Vol. 41, pp. 37-38 March 16, 1928 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHING ,MUSE} THE SONG SPARROW OF SAN MIGUEL ISLANDr CALIFORNIA. BY JOSEPH GRINNELL. Messrs. Chester C. Lamb and J. Elton Green visited San Miguel Island, off Santa Barbara, California, last fall for the prime purpose of obtaining for the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology representatives of the diminutive Gray Fox native to that island. The foxes were obtained, and also an interesting lot of birds among which a seemingly new race of Song Sparrow stands out conspicuously. This may now be named Melospiza melodia micronyx, new subspecies. Tijpe.—Male adult, no. 51535, Mus. Vert. ZooL; San Miguel Island, California; September 21, 1927; collected by Chester C. Lamb; orig. no. 7930. Diagnosis. — Among song sparrows in general (all the races of Melospiza melodia), coloration grayest; brown or brownish tones almost wanting; dark markings black and sharply contrasted against gray of dorsal surface or white of lower surface; bill, feet and especially claws weak; wing show- ing extreme of bluntness (longest primary not much longer than outer- most). Comparisons. — Nearest like the races already recognized from different islands in the Santa Barbara archipelago (see, for careful analysis of the characters of these, van Rossem, Condor, XXVI, 1924, pp. 217-220). Most nearly like M. m. graminea of Santa Barbara Island, but differs from it in broader and blacker dark streaking everywhere, in grayer ground- color dorsally, especially on the pileum, in paler flanks, in decidedly smaller claws, in blunter wing, and in slightly greater general size. From M. m. clementae, micronyx differs as it does from graminea, only for the most part (save as to general size) in greater degree. Especially on the top of the head is the greater amount of grayness apparent; the broad brown capital side-stripes in clementae are in micronyx reduced to very narrow ones, which play out altogether on the nape instead of ex- tending back to blend (in clementae) with the brownish tone of the dor- 8— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. 41, 1928. (37) 38 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. sum. The broad gray occipital area is in micronyx lined sharply with black shaft streaks which are thus thrown into conspicuous contrast. Measurements. — Twelve males, marked adult by field collectors on basis of skull condition, average as follows (minimum and maximum in parenthesis): Wing, 62.0 mm. (60.7-63.6); tail, 62.4 (60.5-63.7); tarsus, 21.7 (21.2-22.0); bill from nostril, 8.3 (8.0-8.7); outside chord of hind claw, 7.3 (6.4-7.9); weight, 22.1 g. (20.0-25.4). The first three of these sets of figures should be compared with these given by van Rossem {loc. cit., p. 219). With regard to outside chord of hind claw I find that the 29 specimens of micronyx give an average of 7.2 mm. (6.4-7.9); 51 of clenientae give 8.2 (7.2-9.8); 25 of graminea give 8.1 (7.6-9.4). Sexual differences are slight: Of clementae, 17 females average 8.0, 34 males 8.3; of fnicronyx, 15 females 7.1, 14 males 7.3 mm. Remarks. — In making the present study I have been helped by freely granted loans of Song Sparrows as follows: (1) A long series of graminea (Santa Barbara Island) from the Los Angeles Museum through Mr. L. E. W^yman; (2) a series of the Song Sparrow of Santa Cruz Island from the California Academy of Sciences through Mr. H. S. Swarth. The Santa Cruz Island birds are not in satisfactory condition for ac- curate appraisement; but in so far as critical characters are appreciable (extent of brown, for example) I agree with van Rossem that they fall with clementae. I have seen no song sparrows at all from Santa Rosa Island. Comparison of micronyx with examples of cooperi from the coast belt of Ventura County, as suggested by van Rossem 's remarks {loc. cit., p. 220) shows no close approach significant to me of immediate derivation. These examples of cooperi differ from micronyx in decidedly more massive bill, in broad brown side-stripes on head and correspondingly narrow median gray stripe, in browner flanks, and in browner, much less ashy, tone of coloration on sides of head and on whole dorsum. Vol. 41, pp. 39-40 March 16, 1928 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTO^.-^^OlfMf^ A CHARACTER FOR RECOGNITION OF THE FAMILY MEMBRACIDAE. BY W. L. McATEE AND J. R. MALLOCH. Recent publications bear evidence that there is at present no clearcut understanding of the scope of the family Membracidae. Funkhouser's Catalogue^ (p. 341) says of the genus Aethalion, ''Not a membracid genus. Should probably be considered a distinct family, the Aethalionidae." China states^ that Coding has described two genera of Cicadellidae as Membracidae and in his reply3 to this article Coding admits that another genus described as a membracid by him is a Heteropteron. These various genera, Williamsiana, Eustollia (Cicadellidae), and Eufroggattia (Pentatomidae), as well as the genus Xerophyllum Fairmaire (Acridiidae) are listed in the Funkhouser catalogue. The definition of Membracidae quoted by Coding (1. c.) from Distant is so generalized it does not distinguish the group from certain representatives of the Cicadidae, Cicadellidae, and Cercopidae, nor even from some Heteroptera. Hansen ac- cording to Kirkaldy lumps the Membracidae with the Jassidae, but writers on Membracidae though undoubtedly having as- sumptions, at least, as to the extent of the group have mostly refrained from defining it either positively or negatively. In view of this state of affairs, the writers deem it timely to mention a character for recognition of Membracidae which they first studied several years ago. It occurs in such highly modi- fied groups as Bolbonotus and Tragopinae, and also in those in which the pronotum is Httle specialized. Conversely it does not occur so far as we can discover in any other Homoptera. iFunkhouser, W. D., Gen. Cat. Hemip. Fasc. 1, Smith College, Mass., 1927, 581 pp. 2China, W. E., Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 9th Ser., No. 114, June, 1927, pp. 625-627. 3Goding, F. W., Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 9th Ser., No. 119, Nov., 1927, pp. 541-542. 9— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. 41, 1928. (39) 40 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. Funkhouser alludes^ to the character in part as the episternal hook, which he says is found in the great majority of the genera but not in all. The character in full as we would define it is, mesopleurum with a process or lobe either at or near antero- lateral angle, or just below middle of anterior margin, or both, processes which overlap the propleurum, in many cases fitting into excavations along posterior margin of that sclerite. These processes, reversing so far as they go the normal order of over- lapping of the segments, seem quite significant, and we regard them as the best criterion thus far advanced for recognition of the family Membracidae. The accompanying figures indicate the appearance of these mesopleural processes in a number of the genera. EXPLANATION OF PLATE. Fig. 1. Aethalion reticulatum. 2. Aethalion quadratum. 3. Oeda inflata. 4. Antianthe expansa. 5. Membracis albolimbata. 6. Bolbonota cuneata. 7. Tragopa involuta. 8. Lycoderes galeritus. 9. Stegaspis viridis. 10. Darthula hardwicki (now listed as a Membracid but apparently incorrectly so). " 11. Homalodisca triquetra (Cicadellid). N. B. The arrows on Fig. 9 indicate the overlapping mesopleural pro- cesses. iMem. 11, Cornell Univ. Agr. Exp. Sta., 1917, p. 322. Pijoc. RioL. S(H'. Wash., N'ol. 41, H)2S. Plati; III 8 Mesopleural processes in Membracidae. OCR text unavailable for this page.Vol. 41, pp. 41-44 March 16, 1928 PROCEEDINGS OF THK BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON NEW CHINESE MAMMALS. BY A. BRAZIER HOWELL. Further work upon the Chinese mammals contained in the U. S. National Museum has brought to hght three more un- described races, which may be known as follows: Pithecus pullus, sp. nov. Type. — Male, young adult, skin and skull no. 252,157, U. S. National Museum, from Kuatun, Fukien, China; date unknown. Collected by F. T. Smith; original number 85. Diagnosis. — A large, short-tailed macacque related to P. thibetanus but uniformly of a chocolate color. Skin. — The dorsal coloration is rather dark chocolate with a suggestion of black overwash. The long full hairs are strongly waved and the play of light over the curves of these waves gives the appearance of several distinct annulations of lighter brown. The guard hairs of the dorsum are tipped with blackish, less densely so upon the sides, and over the thighs the dark tips are replaced by a golden brown, to be seen only in a favorable light. Below the coloration is a shade paler, the hairs being without darker tips. The eyebrows and scanty hairs about the face are broadly tipped with shining black. The sides of the head are of the same color as the remainder of the animal save that the hairs do not have darker tips. Skull. — The posterior nares exhibit the narrowness and height character- istic of the stub-tailed macacques, but less marked than in thibetanus, and the bullae are less prominent than in that animal. The age is such that the temporal fossae do not quite meet. Measurements. — Collector's measurements of the type are given in inches, as originally taken, followed in brackets by their equivalents in milUmeters. Length of head and body, 23% (605); tail, 2^ (66); hind foot, 7H (181); and ear, 13^ (38). The greatest length of the skull, exclusive of the teeth, is 140; occipito-nasal length, 120; length of nasals, 28.5; zygomatic width, 89; height of posterior nares, 15.5; width across posterior nares (both), 13; and length of mandibular molariform series, 40 mm. Remarks. — It has been known for many years that two species of Pithecus occur in the vicinity of Kuatun. The commoner was described by Elliot 10— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. 41, 1928. (41) 42 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. under the name littoralis and the other presumably has not heretofore been secured and preserved by a naturalist. Arthur deC. Sowerby has recently presented to the U. S. National Museum a splendid specimen of this monkey, which proves to be a short-tailed macacque of the thihetanus rather than the usual rhesus group, and entirely distinct in coloration from anything heretofore known. Rattus humiliatus sowerbyi, subsp. nov. Type. — Male, young adult, skin and skull no. 199,620, U. S. National Museum, from near Imienpo, north Kirin, Manchuria, at an altitude of 500 feet; October 15, 1914; collected by Arthur deC. Sowerby; original number 735. Diagnosis. — A large dark race with the blackish hairs of the dorsum very thick, sootiness of the face pronounced, and foot relatively long. Skin. — The dorsal coloration is a warm tone of brown with plentiful admixture, rather evenly distributed, of blackish guard hairs. The head is less brown and the face is pronouncedly sooty, with white upper lips. Both fore and hind feet are well covered with snowy white hairs. The tail is bicolor, the scales very fine as in the other races and the hairs even more plentiful than usual. The sides are less brown and with fewer black hairs, the color merging into that of the underparts, which is plimibeous basally with the hairs broadly white distally, showing the faintest tinge of yellow. The ears are rather small as in typicus, the feet are very large, and the tail relatively short (90 per cent of the head and body). Measurements. — Collector's measurements of the type are: head and body, 177; tail, 158; hind foot, 37 (38 in both dried skins); and ear probably 19 mm. (mistakenly marked 29 upon the label). Total length of the skull is 41; zygomatic width, 20; interorbital width, 6; nasal length, 14.4; and maxillary tooth row, 7 mm. Remarks. — I do not know the precise color characters of typical humilia- tus and apparently no one since Pere David has succeeded in capturing this rat near Peking. Indeed, doubt has been cast upon this really being the type locality for that very reason. But the measurements are known and hence, although it is represented by but two specimens, I have no hesita- tion in naming this new race on the character of size — chiefly large foot and to a lesser degree, short tail and probably large body. It is extremely likely, however, that color characters of darker back and more sooty head will prove to be valid criteria also, conforming to what one expects to find in the case of mammals from the two regions in question. As in the other races, one may at once distinguish sowerbyi from rats of the norvegicus group by the silkiness of the fur and more flaring (less precisely parallel) cranial beading. In the naming of this race another opportunity is taken of expressing appreciation of the great value of the continued zoological coUecting in China by Mr. Sowerby. Euchoreutes naso alashanicus, subsp. nov. Type. — Female adult, skin, skull and trunk skeleton no. 240,764, U. S. Howell — New Chinese Mammals. 43 National Museum, from the Alashan Desert, Inner Mongolia, 100 miles north-northwest of Ningsia, Kansu, China; collected April 26, 1923, by F. R. Wulsin; original number 1054. Diagnosis. — Like naso but coloration more ochraceous and paler; bullae larger. Skin. — Save where the plumbeous bases of the hairs show through there is no suggestion of gray in the dorsal coloration but only buffy ochraceous, each hair having the faintest of black tips. Below the hairs are white to their bases. The pig-like raised border of the nasal pad, characteristic of this genus, is very distinct. The ears are even more remarkable than is indicated by Sclater's plate of naso and are undoubtedly larger in propor- tion to the size of the body than in any other rodent. They are scantily covered both within and without by exceedingly short white hairs. The anterior edge of the pinna is fringed with a single row of fine white hairs some 4 mm. in length, this acting as a screen to exclude from the inner ear chance particles of dirt. The white tip of the tail has been broken off. The long claws of the fore feet and the extremely large, fleshy pads of the hind toes are much in evidence. The soles of the latter are naked but there is a fringe of long hairs upon the outer border of the second and of the fourth toe. Skull. — ^The skull is exactly of the same length as that of the type of naso, making its comparison with the figure of the latter entirely satis- factory. The left bulla and the palatal region are damaged, but the right bulla is intact and distinctly larger, especially ventrad and rostrad, than in naso. The posterior terminations of the nasals are also more rounded. Measurements. — Collector's measurements of the type are as follows: total length, 241; tail (imperfect), 150; foot, 41; and ear, 41. In the dried skin the foot measures 40.5 mm. Total length of the skull is 29.5; sagittal length of bulla, 11.3; transverse width of bulla, 8.4; and height of skull through bulla, 12 mm. Remarks. — This specimen is one from the collection made by F. R. Wulsin and presented to the National Museum by the National Geographic Society. It apparently constitutes the third recorded instance of capture of this genus and the occurrence of a race in southern Mongolia is one of the most interesting facts encountered during a study of the Chinese mammals in the National Collection, The type locality is in the Alashan Desert north and west of the Holanshan Mountains, which constitute a part of the boundary between Mongolia and Kansu. A considerable pro- portion of this district is known to be sandy. OCR text unavailable for this page.Vol. 41, pp. 45-48 March 16, 1928 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINQJ^'^^"^'^^^^ A NEW SPECIES OF CHAMAELINOROPS FROM HAITI. BY DORIS M. COCHRAN. During the spring of 1927, Dr. Alexander Wetmore, Assistant Secretary of the United States National Museum, went to Haiti on a collecting trip, the funds for which were provided by Mr. B. H. Swales. He secured 62 amphibians and reptiles, and in this small but extremely valuable collection was a new genus and species of lizard which I have already described. ^ Another find no less important is that of a second species of Chamaelinorops, a genus known hitherto by a single species inhabiting Navassa Island and described by Karl P. Schmidt in 1919 under the name of Chamaelinorops barhouri. Chamaelinorops wetmorei, new species. Diagnosis. — Differs from Chamaelinorops barhouri in having shorter hmbs, in possessing a lateral series of enlarged spinose scales, in having small scales instead of granules in the area between this lateral series of enlarged scales and the enlarged dorsals, and in possessing a transverse gular fold which reaches almost to the nuchal region. Type. — U. S. N. M. No. 72630, a young individual collected at Fonds-des- Negres, 20 kilometers southwest of Miragoane, Departement du Sud, Haiti, on April 4, 1927, by Dr. Alexander Wetmore. Description. — Head V-shaped in outline, very angular; canthus rostralis sharp, composed of two large scales, merging evenly into the supraciliary border where three scales may be counted, the second the longest and very wide; loreal region concave; four rows of loreal scales; nostrils lateral, somewhat elevated; four scales between the supranasals; rostral very broad and low, separated from the nasals by two rows of small scales; frontal region without ridges, fiat; a patch of four or five unequal, enlarged supra- ocular scales, separated from the supraciliaries by smaller scales and lA new genus of Anguid lizards from Haiti. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 40, June 30, 1927, pp. 91-92. 11— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wa.bh., Vol. 41, 1928. (45) 46 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. granules; ridges of the supraorbital semicircles prominent, covered with large keeled scales, and separated from each other by three rows of small smooth scales; occipital plate slightly larger than the scales immediately surrounding it, elongate, the pineal body very apparent; three scales be- tween the supraorbital semicircles and the occipital; a very strong lateral ridge from the middle of the posterior orbital border extending horizon- tally backwards and ending in a heavy tuberculated knob above the ear; several enlarged spinose scales above this ridge; two weak ridges running parallel with these, and extending from the posterior border of the supra- orbital ridges to the occiput; a faint transverse ridge across the occiput joining the posterior portions of all the ridges; nine upper and nine lower labials to a point directly beneath the center of the eye; all the head scales with a sharp keel or a spinose tubercle in the center, excepting the occipital and the scales between the supraorbital semicircles which are smooth; ear-opening with scarcely any indication of a ridge in front of it, oval, about half the length of the eye-opening. A short gular fan, and a decided transverse fold behind it extending on the side of the neck up to the knob above the ear and nearly onto the nuchal region; throat covered with rows of very small keeled scales. Body extremely compressed, the sides vertical or concave, over twice as deep as wide at mid-body; no trace of a dorsal or caudal crest. Lepidosis heterogeneous; six rows of large dorsal scales; the two middle rows narrower than long, each scale with a distinct keel ending in a raised elevation pos- teriorly; the next two rows the largest, the scales about as wide as long and with their keels ending in elevations which are even more pronounced and which form in profile an irregular saw-toothed line; the two outer dorsal rows like the middle pair in size and carination; below these and merging gradually into them is a band of small, rather smooth but very irregular dorso-laterals about 12 scales in width; below these comes a lateral band of two rows of large, tubercular scales beginning in front of the shoulder, running above it and straight along the sides to the groin; below these and sharply separated from them is a latero-ventral band of smooth granular scales; these in turn suddenly give place to about fourteen rows of very large, heavily keeled ventral scales, the two or three median ventral rows much smaller than the others. The hind leg being adpressed, the tip of the fourth toe reaches a point half-way between the tympanum and the eye; the arm being laid back along the sides, the finger-tips extend about four-fifths of the way to the groin; limbs entirely covered with imbricate scales, the keels usually continuous. Digits medium in length, slightly depressed and very slightly expanded, the terminal phalanx of each digit compressed at the joint, then expanded before the claw is reached. Claws strong, inserted at the end of the expanded portion of the digits; third and fourth fingers nearly equal in length; fourth toe much the longest, with 25 lamellae beneath it; fifth toe as long as second, and set in at right angles to the others; first toe very short. Tail long, nearly two and one-half times the length of the head and body, round, covered with imbricate, keeled scales, not at all verticillate. No enlarged post- anal scales visible. Cochran — New Species of Chamaelinorops from Haiti. 47 Dimensions. — Snout to vent, 26 mm.; tail, 61 mm.; hind leg, 19 mm.; arm, 11 mm.; width of body, 3 mm.; depth of body, 6.5 mm.; width of head, 6 mm.; length of head, 10 mm. General color above ashy gray; a dark-brown irregular ring completely encircling the head, between the eyes appearing as a chevron, under the eyes as a dark bar to the lips and on the lower jaw and throat as a sinuous dark marking set ofif by a light anterior border; another much fainter mark in front of this on the chin, ending on the upper lip in a dark vertical bar in front of the eye; a very light dark-edged longitudinal stripe on the frontal region, and another U-shaped one behind the dark chevron. Three light-brown vertical bars on each side of the body; a small dark triangular blotch just above the groin. Ventral surfaces dark grayish-brown, with irregular streaks of lighter color on the belly and lower surfaces of the limbs. Throat on either side of fan and in front of transverse fold intensely black; center of fan brown. Tail nearly white above, bluish-gray below, with about a dozen light bands edged with darker gray, these scarcely visible when seen from above. Occasional jet-black tips on the spinose tubercles and elevations on head and back. The type is unique. OCR text unavailable for this page.Vol. 41, pp. 49-52 March 16, 1928 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON (.""S^'lMn"''-? A NEW GENUS AND SPECIES OF LIZARD, ^^^^^SifiLlVTUSg IIISPANIOLUS PRATENSIS, FROM THE HAITIAN REPUBLIC. BY DORIS M. COCHRAN. During an excursion to Haiti in March and April, 1925, Mr. Gerrit S. Miller, Jr., of the United States National Museum, secured an important collection of amphibians and reptiles, among which are half-a-dozen specimens of a striped lizard representing a new genus allied to Leiocephalus. Mr. Miller found the animal rather common in the grass and scrub along the banks of small gullies in the northern edge of the central plain of Haiti (altitude about 425 meters). He did not see it on the nearby limestone hills. He noticed that in running it did not elevate its tail in the manner which is so conspicuous in Leiocephalus personatus, a lizard which was frequently seen on the roadway near sea level in the region of Saint Marc and Gonaives; also that it differed from Leiocephalus personatus in its fondness for scrub and grassy cover. Hispaniolus, new genus. Diagnosis. — Tympanum distinct; body slightly compressed; no dorsal or caudal crests; tail long, rounded; dorsal scales uniform, imbricate, keeled. Upper head-scales enlarged, keeled; occipital small. No transverse gular fold; no gular sac. Digits compressed, with keeled lamellae inferiorly. No femoral or preanal pores. Lateral teeth tricuspid; pterygoids not toothed. A sternal fontanelle closed by cartilage. No abdominal ribs. This genus is somewhat similar to Leiocephalus in head scalation and general proportions. It differs in having no dorsal or caudal crests, in having a different style of coloration and in not being able to curl its round tail up over the back when running, as is the habit of the Leiocephali with compressed tails. 12— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. 41, 1928. (49) 50 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. Hispaniolus pratensis, new species. Type. — U. S. N. M. No. 69189, an adult male collected at the Atalaye plantation near St. Michel, Departement du Nord, Republic of Haiti on March 23, 1925, by Gerrit S. Miller, Jr. Description of the type. — Head-shields enlarged, all ridged excepting the internasals, which are smooth; nasal in contact with rostral; two scales between the rostral and the first supraocular; internasals very elongate; the frontals, prefrontals and internasals embracing a medial series of two subequal scales which completely separate the prefrontals but which do not reach the rostral; prefrontals separated from the canthals by an elongate scale; three supraorbitals; five supraoculars on each side, the fifth very small; occipital plate small, bordered laterally by two pairs of distinct parietals, the outer pair considerably larger than the inner pair; four upper and four lower labials to middle of eye. Dorsal scales large, uniform, extremely imbricate and mucronate; laterals slightly smaller, keeled; ventrals smooth, their posterior edges not denticulate; about 41 scales around the middle of the body; about 42 scales from occiput to a point directly above the vent; about 10 dorsal scales to a head-length; scales of the neck like the dorsals, those behind the ear keeled and imbri- cate, not granular; anterior auricular margin with two weU-developed projecting scales. Shoulder folds present, but no lateral folds. The hind leg adpressed reaches only to a point a httle in front of the shoulder. Digits compressed; fourth toe with 24 keeled lamellae. No dorsal or caudal crests, the scales of the mid-dorsal region like the surrounding scales in size and carination; the keels of the lateral and dorsal scales directed backwards and upwards, so that the longitudinal scale-rows strongly converge on the back. Tail round, about twice as long as the head and body taken together. Dimensions. — Length of head, 11 mm.; body, 36 mm.; tail, 90 mm.; arm, 17 mm.; leg, 30 mm.; width of head, 8 mm. Head olive-gray with some round black spots on the sutures of the head-shields; body light olive-gray, with ten dark brown stripes on back and sides running from the head onto the tail; three lateral white stripes between the brown ones on each side, the lowest white stripe running from in front of the shoulder to the groin and down the hind leg; the middle white stripe beginning in front of the eye, passing through the eye, through the ear and along the body onto the tail; the uppermost white stripe beginning at the upper posterior border of the eye, passing above the ear and along the body onto the tail. Ventral scales peppered with very minute gray dots, some of the scales with light bluish centers. Throat iridescent pale violet and green, with some small widely scattered gray spots. Upper and lower lips edged with black. Variations. — In five paratypes from the same locality taken by the same collector the scalation shows remarkably little variation, as all with- out exception conform in number of supraoculars, in number and position of medial scales on the center of the snout and in having ten dorsal scales in a head-length. The scales around the body are about 40 or 41 in Cochran — A New Genus and Species of Lizard. 51 number, although the excessive irregularity of the longitudinal rows make it difficult to be definite about this count, as it will differ if taken a quarter of an inch away in either direction. There are from 40 to 42 scales in a row from the occiput to a point directly above the vent. In two of the paratypes (69184 and 69185) the internasal plates, which are very elongate in the other four specimens, have divided transversely so that there are two scales between the first supraocular and that portion of the internasal actually in contact with the rostral. The largest individual, 69184, has a head-length of 12 mm. and from occiput to base of tail it measures 42 mm. The stripes of some of the paratypes are not so evenly developed as in the type. In two specimens, the middle one of the three white lateral stripes is almost obsolete, while the brown stripe above the uppermost white lateral stripe is broadened and emphasized. The borders to the lips are not conspicuously darkened in some cases and the gray spots on the throat are not always evident, the throat being suffused with gray occasionally. None of the specimens show any traces whatever of the black bars or chevrons across the back which are usually so pronounced in most species of the genus Leiocephalus. OCR text unavailable for this page.Vol. 41, pp. 53-60 March 16. 1928 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASH. MUSE} THE HERPETOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS MADE IN HAITI AND ITS ADJOINING ISLANDS BY WALTER J. EYERDAM. BY DORIS M. COCHRAN. From June to October, 1927, Dr. Thomas Barbour of the Museum of Comparative Zoology employed the services of Mr. Walter J. Eyerdam, who made collections at several regions on the mainland of Haiti and who extended his efforts by visiting Grand Cayemite Island and by traversing the little- known Gonave Island, both lying a few miles off the Haitian Coast. That his efforts were distinctly worth while may be seen in the three species new to science which he secured. It is to be hoped that further careful collecting may soon be done in these islands, the fauna of which merits still greater atten- tion than it has yet received. Of the total of 210 specimens, 53 came from Gonave Island and 11 from Grande Cayemite Island, the number of species known from each of these islands being considerably enlarged. A tabular list of the entire collection is given. The numerals after each locality stand for the number of individuals taken at that place. The specimens are now in the Museum of Com- parative Zoology at Cambridge, Massachusetts. 13— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. 41, 1928. (63) 54 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. Gonatodes notatus Aristelliger lar (juv.) Sphaerodactylus cinereus Sphaerodactylus copei Anolis chlorocyanus Anolis coelestinus Anolis distichus Anolis cybotes Anolis doris Anolis olssoni Anolis semilineatus Leiocephalus vinculum n. sp. Leiocephalus schreibersii Leiocephalus semilineatus Leiocephalus personatus Cyclura cornuta Celestus costatus Sauresia sepsoides Ameiva barbouri n. sp Ameiva taeniura Ameiva chrysolaema. Amphisbaena caudalis n. sp. Amphisbaena innocens Typhlops lumbricalis Tropidophis haetiana Uromacer catesbyi Uromacer dorsalis Uromacer frenatus Uromacer oxyrhynchus Leimadophis parvifrons protenus - Leimadophis alleni laltris dorsalis. — Eleutherodactylus inoptatus Haitian mainland. ' Miragoane Mt. Rochelle - Cape Haitien Miragoane Hinche Ca,pe Haitien Miragoane c Cape Haitien < Miragoane ' Hinche ( Cape Haitien Miragoane < Hinche Mt. Rochelle I Port de Paix 3 6 1 3 2 3 20 2 35 5 10 23 3 4 1 Cape Haitien Miragoane Port de Paix 1 Hinche 1 Hinche 1 Morne k Cabrite 1 Bellevue 2 Morne Rochelois 1 Miragoane 5 Miragoane Hinche Miragoane Miragoane I (no label) I Cape Haitien Miragoane Lake Miragoane Gonave Island. Pte. a Raquette 1 Pte. a Raquette 1 Pte. a Raquette 2 Pte. a Raquette 13 Pte. k Raquette 3 Anse a Galets 1 Pte. a Raquette 3 Petit Gonave Id. 1 Anse a Galets 1 Pte. k Raquette 1 La Source 2 Pte. a Raquette 18 Petit Gonave Id. 1 Pte. k Raquette 1 La Grande Source 2 Gonave Island Grande Cayemite Island. Leiocephalus vinculum, new species. Diagnosis. — Parietal plates distinct, longitudinally divided, the outer not twice as large as the inner; a series of six band-like transverse supra- oculars; nasal in contact with the rostral; ventral scales smooth; caudal crest higher than the dorsal crest; upper head-shields very weakly keeled; an enlarged scale on the temporal region above the ear; an elongate scale separating prefrontals from canthals. Alhed to Leiocephalus semilineatus Dunn and to the personatus group through Leiocephalus barahonensis Schmidt. Type.— Mus. Comp. Zool. No. 25435 (collector's no. 289, lot 54), adult male collected by Walter J. Eyerdam on August 5, 1927, at Pte. k Raquette, Gonave Island. "... curly-tailed lizards on rocks in forest near Saline Madre Siade." Description of the type. — Head-shields enlarged, the anterior ones very Cochran — Herpeiological Collections Made in Haiti. 55 weakly ridged, the supraorbitals and posterior ones a little more heavily ridged; three scales between the rostral and the first supraocular, the posterior very large; nasal in contact with rostral; internasals not unusually elongate, separated from each other; the frontals, prefrontals and inter- nasals embracing a medial series of three contiguous scales, the central one slightly the largest, the anterior one in contact with the rostral; frontals and prefrontals separated from the canthals by an elongate scale; three supraciliaries; six supraoculars; occipital small, bordered by two distinct pairs of parietals on each side, the inner about two-thirds as large as the outer; four (on left side of head only three) upper labials and five lower labials to a point below the center of the eye; a conspicuously enlarged, heavily keeled scale on the temporal region just above and in front of the ear opening; anterior border of the ear with four large projecting scales. Dorsal scales large, imbricate but not mucronate except towards the tail, some of the dorsals near the median line being hexagonal in shape with the tips squarely cut off; laterals slightly smaller than dorsals; ventrals larger than dorsals, smooth, their posterior edges highly denticulate; about 46 scales around the middle of the body; about 57 scales from occiput to a point directly above the vent; about 14 dorsal scales to a head-length; nuchal scales quite small; those on the side of the neck like the dorsals; those behind the ear keeled and imbricate, not granular. Shoulder folds present, but no lateral folds. The adpressed hind leg reaches to about the center of the eye. Digits compressed; the fourth tqe with 26 keeled lamellae. A low but distinct dorsal crest and a higher caudal crest; the other caudal scales mucronate. The keels of the lateral and dorsal scales are directed backwards and upwards, so that the longitudinal scale-rows converge strongly on the back. Tail highly compressed. Dimensions. — Snout to vent, 65 mm,; head, 14 mm,; tail (tip repro- duced), 87 mm. Color (in alcohol). — Head brown; back iridescent bronze-green with indi- cations of cross-bands on the nuchal region; traces of a dark-brown, much interrupted lateral stripe leaving the eye, continuing over the shoulder and onto the side of the tail where it persists only as a series of small brown spots widely separated; upper surfaces of arms and legs bronze. Chin and throat with alternating dark brown and light bronze stripes which are somewhat irregular and tend to anastomose. Remainder of under surface tan, with occasional bluish scales. Beneath the eye two light patches, set off by dark vertical marks. Variations. — In the two paratypes, secured under the same conditions as lihe type specimen, not much variation is shown. The scales around the body seem to be 45 and 49 in number in these two paratypes, but as the longitudinal rows are exceedingly uneven, due to the convergence on the back, the count varies at practically every scale. The number of scales from the occiput to a point directly above the vent is 58 and 60, and the number of dorsal scales in a head-length is 14 and 15. While the medial series of scales on the snout is continuous in the type, it is discontinuous in one of the parat3rpes. The other paratjrpe has an old injury on the snout in this region. 56 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. In coloration the same essential features are present in all three speci- mens. One of the paratypes is much more brightly colored than the type, however, and has some brilliant pale green scales edging the darker cross- bars over the neck, and likewise accenting the lower edge of the dark lateral stripe. Below this the sides appear purplish brown, with the occasional bright blue scales mingled there. Remarks. — In possessing a greatly enlarged scale on the temporal region above the ear, as well as in the comparative smoothness of the anterior head-shields, the new species resembles Leiocephalus semilineatus Dunn. In having a strap-like scale separating the prefrontals from the canthals, the new species differs from L. semilineatus, but, on the other hand, this character links it with L, harahonensis Schmidt, which has smooth anterior head-scales, but no greatly enlarged temporal scale. The new species has more scale-rows around the body (45-49) than L. harahonensis (40) ; in this character, as well as in possessing the enlarged temporal scale it likewise differs from L. beatanus Noble which is allied to L. harahonensis. Ameiva barbouri, new species. Diagnosis. — Ten rows of ventral plates; caudal scales oblique and very feebly keeled above, smooth on the sides and bottom of tail; nostril an- terior to the nasal suture; three large supraoculars, the first not in contact with the loreal; no white lines or light spots anywhere on head, body, limbs or tail. Type.— Mus. Comp. Zool. no. 25537 (collector's no. 288, lot 53), adult from La Source, Gonave Island, collected on August 7, 1927, by Walter J. Eyerdam. Description of the type. — Profile of head flat on top, not curved except at the very end of the snout; nostril anterior to the nasal suture; rostral forming a right angle behind; anterior nasals broadly in contact behind the rostral; frontonasal longer than wide, in contact with the large loreal; prefrontals broadly in contact; frontal in contact with three supraoculars on each side; three large supraoculars, the anterior one not touching the loreal; behind the third supraocular three small scales occupying the posi- tion of a fourth supraocular; frontoparietals in close contact with the third supraocular; seven supraciliaries on the right and six on the left, the two anterior ones on each side in contact with the first supraocular, the remaining supraciliaries separated from the posterior supraocular by a row of granules; two fronto-parietals, followed by a transverse row of five subequal occipitals, these in turn being followed by about three rows of irregular post-occipitals; ear-opening large; five upper labials to a point directly beneath the center of the eye, the third and fourth the longest; six lower labials to the same point, the third the longest; the wedge of granular scales on the chin extending to the first pair of chin shields, which are partially in contact; chin and throat covered with granular scales, a distinct wide band of enlarged scales across the middle; mesoptychium covered with one or two irregular rows of enlarged scales, bordered by two or three successively smaller rows. Dorsal scales granular, uniform, Cochran — Herpetological Collections Made in Haiti. 57 34 in the standard distance (from tip of snout to center of eye); laterals similar but smaller. Ventral plates in eight lonfi;itudinal series bounded by two very small external series, and in thirty-five transverse series; brachials and ante-brachials well separated; four wide strap-like scales across the fore-arm; post-brachials present as four pairs of somewhat enlarged scales at the elbow, only slightly larger than the granular scales on the back; femoral pores 16 and 18; anterior face of thigh covered with six or seven rows of flat scales; two tibial rows, the external row composed of four scales, of which the second and third are much larger than the others; no enlarged postanals; a pair of enlarged plates at the anterior border of the anus and two single median scales in front of them, the anterior the smaller; twenty-two scales in the fifteenth verticil of the tail. The hind leg being adpressed, the fourth toe reaches to the anterior edge of the tympanum. Hands and feet long and slender; the small "combs" very evident on the toes; fourth toe with thirty-seven lamellae beneath it; fifth toe longer than first. Tail exceedingly long, almost three times the length of the head and body together, and somewhat noticeably de- pressed in its proximal third; the scales obliquely set, very weakly keeled above, quite smooth on the side and bottom. Dimensions. — Head and body, 84 mm.; tail, 230 mm. Coloration {in alcohol). — Tail, ventral plates and under side of limbs brilliant cerulean blue; throat, chin, labials and point of snout rosy pink; dorsal surfaces uniform dull bluish-gray, without any light spots or lines whatever, but showing a bronze iridescence on shoulders and on base of tail; a dusky band beginning indistinctly on the canthus, passing over the ear and above the shoulder, broadening and becoming black on the side, narrowing above the insertion of the hind leg and fading out on the side of the tail; the outer two rows of ventral plates black anteriorly. Variation. — The only additional specimen of this species was collected at the same time and place. It is somewhat mutilated, but shows pre- cisely the same coloration as the type. The only essential differences are that the paratype has five lower labials to a point beneath the center of the eye, and that the first pair of chin-shields is divided transversely into two, the wedge of granular scales on the chin extending thus only to this second pair of chin-shields. On the paratype the post-brachial plates are a little more pronounced than in the type specimen. The head and body length is exactly the same as that of the type; the tail is defective. Relationships. — While Ameiva barhouri is more clearly related to A, taeniura than to any of the other Hispaniolan Ameivas, they are not very close. The new species has a much longer snout, which becomes much narrower tow^ards the tip when viewed from above; the brachials and ante-brachials are not continuous; the post-brachials are less well developed, and finally, the third supraocular is fully in contact with the fronto- parietal. Ameiva taeniura, on the contrary, has a shorter and blunter snout; the brachials and ante-brachials are continuous; the post-brachials are relatively larger, while the third supraocular is partially cut off from the frontoparietal by granules. While the two species are alike in having an immaculate bluish-gray mid-dorsal region, the black lateral bands of 58 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. A. taeniura are sharply marked off by a narrow light line above and below, and the central portion of the black band contains numerous light spots. In A. barbouri the black band merges gradually into the dorsal and lateral ground-color, and is itself without any spots or vermiculations whatever. Ameiva lineolata is not the young A. taeniura, as Drs. Barbour and Noble have maintained, 1 but is a distinct and well marked species. Its charac- teristics, separating it from A. taeniura decisively, are these: The first supraocular is in contact with the loreal; the row of granules separating the posterior supraoculars from the frontoparietal does not extend as far forward as the third supraocular; the tail at the fifteenth verticil has fewer scales (17 to 18); there are two pairs of enlarged preanal plates in the first row, the inner pair the larger; there are 28 dorsal granules in the standard distance (from tip of snout to center of eye). In Ameiva taeniura, the first supraocular is separated entirely from the loreal by an intervening scale; the third supraocular is partly and sometimes completely separated from the frontoparietal by a row of granules; the tail at the fifteenth verticil has more scales (25 to 28) ; there is but one pair of enlarged preanal plates; the dorsal granules are smaller, there being about 42 in the standard distance, the minimum number being 36 in this species. Amphisbaena caudalis, new species. Diagnosis. — Nasals forming a suture on the snout; four preanal pores; two prefrontals, distinct from the nasals and labials; suture between the nasals nearly one-half as long as that between the prefrontals; ocular forming a suture with the second and third labials; no preocular; body rings 217; tail rings 20 to 21. Type.—M. C. Z. no. 25550 (collector's no. 407, lot 63), an adult from Grande Cayemite Island, Haiti, collected by Walter J. Eyerdam from under stones in September, 1927. Description of the type. — Rostral small, triangular, scarcely any of it visi- ble from above; prefrontals long, the suture between them a little longer than that between the frontals and slightly over twice the length of the nasal suture; ocular moderate, quadrangular, smaller than the postocular and about equal to the third supralabial; a well developed temporal be- tween the postocular and third supralabial, just touching the ocular and about equal to it in size; eye plainly visible through the ocular; two pairs of occipitals in contact behind the frontals, the anterior pair longer than broad, the posterior pair squarish; three supralabials, the second as long as the other two together; three lower labials, the second much longer than the other two together; behind the second lower labial a large malar shield; mental followed by a large median postmental somewhat longer than broad; just behind the postmental and between the second supralabials are two scales (post-genials) lying in a transverse row; 217 rings on the body and 21 on the tail; the segments of each ring longer than broad, except- ing the two median ventral ones which are slightly broader than long and iBull. Mua. Comp. Zool. Cambridge, vol. 59, No. 6, Oct., 1915, p. 435. Cochran — Herpetological Collections Made in Haiti. 59 between which the suture is less deep than elsewhere; 14 segments above the lateral line and 20 below it; six anal shields; four preanal pores. Color (in alcohol). — Drab above, the center of each segment darker; lighter below anteriorly, turning to yellowish-white posteriorly. Dimensions. — Head and body length, 137 mm.; tail, 12 mm.; greatest diameter of body, 5 mm. Variations. — A single paratype, taken at the same time and place as the type, besides being somewhat larger, varies from it in the following slight characteristics: The temporal scale is relatively somewhat smaller than in the type specimen; there are 18 segments below the lateral line instead of 20; there are 20 tail-rings instead of 21. In all other respects it agrees with the type specimen. The length of the head and body in the paratype is 170 mm.; tail, 17 mm.; the greatest body diameter about 6 mm.; the body is somewhat shrunken and stiffened. Remarks. — From the true Amphishaena innocens, its closest relative, it differs in having 20 to 21 tail rings instead of 13 to 16; in having the first and third supralabials proportionately smaller in relation to the second supralabial, and in having a somewhat shorter postmental. OCR text unavailable for this page.Vol. 41, pp. 61-66 March 16, 1928 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASI CHARLES VANCOUVER PIPER AND THE FLORA OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. BY R. KENT BEATTIE. We who knew Charles Vancouver Piper recognize his mani- fold interests, his breadth of training and vision, his ability to grasp the fundamentals of a problem and his practical insight into botanical and agronomic problems. Those who knew him in his later years only remember him chiefly for his brilliant leadership in the agronomic field. But Professor Piper 's older friends think of him as a natural- ist, especially as a botanical explorer and pioneer. Aptly was he named Vancouver. What George Vancouver did for the geography of Puget Sound and the Pacific Northwest and more, Piper did for the botany. Professor Piper's studies of the flora of the Pacific North- west may be divided into three periods: (1) the years 1883 to 1892 when he resided at Seattle; (2) the years 1892 to 1903 during which he was Professor of Botany and Zoology at the State College of Washington at Pullman; and (3) the years 1903 to 1926 while he was connected with the United States Depart- ment of Agriculture at Washington, D. C. Professor Piper graduated from the University of Washing- ton in 1885 and later secured his master 's degree from the same institution. His teacher in the biological sciences was Pro- fessor 0. B. Johnson, Later he studied at Harvard University. Even in his student days he had become a collector of plants. Specimens are in herbaria gathered by him as early as June, 1883. He became a member of the Young Naturalists Club of Seattle. After his graduation he helped his father in his busi- ness but devoted much time to botanical exploration. In this 14— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. 41, 1928. (61) 62 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. period his explorations reached many points in the Puget Sound Region and in the lofty mountains which surround it. In 1885 he was a member of the third party ever recorded as having climbed to the summit of Mount Rainier. The party con- sisted of eight men, was headed by Major E. S. Ingraham and included the naturalist, John Muir. The first reference to Professor Piper's work which I find in literature is in an article entitled "A Mountain Meadow" and was published in Garden and Forest in 1889. The article is a description of the wonder- ful natural flower gardens in Paradise Valley on Mount Rainier. In 1891 in the same journal there appeared over his signature an article entitled ''Conifers on Mount Rainier." By this time he had already begun the correspondence and submission of specimens to eastern specialists which helped him so much in developing his knowledge of the taxonomy of the plants of the northwest. Mount Rainier was always one of his favorite fields of ex- ploration. He explored the mountain botanically in 1888, again in 1889, and again in 1895. In 1901, in the mountaineer- ing magazine, Mazama, he published a critical list of the plants of this lofty snow peak. In 1890 and again in 1895 he explored the Oljnnpic Mountains, the range of snow-capped peaks which forms the west border of the Puget Sound region. In 1892, Professor Piper was called to the position of Pro- fessor of Botany and Zoology at the State College of Washing- ton. The institution was young; there were but few teachers and few students. He began an energetic survey of eastern and central Washington and northern Idaho, now accessible to him. He scoured the bunch grass plains and at every opportunity visited the nearby Thatuna Hills of northern Idaho and the Snake River valley to the southward. He gathered around him a group of students whom he interested in the flora of the region. He established connection with such local collectors as W. C. Cusick, R. M. Horner, W. N. Suksdorf, and Kirk Whited, who sent him many plants for determination. He built up at the State College a splendid herbarium representing the flora of the Pacific Northwest. He undertook a catalogue of the flora of the State of Washington. He spent the school year 1899-1900 at Harvard University. During this year he Beattie — Charles Vancouver Piper. 63 completed most of the work on his catalogue which was pub- lished as volume 11 of the Contributions of the United States National Herbarium. Soon after Professor Piper 's return from Harvard in 1900 the preparation of the Flora of the Palouse Region was begun. This little volume was the forerunner of the later published Flora of Southeastern Washington and adjacent Idaho and the Flora of the Northwest Coast. In 1896 Professor Piper explored the Blue Mountains in southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon, penetrat- ing to the Powder River and the Wallowa Mountains. In 1902 with two friends and a helper he made a five weeks pack horse trip over the Lolo trail into the Bitterroot Mountains of Idaho, following the path and studying the work of the Lewis and Clarke expedition. With Professor Piper's removal to Washington, D. C, his interest in the flora of the Pacific Northwest did not waver. Rather, his field broadened. His forage crop problems fre- quently led him through the region. He botanized in Alaska while he studied its grasses and forage plants. During vaca- tions he camped on Priest Lake in northern Idaho, where he found a most interesting flora. He penetrated the fascinating Siskiyou Mountains in southwestern Oregon. He estabUshed more than friendly relations with the students of the flora of Vancouver Island and British Columbia. He stimulated others to visit the regions he himself could not reach. All this continued almost to the day of his death. It made him for all time the dominant factor in the Systematic Botany of the Pacific Northwest. In his taxonomic work. Professor Piper was sane, critical and a fearless student. He was conservative in his ideas but not to an extreme. He believed that species were human concepts and that names were conveniences. Rules of nomenclature were acceptable in so far as they were useful. He described and pubUshed over a hundred new species and varieties of plants but there was to him no sanctity in his own species. If new material or a new point of view or a suggestion from another botanist called in question one of his species no one could be more critical of it than he. Professor Piper's personal herbarium and his collection of 64 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. ) taxonomic books, separates, and notes go to the State College of Washington to augment his collection already there and make it a splendid monument. Many of his types are in the Na- tional Herbarium. Duplicate sets of many of his collections are in the larger eastern herbaria. During the last few weeks of his life he arranged for the preparation of a list of additions and corrections to his Catalogue. The genus Piperia of Rydberg (Bull. Torr. Bot. Club 28: 269. 1901) was named after him. A considerable number of species also bear his name. Professor Piper was not primarily a laboratory and herbarium man. He was a field botanist. He knew and loved plants as they grew out of doors. A surprisingly large number of the plants cited in the Flora of the State of Washington were col- lected by himself and he had explored personally perhaps a hundred localities in all parts of the State in securing them. This intimate knowledge of the living plant expressed itself in his writings and in his discussions of plants with his fellows. BIBLIOGRAPHY RELATING TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. BY MISS MARY R. BURR. Books. 1901. The flora of the Palouse region. C. V. Piper and R. Kent Beattie. State College of Washington, Pullman, Wash. 1914. Flora of southeastern Washington and adjacent Idaho. C. V. Piper and R. Kent Beattie. (Privately published.) 1915. Flora of the Northwest Coast. C. V. Piper and R. Kent Beattie. (Privately published.) ^ Articles in Scientific Journals. 1889. A mountain meadow. (Description of Paradise Valley.) Gard. & For. 2:314. 1891. Conifers on Mount Rainier. Gard. & For. 4: 382. 1896. New and noteworthy Washington plants. Bot. Gaz. 22: 488-491. 1896. Another compass plant. Bot. Gaz. 22: 491-492. 1897. A remarkable sembling habit of Coccinella transversoguttata. Ent. News 8: 49-51. 1897. An undescribed black-cap raspberry. Erythae: 5: 103. 1898. New species of Washington plants. Erythea 6: 29-32. 1899. New and noteworthy northwestern plants. Erythea 7: 99-104; 159-163; 171-174. 1900. New and noteworthy northwestern plants. IV. Bull. Torrey Club 27: 392-401. Beattie — Charles Vancouver Piper. 65 1901. New and noteworthy northwestern plants. V. Bull. Torrey Club 28: 39-45. 1901. The flora of Mount Rainier. Mazama 2: 93-117. 1902. New and noteworthy northwestern plants. VI. Bull. Torrey Club. 29: 221-226. 1902. Notes on the biennial and perennial West American species of Lappula. Bull. Torrey Club 29: 535-549. 1902. New and noteworthy northwestern plants. VII. Bull. Torrey Club 29: 642-646. 1902. The conservation of our forests. Club Journ. Portland, Oregon 179-180. 1905. The basalt mounds of the Columbia lava. Science n. ser. 21 : 824- 825. 1905. New and interesting American grasses. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washing- ton 18: 143-150. 1905. The two eastern species of Melica. Bull. Torrey Club 32: 383-387. 1905. Poa gracillima Vasey and its allies. Bull. Torrey Club 32: 435-437. 1905. Additions and corrections to the list of Mount Rainier plants. Mazama 2: 270-271. 1906. North American species of Festuca. Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 10: 1-48. 1906. Notes on Calochortus. Bull. Torrey Club 33: 537-540. 1906. The terminology of the parts of the grass spikelet. Science n. ser. 33:789-790. 1906. Flora of the state of Washington. Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 11 : 1-637. 1907. New plants of the Pacific slope with some revisions. Smiths. Quarterly CoU. 50: 195-202. 1911. Pterostichus johnsoni. Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington 13: 62-64. 1913. Supplementary notes on American species of Festuca. Delphinium simplex and its immediate allies. The identity of Heuchera cylindrica. New or noteworthy Pacific Coast plants. Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 16: 197-210. 1914. Wyethia helianthoides Nutt. and Wyethia amplexicaulis Nutt. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 27: 97-98. 1915. Botany in the agricultural colleges. Science n. ser. 41: 211-213. 1915. Andropogon halepensis and Andropogon sorghum. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 28: 25-44. 1916. Notes on Qvximasia with a description of a new species. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington. 29: 77-81. 1916. New plants from Oregon. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 29: 99-102. 1916. The flora of Mount Rainier. In E. S. Meany, Mount Rainier, a record of exploration. MacMillan, New York 254-286. 1918. New plants of the Pacific Northwest. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washing- ton 31: 75-78. 1918. Some western species of Lathyrus. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 31: 189-196. 1919. New Pacific Coast plants. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 32: 41-44. 66 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 1920. Some new plants from the Pacific Northwest. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 33: 103-106. 1920. A study of Allocarya. Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 22: 79-115. 1922. The identification of Berberis aquifolium and Berberis repens. 1924. New flowering plants of the Pacific Coast. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washing- ton 37: 91-96. Numerous other articles have been pubhshed relating chiefly to agronomy, the taxonomy of forage crops, and grasses for golf courses. These have been listed elsewhere. The follow- ing biographical notes have been published. Oakley, R. A. Dr. Charles Vancouver Piper. Bull. Green Sect. U. S. Golf Assn. 6:54-57. 1926, Pieters, A. J. Charles Vancouver Piper. Science n. ser. 53: 248. 1926. Vinall, H. N. Charles Vancouver Piper. Journ. Amer. Soc. Agron. 18: 295-300. 1926. Vol. 41, pp. 67-68 March 16, 1928 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON A NEW BAT FROM DOMINICA. ^^^4^;^£^ MUSE^ BY H. HAROLD SHAMEL.i In the collection of alcoholic specimens in the U. S. National Museum are 22 bats of the genus Natalus from the Island of Dominica, Lesser Antilles, collected in 1901. It has been as- sumed for some time that these specimens represented A^. stramineus for the reason that up until the year 1921 there were no members of this genus from continental South America in the collection. Brazilian specimens now at hand, one adult and two young from Natal, show that the bat from Dominica is a different animal. Natalus dominicensis, sp. nov. Type. — Adult male (in alcohol), No. 113605 U. S. National Museum, collected on the Island of Dominica, May-July, 1921, by H. Selwyn Branch. Characters. — A larger form than Natalus stramineus from Brazil, more resembling N. mexicanus in its larger ear and longer tibia, but exceeding this bat in length of tibia and forearm, as well as average length of ear. Color. — All specimens examined are alcoholics collected in 1901. Com- paring these with the three alcohoHcs of N. stramineus, collected in 1921 at Natal, Brazil, they seem darker, a deep reddish brown on the back and lighter on the underparts, while the three specimens of N. stramineus are a much paler brown with less red. Skull. — The skull has a longer rostrum, narrower braincase, longer maxillary and mandibular toothrow, greater breadth at m^, and greater condylobasal length. Comparing 4 skulls from Dominica with one from Natal, Brazil, the results are as follows: width of braincase 8.0-8.2 (8.6); maxillary toothrow, 7.2-7.5 (6.6); width at m^, 5.6-6.0 (5.5); mandibular toothrow, 7.6-7.8 (7.0); condylobasal length, 15.4-16.0 (14.8). Teeth. — The teeth, except for the greater length of the toothrows, seem to be not different from those of N. mexicanus and A'^. stramineus. Measurements. — Type: Head and body, 48.0; tail, 53.0; tibia, 21.4; 1 Published here by permission of the Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 15— Pkoc. Biol. See. Wash., Vol. 41, 1928. (67) 68 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. foot, 9.0; forearm, 41.0; third metacarpal, 39.5; fifth metacarpal, 37.6; ear from meatus, 16.0; ear from crown, 12.8; width of ear, 12.2; thumb, 4.2; total length of skull, 16.5; condylobasal length, 16.0; interorbital breadth, 3.5; zygomatic breadth, 8.2; breadth of braincase, 8.0; occipital depth, 7.0; breadth at m^, 5.6; breadth at canines, 3.8; maxiUary toothrow (including incisor), 7.5; mandibular toothrow, 7.8; length of mandible, 12.8. Specimens examined. — Twenty-two, including the type, all from the Island of Dominica. Remarks. — With the exception of Natalus major this is the largest known form of this genus. In color and size it resembles more the northern race A^. mexicanus, but the skull may be separated by its larger size and es- pecially by its greater condylobasal length which is 15.4-16.0 in four specimens as against 14.2-15.2 in nine specimens of A^. mexicanus. The skins may be separated by their longer forearm (39.5-41.5) in six speci- mens as against (36.6-39.2) in 5 specimens of N. 7nexicanus. The ear averages larger than in N. mexicanus and is actually much larger than A^. stramineus, which is 13.4 from meatus. Vol 41, pp. 69-70 March 16, 1928 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGT A NEW CRAB FROM COSTA RICA BY MARY J. RATHBUN.i In a recent shipment to the National Museum by M. Valerio, of Crustacea from the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, there is a crab of the genus Cyrtoplax, family Goneplacidae, which strongly resembles the hitherto unique genotype of the Atlantic coast. It has been named for the donor. Cyrtoplax Valeriana, sp. no v. Type, male, Puntarenas, Costa Rica, Oct. 1, 1927, M. Valerio, collector; Cat. No. 61048, U. S. Nat. Mus. The Pacific analogue of C. spinidentata (Benedict). ^ Carapace wider in proportion to length; fronto-orbital distance greater, due to length of eyes and orbits; lobes of front more arcuate; supra-orbital fissures and emarginations obsolete. Anterolateral margin with 4 teeth instead of 5, first or orbital tooth simple, directed forward, outwardly rounded; second tooth wider than first, third wider than second, fourth smallest; last three acute; sinuses diminishing in width from first to third or posterior. Sur- face more coarsely granulate than in spinidentata. Wrist longer than in the type species of the genus, outer distal angle a right angle; inner margin armed with a single strong spine parallel to distal margin. Palms longer than in the allied species, punctate and microscopically granulate. The first and third segments of the abdomen(cr) are narrower (from side to side) and the terminal segment somewhat longer than in spinidentata. Length of carapace 15.7, width of same 23.5, fronto-orbital distance 17.4, greatest width of front 6.2 mm. 1 Published with the permission of the Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 2Johns Hopkins Univ. Circ, No. 11, 1892, p. 77. 16— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. 41, 1928. (69) OCR text unavailable for this page.Vol. 41, pp. 71-84 March 16, 1928 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHIN CONCERNING THE STRUCTURE, FUNCTION, AND ORIGIN OF THE CORNICLES OF THE FAMILY APHIDIDAE. BY F. C. HOTTES.i Introduction. The Homopterous family Aphididae has long been looked upon as furnishing abundant favorable material for investiga- tion. The peculiar method of reproduction of the family seems to have received extensive and careful consideration by the early investigators. It was while pursuing this line of research, no doubt, that attention was directed to the form and function of the cornicles, structures which so fundamentally separate aphids from all other insects. It is not surprising that sensory, respiratory and excretory functions should have been attributed to such conspicuous and unique structures as the cornicles by the early workers. Morphological studies on the internal structure of the cornicles had to wait until suitable histological technique was developed. Since such technique has been per- fected, few students have applied it to the study of the cornicles. Therefore, our knowledge of their internal structure is extremely limited, and as a consequence of this, the significance of the internal structure of the cornicles has never been fully appreci- ated. Emphasis has been placed upon their external form alone, ignoring the fact that it is the internal functional portion of the cornicle that is the more fundamental. This study has been attempted with the view in mind of ex- plaining what the cornicles are, what they do, and from what 1 1 consider myself extremely fortunate to have been able to carry on this work under the guidance and direction of Dr. O. W. Oestlund, and I take this opportunity of acknowl- edging his valued assistance, encouragement, and kindly criticism. 17— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., Vol. 41, 1928. (71) 72 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. structures they may be traced phylogenetically. This has been done in order to arrive at a better understanding of their value as characters useful in the classification of the family Aphididae, the application of which is left to the future. Part I. Structure. Cornicles may best be described as a pair of tube-like structures which are situated on the dorso lateral surfaces of the sixth abdominal segment of most species of Aphididae. Because the external form of the cornicles is given to considerable variation, they have long been recognized as useful taxonomic characters. In general, it may be said that the external portions of the cornicles present five distinct types. The procornicular type (fig. 1), the tubercu- late (fig. 2), the truncate (figs. 3, 4), the cylindrical (figs. 5-9), and the pore-like (figs. 10, 11). The procornicular type of cornicle, as repre- sented by the cornicles of the genus Monellia is a very primitive type, heretofore not recognized as such. Cornicles of this type differ but shghtly from lateral tubercles, which are rudimentary structures, and usu- ally functionless. In the tuberculate type of cornicle, the cornicle proper is situated upon a tuberculate or volcano-shaped area of the body. Cornicles of this type are characteristic of the tribe Lachnini. The truncate type of cornicle is well exemplified by the cornicles of species belonging to the tribes Chaitophorini and Callipterini. In these tribes, the cornicles are rather truncate or trunk-like in shape, and as a rule are no longer than they are wide at the base. Cornicles of species belonging to the tribe Chaito- phorini are often more or less irregularly reticulated, the reticulations in this case being of the same nature as the reticulations found on the body. Cornicles of species belonging to the tribe CalUpterini are characteristically never reticulated, although in some species they may be modified by being somewhat swollen at the base. Cylindrical cornicles are usually much longer than wide. Tuberculate and truncate cornicles show but compara- tively few modifications, but cornicles of the cylindrical type are given to exceedingly great external variation. In general, cornicles of this type are long, more or less movable tube-like structures in contrast to the short fixed cornicles of the Lachnini, Chaitophorini, and Callipterini. Cornicles, regardless of type, always have at or near their apical end an opening which is usually in the form of a semi-circular slit. This opening is of primary importance, because it is actively concerned with the internal function of the cornicles. The slit is so constructed that it may be opened and closed by a valve which is moved by a muscle attached near the median, free portion of the valve. The valve muscle has its insertion in the ventral portion of the body waU. The valve is usually attached for a short dis- tance around the rim of the cornicle by a flexible hinge. Cornicles of the long cylindrical type are at least somewhat movable. This presupposes some sort of a moving mechanism. Flogel mentions and figures such (fig. 13). I have not been able to locate the muscles found by Flogel either in cross or frontal sections, and suggest that the Hottes — Concerning Cornicles of Aphididae. 73 valve muscle may perform a double function, since the cornicles are but slightly movable. The literature of the structure of the cornicles is scarce and on the whole not very satisfactory. Few workers have based their observations on sectioned material. They seem to have depended largely upon gross dissection and upon the clearing and mounting of specimens in toto, pro- cesses not lending themselves to accurate interpretation. No compara- tive study of the internal structure of the cornicles seems to have been made. My study of the embryology of the cornicles, while fragmentary and not intended as a comprehensive treatment, adds a little to our knowl- edge of their development, and is apparently the first based upon sectioned material. The external portion of the cornicles is derived from the ectoderm. That the comparatively little known internal portion is derived from the same germ layer as the external portion of the cornicle, has been taken for granted, for all authors except Witlaczil so consider it. Witlaczil believed the internal portion of the cornicles to be derived from the mesoderm, and the evidence furnished by my sections so indicates. The structures de- scribed by Sulc as being present in Pseudococcus farinosus DeGeer are certainly suggestive of the internal structure of the cornicles of certain species of aphids. Sulc looked upon the cells which he found as being degenerated fat tissue which functioned in the defense of the organism. Without considering the function of these structures, but judging them solely by their structure, it would appear that Sulc was justified in declar- ing them homologous to the cornicles of the family Aphididae. The structure of the cornicles of the genus Lachnus will be described first. Mordwilko, having sectioned Tuherolachnus viminalis Boyer (con- sidered at that time to belong to the genus Lachnus) appears to have been the first worker to make a histological study of cornicles of this type. I have not had material of this species to section, but my interpretation of the structure of the cornicles of two typical species of the genus Lachnus differs somewhat from Mordwilko 's interpretation. Structure of the cornicles in the embryo of Lachnus coloraden- sis Gillette (Figs. 14-16). Before there is any indication of a tubercle in the locality where the cornicles will shortly manifest themselves there appears beneath this area a rather finely granulated nucleus in a mass of greatly vacuolated tissue, usually more or less intimately associated with fat cells. Such nuclei are usually larger than any nuclei found within the body cavity. The cytoplasm of the glandular mass, although greatly vacuolated, presents a very homogenous appearance. These vacuoles are apparently empty spaces which were once filled with secretory sub- stance. Structure of the cornicle in the adult of Lachnus coloradensis Gillette (figs. 17-19). The chitin covering the tubercle appears to be considerably thicker than the chitin covering the outer portions of the body. The cornicle itself is short. A narrow, flat brim extending slightly downward is found at the apex. The valve is not set flush with the outer margin of the cornicle but is somewhat sunken or depressed. The chitin 74 Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. to which tHe valve is fastened extends downward for a short distance within the cornicle and then bends back upon itself, thus forming a rather flexible hinge. The valve fits up against an inwardly projecting portion of the rim of the cornicle, enabling the opening to be completely closed. Within the tubercle is found a large, nucleated glandular mass consisting, apparently, of two kinds of cells, which for convenience will be distinguished by the letters A and B. The cytoplasm of the A type of cell, which takes a dark stain, is coarsely vacuolated, the vacuoles varying considerably in size. Large granular nuclei are scattered at random throughout the cyto- plasm. There are no cell boundaries. Cells of this type are usually found close to the valve. The B type of cell is much more delicate in structure. They may surround three sides, or may lie directly beneath the glandular mass made up of the A type of cell. Cells of this type are greatly vacuo- lated, the vacuoles being small and uniform in size. There are no cell membranes apparently, separating cells of the B type, but the limits of the individual cells may in some cases be distinguished. The B type of cell fills the greater portion of the cornicular cavity. I regard the cavity or cavities often seen at the extreme inner portion of the tubercle as artifact. It is this cavity which I think Mordwilko interpreted as the wax sac. The wax sac of Mordwilko could be derived by a shrinking or disinte- grating of the cells in the interior, leaving only a membrane-like residue toward the outside containing nuclei. Mordwilko mentions the fact that the cells on the inner side of the valve are larger than those forming the hypodermis proper, and concludes that they are glandular in function. I agree with him that they are larger than the ordinary cells of the hypodermis, but not perhaps to the extent that Mordwilko 's figure of them would lead one to expect (fig. 20). I do not agree with him that these cells are glandular in function for they cer- tainly exhibit none of the characteristics of active glandular cells. They appear to be slightly modified hypodermal cells, since they differ only in the matter of size. At the margin, away from the attachment of the valve, the valve muscle attaches itself. At this point, there is an almost imper- ceptible transition from the hypodermal cells to the cells of the muscle proper. The valve muscle runs backward and downward to attach itself near the median line on the ventral side of the abdomen. From sections it is impossible to tell precisely the segment to which it attaches itself, but it would appear to be the segment posterior to the cornicles, and ac- cording to Mordwilko it is. The cornicles of Longistigma caryae (Harris). The cornicles of this species are very similar to the cornicles described for the genus Lachnus. The glandular portion is apparently considerably larger than that found in the genus Lachnus, while the cells of the A type are not as numerous. The cornicles of Eulachnus agilis (Koch). The oviparous females of this species were sectioned. Externally, the cornicles of this species are greatly reduced; internally, they depart widely from the cornicles of the genus Lachnus. The Cornicles of Monellia caryella (Fitch). Internally, the cornicles of Monellia caryella differ in many respects from the cornicles of