- may es : ew 3 . fom - : | fe ae ac : . > on fie ee - PF saver re, ae, Pate ra tin detdong geet ’ am Se eo ee HARVARD UNIVERSITY er = LIBRARY OF THE Museum of Comparative Zoology Ea: Cy bichon " Wl Ne Wee a : : ; W P ‘ Ad p - 7 i ie } D : | Tew tw - au > » UF ; , ' iy i : i" ai ; : ; ; ' ‘ i - iw a 0 an ia) t ? or : Es : ’ be i i: ' ce) ; : J rv: : “. : a et £ — : “a Tad : “ ba, a — ; ey : ia ’ : it : 5 PY fe _ 7 : 1 Tre ' ! > iy ' 0 : ' 1 of i ! af i oo ‘ ' ‘ me S ea. i] @ 7 : ; = * ies ; , ; i ; ia 7 od 7 Tt - 7 ; a 7 7 7 7 ' nl L - . f 2 : 7 1 ry 7 - , 5 7 _ f ; , 1 ; | te , a 7 7 ‘ vii : ay i 7 7 = i - om iy H i fs : » _ : j a af ; : ny - _ . 7 ‘ i i oi f 7 > oe i Ve | + a. tie ; ¥ - af me = io) a 7 _ ty ye i. Aa _) i } a val 7 7 RO A 2 pik fh oe) Pe ee ee r 4 ns 7 l a i wy ue ye . a) 7 : A’, io) j "NE ee iar : Uae - ~~ il 7 a - iy 7 i 7 7 ' ¥ 7 i are i ‘ ' i Tayi y ‘ ‘ ‘ t ay on Te ae I ay y ! ' i] ) ‘ It TL. } ~, THE: Komp fj} oo of Compe,, » UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS (ius SCIENCE BULLETIN atl UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS University of Kansas Science Bulletin - Vol. XXX, Part I May 15, 1944 Lawrence, Kansas ANNOUNCEMENT The University of Kansas Science Bulletin (continuation of the Kansas University Quarterly) is issued in parts at irregular inter- vals. Each volume contains from 300 to 400 pages of reading mat- ter, with necessary illustrations. Exchanges with other institutions and learned societies everywhere are solicited. All exchanges should be addressed to the Liprary oF THE UNIVERSITY oF Kansas. Tue University or Kansas SCIENCE BULLETIN, LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF Kansas, LAWRENCE, KAN. PUBLICATION DATES The actual date of publication (7. e., mailing date) of many of the volumes of the University of Kansas Science Bulletin differs so markedly from the dates bourne on the covers of the publication or on the covers of the separata that it seems wise to offer a corrected list showing the mailing date. The editor has been unable to verify mailing dates earlier than 1932. Separata were issued at the same time as the whole volume. Vol. XX —October 1, 1932. Vol. XXVI—November 27, 1940. Vol. XXI—November 27, 1934. Vol. XXVII, Pt. I—Dec. 30, 1941. Vol. XXII—November 15, 1935. Vol. XXVIII, Pt. I—May 15, 1942; Vol. XXIII—August 15, 1936. Pt. II—Nov. 12, 1942. Vol. XXIV—February 16, 1938. Vol. XXIX, Pt. I—July 15, 1943; Vol. XXV—July 10, 1939. Pt. II—Oct. 15, 1943. } t Edntor. 6.5. §.5 Lit Epw4rp H. Taytor Editorial Board.... Homer B. Latimer, Chairman Loweti R. Laupon A. Byron LEonarp Harry H. Sisier J.D. StRANATHAN UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SCIENGE BULLETIN DEVOTED TO THE PUBLICATION OF THE RESULTS OF RESEARCH BY MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS VOLUME XXX, Part I UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS LAWRENCE, May 15, 1944 PRINTED BY KANSAS STATE PRINTING PLANT W. C. AUSTIN, STATE PRINTER TOPEKA, 1944 20-1838 CONTENTS OF VOLUME XXX, Pr. I NUMBER 1. Erosional Modification of Landmarks in Western Kansas During Historic: Winey el =U sSmithi- ee 2 fe. Here 2. Mollusca of the Laverne Formation (Lower Pliocene) of Beaver County, Oklahoma. A. Byron Leonard and Doro- ECGS HOCUS Cl ae aca tKs Mei ents ea eoereuode ae Sino eae mea 3. A New. Genus and Species of Mexican Hylid Frogs. Ed- WOT ED Gy VOM Renee cg Meats aN else ste.) Spree ee Rea ra ese 4. Two New Species of Crotalid Snakes from Mexico. EHd- WO OG Melee TRG LOT tia Bee tt, oom F aotee A ete ces byte ve Recaen Rata eae 5. A New Ambystomid Salamander from the Plateau Region Oe IMS SCO ae NoiRe al IMO O we a ae oso oe ea oho kA 6. The Hylid Genus Acrodytes, with Comments on Mexican Mormise: eed (Crd Wills Migiylorere ake aero atop ene ee eae 7. A New Land Tortoise, Testudo riggst, from the Middle Plio- cene of Seward County, Kansas. Claude W. Hibbard... 8. A New'Polycotylrd:Plesidsaur. H#.S. Riggs.............. 9. Remains of Birds from the Rexroad Fauna of the Upper Pliocene of Kansas. Alexander Wetmore.............. 10. Two New Mammals from the Middle Phocene of Seward County Kansas, «Claude We. Hibbard saca. see aera 11. Present Location of Certain Herpetological and Other Eypes« Ldwandvl..aylon caret. cee a on Cee aeee 12. Genera of Mexican Plethodontid Salamanders, Pt. I. Hd- WOO Ue TGULOT esas nines Ne Otis aio ate ae ee PAGE iS 89 107 IIb ¢/ THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SCIENCE BULLETIN VoL. XXX, pt. I] May 15, 1944 Now! [2955 See rie Erosional Modification of Landmarks in Western Kansas During Historic Time Ee ae S VMilR ET. University of Kansas Aestract: A study of Castle Rock and Monument Rock, two prominent landmarks in Gove county, Kansas, based on their present condition, and on photographs taken in 1889, 1892 and 1894, demonstrates the amount of erosion during the past fifty years. This gives a measure for estimating total erosion under similar climatie conditions. INTRODUCTION O THE geologist, it is axiomatic that the minor features of a landscape are ephemeral and ever-changing, and to all who have seen the work of rivers in flood the evidence for this is clear. The building and destruction of bars and islands, the undercutting of banks, the widening, deepening, or shifting of channels (ef. Smith, 1940), all these may be effected literally overnight. Although attest- ing to the efficacy of gradational processes, however, these more striking phenomena do not afford a direct basis for appraising the over-all modification of the land surface, and, indeed, may be mis- leading. They represent localized and intensified effects along com- paratively narrow zones, bordering the stream channels, small in proportion to the total area of the drainage basins. Furthermore, erosion and deposition go hand in hand along rivers; the balance between the two is sometimes difficult to ascertain, and in fact is frequently shifted, even reversed, from time to time. And it may be added that the sedimentary materials directly involved in the work of streams are, to a large extent, undergoing a secondary reworking, having first been prepared and launched on their downward course by other less spectacular but more all-pervasive processes. Thus to (3) Lipraas 4 THe UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN arrive at any adequate concept of the true rate and nature of modi- fication of the landscape in a given region, it is necessary to look to the primary gathering grounds of the detrital materials—to the hills and slopes of the interstream areas, where the effects of erosion, however seemingly imperceptible, may be studied free from the complications of the minor epicycles of degradation and aggradation superimposed on the more steady progress of the erosion cycle proper. Studies on the actual progress of weathering and slope recession are best made through a comparison of detailed records, such as photos, of the same localities at widely separated points in time. Opportunities for such comparisons come infrequently, and there- fore are of particular interest when found, however limited or frag- mentary the record. A typical example of such a study has been given by Bryan and La Rue (1927). A similar case, though in a distinctly different climatic and geologic setting, is provided in Gove county, western Kansas, where two prominent landmarks, Castle Rock and Monument Rock, photographed some fifty years ago, are seen to have changed appreciably during the intervening years. A detailed description of these features is given on the following pages, prefaced by a brief résumé of their climatic setting. CLIMATE Since climate plays an important part in governing the nature and rate of the erosional attack on rock, the broader significance of any particular example of erosional phenomena can be fully appreciated enly in the light of its own climatic environment. The following summary of climatic conditions in Gove county (Flora, 1932) is therefore included in this paper. The climate prevalent in Gove county may be classed as semiarid. Records at Gove, Ness City, Scott City, and Wakeeney indicate that the average annual rainfall is about 20 inches. In wet years, how- ever, the rainfall ranges up to more than 380 inches, and in dry years it declines to less than 10 inches. The greater part of the rainfall comes during the summer months, reaching a maximum in June or July. January is the month of least precipitation. During the win- ter, a part of the precipitation occurs as snowfall, which averages close to 20 inches. Generally, however, the ground is not covered for more than a week at a time. Hail storms are common during the summer, and frequently are of sufficient severity to inflict serious damage on crops. Smi1tTH: ERosIONAL MopIFICATION OF LANDMARKS a Temperature varies widely through the year. Average monthly temperatures as recorded at Wakeeney range from about 30° in Jan- uary to about 77° in July. Average monthly maxima, however, range from about 43° to 92° for the same months, and average monthly minima trom about 17° to 64°. The highest recorded tempera- ture in the area was 111° at Wakeeney, and the lowest recorded tem- perature —31° at Healy. Daily temperature ranges are frequently 30°, and not uncommonly 40° to 50°. The average date of the last killing frost in spring is late in April or early in May, and the aver- age date of the first killing frost in fall is in the first half of October. Detailed data on sunshine and cloudiness are not available for the immediate area concerned, but data from other areas in the same general region suggest that probably about 50 percent of the days of the year are clear, about 30 percent partly cloudy, and 20 percent cloudy. Detailed figures on relative humidity and rate of evaporation are not available, but it is known that the former is low and the latter very nigh. At Tribune, some 70 miles farther west, recorded rates of evaporation during the summer range up to more than 16 inches per month. CASTLE ROCK Castle Rock is a towerlike mass of Niobrara shale and chalk, about 55 feet in height, located in southeastern Gove county (Fig. 1), in SW 14 sec. 1, T. 148., R. 26 W. It occurs about 1 mile south of Hackberry creek, near the head of a broad, pediment-like slope (ef. Frve and Smith, 1942), rising gently from the inner valley of fenerenne? nawuns” ~Teeciron = FRORTON | pcos ~ Tswitw —— Tiewe puBuc [wa H eae “ae | j \ i> | 4 Bl ae | sf ‘ l i ae aie | | : \ aN ‘ At Ye A bes | | a ens, } ie shennan — Te aha ars ae Oe Najera ee eee Lean mena arava | ROOKS t Osbonne | iteneit | _ ea ere IACKSON 5 oe | Ney Ss = heel J (jak ie =< { | ee Jer WALLAGe [LoGaN ~~] cove > hy = tuNeous — : ; : e joousuas T JOHNSON M oO 2) Seas Fwonais Te HESS i \ a GREELEY = “Tagen Toa ee iS — 4 TERANRUIN | MAB” 1 OREELEYTwichira Ulscouramaicancmrn Ness i> S [wom 1 [reannun Vis y | eeecnstesee 1 | < | ; | Te i | ' \ | | STANTON — [rant or a ae mT Spiens | Newans f Teowancne”—| ~~ / rh . ie ie pees CO oe oe Fic. 1. Location map; C represents the location of Castle Rock, and M the location of Monument Rock. 6 THe UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN Puate I. Earlier and later views of Castle Rock, looking southeast. The upper photo is from Williston (1897). Letters indicate points where con- spicuous changes may be observed. SmMITH: ERosIoNAL MopIFICATION OF LANDMARKS 7 the stream to a low upland flat capped by beds of the Ogallala for- mation. It represents an erosion residual which chanced to be left isolated as the main slope was pushed back toward the divide. The lower part of Castle Rock is composed of thin-bedded grayish calcareous shale, and the upper part is made of medium to thick bedded, gray to buff chalk. The lower part is cut by innumerable small cracks, Joints, and veinlets. It is probable that the general form of the feature is at least partially controlled by more per- sistent joints. Williston, in 1897 (p. 240), commented as follows on Castle Rock: “Weathering has left the exposed chalk in many places eroded into pictur- esque objects. The famous Castle Rock, in the valley of the Hackberry about ten miles from its mouth is a lone pyramid several hundred yards from the upland. My first knowledge of the Rock dates from October, 1874, and since that time I have seen but little evidence of erosion. In various places through- out the chalk beds of the Smoky Hill river I have observed marks scratched by myself eighteen years previously that appeared as clear almost as when they were made. The erosion in general is not nearly so rapid as one would think. The smooth, worn surfaces made on the projecting angles of many low cliffs by the buffaloes are still to be seen nearly as smooth as they were twenty years ago. For purposes of comparing the past and present form of Castle Rock, two photos are available, taken from two different angles. One published by Williston in 1897 (opp. p. 40), and dated 1894, is reproduced here a part of Plate I. Another, shown here in Plate II, was originally published by Hay in 1889 (p. 102), and may be as- sumed to have been taken at least one year previously. In order to permit detailed comparisons, I rephotographed Castle Rock in 1941 from approximately the same point as those from which the original photos were taken, as nearly as could be determined by in- spection. It may be noted, however, that the perspective in my photos is probably not exactly the same as that of the original photos, owing both to differences in the angular field of the cameras used, and to shght differences in camera position and orientation. On comparing the two sets of photos, certain obvious changes may be observed. The block at a has disappeared. The sides have been undercut at b, c, g, and k. The crack at d and the cleft at e have been deepened. The fallen debris at f has been reduced. The shoul- der at h has been lowered, the knob at 7 has been flattened, and the slope at j has been worn back. The beds at the horizon of 1 have been more deeply etched. And, finally, the base of the caprock, at (0.6) THE UNIveERSITY ScIENCE BULLETIN Puate II. Earher and later views of Castle Rock, looking north. The upper photo is from Hay (1889). Points which show also in Plate I are indicated by the same letters. SmitH: ERosionAL MopiricaTION OF LANDMARKS 9 m, has been deeply recessed. Other changes of a minor character could be indicated, but the above suffice to show the general trend. By superimposing the profiles of Castle Rock as drawn from the earlier and later photos, a rough estimate of the amount of reduc- tion in cross-section area may be obtained. For Plate I, the figure obtained in this way is about 2.5 percent, and for Plate II it is about 6 percent. On the basis of these figures, it would be of interest to attempt an estimate of the total length of time required for the com- plete reduction of Castle Rock. Direct extrapolation, however, would be erroneous, owing to various complicating factors, of which the following may be mentioned: (1) the rate of reduction is dif- ferent on different parts of the surface; (2) the rate of reduction 1s not constant on the same part of the surface—a long period of weathering with little change of form, for example, may pave the way for a sudden slabbing off of large masses of rock with abrupt change in form; (8) a given amount of reduction toward the base affects the reduction of superjacent surface areas by its undermining action, whereas the reduction of the upper slopes has negligible effect on areas beneath; (4) the rate of over-all reduction varies with the ratio of exposed surface area per unit volume of rock, and this ratio may be expected to change as the external form is irregu- larly modified by erosion. Making due allowance for these factors, however, it may be estimated that a period of time ranging from 500 to 2,000 years will see the total destruction of Castle Rock. It may be concluded either that Williston underestimated the rate of erosion at Castle Rock, or that the rate has been accelerated since the time of his observations. It should be pointed out, however, that the rock of which Castle Rock is composed is comparatively weak, and that insofar as Williston’s other observations refer to more resistant members of the Niobrara formation, there are as yet no grounds for questioning them. MONUMENT ROCK The Monument Rocks are a group of castellated erosion residuals located in southwestern Gove county (Fig. 1), along the common boundary line of secs. 33 and 34, T. 148., R. 31 W. The southern- most member of this group was photographed by Williston about 1892 (Williston, 1893, opp. p. 108, and 1897, opp. p. 240), and was rephotographed by me in 1941. The two photos are shown together in Plate III]. The rock belongs to the Niobrara formation, and 1s similar to that at Castle Rock, but is less jointed. 10 Tue UNIversiry ScIENCE BULLETIN Puare III. Earher and later views of Monument Rock, looking west. The upper photo is from Williston (1893 and 1897). SMITH: EROSIONAL MODIFICATION OF LANDMARKS Aa In 1897 (pp. 240-241), Williston wrote as follows concerning Mon- ument Rock: “One of the most famous landmarks of the Niobrara is the Monument Rocks on the Smoky Hill River. See Plate XXXV. When I first saw them in 1874 the place had been recently abandoned as the stage station of the Overland stage route. A vertical crack in the main rock has deepened very much since that time and it is now but a question of a few years when it will topple over and be demolished.” A comparison of the photos in Plate III indicates that Williston’s prediction was rather ill-advised. The only changes to be seen after some fifty vears are a slight deepening of the crack at a and slight undercutting at b and c. The reduction of cross-section area has been only about 0.75 per cent. If the cross-section shown in Plate III were representative of the feature as a whole, and erosion were to continue at the same rate as during the past fifty years, a period of from about 3,000 to 7,000 years would be required for the com- plete reduction of Monument Rock. Actually, however, the cross- section shown is considerably broader than the one at right angles, and it is probable that the length of time estimated above could be considerably reduced. EROSIONAL PROCESSES Rock weathering by disintegration is the basic process effecting the reduction of such forms as Castle Rock and the Monument Rocks. Weathering by solution may play a subordinate part. Small particles are loosened by the wedging action effected by hydration of shale lamina and bentonite seams, and perhaps also by the pres- sure of growing crystals of secondary derivation in minor cracks and crevices. Expansion and contraction produced by wetting and dry- ing and by diurnal temperature changes are probably significant also. It is doubtful, however, whether frost action plays any appre- ciable part. The actual dislodgement of particles is probably facilitated by the beating of rain and hail. Occasionally larger masses of rock are brought down by direct falling or toppling after prolonged under- mining and weakening by weathering. One example of this may be seen in the upper photo of Plate 1, and others may be observed today around various members of the Monument Rocks. An additional factor difficult to evaluate is the work of man. Since Castle Rock is a favorite picnic spot, it is conceivable that climbing and hacking by visitors may have augmented the normal processes of reduction. Problematical also is the part which lightning may have played 12 THE UNIVERSITY ScIENCE BULLETIN in cracking or dislodging rocks. Unconfirmed rumor has it that Castle Rock was so affected on at least one occasion. This, in- deed, would provide an acceptable explanation for the disappear- ance for the seemingly fairly stable knob at a on Plate I and II. Ample precedent for this supposition is found in the observations of several writers. Hallock, in 1901, described an actual instance of rock thoroughly shattered by a single stroke of lightning, and Bar- nett, in 1908, gave details on an occurrence of shattered rock best explained as a result of lightning. Andrée (1934) relates that a large stone block was dislodged from a point near the top of one of the pyramids of Egypt by lightning. More recently, Laudermilk and Kennard (1938) found that rocks could be split experimentally by artificial lightning. Footing the steep sides of Castle Rock and the Monument Rocks are short slopes of moderate declivity resembling miniature pedi- ments (cf. Bradley, 1940). These foot slopes provide a gradient on which the finer weathered material may be carried outward by rain wash and rill work. CONCLUSIONS Weathering and erosion of landforms carved in the Niobrara shale and chalk proceeds at a perceptible rate under the semiarid climatic regime of western Kansas. The rate of change varies in detail ac- cording to the lithology and structure of the rock. Within a period of a comparatively few thousand years, however, it is probable that many minor features will be obliterated, and the detailed lineaments of the landscape extensively modified. It is evident, nevertheless, that the carving of the broader features of the landscape—the mesas and the sloping plains—is an exceedingly slow process, to be reck- oned in terms of hundreds of thousands or millions of years, if the present rate of erosion is representative of longer spans of geologic time. It is possible, however, that the rate was somewhat greater during the more humid conditions which must have accompanied the glacial stages of the Pleistocene period, and that a dispropor- tionate part of the work of erosion took place under those conditions. SMITH: EROSIONAL MopIFICATION OF LANDMARKS 13 REFERENCES AnpreE, K. (1934), Der blitz als allgemein-geologischer Faktor und erdges- chichtliche Erscheinung: Schriften der Physikalischokonomischen Gesells- chaft zu Konigsberg 1. Pr., Bd. 68, H 2, pp. 111-158. Barnett, V. H. (1908), An example of disruption of rock by lightning on one of the Leucite Hills in Wyoming: Jour. Geol., Vol. 16, pp. 568-571. Braptey, W. H. (1940), Pediments and pedestals in miniature: Jour. Geomor- phology, Vol. 8, pp. 244-255. Bryan, Kirk, and La Rug, E. C. (1927), Persistence of features in an arid landscape: the Navajo Twins, Utah: Geog. Rev., Vol. 17, pp. 251-257. Fiora, S. D. (1932), Climatic summary of the United States—Section 40, Western Kansas: U.S. Dept. Agric., Weather Bureau. Frye, J. C., and Smiru, H. T. U. (1942), Preliminary observations on pediment- like slopes in the central High Plains: Jour. Geomorphology, Vol. 5, pp. 215-221. Hatiock, W. (1901), Peculiar effects due to a lightning discharge on Lake Champlain in August, 1900; Jour. Geol., Vol. 9, pp. 671-672. Hay, Roserr (1889), Northwest Kansas: its topography, geology, climate, and resources: Kan. St. Bd. Agric., 6th Bien. Rept. (for years 1887-’88), pp. 92-116 (note p. 102). LAvuDERMILK, J. D., and Kennarp, T. G. (1938), Concerning lightning spalling: Amer. Jour. Sci., Vol. 35, pp. 104-122. SmiryH, H. T, U. (1940), Notes on historic changes in stream courses of western Kansas, with a plea for additional data. Trans. Kan. Acad. Sci., Vol. 43, pp. 299-300. Wituiston, 8. W. (1893), The Niobrara Cretaceous of western Kansas: Trans. Kan. Acad. Sci., Vol. 13, pp. 107-111 (see Pl. opp. p. 108). WIturston, 8S. W, (1897), The Kansas Niobrara Cretaceous: Univ. Geol. Surv. of Kan., Vol. 2, pp. 237-246 (see also Pl. opp. p. 40). 7 a a 7 eu yi oa a 7 = ey en | _ 3% vy: oe t. age : A ‘a aa ; - i Ore are ae Va as oo > = 4 a a igs £ _ # ye _ * = -_ a . a ie ~~ ; ao we 2 so = ; 7 a r oe — 2 we - | > ap 4 a = | q i O ' y > > oan. ' ‘ am g a - Pp - oJ - ae 7 ; : - <2] 5 rn a, ; ee - : ; oy a : : = Ly os — Os * me = 4 an F 7 ae Aes bin ae -_ sg — a THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SCIENCE BULLETIN VoL. XXX, pt. I] — [No. 2 Mollusea of the Laverne Formation (Lower Pliocene) of Beaver County, Oklahoma A. BYRON LEONARD and DOROTHEA 58. FRANZEN, University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Asstrract: The molluscan fauna of the Laverne formation, lower Pliocene, is described. The mollusks as now known comprise 24 species belonging to 15 genera and 10 families. Eleven of the species are described as new: Amnico- hdae—Calipyrgula hibbardi, C. turricula, C. tumida, C. senta; Lymnaeidae— Lymnaea lavernensis; Planoribidae—Helisoma valens, H. goodrichi, H. paral- lelum; Ancylidae—Ferrissia depressus, F. angustus; Pupillidae—Gaslrocopta anterides. The literature concerning the formation is reviewed. The geology and the problem of the physical conditions prevailing during the deposition of the fossiliferous strata are discussed. INTRODUCTION HE name Laverne formation was first apphed to sediments ex- posed in Harper and Beaver counties, Oklahoma, by V. V. Waite in an unpublished manuscript quoted by Gould and Lons- dale (1926). Chaney and Elias (1936) studied the fossil plants of this formation in Beaver county, and proving to their own satis- faction that they were post-Miocene in age, referred to these beds as lower Pliocene deposits, but did not clarify their relationship to the Ogallala formation. Hesse (Chaney and Elias, 1936, pp. 47-51) reviewed the literature on the Laverne, and after studying the verte- brate fauna, classified these deposits as a zone in the Ogallala forma- tion. Smith (1940) recognized the presence of rocks which uncon- formably underlie typical Ogallala beds along the Cimarron river valley in Seward county, Kansas. Frye and Hibbard (1941) de- scribed these rocks in Meade and Seward counties, Kansas, and correlated them with the Laverne formation of Oklahoma. The Laverne formation was regarded by them as a distinct formation, (15) 16 THe UNIvERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN rather than a zone of the Ogallala, for the following reasons: ‘“(1) the unconformity that separates the Laverne from the Ogallala is the greatest break in sedimentation recorded in the Pliocene and Pleisto- cene section in the Meade basin. The beds of the Laverne dip at angles as great as fifteen degrees and are overlain by horizontal beds of the Ogallala; (2) the lithology of the Laverne is distinct from that of the overlying Ogallala—in fact, on a casual inspection these beds more closely resemble the underlying Cretaceous rocks than they do the Ogallala; and (3) it is a unit that is easily recogniz- able and mappable in the field.””. Frye and Hibbard, on the strength of these data and on the basis of the vertebrate fossils contained within the sediments, assign the Laverne formation to the lower Pliocene, but suggest the possibility that the lower part of the forma- tion may be upper Miocene in age. Dr. John C. Frye, Assistant Director, Kansas Geological Survey, comments (personal communication, 1943) upon the geology of the Laverne formation: “The stratigraphy of the Laverne formation has not yet been adequately studied. Available data indicate that, in general, the lower part of the formation is composed domi- nantly of sandstone and shale, and the upper part consists largely of shale, silt, chalky lmestone, and hmestone. Most of the beds seem to be discontinuous and cannot be traced over the entire area, although certain types of lithology are characteristic and persistent. Hard, fine-grained limestone is the most resistant rock type and is prominently exposed along canyon sides; chalky limestone is well exposed in a few places and has been quarried locally for building stone; shale is best exposed where it occurs under ledges of dipping limestone; sandstone is best known from test holes; although the coarse-textured, locally derived channel deposits are well exposed at some localities in Beaver county, Oklahoma. The Laverne formation as studied in Kansas and in Beaver county, Oklahoma, consists of 25 to 40 percent sandstone, 30 to 50 percent shale and silt, and 20 to 30 percent limestone and chalky limestone. The total thickness of the formation probably exceeds 150 feet.” During the summers of 1941 and 1942, the senior author was afforded an opportunity of making a collection of mollusks from exposures of the Laverne formation near Gate, Beaver county, Ok- lahoma. Not more than a total of a day’s time was available for study in the field, but three localities were selected for further study, and from each of them several large grain sacks of the matrix containing molluscan remains were taken. These three collecting LEONARD AND FRANZEN: LAVERNE MOLLUSCA 17 stations, from which were recovered the shells which form the basis of this report, are located south and southwest of Gate, Okla- homa. Locality 2. Five and a half miles south of Gate, in S. 32, T. 4N, R. 28E, where the Laverne is exposed in a road cut. The beds, which dip strongly at this place, consist largely of grayish-green shale and sandy silt, interbedded with thin strata containing car- bonized material and fossilized wood. Locality 3. Six and a half miles south, one half mile west of Gate, in 8. 5, T. 3N, R. 28E. This exposure, along the sides of a dry eulch, consists of reddish-gray, slightly sandy, fine silt overlain with cherty limestone. Locality 4. Six and a half miles south, two and one-half miles west of Gate, in 8. 1, T. 3N, R. 27E, where bluish-gray shale is exposed on the sides of an eroded canyon. Although at present further field studies are impossible, it seems expedient to make the results of our preliminary study of the La- verne molluscan fauna available to those who may find them of value in stratigraphic and faunal studies in southwestern Kansas, western Oklahoma, and surrounding areas. This molluscan fauna is totally unlike any previous reported from the High Plains Ter- tiary deposits. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We wish to express our appreciation to Doctor H. H. Lane, Di- rector, and to Doctor C. W. Hibbard, Curator, of the Museum of Vertebrate Paleontology, Kansas University Museum of Natural History, who generously supplied facilities for collecting and study- ing the molluscan fauna herein reported; to Mr. Calvin Goodrich, Doctor Henry van der Schalie and Doctor Elmer G. Berry, Museum of Zodlogy, the University of Michigan; Mr. Henry A. Pilsbry, the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences; Doctor Stanley T. Brooks, Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh; Doctor William Clench, Mu- seum of Comparative Zodlogy, Harvard; and to Doctor Paul Bartsch, of the National Museum, for their kind assistance with spe- cific systematic problems. 2—1838 18 THE UNIverRSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN SYSTEMATIC DESCRIPTION PELECYPODA Unitonipae (d’Orbigny) Ortmann Unio sp. (?) The beds in which Waite (Chaney and Elias, op. cit., p. 50) states that . . . “clam shells are found in abundance,” have not been found by us, but near locality 3, a few poorly preserved individuals of some species of fresh-water mussel were found in sandy silt below limestone ledges. One of the better of these shells was submitted to Doctor Henry van der Schalie, of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, who commented (personal com- munications, 1943), “The fresh-water specimen is clearly a mussel, but just where it should be placed is very uncertain. There are practically no characters on which to base a diagnosis . . . to judge from its general appearance . . . it is not an Anodonta but more closely related to some of the many forms of so-called Unio which are known from these fresh-water deposits of the western plains and foot-hills.” SPHAERIDAE Dall Musculium Link Musculium sp.; Plate IV, Fig. 3. A few fragmentary shells, recognizable as belonging to the genus Musculium, but too poorly -preserved to allow specific determina- tion, were found associated with Pisidiwm. Pisidium C. Pfeiffer Pisidium abditum Haldemann; Plate IV, Fig. 1. Pisidium noveboracense Prime; Plate IV, Fig. 2. These two rather well-defined forms of Pisidium were submitted to Doctor Stanley T. Brooks of the Carnegie Museum, who identi- fied them, but commented (personal communication, 1943), “Abso- lute species are a rarity in the Sphaerids. They are ecological groups today; (Pisidium) abditum is not a species but the name of the pat- tern of those belonging to one group. . . . So with novebora- cense.” ‘These species of Sphaeriidae are not numerous in the three localities from which our collections were made, but field observa- tions indicate them to be locally abundant. LEONARD AND FRANZEN: LAVERNE MOoLLUSCA 19 GASTROPODA VIVIPARIDAE (Gray) Gill Viriparus Montfort Viviparus sp.; Plate A, Fig. 6. A few broken shells, identified by Mr. Calvin Goodrich of the Museum of Zodlogy, University of Michigan, are Viviparus; how- ever, specific characters are lacking. AMNICOLIDAE (Tryon) Gill Calipyrgula Pilsbry Calipyrgula hibbardi sp. nov.; Plate IV, Fig. 7. Holotype. Number 980, Molluscan Collection, University of Kansas Museum of Natural History. Horizon and type locality. Laverne formation, lower Pliocene, locality No. 3, six and one-half miles south, one-half mile west of Gate, Beaver county, Oklahoma. Diagnosis. An amnicolid snail of small size, with 7 strongly con- vex whorls, wound on the elongate spire typical of the genus. Cali- pyrgula hibbardi differs from C. ellipsostoma Pilsbry, to which it seems most closely related, by its larger size, more strongly convex whorls, deeply incised suture, conspicuous vertical striations, and more broadly oval aperture. Description of holotype. Shell small, subperforate; whorls 7, strongly convex; suture deeply incised; whorls increase gradually in size; shape of shell narrowly conic; apex chtuse; first wher! coiled in single plane; height of spire equal to about one-half of total height of shell; body whorl somewhat inflated; peristome broadly oval; lip thin, simple, and continuous, reflected on parietal wall and cver umbilical chink; aperture height equal to one-fourth total height of shell; nuclear whorl smooth; remaining whorls embellished with fine, closely spaced, raised lines; spiral lines below periphery fine, scarcely visible even with magnification. Aperture Aperture Number of Height Diameter height diameter whorls RY Den (O80) okie seca ets ae 4.1mm 1.6mm. 1.0mm 0.6mm if Paratype (981) ....... 4.2 1.6 183 0.8 7 3.9 1.4 12 0.7 6% 3.2 1.4 ileal 0.8 6 Paratype series, MZUM 162683.1 1. All numbers prefixed by MZUM indicate paratype series deposited in the Museum of Zodlogy, the University of Michigan. 20 THE UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN Calipyrgula hibbardi is named in honor of Doctor Claude W. Hibbard, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology, University of Kansas. Calipyrgula turricula sp. nov.; Plate IV, Fig. 4. Holotype. Number 982, Molluscan Collection, Kansas University Museum of Natural History. Horizon and type locality. Laverne formation, lower Pliocene, locality No. 2, five and one-half miles south of Gate, Beaver county, Oklahoma. Diagnosis. A species with elongate conic shell, small, but among the larger known species of the genus. Calipyrgula turricula may be differentiated from C. hibbardi by its larger size, larger number of whorls (8), and by its relatively coarse vertical striations. Description of holotype. Shell small, subperforate, turreted; whorls, 8; apex somewhat obtuse; nuclear whorl! slightly projecting; remaining whorls strongly and evenly convex, increasing regularly in size; suture deeply impressed; spire equals scarcely one-half the total height; peristome oval; lip thin, sharp, and continuous, scarcely reflected over the small umbilical chink; aperture slightly less than a third of total height; nuclear whorl unmarked, or but slightly granular; remaining whorls embellished with transverse striations which become coarser as the whorls increase in size, while upon the penultimate and body whorls the striations are fused into irregular corrugations; faint spiral lines present below periphery on body and penultimate whorls; columella a simple spiral column. ) Aperture Aperture Number of Height Diameter height diameter whorls Abjore: (OEP) Sooo adeoces 6.6mm. 2.2mm. 2.1mm. 1.1mm. 8 Paratype (983) ....... 6.5 2.5 2.0 1.4 7 5.3 2.0 1.6 1.3 a 4.8 1.8 13 tes? 7 Paratype series MZUM 162684. Spiral lines, scarcely apparent on the shell selected as the type, are lacking on many of our paratypes, and when present, are invari- ably inconspicuous. The transverse, raised striations vary from numerous fine lines to coarse corrugations, both among individual shells, and upon different parts of the same shell. Calipyrgula tumida sp. nov.; Plate IV, Fig. 9. Holotype. Number 984, Molluscan Collection, Kansas University Museum of Natural History. Horizon and type locality. Laverne formation, lower Pliocene, locality No. 2, five and one-half miles south of Gate, Beaver county, Oklahoma. LEONARD AND FRANZEN: LAVERNE MOoLLusca 2 Diagnosis. Similar to Calipyrgula turricula, but differentiated from it by the obesity of the body whorl, and more broadly conic profile, and by the relatively larger.and more elongate aperture. Description of holotype. Shell small, subperforate, whorls 614, strongly convex; suture deeply impressed; whorls increase rapidly giving shell a conic shape; apex obtuse; first one and a half whorls coiled in same plane; nucleus projecting slightly; spire occupying about two-fifths of total height; body whorls strongly inflated; di- ameter approximately one-half total height, peristome oval; lip thin, sharp, continuous, scarcely reflected over the small umbilical chink; aperature height equal to about two-fifths of total height; nuclear whorl smooth; remaining whorls marked with fine, closely spaced transverse striations, which on the body whorl are fused to form faint, irregular ridges; spiral lines poorly developed; columella a simple spiral column. Aperture Aperture Number of Height Diameter height diameter whorls div en(O84)ie ee cease. 5.6mm. 2.7mm. 2.1mm. 1.5mm. 6% Paratype (985) ....... 5.0 2.6 1.8 1.6 6 4.5 253 17 1.2 6 4.1 ed Sel 3 6 Paratype series MZUM 162685. Although the relative obesity of the body whorl is a constant fea- ture of this species, there is a greater range of size than is found among other known species of the genus. Vertical striations vary from closely spaced, fine, raised lines to aggregations which form low ridges, especially on the lower whorls. Spiral lines are invariably inconspicuous and frequently wanting. Calipyrgula senta sp. nov.; Plate IV, Fig. 8. Holotype. Number 986, Molluscan Collection, Kansas University Museum of Natural History. Horizon and type locality. Laverne formation, lower Pliocene, locality No. 3, six and one-half miles south and one-half mile west of Gate, Beaver county, Oklahoma. Diagnosis. In general form, Calipygula senta is intermediate be- tween the narrow, elongate C. turricula and the more broadly conie C. tumida. A series of spinous excrescences of variable number, set on a spiral ridge on the periphery, and which may occur on any whorl save the nucleus, and often paralleled below by a low an- gulate spiral ridge serves to distinguish C. senta from both C. tur- ricula and C. tumida, as well as from other known species of the genus. Description of holotype. Shell small, subperforate, turreted; 22, TuHeE UNIVERSITY ScIENCE BULLETIN whorls, 7; strongly convex, increasing regularly in size; suture deeply incised; spire occupying two-thirds of total height; diameter of the scarcely inflated body whorl equal to about two-fifths of the total height; peristome oval; lip thin, sharp, continuous, reflected over small umbilical chink; nuclear whorl smooth; remaining whorls marked with fine, closely spaced transverse striations which be- come heavier on the body whorl; penultimate and body whorls con- spicuously embellished with widely spaced, heavy conical spines, united at their bases by a spiral ridge; spines of body whorl paral- leled below by a low, angulate ridge; columella a simple spiral column. Aperture Aperture Number of Height Diameter height diameter whorls Ry; pe< (986) ieee see oe 4.8mm. 2.2mm. 1.5mm. 1.2mm. 7 Paratype (987) ....... 4.7 Bs 1.6 12 6% 4.7 PsP 1.6 Well 6% 4.7 Py ae 1.6 Weal 6 Paratype series MZUM 162686. Mature specimens of Calipyrgula senta vary little in contour or dimensions, but the number and distribution of the spinelike excres- cences is subject to considerable variation; the spines may appear on all whorls save the nuclear whorls, or they may be limited to the body whorl. On occasional examples the spines are obsolete or com- pletely wanting, although in the latter case, the spiral ridge remains as a constant feature. The larger spines are hollow. The angulation below the periphery in some specimens is well defined, in others not well defined, or entirely absent. The angulation varies from a reg- ular to a wrinkled, contorted ridge. ; LyMNAEIDAE Broderip Lymnaea Lamarck Lymnaea lavernensis sp. nov.; Plate IV, Fig. 11. Holotype. Number 988, Molluscan Collection, Kansas University Museum of Natural History. Horizon and type locality. Laverne formation, lower Pliocene, locality No. 4, six and one-half miles south, two and one-half miles west of Gate, Beaver county, Oklahoma. Diagnosis. A large, bulimiform species, with short spire and in- flated body whorl. The surface is typically embellished with strong vertical raised lines, and often with spiral ridges as well, producing an effect of malleation. Lymnaea lavernensis somewhat resembles L. magister (Baker) in size and general shape, but differs from that species in the greater proportionate size and degree of inflation of the body whorl, and in the relatively larger aperture. LEONARD AND FRANZEN: LAVERNE MOLuLUSCA 23 Description of holotype. Shell large, ovate, inflated, bulimiform, almost imperforate; apex acute, whorls of the spire moderately con- vex; body whorl large, inflated, occupying about two-thirds of total height; suture shallow, incised; the one and one-half nuclear whorls elevated, uniformly and finely granular; remaining surface verti- cally striate; striae fine and numerous on upper whorls of spire, becoming coarser toward the body whorl upon which they form corrugations; rather coarse, parallel spiral ridges crossing the verti- cal striations produce an effect of malleation upon the fifth and sixth, and first half of body whorl. Aperture elongate oval, height exceeding half the total height of shell; aperture about half as wide as high; peristome thin, simple, continuous; broadly reflected over the umbilical chink. Aperture Aperture Number of Height Diameter height diameter whorls My WOn (GSS): wys1kis Sasa 0s 34.6mm. 19.8mm. 18.5mm. 9.6mm. 7 Paratype (989) ....... 39.7 22.5 24.8 11.9 7 31.6 18.9 Nfs? 10.0 6 28.1 15.8 16.6 8.6 642 21.4 12.6 12.6 6.0 6 Paratype series MZUM 162687. This large Lymnaea, named from the Laverne formation, forms a characteristic and conspicuous feature of the fossil remains con- tained in these deposits. The species is found in deposits of silt, limestone, and shale, and so far as now known, ranges throughout a great part of the total beds of the formation. The bearing this fact may have on the ecological tolerance of this species has not been adequately studied. So far as known, Lymnaea magister (Baker), which appears somewhat closely related to L. lavernensis, is restricted in its distri- bution to Tule Lake, Modoc county, California (Baker, 1934). The geographical remoteness, as well as the separation in time, makes it difficult to determine whether the similarities in the appearance of L. lavernensis and L. magister are genetic or fortuitous. The apparent wide extremes in size among examples of Lymnaea lavernensis are due largely to differences in degree of maturity. The surface sculpture of the shells of this species consists of verti- cal striations composed of fine, closely spaced, raised lines, or of more widely spaced, heavier ridges which give the surface a ribbed appearance. An effect of malleation is produced on some shells by heavy spiral ridges which intersect those extending vertically. The whorls of the spire are usually of no more than moderate con- vexity and separated by a shallow suture, but in certain examples, the suture is more deeply impressed, and the whorls strongly shoul- dered. 24 THe UNIversITy ScrieENCE BULLETIN Pseudosuccinea F. C. Baker Pseudosuccinea columella (Say); Plate IV, Fig. 12. A large series of Pseudosuccinea from the Laverne formation com- pares well with typical P. columella except for being somewhat smaller. It is not possible to say whether the Laverne Pseudosuc- cinea is a small race of columella, or whether the larger specimens have not been recovered because of their fragility. The transverse striations are typically developed, but the heavy, indented spiral lines mentioned by Baker (1911, p. 166), are very faint or entirely absent. Pseudosuccinea is well represented in a number of localities where the Laverne formation is exposed, and in certain places it is the predominating species. PLANORBIDAE H. A. Adams Helisoma Swainson Helisoma antrosum (Conrad); Plate V, Fig. 23. This species is found in considerable numbers in various deposits in the Laverne formation. It is by far the most numerous of the planorbid snail remains and in actual numbers is rivaled only by the various species of Calipyrgula. In form and sculpture the examples studied are quite typical of the shells of living Helisoma antrosum, but average somewhat smaller, the largest individuals attaining a diameter of scarcely 8.0 mm. Helisoma valens sp. nov.; Plate V, Fig. 24. Holotype. Number 992, Molluscan Collection, Kansas University Museum of Natural History. Horizon and type locality. Laverne formation, lower Pliocene, locality No. 4, six and one-half miles south, two and one-half miles west of Gate, Beaver county, Oklahoma. Diagnosis. A helicoid snail of 44% whorls, approximating Heli- soma antrosum (Conrad) in size, but differing from that species in several respects: the spire is less depressed; the whorls are convex, rather than carinate; the umbilicus is deeply and narrowly de- pressed; the sculpture is less conspicuous and the shell is heavier. Description of holotype. Shell strong, of moderate size, ultra- sinistral, whorls 41%, increasing rapidly in size; spire somewhat de- pressed; all whorls visible above; nuclear whorl rounded, granular; remaining whorls convex; periphery rounded; umbilical deeply de- pressed, narrow; nuclear whorl partially concealed; surface sculp- tured with rather fine, obliquely transverse striations, somewhat LEONARD AND FRANZEN: LAVERNE MOLLUSCA PAB) coarser below; aperture subtriangular somewhat expended, its width greater than axial height of shell; peristome simple, thickened; terminations approaching and connected across parietal wall with a heavy callus; two rest periods indicated by heavy scars. Greater Lesser Axial Width of Height of No. of diameter diameter height peristome peristome whorls Apmarere(OP)): Fee eee 10.0mm. 7.6mm. 4.3mm. 5.3mm. 3.3mm. 4% Paratype (993) ..... Chas 5.6 one: 4.3 2.2 4 Helisoma valens is quite unlike any other planorbid from the Laverne formation or from the overlying Pleistocene deposits, and does not appear closely related to H. trivolvis, the only representa- tive of the genus living in the region today. Unlike the other planorbids of the Laverne deposits which are represented by adequate series of specimens, H. valens is known only from the type and a single paratype. Helisoma goodrichi sp. nov.; Plate V, Fig. 22. Holotype. Number 994, Molluscan Collection, Kansas University Museum of Natural History. Horizon and type locality. Laverne formation, lower Pliocene, locality No. 3, six and one-half miles south, one-half mile west of Gate, Beaver county, Oklahoma. Diagnosis. A small species, bearing the characters of the Piero- soma group of Helisoma. ‘he 4 whorls are subangulate above, convex below, except the nucleus, which is flattened. There is some resemblance to immature examples of H. carribaeum (d’Orbigny). Holotype. Shell small, ultrasinistral, whorls 4, increasing regu- larly from the nuclear whorl] to the aperture; spire depressed; cavity of the spire broadly open exhibiting the convexity of all whorls; nuclear whorl almost flat; remaining whorls subangulate above, convex below, periphery rounded; umbilical cavity not as deeply depressed as cavity of spire, broadly open exhibiting all whorls except nuclear whorl which is partly concealed; surface sculptured with fine, transverse, closely spaced striations, bent obliquely back- ward on base and becoming coarser on last half of body whorl; aperture high, lunate; peristome thin, simple, subangulate above, rounded at the periphery and straightened below; terminations re- flected on parietal wall, approaching but not continuous. Greater Lesser Axial Number of diameter diameter height whorls Meet (S94)) ee ioc ct. neice 4.3mm. 3.6mm. 2.0mm. 4 Paraoynoen (G95) messes ese 4.5 3.8 2.0 334 4.1 ayab) 220 3% 4.0 3.4 1.9 3% Bod 2.8 1G 3% Paratype series MZUM 162688. 26 Tue University ScIENCE BULLETIN This small species of Helisoma does not resemble any other plan- orbid known from the High Plains area. Mr. Calvin Goodrich, who examined a series, (personal communication, 1943) suggested a possible relationship with H. carribaeum (d’Orbigny). Even on the assumption that our collection is composed entirely of immature shells, which to us seems unlikely, the relationship to H. carribaeum seems obscure. The angular contour of the aperture and the de- pressed, almost funicular cavity above the spire in H. goodrichi add credence to our view. Helisoma goodrichi occurs in deposits with H. antroswm Conrad, to which it does not seem closely related, but in much smaller numbers. Helisoma goodrichi is named in honor of Mr. Calvin Goodrich of the Museum of Zodlogy, University of Michigan. Helisoma parallelum sp. nov.; Plate V, Fig. 16. Holotype. Number 996, Molluscan Collection, Kansas University Museum of Natural History. Horizon and type locality. Laverne formation, lower Plocene, locality No. 3, six and one-half miles south, one-half mile west of Gate, Beaver county, Oklahoma. Diagnosis. A minute species, similar in certain respects to Heli- soma goodrich, but its distinctive surface sculpture of parallel raised lines, the lack of carination of the whorls, and the strong callus which connects the terminations of the peristome across the parietal wall, differentiates H. parallelum from H. goodrichi. Description of Holotype. Shell small, ultrasinistral; whorls, 3 (shell apparently immature), tightly coiled, increasing regularly from the nuclear whorl to the aperture; spire depressed, cavity of the spire exhibiting all the volutions; nuclear whorl almost flat; re- maining whorls convex, periphery rounded; umbilical cavity not as deeply depressed as cavity of spire, broadly open, exhibiting all the whorls; surface covered with fine, transverse, closely spaced stria- tions, bent obliquely backward on the base, with parallel, raised, spiral lines superimposed upon them; aperture high, rhomboidal, of same width as body whorl; peristome thin, simple, ends approaching and connected across the parietal wall by a conspicuous callus. Greater Lesser Axial Number of diameter diameter height whorls AL Aoren (i) sarees anaoias ene 2.1mm. 1.8mm. 1.0mm, 3+ Jefeninyory (CLV) G ogomonoocess eal 1.6 1.0 3 1.9 15 0.9 234 hee hee? 0.8 2% LEONARD AND FRANZEN: LAVERNE MOLLUSCA Dt Helisoma parallelum was recovered from deposits containing H. antrosum (Conrad) and H. goodrichi. The species is now known only from the type and the three paratypes, all of which are ob- viously immature. Gyraulus sp.; Plate IV, Fig. 5. A broken shell bearing the obvious characters of the genus, but damaged so as to make specific determination impossible, together with a few very immature shells constitute the only evidence of Cyraulus thus far discovered in the Laverne deposits. ANcYLIDAE Menke Ferrissia Walker Ferrissia depressus sp. nov.; Plate V, Fig. 19. Holotype. Number 1005, Molluscan Collection, Kansas Univer- sity Museum of Natural History. Horizon and type locality. Laverne formation, lower Plhocene, locality No. 3, six and one-half miles south, one-half mile west of Gate, Beaver county, Oklahoma. Diagnosis. A small depressed patelliform, obovate, very thin and fragile shell. Its small size, depressed spire, and fragile shell differ- entiate Ferrissia depressus from other known North American spe- cies of the genus. Description of the Holotype. Shell small, thin, very fragile, patelliform, depressed, obovate, slightly wider anteriorly; lateral margins convex, anterior and posterior margins regularly rounded; anterior slope slightly convex, lateral slopes concave, especially posteriorly, posterior slope concave; nucleus heavy, its outline apparent; apex scarcely elevated, rounded, deflected shghtly toward the right, and located about one-third of the length of the shell from the posterior end; apex radially striate, striations almost ob- solete on remainder of shell; concentric growth lines very fine; sur- face of shell glossy. Length Diameter Height Mey DernCl OOS) Re. om Sete anes ake css 2.9mm. 1.9mm. 0.7mm. JELMaminyg oye GK 00) eta teioaeeis Meecaoe eee 222 ES 0.5 Dea, 1.4 0.4 The two paratypes, although immature and somewhat smaller than the type, otherwise bear the characters of the type with little or no variation. Ferrissia angustus sp. nov.; Plate V, Fig. 20, 21. 28 Tue UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN Holotype. Number 999, Molluscan Collection, Kansas University Museum of Natural History. Horizon and type locality. Laverne formation, lower Pliocene, locality No. 3, six and one-half miles south, one-half mile west of Gate, Beaver county, Oklahoma. Diagnosis. A small species with laterally compressed, nearly parallel sides, and relatively high spire. Ferrissia angustus is dis- tinguished from F. depressus by its narrower outline, parallel rather than convex side, and higher spire. Its small size, narrowness, and relative height differentiate F. angustus from other known North American species of the genus. Description of the holotype. Shell small, thin, fragile, patelliform, elevated, narrow, elongated, wider anteriorly; lateral margins almost parallel, the left nearly straight, the right curving medially pos- teriorly; anterior margin evenly rounded; posterior margin asym- metrically rounded, deflected toward the left; anterior slope rounded, right slope straight, posterior slope slightly concave, left slope convex anteriorly, slightly concave posteriorly; apex scarcely elevated, rounded, slightly deflected toward the right, and about a third of the length of the shell from the posterior end. Apex radially striate, striations faintly visible over remainder of shell; concentric growth lines very fine, giving the surface a silky texture. Length Diameter Height Type 4(999) artis aoppey ters cere tease 2.9mm. 1.5mm. 0.9mm. RaratypemClOOWMe secmrmeren tetera cae 2.9 ee gil 2.9 1.8 0.9 PARE RS 0.8 The shells of Ferrissia angustus vary in several respects. The lateral margins are straight and almost parallel to slightly rounded; the posterior margin is symmetrically or asymmetrically rounded; the radial striations vary from distinct to scarcely visible markings; on some shells the concentric growth lines are very fine and closely spaced while on others they are somewhat heavier. In a few ex- amples the peristome is reénforced within by a parallel callus growth, somewhat removed from the margin. Puysipak Dall Physa Haldemann Physa hawni Lea; Plate IV, Fig. 10. Our collections contain only a few immature shells identified by Dr. William Clench, Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. LEONARD AND FRANZEN: LAVERNE MOLLUSCA 29 ZONITIDAE Pfeiffer Hawaiia Gude Hawaiia miniscula (Binney); Plate V, Fig. 15. Three shells are assigned to this species. The fossils are identi- cal, except for their smaller size, with typical Hawaza miniscula (Binney) which lives in the area today. PupiILuiparE Turton Gastrocopta Wollaston Gastrocopta anterides sp. nov.; Plate V, Fig. 17. Holotype. Number 1002, Mulluscan Collection, Kansas Univer- sity Museum of Natural History. Horizon and type locality. Laverne formation, lower Pliocene, locality No. 3, six and one-half miles south, one-half mile west of Gate, Beaver county, Oklahoma. Diagnosis. Gastrocopta anterides is a small, ovate species, the shell composed of 5 moderately convex whorls. The anguloparietal lamella extends from the outer margin of the peristome to the throat of the aperture where it ends in a pyramidal buttress. The col- umellar lamella is horizontally compressed, and turned down within; the basal is missing or at most weakly developed; lower palatal and upper palatal folds set on a callus not deeply immersed. This combination of characters distinguishes G. anterides from other known species of the genus and leaves its relationships enigmatical. Description of holotype. Shell small, perforate, conic-ovate in form; whorls 5, moderately convex, increasing regularly in size, ex- cept the last which is compressed around the axis; suture sharply incised, but not deep; aperture obliquely oblong; peristome thin, sharp, margins approaching and connected across parietal wall by thin callus; the one and one-half nuclear whorls nonstriated, gran- ular; remaining whorls marked with fine, closely spaced, oblique striations; denticles 5: the angular projecting as a small spur from the well fused anguloparietal, the tooth extending from the inner margin of the angular lp of the peristome to a point opposite the columellar lamella, terminating in a strong pyramidal buttress; col- umellar lamella well developed, horizontally compressed around the axis, 1ts Inner termination turned downward; basal fold feebly de- veloped; lower palatal dentiform, somewhat laterally compressed, diminishing as it extends inward; upper palatal fold nodose, weakly developed; palatal folds set on a callus which bears faint suggestions 30 Tue University ScreENcE BULLETIN of two interpalatal plicae; the callus appears also as a low external ridge. Aperture Aperture Number of Height Diameter height diameter whorls Type (1002) se... 2.9mm. 1.9mm. 1.08 mm. 0.99 mm. 5.0 The two paratypes of Gastrocopta anterides, except for a few slight variations in the development of the denticles, are identical with the type. The anguloparietal and the columellar lamellae are invariable, but in the one specimen the basal fold is feebly de- veloped, as in the type, in the other nodose. The interpalatal folds are missing in one example, although the callus between the upper and lower palatals is persistent; in this specimen there is an indenta- tion of the angular portion of the peristome suggestive of the angle so characteristic of Vertigo. Gastrocopta riograndensis Sterki; Plate V, Fig. 14. A small series of shells, although varying in minor details, is re- ferred to Gastrocopta riograndensis Sterki. This species has not been found living in the region today and it has not been recovered from local Pleistocene deposits. Vertigo Drapernaud Vertigo ovata Say; Plate V, Fig. 18. These shells, represented in our collections by a small series, com- pare favorably with typical Vertigo ovata Say. This snail is com- mon in local Pleistocene deposits, but the genus is not represented among the living species of this area. Pupoides Pfeiffer Pupoides marginatus (Say); Plate V, Fig. 18. A single specimen which compares favorably with the forms re- covered from near-by Pleistocene deposits constitutes the only rec- ord of this species from the Laverne formation. The type of gastropod life one should find associated with flood plain forest as postulated by Chaney and Elias (op. cit. pp. 25-34) is not in evidence from the collections thus far made. These five species mentioned above, none of which are found in an aquatic environment, constitute the only indication of a terrestrial gastropod fauna. All are represented by a small series and all are small enough to float long distances; that is to say, their presence does not necessarily point to near-by shores. LEONARD AND FRANZEN: LAVERNE MOLLUSCA alt DISCUSSION A conspicuous feature of the Laverne formation is a zone of diato- maceous marl which has been studied in Seward county, Kansas, by Frye and Hibbard (1941, pp. 402-403) and in Beaver county, Okla- homa, by Chaney and Elias (op. cit., pp. 14-15). Thirty-seven species and varieties of diatoms are known from the Beaver county deposits, of which 12 percent occur among the 34 species and varie- ties known from the Seward county marls. According to Doctor Kx. E. Lohman (Frye and Hibbard, op. cit., p. 403) the diatom flora of Seward county “. contains a large number of species that live in saline waters at the present time and their occurrence in the beds in Seward county suggests very strongly that they were depos- ited under similar conditions.” Below the diatomacéous mar] an ostracod species, Cyprideis littoralis (Brady), is present in large numbers. Doctor Willis L. Tressler, of the University of Maryland, who identified the ostracod shields, commented (Frye and Hibbard, op. eit., p. 401): “This form is a species which occurs at the present time in brackish lakes, particularly along the margins.” Thus it seems well established that the sediments comprising the diatoma- ceous marls were deposited under brackish water conditions. In spite of the present inadequate knowledge of the stratigraphy of the Laverne formation, it seems fairly certain that the fossilifer- ous zones from which our molluscan collections were made, occur above the diatomaceous marl. Following the same line of thought as that applied to the diatoms and ostracods, and applying it to an interpretation of the molluscan fauna, it seems apparent that ecolog- ical conditions in the ancient Laverne basin underwent a change following the deposition of the diatomaceous marl, and that the mol- lusks lived, not under brackish, but under fresh-water conditions. The four mollusean species which are present in greatest numbers in the Laverne sediments are Helisoma antrosum (Conrad), Cali- pyrgula turricula, Pseudosuccinea columella (Say), and Lymnaea lavernensis. The success of the species apparently indicates fresh- water streams or freshwater ponds. According to Baker (1928, p. 319) Helisoma antrosum is “. primarily a river and creek species, not living in the large lakes. . . . In the Wisconsin river it lives along shore and shallow water on debris of various kinds.” Although the genus Calipyrgula Pilsbry has no known living species, it seems probable that its Laverne representatives lived in quiet, fresh water. Pilsbry (1934, p. 542), in attempting to reconstruct the conditions under which the Kettleman Hills fauna lived, says, 32 Tue UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN “The great number of shells of some Amnicolidae indicate an abun- dant aquatic flora, as these snails are most copiously developed when there are masses of filamentous algae and leafy water plants on the bottom. Such growths do not occur in deep water.” The same argument seems applicable to the great numbers of Calipyrgula in the Laverne, which indicates that they probably lived in shallow, ponded, waters. This argument is substantiated by the presence in the deposits of zygote capsules of some species of Chara, as yet not identified. Pseudosuccinea columella (Say) “Is an inhabitant of ponds and streams where the water is more or less stagnant; a lo- cality with an abundance of lily pads is particularly favorable; it is found also along the shores in shallow water in the vicinity of cat-tails (Typha) and other reeds. . . . Rarely found in running water” (Baker, op. cit. p. 276). Lymnaea lavernensis, so far as known an extinct species, is found throughout a wide vertical range in the Laverne sediments above the marl, which may indicate ex- treme ecological tolerance, but the known facts about the large living species of Lymnaea indicate that this species was probably an inhabitant of freshwater streams or ponds. The remaining aquatic molluscan species, none of which are well represented numerically in the deposits, were likewise inhabitants of freshwater streams or ponds, and without an especial tolerance for brackish-water conditions, if one may judge from the behavior of their living representatives or relatives. Associated with mollusean fauna were found fish scales, fish verte- brae, and other small bones, identified by Doctor Claude W. Hib- bard, Curator of the Museum of Paleontology, University of Kan- sas, as the remains of gar, other teleost fish, and amphibians, respec- tively. Even though this fragmentary material does not permit specific identification, it does serve as additional evidence toward the building up of a picture of freshwater conditions during the time the Laverne malluscan fauna was living. The beavers are indicative of the presence of permanent streams, although not confined to them, as pointed out by Hesse (Chaney and Elias, op. cit., p. 70). Chaney and Elias (idem., p. 16) also report among the Laverne flora, the eat-tail, (Typha) which is not known to live in brackish water. These authors, with regard to physical conditions indicated by the Beaver county fossil flora, suggest that the trees constituted a flood plain forest (idem. pp. 25-34) similar to that which exists along the streams in eastern Oklahoma today; in fact they conclude from their observations that the minimum annual rainfall was in excess LEONARD AND FRANZEN: LAVERNE MOLLUSCA 33 of 30 inches. According to their interpretation of the flora, the ab- sence of evergreen oaks indicates that the rainfall was concentrated during the warmer months as is the case in Oklahoma at the present time. The average temperature was considered by them to have been somewhat higher than it is in western Oklahoma today. On the other hand, the presence of spines on the shell of Calipyr- gula senta may indicate brackish water conditions in the Laverne after the deposition of the marl, at least locally. It has been shown by Boycott (1929) that Hyrobia jenkenst Smith when living in fresh water is devoid of spines, but when this snail is placed in brackish water, its offspring develop spiney excresences. Doctor Henry van der Schalie, Assistant Curator, Division of Mollusca, Museum of Zodlogy, University of Michigan (personal communi- ‘ation, 1943) observed in Puerto Rico that Potamopyrgus coronatus Pfeiffer, which is embellished with a series of compressed spines, often inhabits brackish water. Aguayo (1938) mentions Potamopyr- gus as an inhabitant of brackish estuaries in Cuba, although he does not comment on the spines in relation to habitat. From avail- able data it seems that there may be a correlation between brackish- water environments and the appearance of spines on the shells of snails. The data indicating fresh-water conditions and those which indicate the possibility of brackish-water environments need not necessarily be viewed as mutually contradictory. It was the opinion of Waite (Chaney and Elias, op. cit. p. 50) “. . . that the for- mation represents a series of small lakes, perhaps similar to the present lakes in northern Indiana. This suggestion is tentatively made for the reason that the formation is scattered and has a varia- tion in lithologic character even though the outcrops are only a short distance apart. The fauna, too, indicates small separate bodies of water. For instance, at one locality, clam shells are found in abundance and not in others. In one locality, fossils were much larger than in others. At another place, a great number of leaves were found. A two-inch seam of peat was found at still another place. These facts would indicate small bodies of water either iso- lated or connected in which the conditions in one place were dif- ferent in another and thus the cause for variety of fossils both in size and species.” Chaney and Elias, while not fully in accord with Waite’s inter- pretation, agree that his concept of the physical conditions during the deposition of the Laverne sediments is in the main correct. A similar concept of conditions prevailing during early Pliocene 3—1838 34. Tue University ScreNcE BULLETIN times is held by Doctor John C. Frye (personal communication, 1943), who accounts for the presence of saline water by an interest- ing hypothesis: “Deposits constituting the Laverne formation were deposited in channels, on flood plains, and in discontinuous or partly connected lakes. . . . The lithology of the chalky limestone and the con- tained diatoms and ostracodes (Frye and Hibbard, op. cit., pp. 401- 403) indicate that the lakes in which these deposits accumulated con- tained brackish water. This seems to imply a semiarid to arid climate for this region during early Pliocene time. It is possible, however, that the brackish water condition in these lakes was caused by upward migration of brines from the Permian salt beds under- lying the area. This hypothesis is given some credence by the fact that throughout most of this area the Laverne strata are folded, and dips of as much as 15 degrees have been measured. If this folding was in part due to solutional phenomena or if the lakes in which these sediments were trapped were formed by deep-seated solution of a type similar to that which occurred during the Pleistocene, (John C. Frye and Stuart L. Schoff, 1942, pp. 35-39) it is quite possible that some brine might have migrated upward and contam- inated fresh-water lakes. The thick section of sandstone seems to imply that a relatively large volume of water moved across this area, which could hardly be possible if the climate were arid enough to cause brackish-water conditions in lakes.” In the light of these data and concepts, it is our opinion that conditions during the deposition of the Laverne sediments were characterized by a large shallow lake, or more probably, a series of small lakes or ponds in a large basinal area and fed by fresh- water streams. It seems obvious to us that these lakes or ponds became less saline following the period of the diatomaceous lime- stone. This change can be accounted for either by an increase in humidity or by assuming stoppage of the fissures through which saline waters may have risen from below, if one accepts Frye’s hypothesis. As a matter of fact, there is little lithclogical evidence which would support an hypothesis of increased humidity following the period of the deposition of the diatomaceous marl. The problems of the physical conditions during the deposition of the Laverne molluscan fauna are still largely unsolved, and must await an opportunity for intensive studies in this area. LEONARD AND FRANZEN: LAVERNE MOLLUSCA 35 LITERATURE CITED Acuayo, C. G., 1988. Los Moluseos Fluviatiles Cubanos. Publicado cn las Memorias de la Sociedad Cubana de Historia Natural, Vol. XII, No. 3, Julio 30, 19388, pp. 203-242. Baker, Frank Corus, 1911. The Lymnaeidae of Nerth and Middle America, tecent and Fossil. Chi. Acad. Sci., Sp. Pub. No. 3, pp. 162-178. ——— 1928. The Fresh Water Mollusca of Wisconsin. Wisconsin Geol. and Nat. Hist. Surv., Bull. 70, pt. 1, pp. 1-494. 1634. New Lymnaeidae from the United States and Canada: I, Cah- fornia, Oregon and other Western States. Nautilus, Vol. 48, (1), pp. 17-18. Boycott, A. E., 1929. The Inheritance of Ornamentation in Variety aculeata ef Hydrobia jenkinsi Smith. Proc. Malacol. Soe. London, Vol. 18 (5), pp. 230-254. CuHaney, R. W., and Eris, M. I., 1936. Late Tertiary Floras from the High Plains; with a chapter by Curtis J. Hesse on the Lower Pliocene Vertebrate Fossils from the Ogallala Formation (Laverne zone) of Beaver county, Oklahoma. Carnegie Inst. Wash. Pub. 476, pp. 1-72. Frye. JouN C., and Hissarp, CLtaupE W., 1941. Pliocene and Pleistocene Stratig- raphy and Paleontology of the Meade Basin, Southwestern Kansas. Kan. Geol. Surv. Bull. 38, pt. 18, pp. 398-408. Frye, Joun C., and Scuorr, Stuart L., 1942. Deep Seated Solution in the Meade Basin and Vicinity, Kansas and Oklahoma. Nat. Res. Coun., Am. Geophysical Union, Trans., pp. 35-39. Goutp, C. N., and Lonspate, JoHN T., 1926. Geology of Beaver county, Okla- homa. Okla. Geol. Surv. Bull. 38, pp. 1-71. Pirspry, Henry A., 1934. Mollusks of the Fresh-Water Pliocene Beds of the Kettleman Hills and Neighboring Oil Fields, California. Proce. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., Vol. 86, pp. 541-570, (Pub. Jan. 29, 1935). Smirn, H. T. U., 1940. Geologic Studies in Southwestern Kansas. Kan. Geol. Surv. Bull. 34, pp. 37-39. 36 ‘tHE UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN PGA EAL Fie. 1. Pisidium noveboracense Prime Catalogue number 978 Fig. 2. Pisidium abditum Haldemann Catalogue number 977 Fig. 8. Musculiwm sp. Catalogue number 976 Fig. 4. Calipyrgula turricula sp. nov. Holotype Catalogue number 982 Fic. 5. Gyraulus sp. Catalogue number 998 Fig. 6. Viviparus sp. Catalogue number 979 Fie. 7. Calipyrgula hibbardi Holotype Catalogue number 980 Fig. 8. Calipyrgula senta sp. nov. Holotype Catalogue number 986 Fic. 9. Calipyrgula tumida Holotype Catalogue number §84 Fic. 10. Physa hawni Lea Catalogue number 1000 Fig. 11. Lymnaea lavernensis sp. nov. Holotype Catalogue number 988 Fig. 12. Pseudosuccinea columella (Say) Catalogue number 990 LEONARD AND FRANZEN: PLATE LAVERNI IV f MoLuLusca 38 Tue UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN Fia. Fia. Fic. Fic. Fic. Fic. Fic. Fia. FiG. Fic. Fic. Fic. 13. ey) 14. 15. 16. Al PLATE V Vertigo ovata Say Catalogue number 1004 Gastrocopta riograndensis Sterki Catalogue number 1003 Hawaria miniscula (Binney) Catalogue number 1001 Helisoma parallelum sp. nov. Holotype Catalogue number 996 Gastrocopta anterides sp. nov. Holotype Catalogue number 1002 Pupoides marginatus (Say) Catalogue number 1009 Ferrissia depressus sp. nov. Holotype Catalogue number 1005 Ferrissia angustus sp. nov. Holotype Catalogue number 999 Ferrissia angustus sp. DOV. Holotype Catalogue number 999 Helisoma goodrichi sp. nov. Holotype Catalogue number 994 Helisoma antrosum (Conrad) Catalogue number 991 Helisoma valens sp. nov. Holotype Catalogue number 992 LEONARD AND FRANZEN: LAVERNE MOLLUSCA PLATE V THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SCIENCE BULLETIN Vors eX XxX spt. .| May 15, 1944 [No. 3 A New Genus and Species of Mexican Hylid Frogs EDWARD H. TAYLOR, Department of ZoGdlogy, University of Kansas Asstract: A new genus of hylid frogs, Ptychohyla, is described, character- ized by a ventrolateral gland of large extent, and a reduced number of nuptial spinules. The genotype, Ptychohyla adipoventris, is from Agua del Obispo, Guerrero, México. A SMALL hylid frog from the lower parts of the Sierra Madre del Sur of Guerrero, México, differs from other known hylids in the presence of a lateroventral gland of large extent. This character, together with that of the nuptial spines, cause me to set it under this new genus herein described. Genus PrycHOHYLA novum Small hylid frogs having a large ventrolateral gland; dorsal skin not obviously glandular. In male, the rugosities of the nuptial cal- losities (horny spines), which are confined to the first finger, are relatively large, reduced in number and covering a smaller area than in other hylid genera. Genotype: Ptychohyla adipoventris Taylor. Ptychohyla adipoventris sp. nov. Hyla erythromma Taylor, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 26, No. 15, 1939 (Nov. 27, 1940), pp. 511, 512 (nec Hyla erythromma Taylor 1937). Type. EHT-HMS No. 21592, collected at Agua del Obispo, Guer- rero, México, Aug. 31, 1939, by E. H. Taylor. Paratypes. EHT-HMS Nos. 21589-21591, 21593-21594, 26834, 28722. Topotypes, same collector; U. S. Nat. Mus. No. 114551, H. M. Smith, Coll. Diagnosis. A small tree frog, known maximum size, 31.5 mm., (41) 42 THe UNIVERSITY ScIENCE BULLETIN having a broad, adipose (?) gland extending from near axilla to near groin, and from low on the sides to one-fourth to one-third way across abdomen; vocal sac present in males; 20-50 horny nuptial spines on back and side of first finger, dark brown in color, and not closely spaced; none on other fingers; outer fingers about one-third webbed, toes about four-fifths webbed; distal subarticular tubercle of fourth finger double; tympanum moderately distinct, its diameter about one-half eye diameter; no distinct tarsal fold. Description of the type. A small frog, the snout very short, high, rather abruptly truncate; nostrils very near anterior point of snout; eye diameter (3.3 mm.) about equal to length of snout (3.55) mm.) ; diameter of tympanum (1.7 mm.) equal half diameter of eye; width of an eyelid (2.2mm.) very much narrower than interorbital dis- tance (3.5 mm.); canthus well defined; loreal region concave, the sides of lores nearly vertical, then sloping more obliquely to edge of hp; regions about nostrils swollen prominently, with a depression between; tympanum separated from eye by a distance equal to its own diameter; a straight diagonal fold covers upper part of tym- panum. Tongue flat, thin, somewhat papillate, nearly as broad as long, slightly (4) free behind and slightly emarginate; choanae very large; the prevomerine teeth in irregular transverse groups separated from choanae and from each other by nearly equal distances; open- ings of palatal glands form a transverse groove, the ends of which turn back anterior to choanae, lying much nearer to premaxillaries than to choanae; openings of the eustachian tubes less than half size of choanae. Terminal digital disks of outer fingers larger than the tympanum; three outer fingers about one-third webbed, the web between first and second less; large median palmar tubercle low, somewhat tri- partite; inner tubercle flat, more elongate; subarticular tubercles small, that on fourth finger double, on third finger bifid; super- numerary tubercles on hand rather indistinct; a fold or ridge on underside of forearm; about sixty horny tubercles on dorsal and posterior sides of first finger; tibiotarsal articulation to anterior edge of eye or a little beyond; no distinct tarsal fold; dilation of the tips of the toes equal to those of fingers; toes three-fourths to four- fifths webbed, the web reaching only as high as the subarticular tubercle on inner side of second and third toes; a large inner meta- tarsal tubercle, a small outer tubercle more distal than inner; super- numerary tubercles obsolete. Taytorn: A New Mexican Froc 43 Skin appearing smooth, but under lens dorsal part of head, back and upper part of sides minutely corrugated; a few indistinct pus- tules on side; surface of large gland covered with minute tubercles or corrugations; chin and throat smooth; breast less so; an indis- tinct and incomplete breast fold; median and posterior part of abdo- men granular; most of ventral surface of femur granular; anal flap broad, followed by a deep vertical groove, the sides of which are glandular. Measurements in mm. Snout to vent, 30; width of head, 11; length of head, 10.2; arm, 18; leg, 47; tibia, 15.5; foot, 20. Color. In life, dark green or greenish-olive, almost uniform in color on the head, back and the upper part of the sides; lower part of sides oily yellow, with numerous small brown or greenish-brown spots sometimes forming short vertical bars; on the venter the gland continues a third way across abdomen on each side, but the dark spots are now minute flecks; middle of abdomen yellowish-white; chin and throat, canary yellow; undersides of thighs and tibia, flesh color; underside of tarsus and foot, purplish; underside of arm and inner toes, whitish-yellow; area about arm insertion, yellow white; upper lip with a few irregular yellowish areas; faint traces of darker areas on back and hind leg, when specimen is submerged in water. Variation. The variation in the size of the gland seems to be an age character; in a young specimen it is wholly lateral, not reaching the ventral surface; in old males it is thickened more and is of greater extent. The gland itself consists of closely packed, bottle- shaped glandules four or five times as long as their transverse diam- eter; when squeezed, an oily substance is exuded. Color variation. Of the paratypes, Nos. 12594 and 28722 resemble the type very closely in coloration. The last mentioned is a young female and the area oecupied by the gland is less, and nearly half the abdomen is free of the gland and is areolate. In this the yellow- ish-white areas on the lips are more sharply defined. There is a large light spot beginning below the tympanum and running for- ward and upward so as to include part of the lower eyelid. This ight spot encloses a brown spot. The remainder of lip is more yellow than green and shows three spots on each side. One specimen has the upper lip edge almost uniform yellow. In the groin behind the gland there is often a dark-bordered, whitish spot present. In two specimens, the largest male, No. 21590, and a medium sized female, No. 21591, dark spots were visible through the lighter green color and irregular bars were evident on the legs and arms. Eyes reddish. 44 THE UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN (In alcohol the olive and green has become brownish, or, in the case of the lighter green specimens, lavender. ) Remarks. The frogs were calling, but the distinctive character of the calls could not be ascertained due to the noise of water falling into the pool, over which was spread a glossy leafed shrub, near the water, on which the specimens were perched. They were not especially wary and those seen were taken with ease; other calls were heard higher in trees but we were not certain that these were the same. Dr. H. M. Smith, who was collecting with me, obtained a speci- men from a tree only a short distance away, likewise, near the same noisy rivulet. At first I was inclined to believe, despite certain differences, that the specimens were the males of the form described as Hyla eryth- romma, a species collected at this locality at the same time of year, and likewise having red eyes. The single type was a female and lacked any trace of the remarkable gland. Female specimens of the present species were obtained in 1941, showing them to be un- like the known female of H. erythromma. The spring and rivulet at Agua del Obispo is the type locality for four small hylids, Centrolenella viridissima, Hyla erythromma, Hyla pinorum and the present Ptychohyla adipoventris. The char- acters distinguishing these four small species are as follows: I. Body not bright green in hfe; ventral skin not transparent. A. Eye not red, the tympanum concealed; a sharp, distinct tarsal fold extending entire length of tarsus; no yellow color on lip; tibiotarsal articulation to beyond end of snout; legs regularly barred, with narrow, brown, transverse stripes.............. SS HLH OO.L bolton anis.c cot mre sia aici tien pibib o Dicer eee aac Hyla pinorum Taylor AA. Eye red; tympanum not concealed. none or only a faint trace of a tarsal fold. B. Skin shiny smooth, not corrugated; snout rather pointed; heel to anterior edge of eye; a yellow diagonal stripe on top of upper arm; toes three-fifths or less webbed; nostril small; sole of foot nearly smooth, lacking distinct supernumerary tubercles; NMOmvertrol aera aol sn cltyer reverts isiehetersrerekeRteaeiehcre de touten este onsireire Hyla erythromma Taylor BB. Skin distinctly corrugated; snout rather sharply truncate with swollen area about nostril and depression between; nostril large; terminal pads on digits larger than preceding form; on sole of foot very numerous distinct tubercles and granulations ; heel to between eye and nostril; no stripe on arm. A ventrolateral gland.......... BPR St CET ER eT OR COICO OT ORT CHC ROR eee OnTS Ptychohyla adipoventris sp. nov. II. Dorsal part of body bright green in life, skin transparent on venter...............+-5 Centrolenella viridissima Taylor Hyla euthysanota Kellogg, a small frog from El Salvador, dif- fering in having a dermal fringe on arm, foot and tarsus, and above vent, may be congeneric. While no mention is made of the gland, there is a greatly re- duced number of horny, nuptial spines (25) which suggests the Taytor: A New Mexican Froc 45 condition obtaining in male Ptychohyla adipoventris (25-55 in number). The specimens of Hyla euthysanota should be reéxamined to see if a trace of such a gland can be found. LITERATURE CITED KELLOGG, REMINGTON. 1928. An apparently new Hyla from El Salvador. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash- ington, Vol. 41, June 29, 1928, pp. 123-124. Taytor, Epwarp H. 1937. New species of hylid frogs from México with comments on the rare Hyla bistincta Cope. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, Vol. 50, Apr. 21, 1937, pp. 48-54, pl. IT. 1940. Herpetological Miscellany. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., Vol. XXVI, No. 15, 1939 (Nov. 27, 1940), pp. 489-571, pls. LIII-LXIII; text figs. 1-7. ; Li | THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SCIENCE BULLETIN Vor, SX pt 1] May 15, 1944 [No. 4 = A er ee oh re oe en us Two New Species of Crotalid Snakes from Mexico EDWARD H. TAYLOR, Department of Zodlogy, University of Kansas Apstract: Two new rattlesnakes from México are described: Crotalus semi- cornutus from Mojadrachic, Chihuahua, related to the lepidus group, and Cro- talus transversus from the Ajusco Mountains, near Tres Cumbres, Morelos (elevation about 10,000 ft.). The latter species may belong in the triseriatus group as defined by Gloyd. WO species of the genus Crotalus, one from the high plateau region of southern México, the other from southwestern Chi- huahua, are described as new. Crotalus transversus sp. nov. Type. Edward H. Taylor—Hobart M. Smith Coll. No. 30001; collected about 55 km. SW México (city), near Tres Marias (Tres Cumbres), Morelos, elevation about 10,000 ft., Aug., 1942, by E. Powell. Paratype. EHT-HMS, No. 15879, purchased. México, exact lo- eality uncertain (probably Ajusco range, Morelos). Diagnosis. A small rattlesnake probably belonging to the tri- seriatus group, but not subspecifically related to any of the known forms. Characterized by 21-19-17 scale rows, upper labials, 8-10, lower labials 9-9. Ventrals, 147; subcaudals, 22-25. Labials sepa- rated from the eye by a single row of scales; one scale row only be- tween canthals; upper preocular divided. Brownish with a median light stripe; 34-38 narrow, transverse black stripes on body; 5-7 on tail.* Description of the type. Head flat, the supraoculars not elevated; rostral visible above, its posterior part rounding; internasals in con- * There is some difficulty in counting the transverse stripes as many are broken. See figs. (47) 48 THE UNIversITY ScIENCE BULLETIN tact, transversely elongate; canthals large, separated from each other by two superimposed intercanthals; a large pair of inter- supraoculars, separating the supraoculars anteriorly, three or four small scales separating them posteriorly; occipital scales small, rather irregular. Nasal completely divided, the anterior and pos- terior parts of nearly equal areas; posterior nasal touching two labials; no loreals; three small scales border lower edge of pit; preoculars divided, the anterior part broadly in contact with pos- terior nasal, but separated from labial; lower preocular very small; two suboculars, the anterior (lacrymal) scarcely larger than the posterior, both in contact with the labials; three small postoculars. 9 (left), 10 (right), upper labials; 9 lower labials; the 3 anterior touch the enlarged chinshields; first labials in contact medially. ~ ae PRO os yh c Wee j ; q GE 503 Op Ny dak Cie: CO ae Text Fig. 1. Crotalus transversus sp. nov. Type. A. Dorsal view of head, x 2. B. Lateral view of head, x 2. C. Ventral view of head, x 2. D. Lat- eral view of head (enlarged). #. Dorsal color pattern, enlarged, diagrammatic. TayLtor: New SNAKES FROM MEeExIco 49 Scale rows, 33 (at 3d ventral), 21, 21, 19, 17; the two outer rows lacking keels; ventrals 147, the first separated from the chinshields by four pairs of small scales; anal single; subcaudals: 1 divided + 12 single + 9 divided = 22; six small rattles. Color in alcohol. Brownish on sides, the median dorsal region lighter (salmon?) ; about 45 narrow black, more or less continuous, transverse stripes, on body and tail, which usually reach to the second scale row on the sides of the body; two outer scale rows with numerous small whitish flecks; ventrals with quadrangular dark marks forming irregular lines, the two outer series on each side darker and more distinct than the median. Head dark with an indistinct light stripe across the head at level of the anterior part of supraoculars; lower two-thirds of posterior upper labials whitish; first three labials dark; lower labials and chin spotted with black; the dorsal indefinite light stripe terminates anteriorly just back of occiput in a rounded, darker-edged spot; a black stripe from behind eve to angle of mouth, not bordered above by a light line. Measurements in mm. Total length, 464; tail, 38; width of head, 19; length of head, 19; length of rattles, 14. Variation. The paratype is a small specimen from México, and very probably from the Ajusco Mountains between Tres Marias (Tres Cumbres), Morelos, and Cuernavaca. The body is grayish black, but the indefinite dorsal light stripe which terminates in a definite light spot on occiput is present; the body and tail are trav- ersed by 39 narrow dark stripes a ttle more than two scales wide; a darp spot is present at each end of the stripe, which may touch the stripe, and there is also an indefinite series of small dark spots low on sides, between these latter; the pigment below is largely on the outer sides of the ventrals; the chin is spotted as in the type. 4—1838 50 THE UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN PLATE VI Fic. A. Crotalus transversus sp. nov. Paratype, EHT-HMS No. 15879, México. (Somewhat reduced; actual length, 183 mm.). Fic. B. Crotalus transversus sp. nov. Type, EHT-HMS No. 30001, 55 km. SW México (city) near Tres Cumbres, Morelos. (Somewhat reduced; actual length, 464 mm.). Taytor: New SNAKES FROM Mexico 52 THE UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN There is a single elongate scale between the canthals. The inter- nasals are less elongate; there are three anterior intersupraoculars. The labials are 8-8 above, 9-9 below. The scale formula and ven- tral count are identical with type; caudals: 22 (single) +3 (divided) —=25. There is a single row of scales between labials and eye; no loreal, and only two instead of three small scales below the pit, and two instead of three postoculars. The total length of the specimen is 183 mm. Remarks. That this form is not a subspecies of Crotalus triseriatus seems to be proved by the presence of C. triseriatus anahuwacus in this immediate locality. It may be distinguished from forms of triseriatus by the reduced number of scale rows, 21 as opposed to 23-25; a single row of scales between eyes and labials; reduced labial count and different squa- mation in loreal region, and the very distinctive marking and col- oration. Mr. Martin del Campo has recently described a small rattlesnake from the ‘“Lagunas de Cempoala” (Zempoala) [Morelos or México | having a reduced squamation (scale formula 21, 19, 17, and 9 upper and lower labials). However, he describes the dorsal markings as “manchas dorsales, 45; caudales, 8.” Since he does not describe the very characteristic color pattern of transversus, I conclude that he has correctly placed it as a variety of Crotalus triseriatus anahuacus Gloyd. I am indebted to Dr. W. B. Davis, head of the Department of Fish and Game of the Texas Mechanical and Agricultural College, and Mr. Max Whisenhunt of the same institution, for the privilege of describing this striking new species, and for the gift of the type. Crotalus semicornutus sp. nov. Type. EHT-HMS, No. 23014 ¢; collected at Mojarachic, Chi- huahua, 1939, by Irving W. Knobloch. Diagnosis. A small rattlesnake with a single median series of dorsal blotches about five scales wide alternating with less distinct, paired spots; supraocular strongly elevated on its outer edge, much longer than its distance from tip of snout; upper preocular divided, the anterior part bending over edge of canthus, and separated from posterior nasal; a short, dark, light-bordered stripe beginning some distance behind eve and continuing to angle of mouth. One (lacry- mal) or two scales between eve and labials; three or four loreals present; a pair of large internasals, in contact; a pair of large can- Taytor: Nrw SNAKES FROM Mexico 53 thals separated by two pairs of scales; three series of scales be- tween the supraoculars. Description of the type. Head rather triangular, strongly dis- tinct from neck; snout narrow, rather oval in profile; supraoculars _large, strongly elevated on the edge, forming a hornlike ridge; a pair of very large internasals, in contact medially, separated from the supraoculars by large canthal scales, which are themselves separated medially by two pairs of small intercanthals; supraoculars separated Text Fia. 2. Crotalus semicornutus sp.nov. Type. A. Ventral view of the head, x 2. 8B. Lateral view of head, x 2. C. Dorsal view of head, x 2. by three series of scales anteriorly and by four or five posteriorly ; rostral broader than high, the part visible above triangular; nasal scales fused above nostril, sutured below nostril, the anterior part wider and longer than posterior; upper preocular divided, the an- terior part largest, turning up over canthus; four loreal scales, the one between the postnasal and the anterior preocular, largest; others small; three scales border the pit, the lower scale separated from the labials by small intercalated scales (left side), or the an- terior touching labial (right side); six postocular and subocular scales border posterior and inferior part of eye, the anterior sub- ocular (lacrymal) largest, touching two labials; posterior suboculars separated from labials by one or two scales; 10 (left), or 11 (right) upper labials; mental triangular, its labial border greater than that of rostral; first pair of chinshields bordered by 3 (left) or 4 (right) lower labials; body scales keeled save outer row. Scale formula: Or Ws THE UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN Pirate VII. Crotalus semicornutus sp. nov. Type, EHT-HMS No. 23014, Mejarachic, Chihuahua. (Somewhat enlarged; actual length, 493 mm.) { ht ) Taytor: New SNAKES FROM Mexico 28, 25, 21, 23, 17, 17; ventrals, 167; 16 undivided subcaudals, fol- lowed by 3 divided seales; anal single; 13 scales about base of tail; 10 about middle of tail; six rattles present. Measurement in mm. Total length, 493; tail 37.5; rattle 21.6; width of head, 17; length of head, 20.3; length of supraocular, 6. Color. The dorsal ground color is pearl gray with the sides somewhat lavender-gray to pinkish salmon (low on side). On body a median series of about 16 very irregularly-edged dark spots, which alternate with smaller, irregular, more or less elongate paired spots (occasionally fused on posterior part of body or broken in two or three parts); an irregular row of dark flecks on the sixth seale row, each covering area equal to one scale; a similar series on the fourth row; still another row of dark flecks on first, second and third rows, the spots irregular and sometimes including parts of three scales, but usually covering a total area of about two whole scales; a pair of nuchal spots present, which are in contact medially; several small black spots on occiput, the anterior pair touching the supra- oculars; an elongate dark stripe beginning behind eye is bordered above and behind by a whitish line; labials pinkish salmon, the upper labials heavily pigmented with ashy gray, the lower labials pigmented on their sutures; posterior half of tail somewhat orange above, yellowish below. Ventral surface dirty whitish with the anterior and posterior part of each ventral grayish or blackish, often covering more than half of the outer part of ventrals. Two black spots on the dorsal part of tail and one chestnut spot; ven- tral surface of posterior part of tail lacking dark markings. Remarks. The relationship of the species is believed to be with Crotalus lepidus. It differs from that species in having a larger supraocular, much longer than its distance from the end of the snout, and in having the supraocular strongly elevated with a keel-like edge, allowing the upper fourth of the eye to be higher than the interorbital level. The color pattern is very different from that of typical specimens of C. lepidus klaubert Gloyd or C. lepidus lepidus (Wennicott) and the caudal scales are fewer. There is how- ever a similarity in the general squamation; vellowish orange tail coloration and the presence of the pinkish-salmon coloration low on sides. The specimen comes from an elevation of about 6,000 feet in the Sierra Madre mountains. 56 Tue UNIversIty SCIENCE BULLETIN LITERATURE CITED Gioyp, Howarp Kk. 1940. The rattlesnake, Genera Sistrurus and Crotalus. Chicago Acad. Sci., Special Publ. No. 4, 1940, pp. i-vii; 1-266; pls. 1-31; text figs. 1-10; maps 1-22. Martin peL Camro, Raraku. : 1940. Nota Acerea de algunos vertebrados de la Lagunas de Cempoala y sus alrededores. Anales Inst. Biol., México, Tomo XI, No. 2, 1940, pp 741-743, fig. THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SCIENCE BULLETIN Win, LOO gal] May 15, 1944 [No. 5 A New Ambystomid Salamander from the Plateau Region of Mexico EDWARD H. TAYLOR, Department of Zodlogy, University of Kansas Agsstract: A salamander, Ambystoma granulosum, from the high plateau region of western México, México, is described. It is related to Ambystoma bombypellum Taylor. A SPECIES of salamander, together with large numbers of sala- mander larvae, was obtained in shallow artificial ponds in the high prairie regions of western México (state). The dermal glands give the surface of the adult animal a somewhat granular appear- ance particularly if the glands are gorged, or the skin is slightly shrunken. There is no absolute proof that the larvae taken are the voung of the species, but it is highly probably that they are. Ambystoma granulosum sp. nov. Type. EHT-HMS, No. 29805, collected at km. 74, about 12 miles northwest of Toluca, México, México, Sept. 10, 1939, by Edward H. Taylor and Hobart M. Smith. Paratypes. Adults: EHT-HMS, No. 29804, collected with type; Nos. 24042-24044, at km. 70, northwest of Toluca, Sept., 1940, by Richard Clark Taylor and E. H. Taylor. Larvae: EHT-HMS, Nos. 94045-24250, kms. 70-74, 10-12 miles northwest of Toluca, México; U.S. N. M. Nos. 116630-116653, kms. 70-73, same locality. Taylor and Smith collectors. Diagnosis. Related to Ambystoma bombypellum, but with a shorter, more elevated tail; body distinctly more elevated; limbs proportionally longer, the head shorter and broader. Color greenish or yellowish-olive to brown-olive above with numerous small black (57) © 8) THe UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN spots. Yellowish or yellowish-brown on sides and venter, without marks. Tail spotted black like the back. Description of the type. Head moderately high, its greatest width behind jaw angle (23mm.) greater than measurement from tip of snout to gular fold (20mm.), but less than distance from tip of snout to the gular groove, dorsally (30.2mm.); length of eye (3.5 mm.), less than distance to nostril (4.8 mm.) ; distance between nostrils, 5.9 mm.; distance between orbits, 8mm.; eyelid width, 1.8 mm.; length of snout, 7.2 mm. A large, transversely oval, palatal pit; choanae transversely oval, the distance between them 7 mm.; prevomero-palatine teeth on a somewhat arched ridge, extending across palate, with a slight dia- stema between the prevomerine and palatine series; a slight indica- tion of a mesial break in the dental ridge, but the teeth here are continuous. About 48-48 maxillary-premaxillary teeth, and ap- proximately the same number of mandibular teeth, the latter form- ing a rather irregular series; about 11-13 prevomerine teeth; 9 pala- tine teeth. Tongue rather small with longitudinal lamella (larger tongues in older specimens). The larval skinfold at corner of mouth still evi- dent as a small flap on the upper lip and a small fold on back part of lower lip; no trace of splenial teeth. Skin above finely corrugated or granular, more especially granular in caudal region; a groove behind eye curving down to near corner of mouth; gular fold prominent; the skin of chin forming longi- tudinal folds; a deep groove passing from corners of gular fold, half- way to the median dorsal line. A double series of enlarged pits beginning medial to the nostrils and running back above orbit, then down behind it; another series of pits beginning behind nostril and covering much of the area below eye; another single series on the lower jaw. The dorsolateral, lateral and lateroventral neuromast organs represented by a few scattered pores. Twelve costal grooves, all of which can be traced across abdomen; limbs of moderate length; when adpressed the longest toes reach the wrist; an inner and an outer tubercle on palm and sole. Fingers 1, 4, 2, 3, in order of increasing length; toes 1, 5, 2, 3, 4; the distal part of metacarpals and metatarsals free; an indistinct ridge from outer toe onto tarsus; caudal fin thickened, scarcely distinguishable from remainder of tail; subcaudal fin much reduced and not or but little thickened; tail a little shorter than head and body; median part of tail deeper than base; cloacal walls with folds and with a small projection from the anterior part. TayLtorn: A New AMBYSTOMID SALAMANDER 59 Color. Yellowish-olive above and on sides, darker on dorsum; venter dirty, or yellowish-flesh with a few scattered black spots on dorsum extending onto the sides; tail similarly marked. Table of measurements (in mm.) of type and paratypes of Ambystoma granulosum. Number 29805 29804 24042 24043 24044 Sex re 2 2 g 3 Snout to back end of vent.......... 92 81 89 92 86 allen others reer ae serie Hel 62 ao 74 71 licadmoneatestawicl Merri ose 23 19 22 21 21 Head, length to gular fold (ventral), 20 20 20.2 20 19.5 Head, length to level of gular groove (Gorse concen aie aera: 30.2 27 28 28.8 2Or2 JN OO cae cb a ROA Bete a opted ae Res Eat 32 26 29 29 2x0 (he gery rats to Chek eras ey coro acer 34 28 30 32 28 Ailes toe ero. oes 4s cree sie eee: 45 38 41 45 40 Ranldepthwatmbaseemcos cate clate ores es 16 14 16 15 14 mail moneatestedeptls arm). ccm. cms er 18 16 7 16.5 15 Depth mote bodyer sce ete acini 24.5 22 23.5 24 25 Description of the larvae. The largest larva, EHT-HMS, No. 24094, measures 90 millimeters snout to vent; the tail, 70. The head is broad (28 mm.); its length to base of gills, 36.5. The longest gills are 25 mm. The dorsal fin arising at a point about on the level of the gill bases, and in the young, forms a continuous curve to end of tail, the dorsal part being most elevated near base of tail; elevation of subeaudal part of fin usually less than the dorsal, although a few specimens have it about equal to dorsal; when limbs are ad- pressed, tips of toes reach to elbow; web on the foot a little more extensive than in adult, involving the metatarsals to their tips. Maxillary-premaxillary teeth in a very uneven row, appearing as if there were more than a single row of teeth; prevomerine teeth on two strongly elevated, widened ridges, about 45 teeth on each, ar- ranged in several series, many teeth directed backwards; the tooth groups, in contact mesially, he anterior to a line connecting the choanae; the palato-pterygoid series in two longitudinal patches ach with about 45 teeth, the teeth arranged in several transverse or diagonal series. About 60 splenial teeth on each side arranged in several short series. Mandibular teeth very irregular. Tongue undeveloped. The larvae are light flesh cclor with little or no spotting on the back, or elsewhere. There is some pigment in the tail fin, especially uear the tip and on the underside, some specimens having this re- gion nearly black. 60 Tue University SCIENCE BULLETIN The figure (2) shows such a specimen, the ventral fin being less elevated than normal. Remarks. The oldest adults (those in which the fold had been resorbed on the back part of the lower jaw, and the upper flap much narrowed) were dark dirty olive in color, the dorsal black spots discernible with difficulty. The prevomero-palatine series of teeth tend to straighten out more across the palate, and are less arched. I have presumed that this species is related to Ambystoma bom- bypellum Taylor, a species known only from two recently trans- formed adults. These latter are uniform lavender in color, and the habitus is very different. In that form the skin is very smooth and shining. The body is not elevated medially; the tail is as elevated at its base as elsewhere, and the caudal fin is not retained in the adult (see fig. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., Vol. 25, 1938 (1939), plate XXIV, p. 308, fig. 1). Taytor: A New AMBYSTOMID SALAMANDER 61 Puate VIII. Ambystoma granulosum sp. nov. Fic. 1. Type EHT-HMS No. 29805, 12 miles NW Toluca, México, México About natural size. Fic. 2. Larva of same, nearly full grown (x 1). Fic. 3. Larva of same, young (x 1). THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SCIENCE BULLETIN Vou XOX, pt. 1] May 15, 1944 [No. 6 The. Hylid Genus Acrodytes, with Comments on Mexican Forms EDWARD H. TAYLOR, Department of Zodlogy, University of Kansas Asstract: The frog genus Acrodytes, Fitzinger (1843) (Hylidae), placed in the synonymy of Hyla by Boulenger (1882), is revived. Three Mexican forms are recognized. Of these two are new; one, from southern Guerrero, México, is described as Acrodytes inflata, because of a peculiar habit of inflating the body with air when calling. The other new species is being described elsewhere. The name Rana venulosa (Laurenti) is based on a figure of a frog in Seba* who states that its habitat is in “Indiis.” It is doubtful whether it can be identified among the known forms of the genus. HE Hyhd frogs allied to “Hyla venulosa’”’ (auctorum), having in the males a pair of vocal sacs extruded behind the angles of the Jaws, are generically separable from the genus Hyla (sensu lato). These also have a characteristic pattern for the prevomerine tooth groups; broadened, somewhat spatulate, maxillary teeth with the transverse groove at their terminus giving the tooth in profile a seem- ingly more strongly bifid appearance than is usual in the Hylidae; a “paratoid” gland of considerable area, usually diffuse, on the head and back, giving the skin a thickened appearance, and producing secretions apparently physiologically different from those of other hylid species; palate more completely roofed with bone. Species having these characters, I believe, without question, form a natural generi¢e group. For this group there have been proposed two names: