic treatment of the species (p. 401). The general plan followed in making the synonymic catalogue is discussed in that portion of the paper.^ The author wishes to express his thanks to the American Museum authorities for the opportunity to study this interesting series, and to Messrs. Herbert Lang and James P. Chapin for their friendly interest and encouragement, as well as substantial assistance, in his studies of the material which they secured while on the Congo Expedition. For much useful information concerning the Belgian Congo the author is under lasting obligations to Dr. J. Bequaert, whose kind assistance has been sought by me on a number of occasions. Approximate Position of Belgian Congo Localities Mentioned IN this Paper In collating the data here given I have drawn freely upon those already utilized in previous papers based on the Congo Expedition col- lections. In several cases we have been unable to identify certain locali- ties given by other authors. These names are here given with a notation to the effect that they have not been located by the present author. Akenge (Uele).— 2° 55' N., 26° 50' E. Kinshasa (Lower Congo).— 4° 20' S., Avakubi (Ituri).— 1° 20' N., 27° 40' E. 15° 20' E. Barohiti (Uele). — Position unknown. Kindu (Ponthierville). — 3° S., 26° E. Batama(Stanleyville).— 1°N., 26°40'E. Kirima (Lake Albert Edward).— 0° 15' Bengamisa (Stanleyville).— 1° N., 25° S., 29° 30' E. 10' E. Kuako (Lower Congo).— 4° 15' S., 16° Bena Bendi (Kasai).— 4° 15' S., 20° 20' 35' E. E. Kwidjwi (Lake Kivu).— 2° 10' S., 29° Beni (Semliki).— 0° 20' N., 29° 40' E. 20' E. Boma (Lower Congo).— 5° 50' S., 13° Leopoldville (Lower Congo).— 4° 25' 10' E. S., 15° 20' E. Buta [Rubi] (Uele).— 2° 50' N., 24° 50' Lingunda (Maringa).— 1° N., 20° 40' E. E. Luebo (Kasai).— 5° 25' S., 21° 25' E. Elisabethville (Katanga).— 11° 45' S., Luki(Lower Congo).— 5°35'S., 13°10'E. 27° 40' E. Lusambo (Kasai).— 4° 55' S., 23° 15' E. Faradje(Uele).— 3°40'N., 29°40'E. Madimba (Lower Congo).— 4° 50' S., Garamba (Uele).— 4° 10' N., 29° 40' E. 15° 15' E. Hiri River. — Probably a misspelling of Malela (Lower Congo). — 6° S., 12° 40' ItiriR.= Semliki R. E. Ibembo (Uele).— 2° 40' N., 23° 35' E. Mawambi (Ituri).— 1° 10' N., 28° 45' E.' Kasindi (Semliki).— 0°, 29° 40' E. Medje (Ituri).— 2° 25' N., 27° 30' E. Kimpoko (Lower Congo).— 4° 10' S., Moera [Forest] (Semliki).— 0° 35' N., 15° 40' E. 29° 30' E. 'An important paper by Borelli on Belgian Congo Dermaptera, 'Dermapteres du Congo Beige' (Revue Zoologique Africaine, XI, pp. 412-4.34, (1923) ). was not received until the present paper was in page-proof. The student should refer to Borelli's paper as supplementary to the date here presented. 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 351 Niangara (Uele).— 3° 40' N., 27° 50' E. Ruzizi [Valley] (Kivu).— 3° S., 29° E. Niapu (Ituri).— 2° 15' N., 26° 50' E. Semliki River.— 0° to 1° N., 29° 30' to Ninagongo (Kivu).— 1° 30' S., 29° 20' E. 30° E. Popokabaka (Kwango).— 5° 40' S., 17° Stanley Pool.— 4° 15' S., 15° 30' E. E. Stanleyville.— 0° 30' N., 25° 15' E. Risimu (Stanleyville).— 1° N., 26° 45' E. Ukaika (Ituri).— 0° 45' N., 29° E. Rutshuru (Kivu).— 1° 15' S., 29° 30' E. Vankerckhovenville (Uele).— 3° 20' N., Ruwenzori [western slopes]. — 0° 30' N., 29° 20' E. 29° 50' E. Yakuluku (Uele).— 4° 20' N., 28° 50' E. SYSTEMATIC DISCUSSION Hemimerina Hemimeridae Hememerus Walker 1871, 'Catal. Dermapt. Salt. Brit. Mus.,' V, Suppl., p. 2. Genotype. — Hemimerus talpoides Walker. This remarkable genus is the sole member of the suborder and, con- sequently, of the family to which it belongs, and in many ways it is one of the most extraordinary^ of known insects. Originally supposed by Walker to be a gryllid related to Tridadylus, Saussure, in 1879,^ con- sidered it to represent a new order of insects which he called Diploglos- sata. Hansen, however, in 1894,^ showed that Saussure erred in his interpretation of the single specimen he had examined. Hansen proved that, instead of having a second or double labium as supposed b}^ Saus- sure, the mouthparts exhibit but little departure from the ordinary man- dibulate type, and he concluded that Hemimerus represented a separate family near the earwigs, for which Sharp, in 1895,^ used the name Hemimeridae. Subsequent work has sustained the conclusions of Han- sen as to the proper position of Hemimerus, and our placing of the genus as representing a suborder of the Dermaptera is according to Burr in his comprehensive treatment of the genera of the order."* The gross anatomy of Hemimerus has been treated in detail by Hansen and others and its general structure is now well known. It is entirely apterous and eyeless, and has peculiar limbs and very elongate cerci, while certain other features of its morphology are quite distinctive. In habits Hemimerus is parasitic, living on the murid rodent Crice- tomys gamhianus and possibly on a related species of that genus, although it is not a parasite in the more special sense of the word. It has been U879, Mem. Soc. Phys. et Hist. Nat. Geneve. XXVI, pp. 399-420, PI. i. n894, Entom. Tidskrift, XV, pp. 65-92, Pis. ii and m. '1895, 'Cambridge Nat. History,' V, p. 217. *1911, 'Genera Insectorum, Dermaptera,' p. 8. 352 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX assumed that the relation was commensal, but this has not been proven. The fact of its remarkable association with Cricetomys was first noted by Sjostedt, as recorded by Hansen/ and subsequently it was supposed that the insect fed upon fungi found upon the skin of the mammal. Heymons has shown,^ however, that the principal food of Hemimerus is the outer horny epidermis of its host. Another remarkable feature of Hemimerus is that it is viviparous, and this is rather unusually qualified for an insect by the fact that birth is given to but one young at a time.' When born the immature individuals show a general resemblance to the adults. Hemimerus hanseni Sharp Hemimervji talpoides Hansex, 1894, Entom. Tidskrift, XV, p. 65, Pis. ii and iii. (Not Hemimerus talpoides Walker.) Kitta, Gold Coast. Hemimerus hanseni Sharp, 1895, 'Cambridge Nat. History,' V, p. 217, figs. 114-116. (Based on Hansen's description and figures.) Region of the Uele. (Dr. J. Rodhain : "off Cricetomys gambianus") One adult male, three adult females, seven immature individuals. (Alcoholic.) Considered by a number of authors to be inseparable from tal- poides of Walker, the Central African form of this genus has been shown by Carpenter'* to be quite distinct, and material now before us fully corroborates the conclusions reached by him. Walker's species, which was figured by Saussure^ from original Walkerian material, was described from Sierra Leone, and we are fortunate enough to have before us, from the Hebard Collection, a single female labelled "Freetown, Sierra Leone, IX, 17, 1899, E. E. Austin. From rat known as ground pig." This specimen enables us to endorse fully what Carpenter has said concerning the differential features. The seven immature specimens represent three instars, presumably the three preceding maturity. Vosseler^ has given interesting morpho- logical notes on the immature stages of this species, there called talpoides but instead representing hanseni as his Fig. 4 shows. The localities given in the literature which are clearly referable to hanseni are Kitta, Gold Coast, and Rio del Rey, Cameroon (Hansen as talpoides), Entebbe, Uganda (Carpenter) and in the vicinity of Amani, 11894, op. cit., pp. 81-82. 21911, Deutsche Entom. Zeitschrift, pp. 16.3-174. 'Hansen, 1894, op. cit., pp. 78-80. n909, Entom. Monthly Magazine, (2) XX, pp. 254-257, PI. iv. 51897, Mem. Soc. Phys. et Hist. Nat. Geneve, XXVI, pp. 399-420. «1907, Zoolog. Anzeiger, XXXI, pp. 447-449, figs. 3-4. 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American iliiseinyi Congo Expedition 353 east Usambara mountains, East Africa (Vosseler as talpoide^ but illu- stration shows material to be hanseni), while probably the specimens reported as talpoides by Jordan as taken on the Ruwenzori Expedition at an unmentioned locaKty. and tliat by Bouvier from Guengere, Portuguese East Africa, refer to this species. True talpoides Walker is definitely kiiown only from Sierra Leone, although Cook's record from Liberia probably correctly refers to that sj^ecies. It is certain, however, that Hemimerus hanseni ranges from the Gold Coast to north-eastern "German" East Africa (Tangam-ika Territory), at least as far north in the interior as the region of the L'ele and southern Uganda, and probably south-east to Portuguese East Africa (Guengere). \Miether talpoides and hanseni occur in the same region remains to be determined, also whether the former is found on Cricetomys gambianus or a related form of the genus. Schouteden (1919. Bull. Soc. Entom. Belgique, I, pp. 35 to 37) has reported Hetnimerus talpoides as taken from Cricetomys gambianus secured in the Ituri District. The material examined bj' him probably represents the present species. The two records here given constitute our sole knowledge of the occurrence of the genus in the Belgian Congo. Protodermaptera Pygidicranidae Diplatyinas DiPLATYS .^erville 1831, Ann. Sci. Nat.. XXII. p. .33. Genotype. — Diplatys macrocephalns (Forficula macrocephala Palisot de Beau- voisi. (Monot.\-pic.) The genus Diplatys comprises nearly forty species from both hemi- spheres but all tropical in their distribution. In the Old World the genus has the distribution shown in the accompam-ing map (Fig. 1) which is based on definite records in the Hterature. Its absence from the Papuan region is noteworthy, also the lack of information on the genus from southern Africa. From Africa and Madagascar fourteen species have been described, but the identity of several of these species, which were founded upon the female sex alone, is not clearly established at this \sTiting. The sexes are quite different in certain featines, as the form of the pronotum, forceps, and ultimate dorsal and penultimate ventral abdominal segments, while the abdomen is markedly si>eciaHzed in the male sex of certain species, one of which is here described. It is 354 Bulletin American Museurn of Natural History [Vol. XLIX by no means certain that some of the sex correlations made in the past are correct. It is also probable that two color types may occur in each of several of the species of the genus. In consequence, systematic work on material of the genus is not at all an easy matter; the determination of isolated females is extremely difficult or impossible. The larval forms of species of Diplatys possess long segmented cerci or caudal styles, which resemble antennae and are composed of from fifteen to thirty segments. The basal segment of these is quite long and is a sheath for the developing forceps of the adult. Fig. 1. Old World distribution of the genus Diplatya. Individuals of the genus have been taken from under the bark of trees (macrocephalus) , from dead leaves (jansoni and severa), from under flower pots (gladiator) and from flowers of nettle {siva). But a single identifiable species is included in the present collection and this is new to science. A single previously known species (maci'ocephalus) has been recorded from the Belgian Congo. Key to the Congo Species of Diplatys 1 . Ultimate dorsal abdominal segment of male with lateral margins gently arcuate. Forceps of male with branches thick and heavy in proximal third, there con- tiguous on median line, distad tapering and weakly arcuate, the space between the branches long elliptical .... macrocephalus (Palisot de Beauvois) . 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 355 Ultimate dorsal abdominal segment of male with lateral margins straight, sub- parallel. Forceps of male with branches thick and heav>' at extreme base only, there very briefly contiguous on median line, thence the branches strongly taper and are markedly falciform arcuate, the space between the branches transverse ovate qusesitus, new species. Diplatys quaesitus, new species Type. — Male; Faradje, Belgian Congo; January, 1913; Lang and Chapin; A. M. N. H. No. 28068. Size medium (for the genus). Form much as in D. macrocephalus, occiput de- pressed, abdomen expanded distad; surface weakly shining, of head, pronotum, tegmina, exposed portions of wings and limbs with numerous long hairs; abdomen with adpressed pile, this very sparse on dorsal surface, more thickly placed on the ventral surface, where scattered long hairs also occur. Figs. 2-4. Diplatys quxsitus, new species. Male (type). Fig. 2. Head and pronotum. Fig. 3. Dorsal surface of apex of abdomen. Fig. 4. surface of apex of abdomen. All greatly enlarged. Ventral Head shghtly longer than broad, mouth-parts moderately produced, occipital region subquadrate; interoculr^' and interantennal region moderately inflated, broadly arcuate in section, sharply and arcuately margined caudad; occipital region with lateral caringe caudad of internal margin of ej-es pronounced and elevated, weakly arcuate-sinuate; area between carinas markedly excavate, rugulose, a decided medio-longitudinal sulcus present in the excavated area; caudal margin of occiput very faintly concave, caudo-lateral angles obtuse; lateral margins of head caudad of eyes parallel for one-half of their length, then obliquely subtruncate to the caudo- lateral angles. Eyes prominent, in length nearly equal to post-ocular margin of head, with facets sharply indicated but with rounded surfaces. Antennae nineteen-seg- mented, relatively heavy; proximal joint moderately inflated but relatively short; second joint very short; third joint two-thirds as long as the first joint, weakly enlarging distad; fourth joint moniliform, three-fourths as long as the third; fifth joint similar to the fourth but longer; thence the joints are of similar tj^pe but of increasing length; distal joint depressed and .sub-ovate. 356 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Pronotum faintly longer than broad, greatest width at cephalic fifth and sub- equal to width of occipital margin of head between the caudo-lateral angles; cephalic margin of pronotum truncate, laterad briefl}' oblique truncate to the point of greatest width, where the angles are obtuse; lateral margins very faintly arcuate, moderately converging caudad and broadly rounding into the arcuate caudal margin; disk of pronotum embracing the cephalic three-fourths of surface, bullate, with a brief and shallow medio-longitudinal sulcus, caudal and lateral margins of disk semi-ovate in outline; caudal and lateral portions of pronotum subtranslucent, upcurved, a weak medio-longitudinal carina present on caudal section. Tegmina about two and one-half times as long as pronotum, relatively broad; humeral shoulders pronounced, but broadly rounded; distal margin arcuate, faintly oblique subtruncate suturad. Exposed portion of wings nearly half as long as the tegmina, narrowing distad, distal extremity sharply truncate. Abdomen, except for the three distal segments, cylindrical, each individual seg- ment with the faint median transverse constriction found in males of the group to which this species belongs, thus giving the articular portions of the segments a sub- nodose appearance. Antepenultimate tergite no longer than the tergite preceding it, but markedly broadening distad; penultimate tergite mesad slightly longer than the preceding tergite, regularly expanding laterad, its distal margin regularly concave; ultimate tergite rectangulate, appreciably transverse, its median length contained one and two-thirds times in its greatest width; lateral margins of ultimate tergite straight, parallel; caudal margin of same truncate mesad, very weakly obUque arid subconcave laterad; caudo-lateral angles sharp and rectangulate; surface of ultimate tergite obliquely subdepressed caudo-laterad, regularly passing into the more ele- vated and yet subdeplanate median area. Antepenultimate sternite corresponding in its expansion to its tergal equivalent; penultimate sternite very large,, as usual in the group, extending to the distal margin of the ultimate tergite, equalling the penul- timate tergite in width; lateral margins of penultimate sternite straight, moder- ately converging, its caudal margin very weakly and shallowly biarcuate, the median portion shallowly concave; caudo-lateral angles rounded obtuse; ultimate sternite hidden. Forceps short, no longer than the ultimate tergite, strongly arcuate, the enlarged proximal portion very short, but briefly evident distad of the ultimate tergite, the branches regularly narrowing from this portion to the acute, subdepressed, striate apices; dorsal surface of forceps branches faintly excavate in median third, internal margin of this surface appreciably cingulate; internal surface of branches of forceps deplanate: contiguous portions of enlarged proximal sections denticulate, the armament of the two portions correlating in their "bite. " Pygidium not evident. Limbs of the usual t'ype for the genus, moderately elongate and slender; cephalic tibise weakly arcuate, median and caudal tibiae straight, all tibise appreciably com- pressed. Tarsi with the proximal joint slightly longer than the third. Allotype. — Female; Faradje, Belgian Congo; March, 1911; Lang and Chapin; A. M. N. H. No. 28069. This sex differs from the description of the male (type) in the following note- worthy features. Size smaller; dorsal surface of abdomen more pilose than in male. Eyes less prominent than in male. Antenna? more slender than in other sex. Abdomen more robust, fusiform, distinctly narrowing distad. Ultimate tergite with its proximal width slightly greater than its median length, moderately narrowing 1924] Rehn, The Dennaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 357 caudad; caudal margin obliqueh- subconcave laterad, biarcuate dorsad of the axis of each branch of the forceps and with a median arcuate emargination, appreciably thickened in the arcuate section, a faint medio-longitudinal carinulation present on distal fourth of segment. Forceps simple, of the type usual in females of this genus, hardly longer than the ultimate tergite, attenuate with weakly hooked apices, weakly upcurved; internal margin of branches crenulato-denticulate for the greater portion of its length. Penultimatesternite very ample, reaching a short distance distadofthe distal margin of the ultimate tergite, sublinguiform, the lateral margins converging sinuate, the distal portion faintly more than one-half as wide as the ultimate tergite, the distal margin strongly arcuate. General coloration of head, abdomen and forceps blackish liver-brown, the teg- mina and expo.sed portions of wings, excepting the usual oblique translucent portion, which is whitish, similar, but slightly less blackish in the female and approaching chestnut-brown, a narrow proximal portion of the tegmina in the female clay-color. Pronotum of male solidly of the general dorsal color; of the female clay-color with a pair of irregular, short lateral dashes near the cephalic margin. Antennae of the general color in the male, of the female bister. Femora of the general color, with proximal portion broadly and distal section narrowly pale clay-color; tibiae and tarsi generally pale clay-color, the tibiae infuscate with the general color, the cephaUc pair entirely so, the median ones largely washed with it and the caudal pair having it weaker and more proximal; tarsi of male largely infuscate with the general color, of female with arolia alone of that shade. Male. — Length of body, 12.7 mm.; length of pronotum, 1.4; length of tegmen, 3.5; greatest width of ultimate tergite, 2.6; length of forceps, 1.9. Female. — Length of body, 10.7 mm.; length of pronotum, 1.4; length of tegmen, 3.4; length of forceps, 1.4. The type and allotype are the only specimens of the species we have seen. There is a bare possibility of the female sex not being conspecific with the type, but we feel little uncertainty on this point. The difficulty of correlating sexes in this genus is very great. A relative of the African D. macrocephalus (Palisot de Beauvois)^ and riggenbachi Burr,- and the Indian D. gladiator and falcatus Burr. It is distinguished from macrocephalus by the features given above in the key; from riggenbachi it differs in lacking the characteristic sculpture of the ultimate dorsal abdominal segment of the male of that species, in the broader distal portion of the penultimate ventral abdominal segment of the male, and in having the proximal portion of the forceps of the male dilated in less than the basal third. The resemblance of the present species to the Indian gladiator and falcatus Burr is very great, the latter being surprisingly close in relationship, but it can be distinguished from the new form by the less strongly arcuate forceps and the less strongly transverse ultimate dorsal abdominal segment. D. gladiator is wingless, U805, 'Ins. Rec. Afriq. Amer.,' p. 36, Orth. PI. i, fig. 3. Benin, southern Nigeria. 21911, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) VIII, p. 39. Garna (error for Garua), Cameroon. 358 Bulletin American Museum of Xatural History [Vol. XLIX with a proportionate!}' larger pronotum and much reduced tegmina, but . with considerable similarity in the form of the forceps. Karschiellinae BoRMANsiA Verhoeff 1902, Zoolog. Anzeiger, XXV, p. 184. Genotype. — Bormansia africana Verhoeff. (Selected by Kirby, 1905.) This remarkable genus is known from South and East Africa, from the Transvaal north to British East Africa (Kenya Colony), Uganda, Fig. 5. Distribution of the genus Bormansia (open stipple) and Karsch- iella (close stipple). The areas indicated have been made from the known records, and the actual ranges may be found to be more extensive when more exhaustive examination of Africa has been made. It is evident from this map that Karschiella is a Forest Province equivalent of the Savannah Province Bormansia. and the north-eastern Belgian Congo. The equally remarkable and related Karschiella Verhoeff apparently replaces Bormansia over the greater portion of the Western Forest Province. These two genera comprise the subfamily Karschiellinse, 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 359 The larval forms of species of this genus resemble those of Diplaiys in that they possess distinct segmented cerci, the basal joint of which develops into the forceps of the adult. Bej^ond the proximal joint, in the larvae, the cerci are made up of a series of fifteen to sixteen joints, of which four to five possess on the inner side a spinule directed toward the base. But a single species of Bormansia is known from the Belgian Congo and that solely by the present records.' Figs. 6-7. Bormansia africana Verhoeff. Male. Garamba, Belgian Congo. Fig. 6. Dorsal surface of apes of abdomen, X6. Fig. 7. Lateral outline of left branch of forceps, X9. Bormansia africana Verhoeff Bormansia africana Verhoeff, 1902, Zoolog. Anzeiger, XXV, p. 184. cf, 9- "German" East Africa (Tangan^-ika Territory-). Medje, 1910; one female. Garamba, June to July 1912; one male. (Lang and Chapin.) Both of these specimens are typical africana. We are not in a posi- tion to make any comment upon Burr's synonj-my of B. itnpressicollis Verhoeff with africana. The present species was previously known only from "German " East Africa (Tanganjaka Territory) and Western Uganda (Unyoro, reported by Borelli) ; while the clearly closely-allied, if distinct, impressicollis^ has been recorded from Taita, Taveta, Kilimanjaro and 'Rehn (1905, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XXIX, p. 504), recorded Bormansia meridionalis Burr from Luebo, Congo, but Burr has since shown (1910, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XXXVIII, p. 444) that the specimen is not mature and represents Karschiella camerunensis. -Bormansia impressicollis Verhoeff, 1902, Zoolog. Anzeiger, XXV, p. 184. 9. Taita, "German" East Africa (Tanganyika Territory). 360 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History Vol. XLIX Daressalaam, East Africa, and Butiti, western Uganda, at an elevation of 1900 to 2000 meters. The Medje record is the first one of the species from within the Rain Forest, Garamba being in the Savannah region, which is more akin to East Africa. The forceps of the male are quite asymmetrical, the right branch being rather sharply bent arcuate briefly distad of the dorsal tooth, thence subfalciform to the apex. The left branch is much more regular in its arcuation. The two specimens measure (in millimeters) as follows: Length of Length of Greatest Length of Body (Ex- Pronotum Width of Forceps^ clusive OF Pronotum Forceps) cf Garamba 22.0 3.5 3.7 5.5 9 Medje 19.0 3.2 3.5 4.7 Echinosomatinse EcHiNOsoMA Serville 1839, 'Hist. Nat. Ins., Orth.,' p. 34. Genotype. — Echinosoma afrum (Forficula afra Palisot de Beauvois). (Mono- typic.) In the tropics of the Old World we find the subfamily Echinosoma- tinae, comprising the single genus Echinosoma, filling the place occupied in the New World by the related Pyragrinae. Both groups are interesting by reason of having the body clothed with pubescence (Pyragrinae) or with short stiff bristles (Echinosoma) , either condition being unusual in the earwigs. The genus Echinosoma comprises somewhat more than a dozen forms with short forceps, showing on merely casual examination little difference in the sexual types of the forceps and with quite variable color markings. Much synonymy has been made by the description of mere color phases as species, but more broadly comparative work of recent years has shown the true relationship of a number of these forms. Little is known of the habits of these insects, other than that they live in rotten wood, often in colonies,^ and individuals have been taken from a termites' nest. Equatorial Africa with Madagascar, Ceylon, India, Burma, and the Malayan and Australasian regions, as far as New Guinea and northern ^Measurement of the left branch, taken in straight line, i.e., shortest distance from base to tip. 'Palisot states that E. afrum lives under stones, but this is not supported by the observations of others, and is not what would be expected from the character of the insect. 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 361 Australia, comprise the range of the genus. Five species are known from the mainland of Africa, and two others from Madagascar. The West African rufum, congolense, and concolor Borelli have not been recorded from the Belgian Congo. These are small species much resembling the South African E. wahlbergi, although rufum is said to be close to E. afrum, from which, however, it appears to be quite distinct. Fig. 8. Known distribution of the genus Echinosoma. The genus is seen to extend into the Australasian Region, but is apparently absent from the more arid portions of southwest Africa. Key to the Belgian Congo Species of Echinosoma^ Penultimate ventral abdominal segment of male with the margin broadly and regularly arcuate with a median concavit}\ Pygidium of female transverse, constricted mesad transversely, distal margin thickened, dorsal surface of pj-gidium appreciably excavate. Siu-face of abdomen less chsetulose, smoother, more polished afrum (Palisot de Beauvois). Penultimate ventral abdominal segment of male with the margin obliquely emarginato-truncate laterad, mesad very shallowly obtuse-emarginate, passing by broad, low, rounded lobations into the lateral portions of the margin. Pygidium of female narrow, tapering, linguiform, apex rounded, deplanate ventrad, dorsad not excavate. Surface of abdomen much more distinctly and regularly chsetulose, less pohshed. ocddentale Bormans. iDohrn's E. wahlbergi has been recorded from Lingunda, Congo, by Burr, but we have reason to question the West African records of this species, as it evidently has been confused with true E. afrum. 362 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Echinosoma afrum (Palisot de Beauvois) Forficula afra Palisot de Beauvois, 1805, 'Ins. Rec. Afriq. Amer.,' p. 35, Orth. PI. I, fig. 1. 9 . "Kingdom of Oware and Benin" (in present Southern Nigeria). Echinosoma fiiscum Borelli, 1907, Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Genova, XLIII, p. 350. cf. Fernand Vaz, French Congo; Basile, Island of Fernando Po. Medje; July 24 to 30, 1910, June, 1914 and July, 1914; two males and two females. (Lang and Chapin.) Palisot 's figure represents the present insect, the form of the female pygidium being clearly and accurately drawn. The above synonymy was indicated recently by Burr^ and appears to us to be correct. Structurally this species is separable from E. occidentale by the following features: Surface of the abdomen in females less heavily and thickly chsetulose than in occidentale, being nearly as naked as in the males. Penultimate ventral abdominal segment of male with the margin broadly arcuate with a weak median concavity; in occidentale the margin is obliquely emarginato- truncate laterad with a pair of broad, low, rounded lobes distad, the margin between shallowly concave-emarginate. In the female sex the margin of this segment is regularly arcuate in afrum; bisinuato-truncate, with a very weak median arcuation, in occidentale. P.ygidia of males of the two species very similar, showing little of diagnostic importance; in the female the pj^gidium is of differential value, in afrum being trans- verse, constricted transversely fnesad, the free margin inflated and elevated, lateral angles rounded, lateral margins concave, expanding proximad and appreciably cingulate, dorsal surface excavate, particularly distad; in occidentale the pygidium of the female is more narrow, linguiform, regularly narrowing distad, with apex rounded, distal portion bent dorsad at nearly a right angle to the proximal portion. Dohrn's E. wahlhergi, described from "Caffraria," is extremely close to afrum, in fact so similar that there exists a probability of wahlhergi being merely a geographic race of afrum. We have compared the present material with a male of wahlhergi from Durban, Natal, and, aside from the smaller size of the South African individual, the only features we have found which may be considered diagnostic are that the male penul- timate ventral abdominal segment shows an approach toward that of E. occidentale in shape, and the decurved lateral portions of the fifth and sixth abdominal tergites are distinctly longitudinally carinulate, which is not the case in the males of afrum, while the margin of the same portions of those tergites is more angulate caudad in wahlhergi than in afrum. The size difference means relatively little, as wahlhergi is known to range in body length from ten to fourteen millimeters in the male '1915, Journ. Royal Microsc. Soc, p. 437. 1924] Rchn, The Dennaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 363 sex-^ Burr has recently stated that wahlbergi has a longer, more convo- luted virga than afnmi.- It appears very probable to us that some, if not all, of the West African records of E. wahlbergi to be found in the literature refer to afrum, as wahlbergi is probably restricted to South and East Africa. It is probable also that occidentale has been misidentified as afrum and afrum as wahlbergi. Fig. 9. Known distribution of Echinosoma afrum (dots) and E. occidentale (crosses). It is evident that both species are forms of Western Forest Province origin. The present series measures (in millimeters) as follows: Length of Length of Body (Ex- Length of Greatest Length of Exposed Length of clusive OF Pronotum Width of Tegmen Portion Forceps Forceps) Pronotum OF Wings d^ 17.0 2.4 2.6 4.0 1.9 2.9 cf 17.0 2.4 2.5 4.0 2.0 2.6 9 15.0 2.3 2.6 4.0 1.8 3.2 9 17.0 2.5 2.8 4.2 2.0 3.0 iDohrn's original measurement of wahlbergi is ten millimeters, while Burr's distanti, now admitted by him to be a synonym of wahlbergi, is fourteen millimeters long. 21915, Journ. Royal Microsc. Soc, p. 437. 364 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX The present series shows less color variation than that of E. occi- dentale, in all the two proximal antennal joints being yellowish and the limbs always particolored and never solidly blackish. However, we find the dark area of the pronotum broken up into the longitudinal blackish and yellow lines quite decidedly in one female and to a lesser degree in one male. The exposed portion of the wings show distinct (one male) or faint and indefinite (remainder) dark spots on the yellowish ground color. The species afrum is distinctly one of the Western Forest Province, and its distribution is shown in Figure 9 in conjunction with the other species known from the Belgian Congo. The extreme localities are Bissao, Portuguese Guinea; Entebbe, Uganda, and Kuako, Kasai District, Belgian Congo.' We feel considerable uncertainty regarding the exact identity of records in the literature credited to afrum and occidentale. 13 Fig. 10. Echinosoina afrum (Palisot de Beauvois). Male. Medje, Bel- gian Congo. Outline of free margin of penultimate ventral abdominal segment. Fig. 11. Echinosoma afrum (Palisot). Female. Medje, Belgian Congo. Same portion as in Fig. 10. Fig. 12. Echinosoma afrum (Palisot). Female. Medje, Belgian Congo. Dorsal surface of pygidium. Fig. 13. Echinosoma wahlbergi Dohrn. Male. Durban, Natal. Same portion as in Fig. 10. Echinosoma occidentale Bormans Echinosoma occidentale Bormans, 1893, in Bolivar, Ann. Soc. Entom. France, LXII, p. 170. cf . Assinie, Ivory Coast. Medje, July, 1910, August to September, 1910, June, 1914 and July, 1914; one male and five females. (Lang and Chapin.) Burr considers occidentale to be "a local race" of afrum, "well marked by the peculiar colouring of the elytra. "^ It is evident to us that iBurr has recorded the species from Barobiti, Congo, but repeated search has failed to give us any information on this locaHty. In consequence we have been compelled to disregard it in making our map. 2191.5, Journ. Royal Microsc. Soc, p. 437. 924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 365 two distinct species are represented, which msiy be differentiated by the characters given in the key and above under E. afrum. The accompany- ing figures will assist in the recognition of these forms. It is clearly evi- dent from the occurrence of the two forms at Medje, and also at Fernand Vaz, French Congo, Ukaika-j\Iawambi, Upper Ituri, Belgian Congo, and Entebbe, Uganda, that one is not a local race of the other, and the structural features we have mentioned will serve to differentiate what are clearly species. E. occidentale averages larger than afrum, and the abdomen of the male is slightly less polished, while that of the female is much more chsetulose than in afrum. The form of the penultimate ventral ab- dominal segment in both sexes and the pygidium in the female are also distinctive in the two species. There is some variation in the exact shape of the distal portion of the pygidium of the female of this species, this section being more acute in some specimens than in others, but in all it retains its longitudinal and linguiform type, never approximating the transverse pygidium of the same sex of afrum. The size shows considerable variation, the series measuring (in milli- meters) as follows: Length of Length of Length of Greatest Length of Exposed Length of Body Pronotum Width of Pronotum Tegmen Portion OF Wing Forceps d" 17.5 2.4 2.6 4.3 2.2 3.1 9 17.6 2.5 2.8 4.2 2.0 3.0 9 16.2 2.4 2.7 4.0 1.6 3.1 9 19.7 2.4 3.0 4.4 2.2 3.5 9 20.5 2.6 3.5 4.6 2.6 3.5 9 22.0 2.9 3.5 4.7 2.2 3.7 The color instability of this species is well illustrated by the Medje specimens. From one extreme with the head, antennae, pronotum, tegmina, abdomen, and limbs virtually uniform blackish, with the ex- posed portion of the wings yellow with a black spot, the color grades to a type which has the base color more rufescent brownish, the two proximal antennal joints yellowish, the pronotum with a yellowish base and bear- ing seven dark irregular longitudinal lines cephalad, the lateral three of these fusing into a pair of broad dark blotches caudad, the tegmina dark with the distal and disto-lateral margins edged with yellowish and the surface spotted with the same, the femora and tibiae pale, annulate proximad with dark. In this condition the exposed portions of the wings 366 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX are pale and maj- or may not (one single female) be supplied with a dark spot. The distribution of this species will be seen, by reference to the map, to be very similar to that of E. afrum, although the present form has not been recorded from northwest of Assinie, Ivory Coast. Figs. 14-16. Echinosoma occidentale Bormans. Fig. 14. Male. Medje, Belgian Congo. Outline of free margin of penultimate ventral ab- dominal segment. Fig. 15. Female. Medje, Belgian Congo. Same portion as in Fig. 14. Fig. 16. Female. Medje, Belgian Congo. Dorsal surface of pygidium. All greatly enlarged. Labiduridae Psalinse Anisolabis Fieber 1853, Lotos, III, p. 257. Genotype. — Anisolabis maritima (Forficula maritima Gene). (Selected by Kirby, 1905.) The genus Anisolabis has been used by most authors in the past to embrace a great number of species of apterous or psaline earwigs. In recent years the work of Zacher and Burr has shown the urgent neces- sity for subdividing this assemblage into a number of genera, which have been based largely on characters of the male internal genitalia. The last paper on the subject, one by Burr,^ brings out valuable and useful characters, which will doubtless prove of great diagnostic importance when the whole subject has been more thoroughly treated. This last paper by Burr is, however, so incomplete and so haphazard in its treat- ment, being largely scattered notes thrown together, often with little co-ordination, that it is extremely difficult to follow. For instance, on page 530 Anisolabis quxrens is described as new and on page 529 Borelli's isomorpha is considered an Anisolabis, while on page 534 the author states 11915, Journ. Royal Microsc. Soc, pp. 524 to 545. 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 367 "the few species which I retain in the genus (i.e., Anisolahis) can be distinguished as follows," and in the key which does follow neither quserens nor isomorpha are included. On page 539 isomorpha is definitelj^ •placed in a new genus Apolahis, and the inference is that quserens should be similarly assigned but this is not stated. Until the exact generic position of these species is more clearly stated it seems most advisable to retain in the genus Anisolahis such of them as do not seem clearly generically separable, either from previous work or original examination. Of the species placed by Burr in the restricted genus Anisolahis, none have been previously recorded from the Belgian Congo, but we here report one of them. Of the species generally placed in Anisolahis, but wliich are definitely or inferentially referred to Apolahis by Burr, ten have been recorded from West African localities, and one from Uganda, but none to date from the Belgian Congo. The genus Anisolahis has as its genotype a species of world-wide distribution — A. maritima — which, however, lives up well to its specific name and is rarely found distant from the sea-coasts. In the African region it occurs in the Cape Verde and Canary Islands, in Madagascar, in Morocco, the Sinai Peninsula, and at Konakry, French Guinea. Anisolahis^ pagana Burr Anisolahis pagana Burr, 1915, Journ. Royal Microsc. Soc, p. 535, fig. 61, PI. x, fig. 8 (genitalia), o^. Cameroon. Stanleyville, August, 1909; one female. (Lang and Chapin.) The reference of this specimen to Burr's pagana has the same element of uncertainty shared by the reference of any females of this genus to a species when accompanying males are not available. The differential characters are almost entirely pecuhar to, or at least more strongly indi- cated in, the male sex. Our reasons for referring this specimen to pagana are: the shape of the penultimate sternite, which closely approximates 'The present author's Anisolahis pluto (1905, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XXIX, p. 506, fig. 4), from Liberia, based on the female sex, has given Burr a great deal of trouble. In 1910 (Pror. U. S. Nat. Mus., XXXVIII, p. 448) he suggests that it may be the female of rufescens, but in a footnote to the same comment he states that it is the female of Dohrn's angulife.ra. In 1911 ('Cienera Insectorum, Dermap- tera,' p. 30) pluto is definitely placed as a synonym of angulifera and rufescens stands as a closely related species. Later the same year he concluded (Stettin. Entom. Zeitung, LXXII, p. 334), after examining Dohrn's type of angulifera, that angulifera, rufescens and pluto are identical. More recently, in 1915 (Journ. Royal Microsc. Soc, 1915, p. 530), he is uncertain of the correctness of any of his former actions, as he says, " It is not yet certain to which form we are to refer A. pluto Rehn, and A. angulifera Dohrn; the former is a smooth species, and might be the female of .4. quserens or .4. pagana; the type seems to be a little too big for A. tumida." It is evident from this that he questions his previously established synonymy, and with a paratypic female of pluto before us it is evidently not the female of angulifera as figured by Burr in the same paper (idem, p. .530, fig. 59), apparently from the type. Instead, pluto is clearly one of the species with rounded and nonproduced lateral angles of the abdominal tergites, even when sexual differences are considered. After carefully studying our specimen it appears to us that it is more probably the female of Anisolahis quserens Burr [idem, p. 530, fig. 60, d'. Mundane (err. for Mun- dame), Congo (err. for Cameroon)]. If this proves to be the case, as appears quite probable to us. Burr's quserens must give way to the older pluto. 368 Bulletin American Museum of Natural Ilislor/j [Vol. XLIX that figured of the male, the distal margin slightly more arcuate and the surface of the plate smoother, as would be expected in the female; the shape and (U^velopment of the exposed lateral portions of the last sternite, with its lateral processes and the ol)li(Hie character of the margins, virtually identical with these as figured for the male; and the rounded lateral i)ortions of the sixth to ninth tcrgites, as described in the male by Burr. Practically no character's aside from abdominal and male genital ones were given in the oiiginal description, so we hav(! no aid from any other f(nitui-es. The body length is given by Burr as 10.5 mm., and that of the forceps as 2.75 mm. The present specimen is larger, the body measuring 14 mm. in length, while the; forceps are 3 mm. long. Such difference is seen in the sexes of many psalids. EuBORELLiA Burr Borellia Burr, 1909, Deutsche Entom. Zeitschr., p. 325. (Not of Rehn, 1906.) Euhorellia Burr, 1910, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XXXVIII, p. 448, footnote. Genotype. — Euhorellia moesta (Anisolabis moesta G(5n6). (By original designa- tion.) The African forms referred to this genus by Burr in his last study of the psalid genera^ are, at this writing, so imperfectly understood that any allcMupt to mak(^ a key to them, without possessing moi-e material and making an entirely new study of the genus, would be of little perma- nent value. Externally the species are very similar, except for the devel- opment of the organs of flight, and the sexual diffei'enc(>s in sculpture, etc., are such as to make associations of material as difficult as in the related genus Anisolabis and its numerous allies. As a modifying in- fluences upon th(> diagnostic value of these ajiparent differ(>nccs we now know that in this genus, and within the species now before us, the wings may be well developed or absent, the tegmina well developed or present as short opaulet-liko sti'uctures, while certain species ai'c totally apterous. Thirteen sjx'cies of the genus are known from Africa, of which two are entirely Madagascan. Of the remaining species, but two have been recorded from the Belgian Congo, although (juite a few of the others have been reported from surrounding regions. One of the sjoecies of the genus — E. annulipes — is virtually cosmopolitan, doubtless carried by com- merce. Th(> Afi'ican recoixls of this latter species are chiefly coastal, but it has Ijeen reported from as far inland as Ibanda, Fort Portal, Kitagueta, and Masaka, Uganda, and Bugala, Sesse Archipelago, Vic- toria Nyanza. '1915, Journ. Royal Microsc. Soc, p. 544. 1924] liehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 369 Euborrellia cincticollis (Gerstaecker) Brach{ylabifi] cincticollis GERSTiECKER, 1883, Mitth. Naturwiss. Ver. Neu-Vorpomm. und Riigen, Greifswald, XIV, p. 44. cf, 9, Bonjongo, Cameroon; Victoria, Cameroon. Psalis (?) picina Kirby, 1891, Journ. Linn. Soc. London, Zool., XXIII, p. 516. cf , 9 . Gambia. Risimu, between Stanleyville and Bafwaboli, September 7, 1909; two males. Medje, July 15 to 28, 1910 and July, 1914; one female and one immature male. Niapu, January, 1914; one immature female. (Lang and Chapin.) P^igs. 17-18. Euborellia cincticolliti (GcrsiaickeT) . Males. Risimu, Belgian Congo. Fig. 17. Tegmina and winga of alate type. Fig. 18. Tegmina of brachypterous type. All greatly enlarged. The synonymy given above was established by Burr in 1909^ and wejfully concur in his action. At the same time he suggests the prob- ability of Palisot's Forficula rufescens'^ representing the same species. This seems entirely unlikely, the long and relatively slender forceps given in the figure at once removing Palisot's insect from consideration. 11909, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) IV, p. 113. 2' Ins. Rec. Afriq. .\m^r.,' p. 35, Orth. PI. i, fig. 2. Oware, (present) southern Nigeria. 370 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Burr, in the paper above mentioned, suggests that individuals with abbreviate tegmina and no wings, such as the type material of cincticollis, are immature forms of the species, the fully adult individuals of which have much more completely developed tegmina and evident wings, similar to the types of picina. Of the specimens before us, the male from Risimu possesses fully developed tegmina and wings, while the second male from the same locality and the female from Medje have no evident wings, the tegmina being not more than one-half as long as in the fully alate type and these appendages are obliquely concavo-truncate distad. In the abbreviate-tegmined individual the metanotum has its caudal margin obtuse-angulate emarginate, the segment very faintly inflated and with a medio-longitudinal sulcus weakly or subobsoletely indicated. We do not feel that the abbreviate-tegmined individual represents an immature condition and prefer to consider the species dimorphic in the adult, in this respect similar to Psalis americana, to which genus the present species frequently has been referred. The Niapu specimen represents the instar preceding maturity and the male from Medje the second instar l^efore maturity. The forceps of the males are somewhat asymmetrical, the right branch being more sharply arcuate than the left one. The usual yellow spots on the tegmina are obsolete or subobsolete in all three adults. The present species is one representative of the Western Forest Province, and the localities from which it has been recorded extend from the Gambia east to Masaka, Uganda, south to Stanley Pool, Congo. Labidurinae Labidura Leach 1815, 'Edinburgh Encycl.,' IX, p. US. Genotype. — Labidura riparia {Forficula riparia Pallas). A single polymorphic species with several color types makes up the genus Labidura as found in the Old World. There exists, and will con- tinue to exist until we have definite and conclusive evidence, great un- certainty as to the real value of the different forms which have been combined under the specific name riparia. We feel that, at this writing, the best course to follow is to combine them, largely because the forms overlap and intergrade to such an extent that it is virtually impossible iThe original material described by Gerstsecker was of this type. The original description was based on both sexes, and not on the female alone, as Burr's comments on the Greifswald Dermaptera (1909, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) III, p. 255) would lead one to suppose. It is quite incomprehensible how that author could write, "It is to be hoped that the male will be discovered soon, so that its true relations may be determined." Gerstsecker distinctly gives both sexes, measurements of both, and rather carefully describes the abdominal and forceps characters of the male. 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 371 to assign more than a portion of one's material to any of the named units, phases, or what-not. Kirby,^ in 1903, made an effort to single out certain of these forms, but in a most incomplete and inconclusive way. Any effort to use his suggestions, for such they really are, leads one im- mediately into difficult}'. We have examined some hundreds of individ- uals of riparia from various localities in the Old and New World, and we fail to find any constant and definite features upon which we can rely for separating the complex into definite species or varieties, either on marked morphological grounds or even less pronounced tendencies with geo- graphic correlations. Certain definite tendencies in structure do exist, as abbreviation of wings, bidentate distal margin of last abdominal tergite in the male, lack of median tooth in the male forceps and dorsal curve of the forceps, while the size varies greatly. However, these features, which are probably genetic, are so inextricably tangled up that the use of names for them is clearly inadvisable at this time. The genus Lahidura is of virtually world-wide distribution, but whether this distribution has been assisted b}^ the human race is at present unknown. Personally, we are inclined to believe that man has had relatively little to do with its presence in many places. The absence of the genus from some extensive areas, such as a very large part of the western coast of the Americas, appears rather significant, but two rec- ords being known from that region, i.e., Panama City, Panama, and Chile. The latter record is rather indefinite, but we are using it to assist in illustrating our point. The absence of records from the western coast of the United States may be explained by the fact that Lahidura prefers sandy regions and that coast is largely rocky, but in the Bermudas, which are coralline limestone islands, more rugged and broken than the western coast of the United States and with few or no sandy areas, the species is quite at home. In the eastern and southern United States the type species has a very limited distribution, apparently restricted to the sandy coastal plain and outlying islands, extending back from the coast region solely along the larger river vallej^s, and then only within the confines of the coastal plain. There is no record of its occurrence higher up the great Mississippi Valley than New Orleans, although for over one hun- dred years this has been one of the greatest avenues of commerce in the world. We are citing these comparative data to show that in regions as weU studied as the south-eastern United States the distribution of Labi- dura is known to be very circumscribed. With these facts in view, its lAnn. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XI, pp. 64 to 68. 372 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX marked presence far up in the Congo basin and its relative absence, or at least scarcity, up the Amazon Valley are worthy of comparison. Arab traders, slave or goods caravans, may have plaj^ed a part in this distribu- tion in Africa, which is of at least fifteen j^ears' standing, as evidenced by the records. However, the steady and regular water transport on the Amazon, continuously for several centuries, clearly presented a far more ready method of range extension if man was the chief factor involved. Labidura riparia (Pallas) Forficula riparia Pallas, 1773, 'Reise Russischen Reichs,' II, Buch 2, Anhang, p. 727. cf . Shores of the Irtysch (Irtin) River, western Siberia. [Forficula] pallipes Fabricius, 1775, 'Syst. Entom.,' p. 270. cf. Cape Verde Islands. Forficula crenata Olivier, 1791, 'Encycl. Method.,' VI, p. 467. 9- "Middle of Africa." [Forficula] flavipes Fabricius, 1793, 'Entom. Syst.,' II, p. 2. (Sex?) Guinea. /^or/icuZa rw/escens Palisot DE Beauvois, 1805, 'Ins. Rec. Afriq. Amer.,' p. 35, Orth. PI. I, fig. 2. 9 . Wari (Oware), (present) southern Nigeria. Forficelisa terminalis Serville, 1839, 'Hist. Nat. Ins., Orth.,' p. 25. c?". Mauritius (Isle of France) . Labidura auditor Scudder, 1876, Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., XVIII, p. 252. cf , 9 • Natal. Apterygida huseinse Rehn, 1901, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, p. 273. cf , 9 . Sheikh Husein, Abyssinia. Garamba, July, 1912; one male. Faradje, April, 1911 and January, 1913; one female and three very immature specimens. Niangara, November, 1910; six males and two females. Niapu, January, 1914; one male and two females. Medje, January 22, 1910, September, 20 to 30, 1910 and June, 1914; two males and one immature specimen. Bata- ma, September 16, 1909; one male and one immature specimen. Stan- leyville, January and April, 1915; two males, three females, and five very immature specimens. Malela, July 5, 1915; one immature specimen. (Lang and Chapin.) We are giving above the original references and the synonymy^as based on African material. The full sjnonymy of this widely distributed and apparently polymorphic species is so extensive that it seems in- advisable to include more than the African synonyms. Of these two have not been so placed previously. These are flavipes Fabricius and rufescens Pallsot de Beauvois. The position of these will be evident after examining the descriptions and Palisot's figure. The latter author's name has been considered to be a questionable synonym of Euborellia cincticollis, but its reference there is entirely without reason or evidence. 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 373 While adding two names to the synonymy we also remove two African forms which have been referred here by Bm'r/ as there is no justifica- tion for so placing them. These are Labidura dubroni and L. karschi Borg,' both of which are not onlj" not referable to Labidura, but prob- ably belong to the Labiidae. The figure of karschi shows and the descrip- tions of both emphasize features which are not found in labidurine types. For the present, at least, it seems most advisable to consider nearly all of the numerous form and color variations of the Labidura riparia complex as representatives of a single, widely distributed, very variable species. Future field work may show this to be incorrect and breeding experiments may demonstrate that genetic value should be attached to certain of these tendencies. Until such work has been done and the evidence presented, we have little reason for taking a position different from that here indicated. The pale form, which has been called true riparia, is represented by two males and two females of the Stanleyville series, the Faradje female and one Niapu female. The dark-bodied type, which has been referred to frequently in the literature as pallipes, is represented by the Garamba male, nearly all of the Niangara series, a Medje male, the Niapu male and second female, and the Batama male. The third Stanleyville female, two males and a female from Niangara, and the second Medje male are nearer pallipes, but paler than the others. In size the variation is most marked, the extremes of the series of males measuring (in millimeters) as follows : Niangara Niangara Medje Length of Body 22.5 16.1 20.2 Length of Forceps 9.4 5.3 10.6 Medje Stanleyville Stanleyville Length of Body." 17.1 20.4 18.5 Length of Forceps 7.8 8.5 6.8 The two females from Niangara are not comparable in body length, as one has had the abdomen much distended by the absorption of a liquid preservative, one of the Niapu females has lost its forceps, and the Stanleyville females are of very nearly the same size. All of the adults show the wings projecting distad of the tegmina to a variable extent. In the Niangara males the paired teeth on the distal margin of the last abdominal tergite are distinctly present in all but one, almost completely absent in this, the smallest individual of that series. '1911, 'Genera Insectorum, Dermaptera,' p. 36. ^1904, Labidura diibroni Born. Arkiv for Zoologi, I, p. 565. 9. Cameroon. Labidura karschi Borg, idem, p. 566, PI. xxvi, fig. 1. cf, 9. Cameroon. 374 Bulletin American Museum of Natural Hiatonj [Vol. XLIX In one Stanleyville male they are markedly present, in the other almost absent. In both Medje males these teeth are present, more decided in the larger individual; in the Garamba and Batama males they are present, and are present but very weak in the Niapu male, which is of very small size. In all the males the internal margin of the forceps shows a median tooth, although this varies in strength. The distribution of this species in Africa is verj^ extensive, virtually the only large areas of the continent from which we have no records being the Saharan region, Angola and Southwest Africa, and Portuguese and "German" East Africa (Tanganj-ika Territor}^. In all but the first area we feel this is due to the lack of definite information. Labidura is not a desert-loving form, although the presence of a river system or sea- coast will extend its distribution into arid regions. Apachyidse Apachyus Serville 1831, .\nn. Sci. Nat., XXII, p. 35. Genotype. — Apachyus depressus {Forficula (/epressa Palisot de Beauvois). (Monotypic.) This most peculiar genus and its relative Dendroiketes, from Ceylon, have been considered to constitute the family Apachyidae, and this representative of a superfamily, the Paradermaptera. Burr, the leading authority on the Dermaptera, now prefers to cancel the superfamily and to treat the group as a family or even a subfamily.^ It is, at any rate, one of the clearly cut groups, with a general facies which makes its immediate recognition possible. The body form is greatly modified, strongly depressed and, in fact, flattened, recalling that of the Sparat- tinse, while the development of the remarkable squamo-pygidium, with its unusual median projection and simple sickle-shaped forceps, furnishes a very distinctive set of structures. The Ceylonese Dendroiketes is an annectant type between the more specialized genus Apachyus and the more typical earwigs, having a simple rectangulate instead of much specialized and longitudinal pronotum, less depressed body and differences in the tarsal and abdominal structures. All the information we have regarding the habits of species of this genus is to the effect that they live under the bark of dead trees, a habitat for which their flattened form admirably fits them. '1915, Journ. Royal Microsc. Soc, p. 447. In this paper Burr seems uncertain of the status of the group. He first says, "Subfamily 7. Apachyida?." Three lines below he says, "I . . . treat the Apachyidae as a family of the Protodermaptera." The heading quoted above is equivalent in position and type with the other subfamilies, consecutively numbered and properly given with "nae" termina- tions, treated as subfamilies of the Labiduridae. His intention can hardly be called clear, nor his treat- ment consistent. 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 375 The genus is kxiown to occur in the Papuan and Oriental Regions, from New Guinea through the Sunda Islands to Tonkin, Burma, Assam, Sikkim, and Bhutan, and in the African Western Forest Province, extending into the Eastern and Southern Subprovince of the Savannah Province, and reaching the eastern coast of Africa at Beira, but being absent from ^Madagascar and the other islands of the Malagasy Region. The related genus Dendroiketes, as stated above, occurs only in Ceylon. Fig. 19. Ivnown distribution of the genus Apachyus. In the Malayan Region it is more than probable that the genus will be found on a number of the islands not stippled here; but we have restricted ourselves to those from which actual records have been published. The light stippled area in eastern Africa is also an area of probable distribution, but we have no actual records from this section. Key to the African Species of Apachyus 1. Form broader and hea\aer, more robust ; size generally larger. Pronotum broader- Abdomen with moderate but evident expansion distad; width across anal segment decidedly greater than twice width of pronotum. Anal segment of male -uith produced section between forceps bases twice as broad as long, the serrulate margin in general broad and low arcuate; anal segment of female with proportions similar to those of male, the margin in general form arcuate obtuse-angulate. Forceps of both sexes with arms more strongly bowed, heavier proximad depressus (Pahsot de Beauvois). Form more slender; size generally smaller. Pronotum more narrow. Abdomen subequal in ^\adth, hardly expanding at all distad; width across anal seg- ment hardly or not at all greater than twice width of pronotum. Anal seg- ment of male with produced section between forceps bases one and one- half times as broad as long, the serrulate margin arcuate obtuse-angulate; anal segment of female with proportions similar to those of male, the margin in general form crenulate subrectangulate. Forceps of both sexes with arms less strongly bowed, more slender proximad murrayi Dohrn. 376 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Apachyus depressus (Palisot de Beauvois) Forficula depressa Palisot de Beauvois, 1805, 'Ins. Rec. Afriq. Amer.,' p. 36, Orth. PI. I, fig. 5. d^. Oware (present southern Nigeria, west of mouth of the Niger River), West Africa. Apachya reichardi Karsch, 1886, Berlin. Entom. Zeitschr., XXX, p. 85, PL iii, fig. 3. cf. "Eastern Central Africa, east of (Lake) Tanganyika, probably Kawande" (western "German" East Africa.) Niangara, November , 1910; one male, one female, and three imma- ture males. Akenge, October, 1913; one female. Medje, Julj^ 24 to September, 1910 and June and July, 1914; six males, three females, twelve immature males, and eleven immature females. Stanleyville, March, 1915; one male. (Lang and Chapin.) The synonymy of reichardi given above appears to us to be the proper disposition to make of the name. It has, apparently, no claim to be considered distinct from depressus, the general size and colorational features originally cited having no value as differential characters. Burr^ leaves the matter rather in suspense by giving depressus, murrayi, and reichardi as geographic forms of a single species. We have shown above in the key to the African species of the genus, and below under murrayi, that we do not agree with this treatment, murrayi clearly not being a geographic race, while reichardi certainly equals Palisot's far older depressus. The color features there given by Burr appear to us to have little significance, although certain points of the abdominal coloring may be of real assistance in recognizing the two species here treated. The present series shows very great variation in size in adults of both sexes, and in the males from Medje alone the differences are decided. Representative material shows the following body length, exclusive of the forceps, in millimeters. 9 In coloration the adult specimens before us show almost no note- worthy features. In all, the internal section of the folded wings is pale yellowish and the pronotum is unicolorous, with the tegmina except for an occasional weak paling mesad. In no specimen is the pronotum bor- dered with pale color. The scutellum varies slightly in depth of colora- '1911, 'Wissenseh. Ergebn. Deutschen Zentr.-Afr.-Esped., 1907-1908,' III, Zool., Lief. 16, p. 457. "siangara Medje Medje 24.7 22.4 25.0 Akenge Stanleyville 21.0 24.6 22.4 24.2 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 377 tion, much the same as the pronotum. The immature specimens are largely gamboge yellow in their younger instars, darkening and becoming more contrastingly colored as they develop. The anal segment of the adult male shows no variation in its shape or that of the production of the segment. The female shows equal fixity in the character of the anal segment. Figs. 20-23. Apachyus depressus (Palisot de Beauvois). Fig. 20. Male. Xiangara, Belgian Congo. Dorsal surface of apex of abdomen. X4. Fig. 21, Ventral surface of apex of abdomen of the same, X4. Fig. 22. Female. Medje, Belgian Congo. Dorsal surface of apex of abdomen, X4i^. Fig. 23. Ventral surface of apex of abdomen of the same, X4)2. Figs. 24-25. Apachyus murrayi Dohrn. Fig. 24. Male. Medje, Belgian Congo. Dorsal surface of abdomen, X4H. Fig. 25. Female. Stanlejnalle, Belgian Congo. Dorsal surface of abdomen, X5}^. The immature specimens appear to represent at least three instars preceding maturity. In these the production of the anal segment is similar in both sexes, being a lanceolate linguiform projection with crenulate edges. When the ventral surface is examined a distinct differ- ence in the sexes is noted. In the male in the j^oungest instar the eighth sternite is broadly and regularly arcuate, the two preceding ones with 378 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX their margins concave mesad. In the next instar of the same sex the eighth sternite has the margin obtuse-angulate produced, the two preceding segments with their concavity much less evident. In the instar preceding maturity in the male the eighth sternite is more markedly obtuse-angulate with the sides of the angle weakly concave and the apex with a bifid tendency. As Burr already has pointed out/ eight sternites Fig. 26. Known dLstribution of Apachyus depressus (dots) and A. mur- rayi (crosses). It is e^ddent that murrayi has a much more circumscribed distribution than depressus, the former being a strictly Western Forest Province form, while depressus has maintained or achieved a greater distributional area, probably by a more ready adaptability. are distinctly visible in the immature female of this genus. In the female sex we have but two instars preceding maturity represented. In the earlier of these the sixth sternite has its margin very weakly angulate produced mesad, the seventh is concavo-truncate distad and the eighth is broadly and shallowly arcuate. In the instar preceding maturity in the female the sixth sternite has the production more pronounced, acute. '1910, 'Fauna Brit. India, Dermapt.,' p. 34. 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 379 reaching nearty to the margin of the seventh sternite, the sides of the angle concave, the seventh sternite with its margin concave mesad, arcuate laterad, eighth sternite low arcuato-obtuse-angulate. Definite wing-venational indications are to be seen in the two instars preceding maturity. The area of distribution of this species covers virtually all of the Western Forest Province and portions of the Eastern and Southern Sub- province of Engler. It is known to occur from the Rio Cassini, Portu- guese Guinea, to the north-eastern Belgian Congo (localities here given and from between Ukaika and Mawambi) and western "German" East Africa (Kawende), south to Benguela, northeastern Transvaal (Zout- pansberg) and central Portuguese East Africa (Beira). It also has been specifically recorded from Mount Coffee, Liberia; Assinie, Ivory Coast; Aburi, Gold Coast; Oware, southern Nigeria; Mundame, Cameroon; Cape San Juan, Biafra; Lambarene, Fernand Vaz, and Nkogo, French Congo, as well as from the island of Fernando Po. Apachyus murrayi Dohrn A[pachyus] murrayi Dohrx, 1863, Stettin. Entom. Zeitung, XXIV, p. 44. Sex? Old Calabar, West Africa. Medje, July, 1914; one male. Stanleyville, March, 1915; one female. (Lang and Chapin.) In addition to these specimens we have an adult female and an immature female from Bitye, Dja River, Cameroon, in the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, which are identical with the specimens from the north-eastern Belgian Congo. As we have stated above under depressus, we do not consider these names to represent forms of the same species, but instead distinct species. Burr considers murrayi to be a West African race or form of a single species comprising aU the described African Apachyus. The present material shows that murrayi ranges to the north-eastern Belgian Congo, occurs with A. depressus, and differs constantly in structural features, also exhibits no difference between specimens from the north-eastern Belgian Congo and those from the southern Cameroon. In the key to the species given above under the generic discussion, we have presented the sahent features for distinguishing A. murrayi from A. depressus, and in addition to those the following less evident but still useful features have been observed. In murrayi the eyes are slightly smaller in proportion to the post- ocular portion of the head, and also slightly more prominent. 380 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX The dark suffusion of the dorsal and lateral surfaces of the base of the abdomen is more broadly distributed over the segments involved in depressus, while in murrayi the sides and lateral portions of the dorsum of the segments only are involved. In murrayi the more elongate produced portion of the anal segment and the more slender form of the whole insect gives to the anal segment a more elongate facies in murrayi than in depressus, this more evident in the male than in the female sex. The specimens before us measure as follows in body length (exclu- sive of forceps): cf, Medje, Belgian Congo, 21 mm.; 9, Stanleyville, Belgian Congo, 19.6; 9 , Bitj'e, Cameroon, 22.5. We find no noteworthy color or structural variational differences in our material. The immature female from Bitye is in the instar preceding maturity and the development of its distal sternites is much as in the same instar of depressus, the eighth, however, with its margin more regularly arcuate. The produced portion of the anal segment in the same specimen is slightly more acute and lanceolate than in depressus. As far as our present knowledge of the distribution of this species goes it covers a more restricted area than that of A. depressus, the present form not being found outside of the Western Forest Province. It is known from localities extending from Southern Nigeria (Old Calabar and Olokemeji) east to Lake Kivu and the north-eastern Belgian Congo (Medje and Avakubi), and from as far north as Medje, Belgian Congo, and from the Nigerian localities south to the Lower Congo (Luki and Stanley Pool). Its distributional limits on the southeast are completely unknown. EUDERMAPTERA Labiidae > Labiinse Labia Leach 1815, 'Edinburgh Encycl.,' IX, p. 118. Genotype. — Labia minor (Forficula minor Linnseus). This genus is composed of more than fifty species of uniformly small earwigs, occasionally of striking coloration, but often difficult to distinguish satisfactorily, as the variation in the species is not as clearly understood as is necessary for permanent critical work. This variation is not limited to coloration, but is known also to be structural in certain species, as in the nearly circumtropical L. curvicauda. Many of the described species are at present virtually unrecognizable on account of 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 381 the insufficient character of their descriptions. Two species of the genus are widely distributed, L. minor being nearly cosmopolitan and very probably distributed by the agency of man, while L. curvicauda is virtu- ally circumtropical in its distribution, and man may have been an in- fluencing factor in the distribution of this species as well as in the case of minor. Sixteen species of the genus are known from Africa with Madagascar, the Comoros, and the Seychelles. Of these, but three have been recorded from the Belgian Congo, i.e., Labia minor, L. ochropus, and L. owenii, but there can be no question of the occurrence in that territory of quite a few other species described from West African localities. Fig. 27. Kno-wn distribution of Labia ochropus. Labia ochropus (Stal) F[orficula] ochropus Stal, 1855, Ofv. Kongl. Vetensk.-Akad. Forhandl., XII, p. 348. cf, 9. Port Natal (Durban), Natal. Bengamisa, September 29, 1914; one female. (Lang and Chapin.) 382 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX This widely distributed African species has been referred to in a number of pubhcations as Labia marginalis (Thunberg)/ but we do not feel warranted in using this name for the specimen before us. The Bengamisa female fully agrees with the description of ochropus and its interpretation by subsequent authors, while it does not answer Thun- berg's very brief description. In such a case it appears best to use the later but clearly applicable name. The species is said to be variable in coloration, but the real extent of the variation has not been recorded. The present specimen has the head, pronotum, tegmina, and abdomen uniform pitch-brown, while the exposed portions of the wings are honey-yellow, margined along the sutural margins and more broadly their apices with pitch-brown. The antennae are yellow with the fol- lowing exceptions: first and second joints, which are strongly, and the third much less decidedly pitch-brown, joints ten to fourteen pitch-brown. Limbs honey-yellow with the femora clouded proximad with pitch- brown. The forceps are ferruginous. The species is known to inhabit much of the Western Forest Prov- ince and the greater part of the Eastern and Southern Subprovince, having been reported from localities extending from Assinie, Ivory Coast and Fernand Vaz, French Congo to Tanga, "German" East Africa (Tanganyika Territory), and from as far north as these localities and Buta (Rubi), Belgian Congo, south to Natal, also occurring on the island of Mayotte in the Comoros. The records from the Belgian Congo are Leopoldville, Buta on the Rubi River, and the present one. Chelisochidse Chelisoches Scudder Lobophora Serville, 1839, 'Hist. Nat. Ins., Orth.,' p. 32. (Not of Curtis, 1825.) Chelisoches Sctjdder, 1876, Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., XVIII, p. 295. Enkrates Burr, 1907, Trans. Entom. Soc. London, p. 131. Genotype. — Lobophora rufitarsis { = Forficula morio Fabricius). (Monotypic.) It was necessary to replace the first generic name proposed for this group on account of its preoccupation in Lepidoptera. This Scudder properly did by substituting Chelisoches for Lobophora. Burr's name Enkrates has an unfortunate history, wholly due to the misidentification of his genotypic species. After the original description of his new genus, which is that of a distinct and clearly recognizable one, he states: "The only known species is Enkrates flavipennis Fabr., from West Africa, ^F[(yrficala] marginalis Thunberg, 1827, Nova Acta Reg. Soc. Scient. Upsal., IX, p. 52. Sex? Cape (of Good Hope). 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 383 of which the synomnny is rather confused." After this follows the sjTionjTny, headed by the reference to Fabricius' Forficula flavipennis. The diiSiculty here is, that flavipennis Fabricius is not a member of the genus described by Burr, but it is the oldest name for the chelisochid called plagiata bj' Fairmaire in 1858. We are discussing this identifica- tion below. The designation of the genotype and the citation of the author of the same is the last resort in the fixing of a generic name and, in consequence, Burr's name Enkrates must be placed, albeit very un- willingly by us, as a synon>Tn of Chelisoches. We are elsewhere proposing a new generic name for the species which Burr had misidentified as flavipennis Fabricius. The present genus, like the whole family to which it belongs, is of Old World origin, but the genotype, C. morio, is a very adaptable species which apparently has been transported by commerce to such an extent that it is now established in the Hawaiian Islands and in California. The majority of the ten or so species of the genus are Oriental or Australasian, and the genus reaches its greatest diversity in the Sunda Islands. From the African continent but two species are known. One of these two African species is C. morio, the widely distributed and adaptable genotypic species of the genus. In Africa it is known only from several localities in Usambara, "German" East Africa (Tanganyika Territory), and the vicinity of Mombasa, where it was probably accidentally trans- ported, while it also occurs in Madagascar and the Comoros, as well as north of Madagascar on the Farquhar Atoll. Key to the Species of Chelisoches of the African Mainland 1. Body coloration uniformly brownish black. Pronotum subquadrate, lateral margins very weakly diverging caudad. Male forceps elongate, not abruptly differentiated into very robust proximal and more slender distal portions. morio (Fabricius). Body coloration variegated, yellow, red-brown, ivory-white, and pitch-black. Pronotum longitudinal, lateral margins markedly diverging caudad. Male forceps short, very abruptly differentiated into a broad, sublamellate proxi- mal portion and a more slender, tapering, arcuate distal portion. flavipennis (Fabricius). Chelisoches flavipennis (Fabricius) [Forficula] flavipennis Fabricius, 1793, 'Entom. Syst.,' II, p. 5. Sex? Senegal. Forficula plagiata Fairmaire, 1858, in Thomson, 'Archives Entom.,' II, p. 257, PI. IX, fig. 3. 9. Gaboon (West Africa). Medje, April to September, 1910 to 1914; two males and five fe- males. Stanleyville, April, 1915; one male. (Lang and Chapin.) 384 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX As we have stated above under the generic discussion, Fabricius' flavipennis has been misidentified by Burr, and this misidentification has resulted in the synonymy of the generic name Enkrates. Fabricius' description is as follows: F. nigra eh'tris flavescentibus: sutura nigra. Media. Caput obscure rufum macula frontali nigra. Thorax marginatus, nigricans. Elytra flava sutura communi nigra. Corpus nigrum pedibus flavis. Fig. 28. Locations of known records of Chelisoches flavipennis (Fabricius). The "Senegal" record may refer to some point considerably to the south of the present Senegal, which is here indicated. Of these features two are as found in that species later described by Fairmaire as plagiata, while in the species to which Burr referredlthe name flavipennis, i.e., that for which Kirby's name variegata is available, they are quite different. The head is solid red in variegata, and is red with the frontal portion black in the species named by Fairmaire. In variegata the tegmina (i.e. elytra) are yellow with two dark longitudinal bars, the sutural margins of the tegmina being yellow; in plagiata of 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 385 Fairmaire the tegmina are clear yellow with the proximal half of the sutural tegminal margins blackish. With both species before us there is no question in our mind as to which is really Fabricius' flavipennis. Unfortunately, the correct interpretation disturbs some accepted generic and specific names, but a careful examination of the original description would have prevented the error, which must be corrected. This striking and distinctively colored species was very well figured in colors by Fairmahe. It can at once be distinguished from the other species of the genus known from Africa, C. morio, by its markedh' con- trasted pattern of yellow, red-brown, ivory-white, and pitch-black. In general size the present material shows some variation, the ex- tremes (in millimeters) being as follows: cf cT 9 9^ Stanleyville Medje Medje Medje Length of Body 13.0 15.8 14.0 16.0 Length of Forceps 4.2 4.2 5.3 6.5 The perfect antennae vary in having from seventeen to eighteen joints. The distal pale annulus of the antennae is always made up of two segments, which may be the twelfth and thirteenth or the thirteenth and fourteenth. In one specimen, on one antenna, the distal pale segment is blackish distad. In its distribution this species is probably a West African Forest Province form, ranging from Senegal and the Gold Coast (Aburi) to the north-eastern Belgian Congo (Stanleyville and ^Nledje). It is possible that "Senegal" as understood by Fabricius embraced much of the country to the south of the present Senegal, and thus within the Forest Province. The species also occurs on the island of Fernando Po. Forficulidae Forficulinae FoRFicuLA Linnaeus 1758, 'Syst. Nat.,' 10th Ed., p. 423. Genotype. — Forficula auricularia Linnseus. (By indication of Rehn, 1903.) This genus embraces what might be called the most representative group of Old World earwigs, one or more species being found native in most areas of the hemisphere except Australasia. One species, the iThere is another Medje female which has the body longer than the measured maximum, but we refrain from giving its proportions as its body apparently has been distended by the absorption of fluid in which it was originally preserved. The forceps of the distended specimen are equal in length to those of the maximum female here measured. 386 Bulletin American Museum of Natural Hidorij [Vol. XLIX genotype", is found as an introduction in North America and portions of Australasia. Nearly fifty species are known to belong to the genus as now re- stricted, and of these fourteen have been recorded from Africa and the adjacent islands. The l^]urasian influence is very strong in this genus as found in Africa, as seven of the fourteen species are restricted in their distribution to Mediterranean North Africa, several of these being European forms, while a few of those of more Ethiopian distribution in Africa are extremely local in their occurrence. One species {F. redevipta Burr) is peculiar to the island of Sokotra, while another {F. sjostedti Burr) is r(>strict(Ml to relatively high elevations in East Africa, occurring on Kilimanjaro, Kenya, the Aberdare Mountains, and also on the Ufumbiro Volcanoes very close to, if not within, the borders of the Bel- gian Congo. Three species of the genus are now known to occur within the Belgian Congo, and one other certainly within a few miles of the bound- ary in "German" East Africa (Tanganyika Territory) (sjostedti, vide supra). Two of the species are here reported for the first time from the territory we are considering, while F. rodziankoi has been recorded from Kasindi, within the Belgian Congo, on Lake Albert Edward, and from the western slope of Ruwenzori at an elevation of about 2500 meters. The same species has also been reported from an elevation of 3000 meters on Ninagongo, Ufumbiro Volcanoes, in the Belgian Congo. Key to the Species of Forficula found in the Region of the Belgian Congo 1. Tegmin:i fully developed, nearly or quite twice as Ions as the pronotum; distal marjiin of tesmina ol)liquely arcuate truncate, the point of the tegmina sutural in position. Wings evident, well developed 2. Tegmina abbreviate, one to one and one-half times as long as pronotum; distal margin of tegmina oblique tnmcate, the point of the tegmina costal in posi- tion. Wings aborted, not evident' 3. 2. Pronotum with the lateral margins appreciably arcuate; f)ronotum in form moderately transverse. Forceps of male with jiroximal expansion of internal margin short; distad of this section the l)ranches are forcij)ate, gently arcuate, the tips crossing; in macrolabic form the forceps are longer than body. Forceps of female more slender brolemanni Borelli. 'Since preparing this key I have found that Burr (1911, 'Wissensch. Ergebn. Deutschen Zentr.- Afr.-Exped. 1907-1908,' III, Zool., Lief. 16, p. 4,59) states that F. rndziankni ofcurs both winged and wingless. Borelli has also stated recently (191.5 'R6sultats Scientif. N'oy. Alhiaud et .Jeanncl en Afriq. C)rient. (1911-1912), Orth.,' I, p. 1,5), that Krnetialensis occurs with tegmina and wings more abbreviate than in the typical condition. Without material of rodziankoi or sj6Kttdl.i before nie I can do no more than build a table from the literature, utilizing solely the most apparent features. However, rodziawA-oi needs comparison solely with F. senegalensis, being well removed from brolemanni and njiiiitedli. Semen- off's species may prove to be extremely close to seneyalensis. Burr's sjdftedli is a localized mountain species with extremely abbreviate tegmina and very distinctive forceps. 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 387 Pronotiim witi the lateral margins subparallel, hardly at all arcuate; pronotum in form subquadrate. Forceps of male with proximal expansion of internal margin elongate, equal to or more than one-half of the length of forceps; distad of this section the branches are cahper-like. distinctly arcuate, the tips not crossing; in macrolabic form the forceps are equal to about two- thirds of body length. Forceps of female more robust . . senegalensis Ser^oUe. 3. Pronotum with caudal margin gently arcuate. Tegmina bicolored. Pygidium of male abbreviate. Forceps of male with proximal lameUation of internal margin equal to more than one-half of forcepxs" length . .rodziankoi Semenoff. Pronotum with caudal margin strongly and broadly arcuate. Tegmina unicolored. P^'gidiimi of male elongate, linguiform. Forceps of male with proximal lamellation of internal margin less than one-half of the length of the forceps. sjostedti Burr. Forficula brolemanni Borelli Forficula broletnanni Borelli, 1907, Boll. ^lus. Zool. Anat. Comp. Torino. XXII, No. 573, p. 1, fig. cf, ?. Bougoimni (Bougouni or Buguni), [Upper Senegal, French] Sudan. Garamba. July. 1912: two females. Faradje. January. 1912 and 1913; February to April. 1912: March. 1911: March to April. 1911: April, 1911: December 6. 1912: twenty-eight males, twenty-three females. Vankerckhovenville. April, 1912: eight males, nine females. Medje, January 22, 1910: two males. Stanlej^Tlle, January. 1915: one female. (All Lang and C'hapin.) This is the second record of the present species since its description. The original description is very full and t^-pical material (i.e., macro- labic indi^-iduals) fully accord with the featm^es given by Borelli. The present series shows that brolemanni has decidedly differ- ent macrolabic and brachylabic forms in the male sex of material taken at the same locality corresjwnding to those found in E. auricularia and numerous other species. BoreUi (1915. "Resultats Scientif. Voy. Alluaud and Jeannel en Afriq. Orient., Oith.,' I. p. 15), would lead one to infer that such differences might be geographic, but the present series shows such is not the case. The macrolabic tA*pe is that originally described, the length of the forceps in this extreme being equal to two- thirds or more of the body length, the elongation of the slender distal section being proportionately greater than that of the subcontiguous, lamellate proximal portions, when compared with the brachj-labic ex- treme. The latter (called cyclolabic by BoreUi) has the forceps no longer than the tegmina, the proximal lamellate section is less sharply differen- tiated from the tapering distal section and the same section is also less markedly depressed. The two extremes appear veiy different, but they are fully connected b}' intermediate indi%'iduals in the present series. 388 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX The parallelism with the dimorphism found in the males of F. auricularia is also*evident in the less pronounced sculpture of the disto-dorsal ab- dominal segment of the brachylabic individuals of brolemanni. The Vankerckhovenville series of males are all macrolabic except one, which is nearly intermediate, while the two Medje males are very similar. The bulk of the macrolabic, all of the brachylabic, and the greater portion of the intermediate specimens are contained in the Faradje series. Figs. 29-31. Forficula brolemanni Borelli. Males. Fig. 29. Vankerckhovenville, Belgian Congo. Macrolabic type of forceps, X 6. Fig. 30. Faradje, Belgian Congo. Brachylabic type of forceps, X8. Fig. 31. Faradje, Belgian Congo. Abnormal forceps, X6. Measurements (in millimeters) of representative Faradje individuals follow. d" & cf c? (macrolabic) (macrolabic) (brachylabic) (brachylabic) Length of Body (Ex- clusive of Forceps) 12.9 9.7 11.6 10.2 Length of Forceps 10.2 7.6 4.2 9 11,6 3.7 9 10.5 Length of Body (Exclusive of Forceps) Length of Forceps 3.2 3.1 All of the specimens before us have the wings well developed, although varying somewhat in the length of the exposed portion of the same. One macrolabic Faradje male shows abortion of the dextral arm 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 389 of the forceps. In this the aborted branch is less than half as long as the perfect sinistral arm, the apex is blunt, and the proximal dilation is but little altered. Another Faradje male has the sinistral branch of the forceps normal male in tj^pe and approaching the macrolabic condition, while the dextral branch is of the form found in the female, but slightly more robust and longer than in similarly sized females, the internal margin proximad with crenulations much like those of normal male forceps, although no expansion is present (see Fig. 31). In every other way this specimen is a normal male. In coloration the Vankerckhovenville series averages slightly darker in general tone than that from Faradje. The species is now known to range across the Sudanese region from Upper Senegal (Bougounni) to the north-eastern Belgian Congo (Garamba), and western Uganda (Unyoro), extending southward into the Forest Province in the Belgian Congo as far as Stanleyville (see Fig. 32). Fig. 32. Area of known distribution of Forficula senegalensis indicated by heavy stippling; area of possible but unproven occurrence indicated by light stippling. Localities from which Forficula brolemanni is known are indicated bj' circles. 390 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Forficula senegalensis Serville For^cwZasene^aZejisis Serville, 1839, 'Hist. Nat. Ins., Orth.,' p. 39. cf.Q. Senegal. Medje, January 22, 1910; one male. (Lang and Chapin.) This specimen has been compared with material of the species from several localities in the Transvaal and found to be inseparable. The forceps in form are nearer the brachylabic than the macrolabic type, the proximal lamellate dilation of the internal margin comprising slightly more than one-half the length of the forceps, while the length of the forceps is subequal to that of the pronotum, tegmina, and exposed por- tion of the tegmina combined. This species is widely distributed in Africa, although virtually absent from the Western Forest Province. It is a form of the Savannah Province, being found from Senegal to Kordofan, Eritrea, and Abyssinia, southward in eastern Africa to the Cape of Good Hope, and also in the Cape Verde Islands. The Medje record is the only one we are aware of from withifi the Forest Province. This probably represents an exten- sion of range into forest conditions or an accidental introduction from the country to the north. Opisthocosmiinae Opisthocosmia Dohrn 1865, Stettin. Entom. Zeitung, XXVI, p. 76. Genotype. — Opisthocosmia centurio Dohrn. (By designation of Rehn, 1903.)' The genus Opisthocosmia, as now limited, contains but four species, of which three are Oriental and one African. There exists a possibility that the African species is not congeneric with the genotype of Opistho- cosmia, but we are not in a position to investigate this further, as no material of the Oriental species is available for study. The African species is represented in The American Museum of Natural History Congo Collection, and we are, tentatively at least, permitting it to re- main in Dohrn's genus. The range of the genus embraces Borneo, Sumatra, and Siam in the Oriental Region, and Central Africa. Opisthocosmia poecilocera (Borg) Ancistrogaster poecilocera Borg, 1904, Arkiv for Zoologi, I, p. 577, PI. xxvi, figs. 8 and 8a. 9 . Cameroon. Opisthocosmia formosa Burr, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 492. cf. Cameroon. 11903, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, p. 308. 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 391 Faradje, Februaiy to April, 1912; two males. (Lang and Chapin.) This s^Tionymy was established by Burr. The description oiformosa is contradictor}' in certain features used in describing the male forceps, and its measurements of the same are clearly erroneous, i.e., 7.5 mm,, with the body length given as 9 mm,^ Borelli has given^ some useful comments on the color variation in this species, also very important notes on the structure of the male forceps, while Burr in several papers has emphasized the variation in coloration of the tegmina. The two specimens show very decided differences in the form of the forceps. In one individual (Fig. 33) they are moderately robust at the base, the internal margins are arcuate sublamellate in the proximal third and appreciably^ crenulate; distad of this section the arms of the forceps are arcuate toward and cross- ing one another, rounded in section in the median third, the external margin convex, the internal concave; at distal third the internal margin has a distinct, flattened, lobif orm tooth ; distad of this the arms of the forceps are weakly falcate to the acmninate apices. The other , ^^; ' ^*" type has the forceps somewhat more slender, tapering, ^^^^ (Bore) Male straight and subparallel in the proximal half, then Faradje, Congo, gentlv and regularly falcato-arcuate toward and cross- Apex of abdomen '^ " . . ... from dorsum, X9. ing one another, the apices acute; mternal margm m proximal third serrulate ; no apparent indication of tooth at distal third. In both types the forceps are seen, in profile, to be curved dorsad in dis- tal two-thirds, the tips very faintly decurved. There is no question in my mind as to the specific identity of the two specimens, but to aid future workers details have been given above. In size the individuals are rather small, the body length being 8.5 mm. in one (i.e., first described type of forceps) and 7.4 in the other (with second tj^pe of forceps), the forceps measuring 2.4 mm. in length in both specimens. Regarding coloration we would note that both specimens have the tegmina uniformly dark fuscous, with no trace of the humeral pale macu- lation occasionally found (see Burr) . The exposed portions of the wings are yellowish with the sutural section broadly longitudinally margined with 'Borelli later, in measuring the species, gave the forceps length of the male as three millimeters, which is more in accordance with the present material and with Borg's dimensions of the female forceps (i.e., 3 mm.). Probably Burr's figure is an error for 2.5 or 3.5. 2 1907, Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Genova, XLIII, p. 385. 392 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX fuscous. The antennae in both of the specunens are too imperfect for us to note the distribution of coloration on the respective segments, which is a feature apparently showing some variation in the species. In distribution the species is known to range directly across Central Africa, from Portuguese Guinea (Bolama) on the west to Amani, "Ger- man" East Africa (Tanganjaka Territory), on the east, south as far as north-western Tanganyika and Amani, north to Portuguese Guinea, Fig. 34. Area of distribution of Opisthocosmia poecilocera. Cameroon and the north-eastern Belgian Congo (Faradje). It is doubt- less a type of forest origin, its presence at Amani probably governed bj' the Usambara mountain forest, and at Faradje its occurrence maj' be explained as an extension from forest conditions. Thalperus Burr 1911, 'Genera Insectorum, Dermaptera/ pp. 89, 92. Genotype. — T. kuhlgatzi (Burr). (By original designation.) The genus Thalperus is one of the two genera of the Opisthocosmii- nse, a group which reaches its maximum development in the Oriental 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 393 Region, known to occur on the African mainland. Four species of the genus have been described, one from Madagascar, T. ova} (Bormans), and three from the mainland of Africa, T. kuhlgatzi, roccatii, and micheli.^ Of the three latter species two are included in the present series. Thalperus kuhlgatzi (Burr) Hypurgus sp. n. Burr, 1907, Deutsche Entom. Zeitschr., p. 487. 9 . Togo; Cameroon. Hypurgus kuhlgatzi Burr, 1909, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) IV, p. 116. d", 9 . Togo; Bismarckburg, Togo (type locality^) ; Cameroon. Faradje, January, 1913; March, 1911; three males, one female. (Lang and Chapin.) Figs. 35-36. Thalperus kuhlgatzi (Burr). Male. Faradje, Belgian Congo. Apex of abdomen from dorsum, X7. Fig. Faradje, Belgian Congo. Apex of abdomen from dorsum, X8. Fig. 37. Thalperus roccatii (BoreUi) . Male. Medje, Belgian Congo. Apex of abdomen from dorsum, X7}^. Fig. 35. 36. Female, The original description of this species is very imperfect, with nu- merous typographical errors and contradictions in the diagnosis and the detailed description. We feel satisfied, however, in the reference of the present material to this species. All three specimens have the wings well developed, projecting distad of the tegmina a distance subequal to one-half the tegminal length. The original material was described as having the "wings abbreviate," from which we presume they were not normally exposed in those Burr had before him. We feel that the alate condition of the present series indi- 'This name is generally written in the amended form hova, but it appears as ova in the original description and also in the explanation of the plates of the same paper (1883, Ann. Soc. Entom. Belgique, XXVII, pp. 80, 90). It seems best to us to use the original spelling. 21904, Trans. Entom. Soo. London, pp. 303, 307. cf , 9 . Abyssinia. ^Selected as the type locality as it is the only original locality represented by the male sex, which in this species possesses more distinctive characters than the female. 394 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX cates nothing more than the presence of dimorphism in wing develop- ment in the species. The antennae are described as having ''about 10 segments." The March male is the only specimen we have with the antennae complete and the number present in this specimen is twelve. The arms of the male forceps may or may not have a distinct tooth present at the distal third. In the March male this is decided in its indication, as is true of one of the January males, while the other one has Fig. 38. Probable area of distribution of Thalperus kuhlgatzi indicated by stipple. Localities from which Thalperus roccatii is known are indicated by circles. but the faintest swelling of the margin to indicate the position of the usual tooth. The forceps of the same sex have the proximal half of the internal margin faintly lamellate and very faintly serrulate, there being in addition a faint serrulation of the same margin distad of the distal tooth, when the latter is present. The figure of the forceps (Fig. 35) well illustrates their character. The species is apparently a Sudanese one, not entering the Forest Region as far as the exact records for it show. It has been recorded from 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 395 Togo and Cameroon without further details, while it has been definitely recorded from Bismarckburg, Togo, and Kirima on the north-western coast of Lake Albert Edward. These localities with the present Faradje record give our total knowledge of the species' distribution. Kirima is east of the eastern edge of the Congo forest, Bismarckburg is outside of the Rain Forest, while we have no knowledge of the portion of Cameroon to which the general record applies. Thalperus roccatii (Borelh) Opisthocosmia roccatii Borelli, 1906, Boll. Mus. Zool. Anat. Comp. Torino, XXI, No. 541, p. 2. cf , 9 • Ibanda, east side of Ruwenzori, Uganda. Opisthocosmia roccatii Borelli, 1909, in Luigi Amedeo Duca Abruzzi, ' II Ruwenzori, Relazione Scientifiche,' I, p. 288, fig. 4. Medje, January 22, 1910; one male. (Lang and Chapin.) This specimen fully agrees with Borelli's description and clearly represents his species. Our individual is somewhat smaller in body length, 8.5 mm., but this difference is probably due to variation in the amount of abdominal extension, as the forceps length is identical, 2.9 mm. We are figuring the apex of the male abdomen (Fig. 37) on a lar- ger scale and with more detail than in the sketch given by Borelli in 'II Ruwenzori.' The species is known only from the original locality, Ibanda, which is at an elevation of 4540 feet in the Mobuku Valley, on the north-eastern slope of Ruwenzori, and Medje. Ibanda is in open country, so it is possible that at Medje the species is a forest invader from the Sudanese savannah region. Diaperasticinse DiAPERASTicns Burr 1907, Trans. Entom. Soc. London, p. 98. Genotype. — Sphingolabis sansibarica Karsch. (By original designation.) This genus is the sole component of the subfamily, and it is most remarkable in having the head sexually dimorphic. The males have the lateral portions of the occiput inflated and elevated above the level of the face and interocular region; a median extension of the latter extends to the caudal occipital margin and separates the inflated sections, which are generally sharply defined. The male forceps in the genotypic species show considerable variation, developing brachylabic and macrolabic extremes, although no such decided variation is indicated in the widely distributed D. erythrocephalus. The broadly transverse and rectangulate male pygidium is a feature which aids readily in recognizing this genus. 396 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX The species are all African, and of them one, bonchampsi, may prove to be a variant of erythrocephalus, which possibility we have discussed below under the former name. Key to the Species of Diaperasticiis 1. Occiput of male with lateral inflated portions separated caudad by more than one- third of width of occiput at caudal margin. Antennae very slender, joints greatly elongate; fifth joint hardly shorter than the proximal joint. Forceps of male distinctly sigmoid, subcerviform; of female very slender, elongate, as long as abdomen, internal margins serrulate proximad. sansibaricus (Karsch). Occiput of male with lateral inflated portions separated caudad by less than one- fourth of width of occiput at caudal margin. Antennae of more normal type, joints much less elongate, fifth joint distinctly shorter than the proximal joint. Forceps of male not distinctly sigmoid, branches moderately arcuate convergent ; of female much shorter than the abdomen, more robust, internal margins serrulate for nearly entire length 2. 2. Head of male with lateral occipital areas evident but not sharply delimited. Forceps of male with proximal internal lamellations having margins minutely crenulate bonchampsi (Burr). Head of male with lateral occipital areas decidedly and very sharply delimited. Forceps of male with proximal internal lamellations hav'ng margin coarsely and distinctly crenulate. (Forceps of female tricolored.) erythrocephalus (Olivier) . Diaperasticus sansibaricus (Karsch) Sphingolabis sansibarica Karsch, 1886, Berlin. Entom. Zeitschr., XXX, p. 90, PI, III, fig. 8. cf. Zanzibar. Apterygida mackinderi Burr, 1900, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) VI, p. 83, PI. iv, figs. 3 and 3a. d^. Nairobi, 5500 feet, British East Africa (Kenya Colony); Kikuyu Country, British East Africa (Kenya Colony). This synonymy was established some years ago by Burr, and appears to us to be correct. Niangara, November, 1910; one male (Lang and Chapin.) This specimen has the forceps much as figured by Borelli,^ but their length is slightly greater in the Niangara specimen, although the body length is less. Our individual measures 11 mm. in length of body, 6 mm. in length of forceps. The wings are well developed; the medio- caudal impressed portion of the occiput is over twice as wide propor- tionately as in D. erythrocephalus, as has been well figured by Burr.^ This species is one of the Savannah Subprovince, ranging from Niangara to Zanzibar, south to the northern Transvaal (Zoutpansberg) 11909, 'II Ruwenzori, Relazione Scientifiche,' I, p. 290, fig. 5. • 'Genera Insectorum, Dermaptera,' PI. ix, fig. 11. (Compare with PL vn, fig. 11a.) 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 397 and the coast of Natal (Port Natal). It has been recorded from within the Forest Province but once, then from the Moera Forest, near Beni, Semliki Valley. The only previous Belgian Congo record is the last mentioned one. Fig. 39. Area of known distribution of Diaperastictis sansibaricus. Diaperasticus bonchampsi (Burr) Apterygida bonchampsi Burr, 190-1, Trans. Entom. Soc. London, p. 317. d', 9. Abj^ssinia. Elisabeth ville ; one male. (J. M. Springer.) [Hebard Collection.] The present specimen shows certain differences which distinguish it from a quite extensive series of the widely distributed D. erythrocephalus, and which apparently associate it with Burr's species. The author of the species has recently stated that bonchampsi is, in his opinion, a variant of erythrocephalus} This may prove to be the case, but the present speci- men agrees quite well with his description of bonchampsi, and also shows several features of difference from a large series of the older species. '1916, Joum. Royal Microsc. Soc, p. 18. 398 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX These features are: the head has the lateral inflated portions of the occiput poorly defined, in no way as clearly and sharply marked as in erythrocephalus, although their form is essentially the same as in the latter; inter-ocular region apparently more inflated and less deplanate than in erythrocephalus; forceps of the males with the proximal internal lamellate tooth having its margins minutely crenulate, instead of coarsely and distinctlj^ crenulate as in erythrocephalus. These features may prove to be of httle importance, particularly those of the forceps, but the head characters in this genus, as far as our present knowledge goes, are quite fixed. The Elisabeth ville specimen has the tegmina without a dark sutural line. The wings are well developed and uniformly pale yellowish, similar to the tegmina. This species is one of the Savannah Province, and has been taken only on the eastern border of the Sudanese Subprovince. The records extend from Abyssinia and the Nile between Khartum and Gondokoro, south to Nyasaland and Katanga (Ehsabeth ville), east to the Ukambi Mountains, "German" East Africa (Tangan3'ika Territory). Diaperasticus erythrocephalus (Olivier)^ Forficula enjthrocephala Olivier, 1791, 'Encycl. Method. Ins.,' VI, p. 468. $ . Cape of Good Hope. Forficula jackeryensis Palisot de Beacvois, 1805, 'In.s. Rec. Afriq. Amer.,' p. 36, Orth. PI. I, fig. 4. 9. Buonopozo, Oware (Wari, southern Nigeria). Forficula serrata Serville, 1839, 'Hist. Nat. Ins., Orth.,' p. 40. d\ Senegal. F[orficula] natalertsis Stal, 1855, Ofv. Kongl. Vetensk. Akad. Forhandl., XII, p. 348. cf . Port Natal (Durban), Natal. F[orficula] africana Dohrn, 1865, Stettin. Entom. Zeitung, XXVI, p. 86. cf, 9 • Senegal; Cape (of Good Hope); Port Natal (Durban), Natal. Forficula variana Scudder, 1876, Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., X\^III, p. 253. 9 • Liberia. Chelis [oches] pukhella Gerst.ecker, 1883, Mitth. Naturw. Ver. Neu-Vorpomm. und Riigen, Greifswald, XIV, p. 42. cf, 9- Abo, Cameroon; Lambarene, Ogowe, French Congo. Apterygida cagnii Borelli, 1906, Boll. Mus. Zool. Anat. Comp. Torino, XXI, No. 541, p. 3. cf. Ibanda, Ruwenzori district, Uganda. [Apterygida erythrocephala] var. aptera Borelli, 1907, Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Genova, XLIII, p. 386. cf, 9. Musola and Basile, Fernando Po; Lambarene (Limbarenij, French Congo. [Diaperasticus erythrocephalus] var. maculipes Borelli, 1914, Boll. Lab. Zool. Gen. Agrar, Portici, VIII, p. 274. d". Mamou, French Guinea. 'Borelli (1909, in 'II Ruwenzori, Relazione Scientifiche,' I, p. 292), gives a "Var. dietzi Borm.," of this species, the reference to and description of which we have been unable to locate. It is stated by BoreUi to differ chiefly in the absence of the wings, and probably represents the same condition as that described by him, in 1907, as variety aptera. 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera oj the American Museum Congo Expedition 399 The sjTionymy given above has already in large part been estab- lished in print, while that of cagnii also has been suggested. There is no question in my mind as to the correctness of the reference of Palisot's jackeryejisis to this species, the description and the figure, as well as the additional comments made by Serville^ from Palisot's type, being con- clusive. The naming of a melanistic phase such as cagnii, an abbreviate winged t^^pe like aptera, and an unusually marked phase such as tnaculipes Fig. 40. Area of known distribution of Diaperasticus erythrocephalus in- dicated by heavy stipple, of possible but unproven distribution by light stipple. do not, to my mind, help the future of entomological science. The mere feature of fully developed wings or abbreviate wings is such an evident condition of dimorphism in many genera of Dermaptera, as also in many members of the orthopterous family Gryllidse, and to a lesser extent in the Blattidae, that it seems to us to be crowding the literature to provide them with names. The author's policy has been not to give names to these phases, as to consistently do so would mean the bestowal of thou- U839, 'Hist. Nat. Ins., Orth.,' p. 42. 400 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX sands of similar names on other forms where equal dimorphism is known to occur, and where such dimorphism is often complicated by dichroma- tism and also the development of consistently uniform geographic races, based upon structural features. To recognize all of these tendencies by name would require polynomials, and we prefer to withhold names from cases of pure dimorphism and dichromatism, which we know are expressions of similar underlying tendencies in a number of groups. Yakuluku, November, 1911; one male, one female. Faradje, January, 1913; thirty-six males, thirty females. Medje, January 22, 1910; two males, two females. Risimu, September 7 to 8, 1909; one male. Stanleyville, February to April, 1915; five males, ten females. Zambi, June, 1915; one male. (All Lang and Chapin.) This quite extensive series exhibits very well the great range of variation in size and wing development of this widely distributed species. Of the Faradje series, nine males and six females have the wing abbre- viate and not evident distad of the tegmina, the remainder from that locality having well-developed and evident wings. The Stanleyville representation has one male and two females without evident wings, the remainder (four males, eight females) having them well developed. The other specimens, with the exception of the Zambi male, have fully developed wings. In size the series shows a very great amount of variation, even in material from the same locality. Males from Faradje range from 7.7 to 10.5 mm. in length of body; from 2 to 2.6 mm. in length of forceps. The Zambi male and several of the same sex from Stanleyville have greater body length than the maximum given above, the former being 11 mm. in body length; a Medje male has forceps 4.5 mm. in length, this being approached by males from Stanleyville and Medje. The male forceps show an appreciable amount of variation in the exact curve of the branches and also in the degree of robustness of the same. The general form of the forceps remains the same throughout the series. The internal margin of the branches is always distinctly and coarsely crenulato-denticulate on the deplanate basal lamellation, but the internal margin distad of the tooth varies in the number and disposi- tion of the denticulations normally present upon it. The shape and proportions of the inflated lateral portions of the occiput have been well illustrated by Burr.^ The present series contains no melanistic individuals such as those upon which the name cagnii was based. There is an appreciable amount '1911, 'Genera Insectorum, Dermaptera,' PI. vii, fig. llo. 1924] Rehn, The Dennaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 401 of variation in the depth of the general color tones, but the normal pattern of the species is well marked in all except several teneral speci- mens. The strongly particolored pattern of the forceps, in both sexes, is uniformly indicated in the series. This species is widely distributed over Africa south of the Sahara, the most northern records being from Senegal; Mamou, French Guinea; Kete, Togo; Ibadan, Lagos; Buonopozo, southern Nigeria; Faradje, north-eastern Belgian Congo, and Massaua, Eriti-ea. From these locali- ties the species ranges southward to the Cape of Good Hope, occurring also in Madagascar, Nossi Be, in the Comoros (Moheli) and on the eastern African coastal island of Pemba. The previous records of the species from the Belgian Congo were from Avakubi and Luebo. A SYNONYMIC CATALOGUE OF THE DERMAPTERA OF THE BELGIAN CONGO The following catalogue brings together the original references and those of the synonjins of the species of Dermaptera known from the Belgian Congo at the present time, together with a summary of the African distribution of the species and the type localities of the same. In addition to those forms which have been definitely recorded from the Belgian Congo, we are including a number of species which have been reported from localities in Uganda and East Africa within extremely short distances of the Belgian Congo, and which will in all probability be found in the area under consideration. The recent adjustment of boundary lines has thrown within the Belgian Congo many of the locali- ties which were considered to be neighboring but outside of the Belgian Congo when the manuscript of this catalogue was prepared. No effort has been made to determine the exact position of the division of old German East Africa, and that area as a whole is referred to as "German" East Africa (Tanganyika Territorj^-^ Definitely recorded from the Belgian Congo we have twenty genera and thirty-eight species, while from immediately adjacent sections of the surrounding regions we have four other genera and eighteen addi- tional species. In addition to the species here included a very consider- able number of species have been described or recorded from the Cameroon, and of these we feel certain a large portion will, in the future, be found within the Belgian Congo. 'The following localities listed under "German" East Africa are in Ruanda, which is at present (1924) under Belgian mandate: Rugege, Ufunibiro Volcanoes, Kisenje, and Sabinyo. 402 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Hemimerina Hemimeridae Hemimerus Walker 1871, 'Catal. Dermapt. Salt. Brit. Mus.,' V, Suppl., p. 2 Hemimerus hanseni Sharp, 1895, 'Cambridge Nat. History,' V, p. 217, Figs. 114-116. Gold Coast, Cameroon, Belgian Congo (Ituri, Uele), Uganda, "German" East Africa (Tanganyika Territory), ? Portuguese East Africa. Type Locality: Kitta, Gold Coast. Protodermaptera Pygidicranidae Diplatyinse DiPLATYS Serville 1831, Ann. Sci. Nat., XXII, p. 33 Genotype: Diplatys macrocephalus (Palisot de Beauvois). C ylindrogaster Stal, 1855, Ofv. Kongl. Vetensk.-Akad. Forhandl., XII, p. 350. [Type by monotj^py, C. gracilis StSl.] Nannopygia Dohrn, 1863, Stettin. Entom. Zeitung, XXIV, p. 60. [Type by monotypy, A^. gerstseckeri Dohrn.] Dyscritina Westwood, 1881, Trans. Entom. Soc. London, p. 603. [Type by monotypy, D. longisetosa Westwood.] Verhoeffiella Zacher, 1910, Entom. Rundseh., XXVII, p. 105. [Type by designa- tion, Diplatys sethiops Burr.] Paradiplatys Zacher, 1910, idem, p. 105. [Tj'pe by designation, Diplatys conradti Burr.] Diplatys macrocephalus (Palisot de Beauvois). Forficula macrocephala Palisot de Beauvois, 1805, 'Ins. Rec. Afriq. Amer.,' p. 36, Orth. PI. I, fig. 5, (cf). Diplatys macrocephala Burr, 1900, Ann. Soc. Entom. Belgique, XLIV, p. 47; 1904, Trans. Entom. Soc. London, p. 282. Diplatys macrocephalus Burr, 1911, Trans. Entom. Soc. London, p. 29. Southern Nigeria, Fernando Po, Belgian Congo (Boma and Stanley Pool), L^ganda. Type Locality: "Benin." Diplatys qusesitus Rehx. See page 355. Belgian Congo. Type Locality: Faradje. Diplatys rafiErayi Dubroxy (Bormans), 1879, Actas Soc. Espan. Hist. Nat., VIII, p. 91, (cf). BoRELLi, 1915, 'Resultats Scientif., Voy. Alluaud et Jeannel en Afriq. Orient.,' Orth., I, p. 5, PI. i, fig. 1, (cf). Portuguese Guinea, Uganda (Katende, 1500-2000 meters elev.), British East Africa (Kenya Colony), East Africa. Type Locality: "Zanzibar." 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expeditian 403 Karschiellinse Karschiella Verhoeff 1902, Zoolog. Anzeiger, XXV, p. 183 Genotype: Karschiella bUttneri (Karsch). (By selection of Kirby, 1904.) Karschiella biittneri (Karsch). Pygidicrana biittneri Karsch, 1886, Berlin. Entom. Zeitschr., XXX, 1886, p. 86, PI. m, fig. 4, (d'). Belgian Congo. Type Locality: "Kuako to Kimpoko." Karschiella camerunensis Verhoeff, 1902, Zoolog. Anzeiger, XXV, p. 183, {&). Bormansia lictor Burr, 1907, Deutsche Entom. Zeitschr., p. 487, (cf). Bortnansia meridionalis Rehn (not of Burr, 1904), 1905, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XXIX, p. 504. Karschiella camerunensis Burr, 1910, Proc. U. S. Xat. AIus., XXXVIII, p. 444. Cameroon, Belgian Congo (Luebo).i Type Locality": "Cameroon." Karschiella neavei Burr, 1909, Ann. Soc. Entom. Belgique, LIII, p. 96 (d^, 9).- Belgian Congo (Katanga). Type Locality*: "Katanga." BoBMANSiA Verhoeff 1902, Zoolog. Anzeiger, XXV, p. 184 Genotype: Bormansia africana Verhoeff. Bormansia africana Verhoeff, 1902, Zoolog. Anzeiger, XXV, p. 184, (cf). BoRELLi, 1915, 'Resultats Scientif., Voy. Alluaud et Jeannel en Afriq. Orient.,' Orth., I, p. 5, PI. I, figs. 2 and 3, (d^, 9 )• Belgian Congo (Medje and Garamba), Uganda, "German" East Africa (Tan- ganyika Territory) . Type Locality : " German " East Africa (Tanganyika Territory) . Bormansia impressicollis Verhoeff, 1902, Zoolog. Anzeiger, XXV, p. 184, (9). Borelli, 1915, 'Resultats Scientif., Voy. Alluaud et Jeannel en Afriq. Orient.,' Orth., I, p. 5, PI. i, fig. 4, ( 9). Uganda (Butiti), British East Africa (Kenya Colony), "German" East Africa (Tanganyika Territory). Type Locality: Taita, "German" East Africa (Tan- ganj'ika Territory'). Pygidicraninae DicRANA Burr 1908, Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist., (8) II, pp. 384, 387 Genotype: Dicrana frontalis (Kirhy). (Type by indication.) Dicrana caSra (Dohrn). Pygidicrana caffra Dohrn, 1867, Stettin. Entom. Zeitung, XXVIII, p. 343, (9). Cameroon, Uganda (Fort Portal andKitagueta), Somaliland, East Africa, South Africa. Type Locality': "Caffraria." 'Recorded bv Rehn (1905, Proc. U. S. Xat. Mus., XXIX, p. 504) as Bormansia meridionalis, as later 'shown by Burr (1910, idem, XXXVIII, p. 444). ^According to Burr (1914. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) XIII, p. 378; 1915, Journ. Royal Microsc. Soc, p. 429) Zacher's Karschiella bidentata (1911, Zool. Jahrb. Abt. Syst., XXX, pp. 349, 350, fig. Z) from Cameroon may equal nearei. 404 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Dicrana biafira (Bormans). Pygidicrana biaffra Bormans, 1903, in Burr, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XI, p. 232, (c^). Kalocrania hiafra Burr, 1912, Ann. Naturhist. Hofmus. Wien, XXVI, p. 338. Cameroon, Belgian Congo (Ukaika-Mawambi). Type Locality: "Cameroon." Dicrana separata Burr, 1908, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) II, p. 387, (cf ); 1912, Ann. Naturhist. Hofmus. Wien, XXVI, p. 338; 1911, ' WLssensch. Ergebn. Deutschen Zentr.-Afr.-Exped., 1907-1908,' III, Lief. 14, p. 455. Belgian Congo (Ruzizi Valley, Rutshuru Valley and North-west Tanganyika), " German " East Africa (Tanganyika Territory), South-west Africa. Type Locality: "Nguru." Dicrana livida (Borelli). Pygidicrana livida Borelli, 1907, Boll. Mus. Zool. Anat. Comp. Torino, XXII, No. 558, p. 1, (9). Uganda (Ibanda), "German" East Africa (Tanganyika Territory). Type Locality: Ibanda, Uganda. Dicrana wigginsi Burr, 1914, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) XIV, p. 422, (cf , 9 )• Uganda. Type Locality: Entebbe, L'ganda. Echinosomatinse EcHiNosoMA Serville 1839, 'Hist. Nat. Ins., Orth.,' p. 34 Genotype: Echinosoma afrum (Palisot de Beauvois). Echinosoma afrum (Palisot de Beauvois) BurR, 1909, Bull. Soc. Entom. Italiana, LX, p. 175; 1912, Ann. Naturhist. Hofmus. Wien, XXVI, p. 338. Forficula afrum Palisot de Beauvois, 1805, *Ins. Rec. Afriq. Amer.,' p. 53, Orth. PI. I, fig. 1, (9)- Echinosoma fuscum Borelli, 1907, Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Genova, XLIII, p. 350, (d"). Burr, 1915, Journ. Royal Micros. Soc, 1915, p. 438. Echinosoma afri Rodzianko, 1897, Wiener Entom. Zeit., XVI, p. 154. Portuguese Guinea, Ivory Coast, Gold Coast, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Fer- nando Po, Spanish Guinea, French Congo, Belgian Congo (Stanley Pool, Kuako, Medje, Ukiaka-Mawambi, and Barobiti'), Uganda. Type Locality: "Kingdom of Oware and Benin," Nigeria. Echinosoma wahlbergi Dohrn, 1863, Stettin. Entom. Zeitung, XXIV, p. 64, (cf). Burr, 1900, Ann. Soc. Entom. Belgique, XLIV, p. 48; 1908, idem, LIII, p. 35; 1909, Bull. Soc. Entom. Italiana, LX, p. 175. Portuguese Guinea, Liberia, Togo, Cameroon, Fernando Po, French Congo, Belgian Congo (Popokabaka, Buta [Rubi], and Lingunda), Gallaland, British East Africa, "German" East Africa (Tanganyika Territory), Delagoa Bay, Zululand, Natal, Transvaal, Cape Colony. Type Locality: "Caffraria." Echinosoma occidentale Bormans, 1893, in Bolivar, Ann. Soc. Entom. France, LXII, p. 170, ((f). Burr, 1911, Stettin. Entom. Zeitung, LXXII, p. 331; 1912, Ann. Naturhist. Hofmus. Wien, XXVI, p. 338. Ivory Coast, Togo, Cameroon, French Congo, Belgian Congo (Medje and Ukaika-Mawambi), Uganda. Type Locality: Assinie, Ivory Coast. 'This locality, given on the authority of Burr, we are unable to place. Possibly the spelling is erroneous. 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 405 Labiduridae Psalinse Anisolabis Fieber 1853, Lotos, III, p. 257 Genotype: Anisolabis ynaritima (Gene). Anisolabis pagana Burr, 1915, Jouru. Roval Microsc. Soc, p. 535, fig. 61, PL X, fig. 8, (cD.i Cameroon, Belgian Congo (Stanlej'ville). Type Locality: "Cameroon." Apolabis Burr 1915, Journ. Royal Microsc. Soc, pp. 536, 558 Gexotype: Apolabis hottentotta (Dohrn). (Type by indication.) Apolabis picea (Borelli). Gonolabis picea Borelli, 1907, Boll. Mus. Zool. Anat. Comp. Torino, XXII, No.572, p. 1, (c^, 9). L'ganda. Type Locality: Butiti, Uganda. ExTBORELLiA Burr Genotype: Euborellia mcesta (Gene). Borellia Burr, 1909, Deutsch. Entom. Zeitschr., p. 325. Euborellia Burr, 1910, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XXXVIII, p. 448, footnote. Euborellia cincticoUis (Gerst.ecker). Brach[ylabis] cincticoUis Gerst.ecker, 1883, Mitth. Naturwiss. Ver. Neu- Vorpomm. und Riigen, Greifswald, XIV, p. 44, (c?', 9 ). Psalis (?) picina Kirby, 1891, Journ. Linn. Soc. London, Zool., XXIII, p. 516, (cT, 9). Psalis cincticoUis Burr, 1909, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) IV, p. 115; 1911, 'Wissensch. Ergebn. Deutschen Zentr.-Mr.-Exped., 1907-1908,' III, Lief. 14, p. 456; 1912, Ann. Naturhist. Hofmus. Wien, XXVI, p. 338. Psalis picina Kirby, 1904, 'Synon. Catal. Orth.,' I, p. 14. Gambia, Liberia, Cameroon, French Congo, Belgian Congo (Stanley Pool, Risimu, Medje, Niapu, Mawambi and Moera Forest), L^ganda and Victoria Nyanza. Type Locality: Bonjongo, Cameroon. Euborellia compressa (Borelli). Anisolabis compressa Borelli, 1907, Boll. Mus. Zool. Anat. Comp. Torino, XXII, No. 558, p. 3, (cT, 9). Uganda. Type Locality: Bimbia, Uganda. Euborellia debilis (Burr). Psalis debilis Burr, 1907, Berlin. Entom. Zeitschr., LII, p. 202, (cf, 9); 1911, 'Wissensch. Ergebn. Deut.schen Zentr.-Afr.-Exped., 1907-1908,' III, Lief. 14, p. 456; 1912, Ann. Naturhist. Hofmus. Wien, XXVI, p. 3-38. •Burr has described Anisolabis quairens (1915, Journ. Royal Microsc. Soc, p. 530, fig. 60, ( cf)) from "Mundane, Congo, "which is in every probability a typographical or pen error for Muudame, Cameroon, a well-known locality. 406 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Belgian Congo (Avakubi, Ukaika-Mawambi and North-west Tanganjdka), Uganda and "German" East Africa (Tanganyika Territory). Type Locality: Ngomeni, "German" East Africa (Tanganyika Territory). Euborellia annulipes (Lucas). Forficesila annuli-pes Lucas, 1847, Ann. Soc. Entom. France, (2) V, Bull., p. Ixxxiv (sex not indicated). (The synonymy, which is based wholly on extra con- tinental African records, is omitted.) Anisolabis annuli-pes Burr, 1900, Ann. Soc. Entora. Belgique, XLIV, p. 48. Widely distributed within the tropics and subtropics of both the Old and New Worlds. In Africa: Azores, Madeira Islands, Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands, Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, Egypt, Eritrea, Gallaland, British East Africa (Kenya Colony), Kilimanjaro, Pemba Island, Victoria Nyanza, Uganda, Cameroon, Belgian Congo (Popokabaka), Cape of Good Hope, Comoro Islands and Madagascar. Type Locality: "Jardin des Plantes, Paris" (introduced). Labidurinse Labidura Leach 1815, 'Edinburgh Encycl.,' IX, p. 118 Gengty'pe: Labidura riparia (Pallas). Labidura riparia (Pallas). Forficula riparia Pallas, 1773. 'Reise Russischen Reichs,' II, Buch 2, Anhang, p. 727, (cf). Labidura riparia Bolivar, 1892, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, XVII, p. 47. Burr, 1900, Ann. Soc. Entom. Belgique, XLIV, p. 49. Rehn, 1905, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XXIX, p. 502. Burr, 1908, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, (1907), p. 511; 1908, Ann. Soc. Entom. Belgique, LII, p. 35; 1909, Boll. Soc. Entom. Italiana, LX, p. 175; 1911, 'Wlssensch. Ergebn. Deutschen Zentr.-Afr.-Exped., 1907-1908,' III, Lief. 14, p. 456; 1912, Ann. Naturhi-st. Hofmus. Wien, XXVI, p. 338. Labidura crenata Burr, 1908, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, (1907), p. 511. (The synonyms based upon African material are given in full on page 372.) Tropical and subtropical regions of most of the world. In Africa: Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, Egypt, Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands, Senegal, Portuguese Guinea, Ivory Coast, Niger River, Nigeria, Cameroon, French Congo, Belgian Congo (Stanley Pool, Luebo, Hiri (error for Itiri or Semliki River), Kindu Forest, Garamba, Faradje, Niangara, Niapu, Medje, Batama, Stanleyville, Malela, Mawambi, Ukaika- Mawambi, Beni, North-west Tanganyika and Lusambo), LTganda, Gallaland, Abys- sinia, Somaliland, French Somaliland, Eritrea, Rhodesia, Transvaal, Orange River Colony, Zululand, Natal, Cape Colony, Comoro Islands, Madagascar, Mauritius and Sokotra. Type Locality: " Shores of the Irtysch River," western Siberia. FoRciPULA Bolivar 1897, Ann. Soc. Entom. France, LXVI, p. 283 Genotype: Forcipula quadrispinosa (Dohrn). (Type by monotypy.) Forcipula Congo Burr, 1900, Ann. Soc. Entom. Belgique, XLIV, p. 49. Belgian Congo (Bena-Bendi). Type Locality: "Bena Bendi, Sankourou." 1924] Rehn, The Derma ptcr a of the American Museum Congo Expedition 407 Forcipula gariazzi Borelli, 1900, Boll. Mus. Zool. Anat. Comp. Torino, XV, No. 381, p. 1, fig. {a); Burr, 1912, Ann. Xaturhist. Hofmus. Wien, XXVI, p. 79. Gold Coast, Cameroon, French Chad Region, Belgian Congo (Stanley Pool and Madimba). Type Locality: Madimba, Belgian Congo. Brachylabinae IsoLABis ^'erhoeff 1902, Sitzungsb. Gesell. Xaturf. Freunde Berlin, pp. 11, 14 Genotype: Isolahis hraueri \exhoQQ. (Type by monotypy.) Isolabis braueri Verhoeff, 1902, Sitzungsb. Gesell. Naturf. Freunde Berlin, p. 14. (o ). Belgian Congo (Kimpoko). Type Locality : "Kuako to Kimpoko." Apachyidae Apachyus Serville 1831, Ann. Sci. Nat., XXII, p. 35 Genotype: Apachyus depressus (Palisot de Beauvois). Apachyus depressus (Palisot de Beauvois). Forficula depressa Palisot de Beauvois, 1805, 'Ins. Rec. Afriq. Amer.,' p. 36, Orth. PL I, fig. 5, (cf). Apachyus reichardi Karsch, 1886, Berlin. Entom. Zeitschr., XXX, p. 85, PI. Ill, fig. 3, (cf ). Burr, 1912, Ann. Xaturhist. Hofmus. Wien, XXVI, p. 339. Portuguese Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Gold Coast, Southern Nigeria, Cameroon, Fernando Po, Spanish Guinea, French Congo, Belgian Congo (Xiangara, Akenge, Stanlej'ville, Medje and Vkaika-Mawambi), Benguela, Tanganyika, western "German" East Africa (Tanganyika Territorj-), Portuguese East Africa, Transvaal. Type Locality: "Oware," Nigeria. Apachyus murrayi Dohrn, 1863, Stettin. Entom. Zeitung, XXIV, p. 44, (Sex?) . BoRMANS and Krauss, 1900, 'Das Tierreich,' Lief. 11, p. 14. Burr, 1908, Ann. Soc. Entom. Belgique, LII, p. 34; 1911, 'Wissensch. Ergebn. Deutschen Zentr.-Afr.- Exped., 1907-1908,' III, Lief. 14, p. 457. Southern Xigeria, French Congo, Belgian Congo (Luki, Stanley Pool, Stanley- ville, Avakubi, Medje, Ukaika-Mawambi, and Kwidjwi Island in Lake Kivu). Type Locality: "Old Calabar." Superfamily Eudermaptera Labiidse VandicinaB Vandex Burr 1911, Deutsche Entom. Xat. Bibl., II, p. 59 Genotype: Spongiphora schubotzi Burr. (Type by designation.) Vandex schubotzi (Burr). Spongiphora schubotzi Burr, 1909, Ann. Mag. Xat. Hist., (8) IV, p. 121, (cf, 9). "German" East Africa (Ruanda). Type Locality: Rugege Forest, 6000 feet. 408 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Spongiphorinse Spongovostox Bun- ion, Deutsche Entom, Nat. Bibl., II, p. 59 Genotype: Spongovostox quadrimaculatus (St&l). (Type by designation.) Spongovostox quadrimaculatus (Stal). Forficula Jf.-maculata Stal, 1855, Ofv. Kongl. Vetensk.-Akad. Forhandl., XII, p. 348. Forficula protensa Gerst^cker, 1883, Mitth. Naturwiss. Ver. Neu-Vorpomm. und Riigen, Greifsvvald, XIV, p. 45, (d^, 9). Ivory Coast, Gold Coast, Cameroon, Fernando Po, Spanish Guinea, French Congo, Uganda (Entebbe), Kilimanjaro, Zululand, Natal, Cape Colony. Type Lo- cality: "Port Natal." Spongovostox assiniensis (Bormans). Spongiphora assi?iierisis Bormans, 1893, in Bolivar, Ann. Soc. Entom. France, XLII, p. 170, (9). Spongiphora ochracea Borg, 1904, Arkiv for Zoologi, I, p. 569, PI. xxvi, fig. 6, (cf, 9). Spongiphora rohur Burr, 1906, Mem. Soc. Espan. Hist. Nat., I, p. 293, (cT). Ivory Coast, Gold Coast, Cameroon, Fernando Po, Spanish Guinea, French Congo, Uganda, Victoria Nyanza and " German " East Africa (Tanganyika Territory). Type Locality: "Assinie," Ivory Coast. Spongovostox gestroi (Burr). Apterygida fese Borelli, 1907, Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Genova, XLIII, p. 387, (cf, 9). {Not Spongovostox f ex iDuhrony),lS79.) ISpongiphora tripunctata Burr, 1909, Bull. Soc. Ent. ItaUana, LX, p. 179. Spongiphora gestroi Burr, 1909, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) IV, p. 122, (cf, 9)- Portuguese Guinea, French Guinea, Belgian Congo (Ibembo). Type Locality: Ibembo ("Ibambo"), Belgian Congo. Spongovostox tripunctata (Borelli). Spongiphora tripunctata Borelli, 1907, Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Genova, XLIII, p. 367, (cf). Labia tripunctata Burr, 1911, 'Wissensch. Ergebn. Deutschen Zentr.-Afr.- Exped.,' Ill, Lief. 14, p. 458. Cameroon, French Congo, Belgian Congo (Ibembo) and Lake Kivu. Type Locality: "Fernand-Vaz," French Congo. Spongovostox aloysii-sabaudiae (Borelli). Spongiphora aloysii-sabaudiae Borelli, 1906, Boll. Mus. Zool. Anat. Comp. Torino, XXI, No. 541, p. 1, (cf , 9 )• Ruwenzori district, Uganda. Type Locality: "Ibanda." Labiinse CH.a:TospANiA Karsch 1886, Berhn. Entom. Zeitschr., XXX, p. 87 Genotype: Chaetospania inornata Karsch. (By monotypy.) Sparattina Verhoeff, 1902, Zoologischer Anzeiger, XXV, p. 198. (Based on Sparattina flavicollis Verhoeff.) 1924] Rehn, The Dennaptera of the Atnerican Museum Congo Expedition 409 Chaetospania paederina (Gerst^cker). Forficula paederina Gerst^cker, 1883, Mitth. Naturw. Ver. Neu-Vorpomm. und Riigen, Greifswald, XIV, p. 46, ( $). Sparatta bongiana Borg, 1904, Arkiv for Zoologi, I, p. 573, PI. xxvi, figs. 3, 36, (c^). Chaetospania escalerse Burr, 1906, Mem. Soc. Espan. Hist. Nat., I, p. 295, (d^, 9). Gold Coast, Togo, Cameroon, Fernando Po, French Congo, Spanish Guinea and Uganda (Ibanda). Type Locality: "Aburi, Gold Coast." Chaetospania rodens Burr, 1907, 'Wiss. Ergebn. Schwed. Zool. Exp. Kilimand- jaro,' III, 17, Orth., 1, p. 7, PI. i, fig. 5, (d" , 9 ); 1912, Ann. Naturhist. Hofmus. Wien, XXVI, p. 339. Belgian Congo (Ukaika-]\Iawambi), Kilimanjaro, "German" East Africa (Tan- ganyika Territory). Type Locality: "Kibonoto," Kilimanjaro. Chaetospania ugandana Borelli, 1907, Boll. Mus. Zool. Anat. Comp. Torino, XXII, No. 558, p. 4, (cf, 9). Cameroon, L^ganda. Type Locality: "Ibanda," Uganda, Labia Leach ' 1815, 'Edinburgh Encycl.,' IX, p. 118 Genotype: Labia minor (Linnseus). Labia minor (Linnaeus) Burr, 1900, Ann. Soc. Ent. Belgique, XLIV, p. 50; 1908, idem, LII, p. 35. Forficula minor Linn.eus, 1758, 'Syst. Nat.,' 10th Ed., p. 423. Labia minuta Scudder, 1862, Boston Journ. Nat. Hist., VII, p. 415, (cT, 9)- Cosmopolitan. Records in Africa from: Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Madeira Islands, Canary Islands, Togo, Cameroon, Spanish Guinea, Belgian Congo (Kin- shasa), Uganda, Victoria N^'anza and Cape Colony. Type Locality: "Europe." Labia borellii Burr, 1909, Bull. Soc. Entom. Italiana, XL, p. 178, (cf , 9)- Victoria Nyanza. Type Locality: "Bugala, Sesse Archipelago, Victoria Nyanza." Labia curvicauda (Motschulsky). Forfiscelia curvicauda Motschulsky, 1868, Bull. Soc. Nat. Moscou, XXXVI, part 2, p. 2, (d", 9). SjTionymy based on African material is as follows: Platylabia guineensis Dohrn, 1867, Stettin. Entom. Zeitung, XXVIII, p. 348, (c?, 9). Platylabia camerunensis Borg, 1904, Arkiv for Zoologi, I, p. 570, PL xxvi, figs. 4, 4a and 46, (cf, 9). Platylabia bihastata Borg, 1904, idem, p. 572, PL xxvi, fig. 5, (cf). Circumtropical. Records in Africa from: Madeira Islands, Portuguese Guinea, French Guinea, Southern Nigeria, Cameroon, Island of Principe, Island of Annobon, Uganda (Ibanda), "German" East Africa (Tanganyika Territory), Comoro Islands and Seychelles Islands. Type Locality: "Nura-Elha Mts.," Ceylon. Labia ochropus (Stal). Forficula ochropus Stal, 1855, Ofv. Kongl. Vetensk.-Akad. ForhandL, XII, p. 348, (cf, 9). 410 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Labia marginalis Burr, 1908, Ann. Soc. Entom. Belgique, LII, p. 35; 1909, Bull. Soc. Entom. Italiana, LX, p. 179. Ivory Coast, French Congo, Belgian Congo (Leopoldville, Buta (Rubi) and Bengamisa), Uganda, "German" East Africa (Tanganyika Territory), Portuguese East Africa, Zululand, Natal, Transvaal and Comoro Islands. Type Locality: "Port Natal" (Durban), Natal. Labia owenii Burr, 1911, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) VIII, p. 49, (cT, 9 ); 1912, Ann. Naturhist. Hofmus. Wien, XXVI, p. 339. Liberia and Belgian Congo (LTkaika-Mawambi). Type Locality: Liberia. Chelisochidse Chelisoches Scudder 1876, Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., XVIII, p. 295 Genotype: Forficula niorio (Fabricius). Lobophora Serville, 1839, 'Hist. Nat. Ins., Orth.,' p. 32. (Not of Curtis, 1825.) Enkrafes Burr, 1907, Trans. Entom. Soc. London, p. 131. Chelisoches flavipennis (Fabricius). Forficula flavipennis Fabricius, 1793, 'Entom. Syst.,' II, p. 5, (sex?). Forficula plagiata Fairmaire, 1858, in Thomson, 'Archives Entom.,' II, p. 257, PI. IX, fig. 3, (9). Senegal, Gold Coast, Cameroon, Fernando Po, French Congo and Belgian Congo (Stanleyville and Medje). Type Locality: "Senegal." Forficulidae Anechuringe PsEUDocHELiDURA Verhoeff 1902, Zoolog. Anzciger, XXV, pp. 187 and 196 Genotype: Pseudochelidura sinuata (Germar). Pseudochelidura species, Burr, 1907, 'Wiss.' Ergebn. Schwed. Zool. Exped. Kihmandjaro,' III, 17, Orth., I, p. 12, ( 9). Pseudochelidura species, Borelli, 1909, 'II Ruwenzori, Relazione Scientifiche,' I, p. 289, (9). Ruwenzori district of Uganda, KiUmanjaro. Forficulinae Apterygida Westwood 1840, 'Introd. Classif. Ins.,' Generic Synopsis, p. 44 Genotype: Chelidura albipennis Stephens. Apterygida cavallii Borelli, 1906, Boll. Mus. Zool. Anat. Comp. Torino, XXI, No. 541, p. 4, id", 9). Burr, 1911, 'Wissensch. Ergebn. Deutschen Zentr.-Afr.- Exped., 1907-1908,' III, Lief. 14, p. 458. Uganda (Buhengo, Fort Portal and Ibanda) and western "German" East Africa (Volcanic region north-east of Lake Kivu, and Rugege Forest, south-west Ruanda). Type Locality: "Buhengo," Luanda. 1924] Rehn, The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition 411 FoRFicuLA Linnaeus 1758, 'Syst. Nat.,' 10th Ed., p. 423 Genotype: Forficula auricularia LinnjBus. Forficula brolemanni Borelli, 1907, Boll. Mus. Zool. Anat. Comp. Torino, XXII, No. 573, p. 1, (cf, 9). Borelli, 1915, 'Resultats Scientif., Voy. Alluaud et Jeannel en Afriq. Orient.,' Orth., I, p. 15, PL ii, fig. 11 (d^). Upper Senegal, Belgian Congo (Garamba, Faradje, Vankerckhovenville, Medje and Stanley- ville) , and Uganda. Type Locality: "Bougounni," Upper Senegal. Forficula senegalensis Serville, 1839, 'Hist. Nat. Ins., Orth.,' p. 39, (d", 9). Cape Verde Islands, Senegal, Togo, Eritrea, Kordofan, Senaar, Egyptian Sudan, Gallaland, Abyssinia, Belgian Congo (Medje), Uganda, British East Africa (Kenya Colon}'). "German" East Africa (Tangamaka Territory), Ovampoland, Southern Rhodesia, Transvaal, Zululand, Griqualand and Cape Colony. Type Locality: "Senegal." Forficula rodziankoi Semenoff, 1901, Reviie Russe d'Entom., I, p. 48. Burr, 1911, 'Wi.ssensch. Ergebn. Deutschen Zentr.-Afr.-Exped., 1907-1908,' III, Lief. 14, p. 459. Abj'ssinia, Belgian Congo (Kasindi and western slope of Ruwenzori), British East Africa (Kenya Colony), "German" East Africa (Tanganyika TerritorjO and Tanganyika region. Type Locality: "Harrar, Abyssinia." Forficula sj ostedti Burr, 1907, Trans. Entom. Soc. London, p. 116, (d^, 9); 1912, Sitzungsljer. Gesell. Naturf. Freunde, Berlin, p. 327. "German" East Africa (Tanganyika Territory) (Ufumbiro Volcanoes, Kisenje, Ruanda and Kilimanjaro region), British East Africa (Kenj'a Colon}-) (Kenj-a and Aberdare Mountains). Type Locality: "Kiboscho," Kihmanjaro. Neolobophorinae Archidux Burr 1909, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) IV, p. 123 Genotype: Archidux adolfi Burr. (By designation.) Archidux adolfi Burr, 1909, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) IV, p. 124, (0=', 9); 1911, 'Wissensch. Ergebn. Deutschen Zentr.-Afr.-Exped., 1907-1908,' III, Lief. 14, p. 459; 1912, Ann. Naturhist. Hofmus. Wien, XXVI, p. 339. Borelli, 1915, 'Resultats Scientif., Voy. Alluaud et Jeannel en Afriq. Orient.,' Orth., I, p. 16, PI. 11, figs. 12-15 (c^, 9). Belgian Congo (North-western Tanganyika and western Tanganyika) , "German" East Africa (Tanganyika Territory) (Ufumbiro Volcanoes), and British East Africa (Kenya Colony) (Kenya and Aberdare Mountains). Type Locality: "Bamboo Forest, 3000 meters, Sabinyo," Ufumbiro Volcanoes. Opisthocosmiinae Opisthocosmia Dohrn 1865, Stettin. Entom. Zeitung., XXVI, p. 76 Genoytpe: Opisthocosmia centurio Dohrn. Opisthocosmia poecilocera (Borg) Burr, 1912, Ann. Naturhist. Hofmus. Wien, XXVI, p. 339. 412 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History [Vol. XLIX Ancistrogaster poecilocera Borg, 1904, Arkiv for Zoologi, I, p. 577, PI. xxvi, figs. 8 and 8a, ($). Opisthocosmia formosa Burr, 1905, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (7) XVI, p. 492, (cf). Portuguese Guinea, Cameroon, Belgian Congo (Medje, Ukaika-Mawambi and North-western Tanganj'ika) and "German" East Africa (Tanganyika Territory). Type Locality: "Cameroon." Thalperus Burr 1911, 'Genera Insectorum, Dermaptera,' pp. 89, 92 Genotype: Thalperus kuhlgatzi (Burr). Thalperus kuhlgatzi (Burr), 1911, 'Wissensch. Ergebn. Deutschen Zentr.- Afr.-Exped., 1907-1908,' III, Lief. 14, p. 459. Hypergus kuhlgatzi Burr, 1909, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (8) IV, p. 116, { H c^i o o CO (M C; CO :^ CI ^ Q q6 c^ c^i 00 id lO (N (N 1-! ° z 1—1 1—1 ^H I-H 1—* 1— t 1-H a ^ -^ ,-H CD lO 00 00 (M ^ S o ^' i-O d o t^ r^ CD 4 Tt< (N !-<■ d 1-1 Si (M !M (M i-H 1— 1 <>i i-H T-H T— ( 1— ( 1—1 1-H CD iq di 4 ' lO lO '-' 1 1 CO iq 1 1 1-H t^ 00 -H C^ t-^ 05 "^ "^ co" d ^ ^ r-H d o lO o 1— ( 1—1 1— ( 1—1 I— 1 1—1 1—1 1—1 1—1 1—1 1 — 1 1-H 1-H ^"1 ^"1 J 'J _ O C^ f? ^ ^ a? c? i^ "—I s (M' O ci (M' ^ d d d d E-i :^ S "^ Ci lO CO CO lO T— 4 t^ 00 lO f3 ^ o c^i o c5 l-H T— 1 CO CO C4 iM d -H d d d l>^ C5 CD i-H CD »0 CD ' ' ^" "^ ^ CO lO d K >-H .—1 CO CO C^5 c I> 1— T [x. 1-H ^ "" _ S~ o" ■^^^ 1— < o o C5~ CO ^ r>; CO i> CO (N r-i t>: I> ■ d S ^ ^ s »0 lO TfH "t^ Tt< J lO TfH < H O i-< 1-1 I> o oc CO iM O b- d CO lO o lO lO CO lO iO lO CD lO lO lO ^ lO lO d »o CO ' ' ' «i lO ' ' lO lO CO t^ CD ■* o ^ 1^ t^ 1^" (M CO CO lO 05 (M '*" »0 lO Tin TtH lO lO ^ -* lO ^ ^ ■* ■^ "31 lO lO ^H P o~ CD CO o S i^ C-] c^ -H O d d ^" 1— H i-H ^ O w CD CD r- CD CD CD CD CD z lO lO ^ •^ CO CO ^ o CO CO O t^ CO CO -H 00 CO 1^ CD CD r^ t^ t^ r^ CD CD CD CO "? *? 05 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 CO lO »c iO CD to o o o r^ >o 00 iM oq d 00 00 t^ O CD 00 (N CD t^ CD lO CD CD CD CD CD lO «o lO CD lO lO CD 'b ot- 'b i> 'b o 'h Of "b o "b o ^ c> ■b Of- "b o OO .-H r^ lo — H CO Tt^ CO c^ o ^ CD co CO CO CO (M o (N 1-1 ^ lo CO ^ s ^ .CO 1» s cc CO ."^ ■?^ s ■-o ^ g S ^*« ^ IJ 5~ s i: •->> .s c *-o 5 o s to 42 s -S s •^ £ e ^ § p to ^ *-. cc CO ci d d d d • s S Oh" a: C^ as' fi^ o: a; cC a^' 1924] Chapm, Size-Variation in Pyrensstes, a Genus of Weaver-Finches 439 London: 5 cf ad., 4 9 ad., Bo, Sierra Leone (Kemp); 2 6^ ad., Freetown (W. P. Lowe); 1 9 ad., Sierra Leone (W. P. Lowe); 1 c? ad., Rotifunk, S. Leone (Kel- sall); 1 9 ad., Grassfields, S. Leone (Kelsall). Tring: 1 9 ad., Sierra Leone (Bower) j 2 cf , 2 9, Bo, S. Leone (Kemp); 2 9, Freetown (Kelsall); 1 cT, 1 9, Grassfields, S. Leone (Kelsall); 1 cT, Clive Town, S. Leone; 1 cf, Jagbamah, S. Leone (Kemp); 1 9, Whitefield, Liberia (Stampfli); 1 juv., Grand Cape IMount, Liberia; 2 c?, Robertsport, Liberia (Demery). Berlin: 1 cf , 1 9, Liberia (Stampfli). Munich: 1 9, Golaland, Liberia (Sherer). Psnrenestes ostrinus maximus Chapiiv Pyrenestes ostrinus inaximus Chapin, 1923, Amer. Mus. Novitates, No. 56, p. 8, Fig. 5 (type locality: Farad je, N. E. Belgian Congo). Figures. — The head of the young bird is shown by Chapin, 1917, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., XXXVII, PI. vi, fig. 3. For the beak of the adult male see p. 418 of the present paper. Range. — Across the northern Guinean savannas from Togoland and Northern Nigeria eastward to the Upper L'elle District and L'ganda. Likewise to be expected in the southern Guinean savanna, inasmuch as it is known from Stanley Pool and Stanleyville on the Upper Congo. Specimens Examined. — American Museum: 4 d^ ad., 1 d' juv., 2 9 ad., 2 9 im., Faradje, L'pper Uelle Distr., 1 cT ad., Stanleyville (Congo Exp.). London: 1 cf ad., Shonga, Niger R. (Forbes). Tring: 1 d' ad., Kaduna R., N. Nigeria (Poggiolini); 1 d ad., Illorin, N. Nigeria (Bryan); 1 cf ad., Lugalambo, Uganda (van Someren). Berhn: 1 d" ad., Misahohe, Togo (Baumann); 1 d ad., Stanley Pool (Teusz). Pyrenestes ostrinus ostrinus (Vieillot) Loxia ostrina Vieillot, 1805, 'Oiseaux Chanteurs,' p. 79, PI. xlviii (type locali- ties: "Africa and India"; I propose restriction to southern Gaboon coast). Figures. — The original description is accompanied by a colored plate of the adult male. Reichenbach, 1862, 'Die Singvogel als Fortsetzung der vollstandigsten Naturgeschichte,' PI. xxi, fig. 178, again figured in color the same sex of this bird. Range. — From the interior of the Gold Coast eastward along the northern edge of the Cameroon and Congo forests to the Lendu Plateau, and the Bugoma and Mabira Forests in Uganda. Also along the southern edge of the great forest, from the Fernand Vaz region eastward to Stanley Pool and Angola, while a rather large female has been taken at Stanley Falls. Specimens Examined. — American Museum: 2 9 ad., 2 9 juv., Niangara, Uelle Distr.; 1 9 ad., Stanlej-ville (Congo Exp.); 1 9 im.. Gaboon (Verreaux). Toronto: In the collection of Mr. J. H. Fleming, 1 9 ad., Mabira, Uganda (Hughes). Washington: 2 d ad., Omboue, Fernand Vaz region (Aschemeier). London: 1 cf ad., Bibiani, Gold Coa.st; 1 d ad., Agouleri, Nigeria (Kemp); 2 d ad., 1 9 ad., River Ja, S. Cameroon (Bates); 1 d ad., Gaboon (Verreaux); 1 9 juv., Pompari, R. Uelle (Alexander); 1 d ad., Tingasi, Uelle Distr. (Emin); 1 d ad., Mjnimu, Uganda (Seth-Smith). 440 Bulletin American Museum of Natural Hhtory [Vol. XLIX Tring: 1 cf ad., Agouleri, Nigeria (Kemp) ; 1 cf im., 3 9 ad., River Ja (Bates); 1 d^ ad., Ituri Forest, near Irumu (Camburn); 3 cf ad., Mabira, Uganda (van Someren). Paris: 1 cf ad., "Afrique Occidentale" (type of ostrinus); 1 d' ad., West Africa (Brazza and Pecile); 1 juv., Brazzaville (Dybowski). Frankfort : 1 T)eltinse, 3, 6, 35, 97. Dasypeltis, 40, 97, 98. macrops, 98-100. palmarum, 99. scaber, 39, 97, 100. scaber palmarum, 98, 99, 100. scaber scaber, 98. scabra, 97. scabra atra, 98. scabra fasciolata, 98. Dendraspis, 40, 131. jamesonii, 124, 131. neglectus, 131. Dendraspris jamesonii, 131. Dendroiketes, 374, 375. Dendrophis smaragdina, 79. Dermaptera, 349, 350, 396, 400, 401. Dermophis, 305. gregorii, 305. mexicanus, 305. thomensis, 305, 306, Diaperasticinse, 395, 412. Diaperasticus, 395, 396, 412. bonchampsi, 396, 397, 412. erythrocephalus, 395-398, 399, 412. sansibaricus, 396, 397, 412. Dicrana, 403. biaffra, 404. caffra, 403. frontalis, 403. livida, 404. separata, 404. wigginsi, 404. Didynamipus, 278, 345. sjostedti, 278, 345. Dimorphognathus, 184, 185, 321. africana, 321. africanus, 185, 321. Diplatinae, 353, 402. 464 INDEX Diplatys, 353, 354, 359, 402. aethiops, 402. conradti, 402. falcatus, 357. gladiator, 354, 357. jansoni, 354. macrocephala, 402. macrocephalus, 353-355, 357, 402. quaesitus, 349, 355, 402. raffrayi, 402. riggenbachi, 357. severa, 354. siva, 354. Diplodactylus, 10, 12, 14, 16, 40-42. Diplometopon, 22. Dipsadoboa, 40, 105. elongata, 106, 107. unicolor, 105-107, 180. Dipsadomorphus blandingii, 103. boueti, 102. brevirostris, 109. pulverulentus, 102. viridis, 109. Dipsas blandingii, 103. pulverulenta, 102. Discoglossidse, 308. Discoglossus, 308. pictus, 308. Dispholidus, 114. typus, 113, 114, 115. typus belli, 115. typus viridis, 115. Ditypophis, 36, 43. Dromophis, 110. lineatus, 110. Dryophylax lineatus, 110. Dyscritina, 402. longisetosa, 402. Ebenavia, 10, 12. Echidna, 140. gabonica, 142. Echinosoma, 360, 361, 404. afri, 404. afrum, 360-362, 363-366, 404. concolor, 361. congolense, 361. distanti, 363. fuscum, 362, 404. occidentale, 361-364, 365, 366, 404. rufum, 361. whalbergi, 361-364, 404. Echinosomatinse, 360, 404. Echis, 37, 38. squamigera, 144. Elachistodontinse, 35. Elaphis lineatus, 61. Elapinffi, 3, 6, 35, 123. Elapocalamus, 40. Elapomorphus gabonensis, 118. Elapops, 40, 121. modestus, 121, 122. Elaps, 36, 44. irregularis, 136. jamesonii, 131. Elapsoidea, 43, 45. Elaunon erythrocephala, 413. Eleutherodactylus, 250. Emphyodontes, 21, 22. Emyda, 9. Emys, 7. orbicularis, 38. Engystoma guttatum, 346. marmoratum, 279, 346. Enhydrus, 35. Enkrates, 382-384, 410. auricularia, 387. flavipennis, 382, 384. Eremias, 23-27. EristaUs, 272. Eryx, 34, 36. jaculus, 34. jayakari, 34. muelleri, 34. reiuhardtii, 57. thebaicus, 34. Eublepharis, 16. Euborellia, 368, 405. annulipes, 368, 406. debiUs, 405. cincticollis, 369, 370, 372, 405. compressa, 405. moesta, 368, 405. Euchirotes, 22. Euchnemis fornasinii, 274, 332^ salinse, 329. INDEX 465 viridi-flavus, 330. Eudermaptera, 380, 407. Fejervaya, 212. FeyHnia, 28, 30, 40. currori, 41. Forcipula, 406. Congo, 406. gariazzi, 407. quadrispinosa, 406. Forficelisa terminalis, 372. Forficesila annulipes, 406. Forficula, 385, 386, 411. afra, 360, 362. afrum, 404. auricularia, 385, 387, 388, 411. brolemanni, 386, 387-389, 411. crenata, 372. depressa, 374, 376, 407. erythrocephala, 412. flavipennis, 383-385, 410. flavipes, 372. macrocephala, 353, 402. marginalis, 382. maritima, 366. minor, 380, 409. morio, 410. ochropus, 381, 409. paederina, 409. pallipes, 372. plagiata, 383, 384, 410. protensa, 408. quadrimaculata, 408. redempta, 386. riparia, 370, 372, 406. rodziankoi, 386, 387, 411. niiescens, 369, 372. senegalensis, 386, 387, 389, 390, 411. sjostedti, 386, 387, 411. variegata, 384. Forficulida;, 385, 410. ForficuHnffi, 385, 410. Forfiscelia curvicauda, 409. Furina, 36. Gampsosteonyx, 184, 321. batesi, 321. Gastropholis, 23-26, 44. Gastropyxis, 40, 79-81. smaragdina, 79, 80. Geckolepis, 11, 12. Geckonia, 11, 12. Gekkonidae, 6, 12, 27, 29, 39. Geocalamus, 22, 44. Geodipsas, 36, 37, 40-42, 101. depressiceps, 101. manpajensis, 101. Geospiza, 415. Geotrypetes, 306. petersii, 306. seraphini, 306. Gerrhosaurida;, 6, 27, 29, 39, 42. Gerrhosaurus, 27, 29, 42-45. flavigularis, 27. major, 27. Glaucoma nigricans, 53. Glossoliga hagenmulleri, 304. Glypholycus, 44. Gonatodes, 16, 40, 50. Gonionotophis, 40. brussau.xi, 71. Gonolabis, picea, 405. Grandidierina, 28. Graj-ia, 40, 92, 123. cffisar, 92, 96. fasciata, 95. furcata, 92. ornata, 92, 93, 96. smythii, 92, 94-96. striata, 92. thoUoni, 92, 95, 96. Gryllotalpa, 214. Gymnodactylus, 10, 12, 43. Gjrmnophiona, 305. Halcyon cyanoleucus, 434. fuscopileus, 434. senegalensis, 434. Hapale jacchus, 453. Hapsidophrys, 40, 80, 81. lineatus, 80. Heleophryn, 162, 312. natalensis, 312. purcelli, 312. regis, 312. Helicops, 36. 466 INDEX HeUxarion, 208, 224, 227, 242. Hemichirotes, 22. Hemidactylus, 11, 12, 16, 44. fasciatus, 41. Hemimantis calcaratus, 315. Hemimeridse, 351, 402. Hemimerina, 351, 402. Hemimerus, 351, 352, 402. hanseni, 352, 353, 402. talpoides, 351-353. Hemirhagerrhis, 43. Hemisus, 149, 277, 278, 281, 346. guttatum, 279, 281, 346. marmoratum, 279, 280-283, 346. marmoratus, 279, 346. sudanense, 280, 281. Sudanese, 279. sudanensis, 279. taitanus, 280. Hemitheconyx, 10, 16, 43. Herpele, 306. bornmuelleri, 306. miiltiplicata, 306. squalostoma, 306. Herpetosaura, 28, 44. Heteroglossa africana, 321. Heterolepis poensis, 72. Heteroptera, 214. Hildebrandtia ornatissima, 227. Holaspis, 23, 24, 27, 40, 41. Holodactylus, 10, 16, 43. Holuropholis, 40, 66. olivaceous, 66. Homalopsinse, 35. Homalosoma, 45. Homopholis, 11, 12, 44. Homopus, 7. Homorelaps, 36. Hoplurus, 17. Hormonotus, 40, 70, 71. modestus, 70. Hydrsethiops, 40, 60. melanogaster, 60. Hydrophiinse, 35. Hyla, 186, 211, 314. arborea meridionalis, 314. arborea savignyi, 314. aubryi, 239, 331. horstockii, 326. savignyi, 314. viridis, 314. wachei, 314. Hylambates, 186, 187, 235, 247-249, 321. anchietae, 242, 331. argenteus, 247, 321. aubryi, 236, 239, 242, 245, 246. bocagii, 235, 247, 321. brevipes, 248, 321. brevirostris, 331. calcaratus, 237, 332. cassinoides, 247, 322. christyi, 248, 322. cubitoalbus, 236. dorsaUs, 319. enantiodactylus, 322. greshoffii, 186, 247, 249, 322. haugi, 248, 322. hyloides, 247, 322. johnstoni, 247, 322. leonardi, 247-249, 322. maculatus, 186, 247, 321, 322. marginatus, 247, 323. millsomi, 242. natalensis, 248, 323. notatus, 236, 332. ocellatus, 240. palmatus, 332. ragazzii, 247, 323. rufus, 236, 237, 242. rufus aubryoides, 243. rufus boulengeri, 243. rufus modesta, 243. rufus ventrimaculata, 243. tessmanni, 245, 246, 249, 332. vannuteUii, 247, 323. vermiculatus. 247, 323. verrucosus, 186, 247, 248, 323. HyUdaj, 314. Hylorana, 216. Hymenochirus, 148, 154, 155, 307. boettgeri, 154-156, 307. curtipes, 154, 155-157, 307. fe£e, 154, 156, 307. HyperoUus, 148, 183, 186, 187, 250, 251, 255, 259, 260, 264, 265, 267- 270, 274, 323. IXDEX 467 acutirostris, 252, 268, 269, 323. argus, 252, 323. aylmeri, 251, 252, 267, 324. balfouri, 251, 252, 255, 324. bayoni, 252, 257, 324. benguellensis, 251, 252, 324. bivittatus, 251, 252, 324. bocagei, 252, 267, 324. burgeoni, 252, 324. burtonii, 252, 324. chlorosteus, 252, 324. cinctiventris, 251, 252, 257, 325. cinnamomeo-ventris, 251, 252, 325. citrinus, 257. concolor, 251, 252, 254, 255, 264, 325. fasciatus, 252, 325. ferniquei, 252, 325. ferreirai, 324. fimbriolatus, 252, 325. flavomaculatus, 332. flavoviridis, 252, 325. fulvovittatus, 252, 255, 325. fuscigula, 252, 253, 264, 325. fusciventris, 252, 253, 326. granulatus, 251, 253, 326. guttatus, 252, 253, 326. guttulatus, 252, 253, 326. horstockii, 252, 253, 326. lagoensis, 252, 253, 326. langi, 2.52, 253, 266, 267, 326. leptosomus, 272, 333. marmoratus, 251-253, 260, 262, 263, 323, 326. microps, 252, 253, 326. moUeri, 251, 253, 327. nasutus, 251, 253, 259, 260, 327. oceUatus, 252, 253, 267, 268, 327. osorioi, 251, 253, 327. oxyrhynchus, 252, 253, 327. pachydermus, 252, 253, 257, 327. paraUelus, 262. phantasticus, 252, 253, 265, 266, 327. picturatus, 252, 253, 263, 264, 327. platycephalus, 251, 253, 257, 328. platyceps, 251, 253, 328. platyceps angolensis, 328. platyrhinus, 251, 253, 328. pleurotaenius, 251, 253, 258, 259, 328. plicatus, 193, 336. pliciferus, 251, 253, 328. pimctalatus, 251, 253, 328. pusiUus, 213, 251, 253, 256, 257, 328. quinquevittatus, 251, 253, 328. rhodoscelis, 252, 253, 258, 328. riggenbachi, 251, 253, 329. salinse, 252, 253, 255, 329. sansibarica, 255, 329. sansibaricus, 251, 253, seabrai, 252, 253, 329. sordius, 252, 253, 257, 329. spinifrons, 333. spinosus, 271, 333. spurrelli, 251, 253, 329. steindachnerii, 252, 253, 265, 329. sugillatus, 251, 253, 329. sjTnetricus, 251-253, 269, 329. thomensis, 251, 253, 329. toulsonii, 252, 253, 330. tristis, 251, 253, 330. tuberculatus, 269. tuberilinguis, 252, 253, 330. undulatus, 252, 253, 269, 330. vermiciilatus, 251, 253, 330. viridifla\nis, 252, 253, 330. vittiger, 334. Hypogeophis, 306. guentheri, 306. rostratus, 306. HjTDoptophis, 44. Hypurgus, 393. kuhlgatzi, 393, 412. Ichnotropis, 23, 24, 26, 27, 43, 45. Iguanidse, 6, 34, 39. Isolabis, 407. braueri, 407. I.xalus concolor, 254, 325. JuKdse, 180. Kalocrania biafra, 404. Karschiella, 358, 4C3. bidentata, 403. 468 INDEX biittneri, 403. camerunensis, 359. neavei, 403. Karschellinse, 358, 403. Kassina, 186, 187, 231, 330. obscura, 232, 330. senegalensis, 232, 233, 330. wealii, 233. I Kinbcys, 7, 39. erosa, 41. Labia, 380, 409. borellii, 409. curvicauda, 380, 381, 409. marginalis, 382, 410. minor, 380, 381, 409. minuta, 409. ochropus, 381, 382, 409. owenii, 381, 410. tripunctata, 408. Labidura, 370, 371, 373, 374, 406. auditor, 372. crenata, 406. dubroni, 373. karschi, 373. pallipes, 373. riparia, 370 372, 373, 406. Labidurida;, 336, 374, 405. Labidurina;, 370, 406. Labiida;, 380, 407. Labiina;, 380, 408. Lacerta, 23, 26, 27, 37, 40. agiHs, 26. echinata, 26. jacksoni, 27. langi, 26. muralis, 26. salamandra, 304. vauereselli, 27. vivipara, 26. Lacertids, 6, 23-25, 36, 37, 42. Lachesis, 37. Lagonostricta niveoguttata, 430. Lamprophis, 44. modestus, 70. Lang, Herbert, see Schmidt; also Noble. Latastia, 23, 24, 27, 43, 44. Leptobrachiima, 186. Leptodactylodon, 187, 331. albiventris, 331. boulengeri, 331. ovatus, 331. Leptodeira, 36, 107. attarensis, 108, 109. degeni, 108, 109. duchesnii, 109. hotambojia, 105, 107-109, 174. Leptodira duchesnii, 109. Leptopehs, 186, 187, 234, 246, 249, 321, 331. anchietse, 234, 235, 331. aubr>-i, 234, 237, 239-241, 245, 246, 272, 331. bre\arostris, 234, 243, 244, 331. calcaratus, 234, 237, 238, 332. miUsonii, 244. notatus, 234, 236, 237, 332. pahnatus, 234, 243, 332. rufus, 234, 237, 238, 240-242, 243- 246, 272, 332. tessmanni, 234, 240, 245, 246, 332. Leptophis dorsaHs, 78. kirtlandii, 112. Leptotyphlopida?, 3, 6, 22, 33, 34, 53. Leptotyphlops, 53. nigricans, 53. Limicolaria, 174, 214, 222. Limnodj'tes albolabris, 216. Limnonaja, 4, 124. Christ yi, 124, 125. Lissotis melanogaster, 427. Lobophora, 382, 410. Loricata, 6. Loxia ostrina, 439. Loxocemus, 35. LuciUa, 264. Lycodon fuUginosus, 65. Lycophidion, 40, 67, 68. elapoides, 69. fasciatum, 69. irroratum, 68. laterale, 67, 70. Lycophidium elapoides, 69. fasciatum, 69. irroratum, 68. INDEX 469 laterale, 67. laterale ocellata, 67. Lygodactylus, 11, 12, 43. fischeri, 42. Lygosoma, 28, 30. Lytorhynchus, 36, 38. Mabuya, 28, 30. maculilabris, 142. quinquetaeniata, 39. Macrelaps, 44. Macrophis ornatus, 92. Macroscincus, 28, 30. Maltzania bufonia, 341. Megachile, 214. MegaUxalus, 183, 186, 187, 270, 271, 332. brachycnemis, 271, 332. flavomaculatus, 270, 332. fornasinii, 271, 273, 274-277, 332, 333. fornasinii unicolor, 275, 276. gramineus, 271, 333. immaculatus, 270, 333. infrarufus, 332. leptosomus, 271, 272-274, 277, 333. leptosomus quadrivittatus, 273. lindholmi, 270, 333. loveridgii, 271, 333. pantherinus, 270, 333. schneideri, 275, 276. seychellensis, 332. spinifrons, 271, 276, 333. spinosus, 197, 271, 333. stuhlmanni, 273. vittiger, 271, 273, 334. Mehelya, 40, 71. baumanni, 71, 72. chanleri, 71. lamani, 71. phyllopholis, 71. poensis, 72. Melanelaps, 35. Melanoseps, 28, 30, 41. Micsela, 44. Micrelaps, 44. Microscalabotes, 11, 12. Microsoma coUare, 120. Micrums, 36. Mimoptus, 35. Miodon, 118-120. collaris, 119, 120. gabonensis, 118, 119. notatus, 120. unicolor, 4, 119. Molge hagenmuelleri, 304. poireti, 304. waltlii, 304. Monopeltis, 22, 40. Myriopoda, 214. Naia goldii, 130. guentheri, 130. haie, 126. nigricollis pallida, 129, 130. Naja, 36, 45, 126. annulata, 123. flava, 129. goldii, 130. guentheri, 130. haie, 126. hajae, 126. haje, 126. haje melanoleuca, 127. melanoleuca, 126, 127, 128, 130. nigricoUis, 126, 128-130. nigricollis pallida, 129. yakomse, 130. Nannopygia, 402. gerstseckeri, 402. Narudasia, 10, 44. Natalobatrachus, 188. bonebergi, 188, 335. Natrix, 36, 58. natrix, 38. oUvaceous, 58, 59. Nectophryne, 162-164, 165, 312. afra, 162, 164-166, 312, 313. batesii, 164-166, 313. guentheri, 162. parvipalmata, 164, 313. tornieri, 164, 313. werthi, 164, 313. Neolobaphorinae, 411. Noble, G. K., Contributions to the Her- petology of the Belgian Congo, Based on the Collection of the 470 INDEX American Museum Congo Expe- dition, 1909-1915, 147-347. Notaden, 162. Nucras, 23, 24, 26, 27, 45. Nyctibates, 184, 334. corrugatus, 334. Isevis, 240. Odynerus, 231. (Edura, 10, 16, 44. Oligodon, 36. Onychocephalus congestus, 48. Ophiops, 23, 24, 27. Ophisaurus, 19. apus, 20. buttikoferi, 20. gracilis, 20. harti, 20. koellikeri, 20. ventralis, 20. Opisthocosmia, 390, 411. centurio, 390, 411. formosa, 390, 391, 412. micheli, 412. poecilocera, 390-392, 411. roccatii, 395, 412. Opisthocosraiinae, 390, 411. Opistoglypha, 35. Oreophrj^ne celebensis, 278. Oryzoborus, 415. Osteoblepharon, 12, 40. Osteolsemus, 12, 40. Pachycalamus, 22, 43. Pachydactylus, 11, 16, 45. Paleochameleo, 31. Paliguana, 18. Palmatogeko, 10, 12, 16, 44. Parachalcides, 28, 30, 43. Paracontias, 28. Paradermaptera, 374. Paragonatodes, 10, 16. Paradiplatys, 402. Pelamydrus platurus, 35. Pelomedusa, 9. Pelomedusidse, 6, 8, 9. Pelophila, 34. madagascariensis, 34, Pelusios, 9, 39. Peropus, 11, 12. Petropedetes, 184, 334. cameronensis, 334. johnstoni, 334. natator, 334. newtonii, 334. palmipes, 334. Phelsuma, 11, 12. Philochortus, 23, 24, 27, 43. Philothemnus, 40, 78. dorsalis, 78, 79. nitidus, 78. semivariegatus, 78. thomensis, 79. Phrynobatrachus, 184-186, 188, 192, 195, 197, 211, 335. acrisoides, 195, 335. acutirostris, 335. auritus, 193, 194. bonebergi, 335. boulengeri, 189. capensis, 335. dendrobates, 185, 188, 195-198, 335. discodactylus, 193-195. francisci, 335. giorgii, 335. graueri, 335. krefftii, 336. natalensis, 184, 185, 188, 190, 195, 198, 260, 335, 336. natalensis gracilis, 189. perpalmatus, 191-193, 198, 336. pHcatus, 185, 188, 193-195, 197, 198, 336. ranoides, 189, 190. steindachneri, 336. tellinii, 336. Phrynomantis, 278, 346. affinis, 346. annectens, 346. bifasciata, 278, 346. fusca, 278, 346. microps, 346. nasuta, 347. Phrynopsis, 187, 336. boulengerii, 336. ventrimaculata, 337. INDEX 471 PhnTiocephalus, 14, 17. Phyllodactylus, 10, 12, 16. Pipa, 159. Pipidae, 154, 307. Pirenestes sanguineus, 437. Placogaster, 22, 43. Platylabia bihastata, 409. camerunensis, 409. guineensis, 409. PlaUijholis, 11, 16. Platysaurus, 20, 44. Plestiodon, 28, 30. Ple'orodeles, 304. waltl, 304. Podarcis, 26, 40. Podocnemis, 8, 9, 17, 18, 39. Poecilopholis, 40. Polemon, 40. Polj^bioides melaina, 180. tabida, 180. Polydesmidae, 180. Polypedates, 187. natalensis, 323. rufescens, 229, 320. Poromera, 23-26, 40. Pristurus, 10, 13, 16, 43, 44. Proiguana europaea, 18. Prosimise, 453. Prosymna, 43, 45, 89. ambigua, 89. Protodermaptera, 353, 374, 402. Psalina?, 366, 405. Psalis americana, 370. cincticollis, 405. debilis, 405. picina, 369, 370, 405. Psammocharidse, 218. Psammodromus, 23, 24, 27, 38. Psammophis, 35, 36, 43, 45, 111, 112. sibilans. 111, 112. Pseudacontias, 28. Pseudaspis, 45. Pseudhymenochirus, 154, 307. merlini, 307, 308. Pseudoboodon, 43. albopunctatus, 62. Pseudocerastes, 37. Pseudochelidura, 410. sinuata, 410. Pseudocordylus, 20, 44. Pseudophryn, 162, 164, 313. australis, 162, 313. vivipara, 313. Ptenopus, 10, 44. Ptychadena, 220, 225. Ptyodactykis, 11, 12. Pygidicrana biaffra, 404. biittneri, 403. caffra, 403. livida, 404. Pygidicranidse, 353, 402. Pygidicraniuse, 403. Pygomeles, 28. Pyrenestes, 415-418, 420^25, 430^35, 437, 438. minor, 416, 418, 420, 421, 425, 429, 430, 433, 435, 437, 441. minor frommi, 416, 420, 429, 436, 438, 441. minor minor, 416, 429, 430, 433, 436, 438, 441. ostrinus, 415-417, 419, 420-428, 430, 432, 434-437. ostrinus centralis, 416, 423, 428, 429, 436-438, 440. ostrinus coccineus, 416-418, 429, 436, 437. ostrinus gabvmensis, 416, 423, 426, 427, 436-438, 441. ostrinus granti, 417, 437, 441. ostrinus frommi, 416, 417, 429, 430, 437, 441. ostrinus maximus, 416, 418, 419, 423, 428, 430, 432, 433, 436-439. ostriniis minor, 417. ostrinus ostrinus, 416, 419, 423, 431, 432, 436, 438, 439. ostrinus rothschildi, 416, 418, 419, 423, 426-428, 430, 433, 43&-438, 440, 441. ostrinus sanguineus, 417, 434. personatus, 437. sanguineus, 415, 416, 420, 421, 424, 425, 432, 434-437. sanguineus coccineus, 416, 424, 426 430, 436, 437, 438. 472 INDEX sanguineus sanguineus, 416, 424, 428, 433, 437, 438. Pyromelana hordacea, 424. Python, 35, 53. anchietse, 56. regius, 55, 56. sebse, 53, 54, 56. Pythoninse, 3, 6, 35, 53. Pythonodipsas, 35, 44. Pytilia schlegeli, 430. Pyxicephalus adspersus, 337. cordofanus, 338. delandii, 338. flavigula, 339. macro tympanum, 340. natalensis, 341. ornatus, 342. rugosus, 343. Pyxis, 7. Rana, 149, 183, 184, 187, 211, 337. adspersa, 337. ajquiplicata, 222, 223, 337. albilabris, 216. albolabris, 216-218, 337. angolensis, 214, 215, 337. ansorgii, 337. beccari, 337. bibronii, 221,338. budgetti, 227, 338. bufonia, 341. bunoderma, 338. chapini, 214, 215, 338. christyi, 222-224, 338. cordofana, 338. crassipes, 338. cryptotis, 338. darlingi, 338. delalandii, 215, 338. elegans, 339. esculenta, 220. esculenta ridibunda, 339. fasciata, 339. flavigula, 339. floweri, 339. fidleborni, 339. fuscigula, 339. galamensis, 339. gibbosa, 344. goliath, 340. gondokorensis, 340. grayii, 340. guerzea, 340. johnstoni, 340. katangae, 340. lemairei, 340. leonensis, 340. longirostris, 340. macrotympanum, 227, 340. maltzanii, 341. marchii, 220. mascareniensis, 218, 220-224, 226, 341. mascareniensis sequiplicata, 337. mascareniensis porossissima, 220. merumontana, 341. miotympanum, 341. moeruensis, 227, 341. natalensis, 341. newtoni, 341. nutti, 214, 215, 341. nyassse, 342. occipitalis, 212, 213, 342. ornata, 227, 342. ornatissima, 227, 228, 342. oxyrhyncha, 213, 225. oxyrhynchus, 223, 224-226, 342. perpalmata, 342. pulchra, 342. pumilio, 342. ridibunda, 339. ruddi, 227, 342. schillukorum, 343. stenocephala, 343. subpunctata, 220. subsigillata, 343. temporaria, 337. tigrina, 213. tigrina occipitalis, 212. togoensis, 227, 343" trinodis, 343. tuberculosa, 343. venusta, 343. zenkeri, 216, 217. Ranidse, 183, 341. Rappia acutirostris, 268, 323. INDEX 473 argus, 324. aylmeri, 324. baJfouri, 324. bayoni, 324. benguellensis, 324. bivittatus, 324. burgeoni, 324. burtonii, 324. chlorostea, 324. cinctiventris, 325. cinnamomeiventris, 325. concolor, 254, 325. fasciata, 325. ferniquei, 325. granulata, 326. lagoensis, 326. marmorata, 260, 263. marmorata huillensis, 262. marmorata insignis, 262. marmorata marginata, 262. marmorata parallelus, 261. marmorata tseniolata, 262. marmorata variegata, 262. molleri, 327. nasuta, 259. ocellata, 267. osorioi, 327. oxyrhynchus, 327. pachyderma, 327. papyri, 259. phantastica, 265, 327. picturatus, 263. platycephala. 328. platyceps, 328. platyrhinus, 328. pleurotsenia, 258, 328. plicifera, 328. puncticulata, 259. punctulata, 328. pusilla, 256, 267, 328. riggenbachi, 329. rhodoscelis, 328. salinse, 329. sansibarica, 329. seabrai, 329. sordida, 329. spurreUi, 329. symetrica, 329. tristis, 330. tuberculata, 268. undulata, 330. vermiculata, 330. Reduviidaj, 180, 218. Rehn, James A. G., The Dermaptera of the American Museum Congo Ex- pedition, with a Catalogue of the Belgian Congo Species, 349^13. Rhacophorus, 186. Rhamnophis, 40, 81, 83, 84. sethiopissa, 81, 83, 84. sethiops, 81. batesii, 81, 83, 84. ituriensis, 4, 81, 83-85. jacksoni, 85. Rhamphoieon, 45. Rhinophrynus, 162. Rhoptropus, 11, 16, 44. Rothschildia, 187, 343. kounhiensis, 343. Rouleophis, 36, 43. Salamandra, 304. maculosa, 304. salamandra, 304. Salamandridae, 304. Salientia, 307. Saurodactylus, 10, 12. Scaphiophis, 43, 90. albopunctatus, 90, 91. Scapteira, 23, 24, 27, 44. Scelotes, 44. Schmidt, Karl Patterson, Contributions to the Herpetology of the Belgian Congo, Based on the Collection of the American Museum Congo Ex- pedition, 1909-1915, 1-146. Schoutedenella, 184, 344. globosa, 344. Schultz, Adolph H., Observations on Colobus Fetuses, 443^57. Scincidse, 6, 27-29, 39. Scincopus, 28, 30, 43. Scincus, 28, 30, 43. Scleotes, 28. Scleria, 431, 432. verrucosa, 431. 474 INDEX Scolecomorphus, 306. kirkii, 306, 307.. Scolopendridae, 180. Scotobleps, 184, 344. gabonicus, 344. Sepedon rhombeatus, 132. Sepsina, 28, 45. Silurana tropicalis, 160, 308. Simocephalus insignus, 71. lamani, 71. poensis, 72. Siphonops thomensis, 305. Smilisca, 211. Sparatta bogiana, 409. Sparattina, 408. flavicoUis, 408. Spermospiza, 430. Sphingolabis sansibarica, 395, 396, 412. Spongiphora aloj'sii- sabaudise, 408. assiniensis, 408. gestroi, 408. ochracea, 408. robur, 408. schubotzi, 407. tripiinctata, 408. Spongiphorinse, 408. Spongovostox, 408. aloysii-sabaudise, 408. assiniensis, 408. fese, 408. gestroi, 408. quadrimaculatus, 408. tripunctata, 408. Staphylinidae, 180. Staurois, 187. acridoides, 335. Stenodactylus, 10, 12, 13, 24, 30, 38, 43. Stenoglossa fulva, 313. Stenorhynchus natalensis, 188, 336. Stereogenys, 8. Succinse, 214. Tabanidse, 214. Tarentola, 11, 12, 43. Telmatobius, 186. Testudinata, 6. Testudinidae, 6, 7. Testudo, 7, 8, 43. Tetradactylus, 29, 44. Tettigonia, 224. Thalperus, 393, 412. kuhlgatzi, 392, 393, 394, 412. micheli, 393, 412. ova, 393. roccatii, 393-395, 412. Thelotornis, 112, 113, 116. kirtlandii, 112, 113. kirtlandii capensis, 114. Thrasops, 40, 41, 81, 83, 86. flavigiilaris, 81, 85-87. jacksoni, 81, 83, 85-87. rothschildi, 81, 87. Tracheloptychus, 29. Trichobatrachus robustus, 319. Tridactylus, 351. Triton, 304. poireti, 304. Tritunis, 304. cristatus, 304. hagenmulleri, 304. poireti, 304. Trimerorhinus, 45. Trionychidee, 9. Trogonophis, 22. Tropidonotus olivaceous, 58. depressiceps, 101. Tropidosaura, 23-27, 44. Tropicolotes, 10, 12, Tympanoceros newtonii, 334. Typhlacontias, 28, 44. Typhlopidffi, 3, 6, 32, 45. Typhlops, 32, 45, 49. acutirostris, 32. albanalis, 33. anchietse, 33. anomalus, 33. avakubse, 4, 32, 61. batesi, 32. bibronii, 33. blanfordii, 32. boulengeri, 33. braminus, 33. buchholtzii, 32. csecatus, 32. csecus, 32, 51. capensis, 33. INDEX 475 congestus, 32, 46-48, 49. crossii, 32. cuneirostris, 32. delalandii, 33. decorosus, 32. dinga, 33. dubius, 32. fornasinii, 33. gracilis, 33. graueri, 32. guirrse, 33. hallowelli, 32. intermedius, 32, 46, 47, 49. leucostrictus, 32. liberiensis, 47. liberiensis intermedius, 47. lineatus, 49. lumbriciformis, 33. mossambicus, 33. mucroso, 33. nigricans, 53. obtusus, 33. platjThjTichus, 33. preocularis, 32. punctatus, 32, 45-50. rufescens, 32. schinzi, 33. schlegelii, 33. somalicus, 33, 52. steinhausi, 32. sudapnensis, 4, 32, 61, 52. tettensis, 33. tornieri, 33, 50. unitseniatus, 33. vermis, 32. verticalis, 33. viridiflavus, 33. zenkeri, 32. Typhlosaurus, 28, 44. UrseotjT)hlus, 307. oxjnirus, 307. seraphim, 307. Uromastix, 15, 17. Uroplatidae, 6, 16, 39. Vaginulidse, 218, 242. Vandex, 407. schubotzi, 407. Vandicinae, 407. Varanidge, 6, 17, 19, 20, 35, 42. Varanus, 35. exanthematicns, 20, 22. griseus, 20, 126. niloticus, 20, 22, 39. VerhoeffieUa, 402. Vipera, 37. arietans, 140, 141. nasicornis, 143. Viperidaj, 3, 6, 37, 132. Viperinaj, 3, 6, 37, 132. Voeltzkowia, 28. Werneria, 162, 313. fulva, 313. Xenagama, 17, 43. Xenocalamus, 44. Xenopus, 157, 159, 186, 218, 308. boettgeri, 307. boiei, 308. calcaratus, 160, 308. clivii, 154, 157, 158, 161, 308. fraseri, 160, 161. Ise^TS, 154, 157-159, 308. miiUeri, 154, 157-161, 308. tropicalis, 154, 157, 158, 160, 161, 162, 308. Xenophrys, 186. Xenm^ophis caesar, 96. Xiphosoma, 34. Zamenis, 36, 43, 44. Zonosam"us, 29. Zonuridae, 6, 18, 29, 39, 42. Zonm-us, 20, 44, 45. cordylus, 20. rivae, 20. tropidosternum, 20. Zootoca, 26, 40. Amer-ican Museum of Natural History, New York Bulletin QH 1 kU V.A9 Biological |( Medtcai PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE CARDS OR SLIPS FROM THIS POCKET UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY n yff^^^