Article XI IL—A Si/nopsis of the Reptiles and Amphibians of

Illinois. By H. Garman.

PEEFATOEY NOTE.

This synopsis is presented largely as it was written several

years ago. Before a final report on our reptiles and amphibi-

ans is prepared, it is sincerely to be desired that examples of

every Illinois species may be in the Illinois Laboratory collection

for description, and that the local features of the fauna may be

brought out by a critical comparison of Illinois specimens with

collections from other parts of the United States. Specimens of

the following species, and observations upon them, are especially

desirable: Cistudo oniata, Chrysemys pida^ Fseudemys hiero-

glyphica, P. concinna, Heterodon simus, Ophibolus rhomhomacu-

latus, Nerodia sipedon Ya.r./asciata, Rana areolata, R. sylvafica^

Hyla cinerea, Desmognathus fusca^ Spelerpes ruber, Amblystoma
jeffersoniamim and A. punctatum.

A few additional species known to occur in adjacent states

may be looked for in Illinois.

Chelopus guttatus may occur in northeastern Illinois. It

has been found in northern Indiana and in Michigan.

Aspidonectes ferox has been found in the Ohio River, and

is likely to occur in this stream and in the Mississippi, along

our borders.

Hyla squirella has been taken at Brook ville, Indiana, by

Mr. A. W. Butler. It is a southern species, most likely to

occur in the south part of the State.

Amblystoma copianiwi was described in 1885 by Prof. 0.

P. Hay from a single specimen taken at Irvington, Indiana.

It seems to beaj a general resemblance to the young A. tif/riniim

just from the water. It may be distinguished from all re-

corded Illinois members of the genus by the presence of eleven

costal grooves and two plantar tubercles.

H. Garman.
May 6, 1891.



IK) Illinois State Laboratorij of Natural History.

CLASS KEPTILIA.

Exoskeleton in the form of horny scales or bony plates.

One occipital condyle. Mandible present, each ramus of sev-

eral bones. Vertebra3 without terminal epiphyses. No mam-
mary glands. Generally no diaphragm (an incomplete dia-

phragm is present in crocodiles). Respiration always by means

of lungs, sometimes aided by the walls of the pharynx. Heart

generally with three, sometimes with four, chambers. Two
aortic arches. Blood not warm; red corpuscles nucleated.

Alimentary canal terminating in a cloaca. Oviparous or ovo-

viparous.

Body enclosed in a bony shell, wide, and more or less de-

pressed. Legs four. Turtles Order Chelonia.

Body more or less cylindrical, never greatly depressed, covered

with small scales, generally imbricated. Eyelids and ex-

ternal ears present. Legs commonly four; if wanting, with

rudimentary sternal arch. Lizards Order Saukia.

Body very long and slender, cylindrical, back covered with

small imbricated scales, belly commonly with larger scales.

No legs, or at most with rudiments of the hind pair.

Sternal arch, eyelids, and external ears wanting. Snakes.

Order Ophidia.

ORDER OHELONIA.

Body enclosed between two shields (carapace, upper, and

plastron, lower) consisting of bony plates. Dorsal vertebra3

and ribs immovably united with the carapace. Bones of head

firmly united. Jaws covered with bony plates. No teeth.

No external auditory organs. Eyes with a nictitating mem_-

brane. Four well-developed limbs. Oviparous.

This well-defined group is represented in Illinois by a

rather small number of species. Our streams and lakes, more

especially the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, with their exten-

sive sloughs, their numerous sandy shores suited to the process

of oviposition, and their abundance of animal and vegetable

life, would seem to form an ideal cheloniau habitat. About



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 217

seven species are very abundant in these streams within bur

limits; beyond this number the more exclusively aquatic species

are rather scarce, or else only locally abundant.

The turtles are timid, inoffensive animals, avoiding man
whenever possible, and only when cornered exhibiting the

strength and quickness which might render them formidable

antagonists if they were so disposed. The snapping turtles

with their strength and vigor are quite able to hold their own
against most enemies. Our species vary in length from about

four inches to as many feet, and from one to a hundred

pounds in weight. Their food consists ordinarily of fishes,

frogs, mollusks, crayfishes, aquatic insects, and vegetation, some

being exclusively carnivorous, others taking both animal and

vegetable food. None of our species depend entirely upon

vegetable food. Several species trouble fishermen at times

by devouring fishes which have been caught on trot lines

or in set nets. Excepting the Trionychidse, they are not rapid

swimmers, and the predaceous species probably get most

of their prey by lying in wait for it. An animal once within

reach of their jaws must be very quick to escape capture. I

have occasionally seen an individual making off with a partly

devoured water snake. They emit no sounds except by snap-

ping the jaws when angered, and a low hiss produced by the

sudden compression of the lungs and consequent rush of air

through the glottis, when the head and limbs are withdrawn

into the shell. The eggs are white, spherical or elongate

oval (in the latter case the two ends alike in diameter), and are

provided with a rather tough shell. As far as known our

species all bury their eggs in sand or earth and leave them to

hatch by the sun's heat.

SYNOPSIS OF THE FAMILIES REPRESENTED IN ILLINOIS.

Plastron with twelve plates, with no, or but one, transverse

hinge. Bridge between plastron and carapace, when pres-

ent, formed by wings of the pectoral and abdominal plates.

No gular barbels Emydid^.



218 Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History.

Plastron with eleven plates, with two transverse hinges.

Bridge formed by wings of the abdominal and the contig-

uous axillary and inguinal. Gular barbels present.

ClNOSTERNID^.

Plastron small, cruciform, with ten, nine, eight, or fewer, plates.

Bridge narrow. Head very large, with gular barbels.

Cheltdrid^.

Entire shell covered with a continuous skin, cartilaginous at

the margins. Head slender; nostrils borne at the end of

a fleshy proboscis; horny coverings of jaws concealed at

the sides by fleshy lips Trionychid.^.

Family EMYDID^.
Shell bony, moderately depressed or strongly convex, cov-

ered with horny plates, of which there are five dorsal, eight

costal, one nuchal, twenty-two marginal, two caudals, twelve

sternals, and generally two axillaries and two inguinals.

Head of moderate size, covered with a smooth, soft skin, re-

tractile within the cavity of the shell. Jaws naked. Digits

5-4, generally fully webbed, rarely imperfectly webbed.

The family includes the greater part of our species. The

majority are aquatic, and, though not by their structure un-

fitted for life on land, are rarely found far away from the

water. A few are terrestrial, and in such species the webs of

the feet are greatly reduced in size.

SYNOPSIS OF THE GENERA REPRESENTED IN ILLINOIS.

1(2). Plastron immovably united with the carapace; with no

transverse hinge 5.

2(1). Articulation between the plastron and carapace carti-

laginous; with a transverse hinge between the pectoral

and abdominal plates 3".

3 (4). Carapace hemispherical. Plastron rounded before and

behind. Digits with rudimentary webs Cistudo.

4 (3). Carapace elongate, convex. Plastron emarginate be-

hind. Digits with evident webs Emts.

5(6). Alveolar surfaces of the jaws with no median carina ... 9.

6 (5). Alveolar surfaces with a median carina parallel with

the margins 7.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 219

7 (8). Plastron truncate before and behind. Alveolar sur-

faces of jaws moderately narrow. Digits short.

Chkysemys.

8(7). Plastron distinctly emarginate behind. Alveolar sur-

faces of jaws wider. Digits longer than in Chrysemys.

PSEUDEMYS.

9 (5). Plastron deeply emarginate behind, slightly before.

Digits long and fully webbed Malacoclemmys.

OlSTUDO, Fleming.

Fleming, Philosophy of Zoology, 1822, p. 270.

Hoffmann, Bronn's Thier lieich, Reptilien, p. 378.

Carapace strongly convex or hemispherical. Plastron

large, rounded before and behind, capable of completely clos-

ing the carapace, and affixed to the latter by a ligamentous

articulation; a transverse movable hinge between the pectoral

and abdominal plates, these plates with no wings in adults.

Axillary and inguinal plates small or wanting. Digits 5-4 or

5-3, only the terminal phalanges free, with small interdigital

webs.

Oistudo Carolina, Linn. Box Turtle.

Var. Carolina.

Testudo Carolina, Linn., Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1758, 1., p. 198.— LeC,
Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., 1829, III., p. 97.

Cistudo Carolina, Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., II., 1835, p. 210.

—

Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, 1., p. 31.pl. 2.— De Kay, Nat. Hist.

N. Y., I., Zof)!. III., Kept, and Amph., 1842, p. 24, pi. 1, fig.

1.—Gray, Cat. Tortoises, etc., in Coll. Brit. Mus., 1844, p. 30.

Cistudo clausa, subsp. clausa, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State

Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 57.

Cistudo clausa, Davis and Rice, Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Var. triunguis.
Cistudo triunguis, Ag., L., Contr. Nat. Hist. U. S., 1857, 1., p. 445.

Cistudo clausa, subsp. tritmgtiis, Davis and Rice, Bull. Ill, State
Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 57.

Length of shell about six inches; carapace strongly con-

vex, highest before the middle. Nuchal plate very small,

slightly projecting; anterior and posterior marginals slightly

flared outwards. Caudals directed downwards. Two gular



220 Illinois State Laboratory of Natural liistorij.

plates of plastron elongate, and narrowed posteriorly. Pecto-

rals transversely elongate, quadrangular, with no lateral pro-

jecting portion. Abdominals produced backwards laterally.

No inguinal plate. Preanals and anals large, the latter trunc-

ate behind. Head convex above. Anterior legs widest, with

numerous oval scales. Claws well developed. Digits 5-4, or

5-3.

Colors extremely variable; generally dark brown above,

with numerous yellow markings of irregular form and disposi-

tion. Prevailing color sometimes golden yellow. Often with

the yellow in the form of short stripes and spots, with a more

or less continuous vertebral stripe. Head and fore legs often

with round spots of orange. Iris varying from hazel to light

magenta. Plastron yellow, with a few dark blotches, or with

the yellow and black or brown in about equal proportions and

in the form of stripes; sometimes mostly ebony black. Young

are yellowish brown, and have a vertebral ridge on the cara-

pace.

Length of shell, 4.37; depth, 1.75; width, 3.50.

Throughout the State, rare northward, not uncommon in

dry woods of the south part of the State. Du Quoin, Eldorado,

Cobden, Anna, Fairfield, and Mt. Carmel (Nat. Mus.).

The box turtle is the most strictly terrestrial of all our

turtles, frequenting the dryest hills and woods during the

hottest summer months. It is said to avoid the water and

to conceal itself at the approach of a storm. This is not in

accord with my limited experience with the species, for but

a few seasons ago I took four examples, two males and two

females, from a small shallow pool, and have seen a few speci-

mens wandering about during rain storms. It lives to a great

age according to Mr. J. A. Allen. A marked specimen was

known to him to have lived sixty years at least. The food
^

consists of both animal and vegetable substances; insects,

fruits, and mushrooms are known to be eaten by it. Both of

the varieties occur in Illinois.

Oistudo ornata, Ag.

Cistudo ornata, Ag., L., Contr. Nat. Hist. U. S., 1857, I., p. 445.

This species has been described as broad and flat, with no

vertebral keel even in the young. It is said to be common in



Reptiles and Amphihians of IlUhois. 221

some of the states between the Mississippi River and the Rocky

Mountains. A few specimens have been taken in Illinois, one

of which is in the museum of the Northwestern University, at

Evanston.

Fairfield, Wayne Co. (Nat. Mus.).

Emys, Brongniart.

Brongniart, M6m. des savants etrangers, 1805.

Carapace moderately convex. Plastron large, separated

into two parts by a transverse, movable articulation between

the pectoral and abdominal plates; articulation with the cara-

pace cartilaginous. Wings of pectoral and abdominal plates

small or wanting in adults. Axillary and inguinal plates pres-

ent or the latter wanting. Digits 5-4, with interdigital webs.

The single American species belonging to this genus dif-

fers from the other members of the genus as described by

European authors in lacking the inguinal plate. Our species

agrees in some of its generic features with members of the

genus Cistudo, but it may be known from any species of that

genus by its elongate shell, notched upper jaw, and emarginate

posterior end of the plastron.

Emys meleagris, Shaw. Blakding's Tortoise.

Testudo meleagrin, Sljaw and Nodder, Viv. Nat., 1793, pi. 144,

Cintudo hlandingii, Ilolbrook, N. A. Herp., 1842, 1., p. 39, pi. 3.

—

Storer, Bost. .Jour. ^at. Hist., 1840, III., p. 14.—De Kay,
Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., ZoOl. III.. Kept, and Amph., 1842, p. 25,

pi. 1, fig. 2.—Kennicott, Trans. 111. State Agr. Soc, 1853-54,

I., p. 591.

Emys meleagris, Agassiz, L., Contr. Nat. Hist. U. S., 1857, I.,

p. 442; II., pi. 4, fig. 20-22.— Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State

Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 57; Bull. Chicago Acad.

Sci., 1883.

Length of carapace about seven inches, highest at about

the middle, with a slight notch behind, margins flared anteri-

orly and at the sides posteriorly. Nuchal plate small, elongate

in adults, wider in young examples. Caudal plates directed

obliquely downward and backward. Plastron large, elongate

sub-elliptical, its posterior margin broadly cut out. Gular



222 Illinois State Lahoratory of Natural Hiatory.

plates large, triangular. Pectorals and abdominals large, about

equal in size, the former not narrowed, quadrangular. A very

small axillary. No inguinal. Head of moderate size, convex

above, nostrils anterior and near together. Anterior legs, with

transverse scutes on the anterior surface, digits five. Posterior

legs larger than anterior, with small oval scales, digits four,

with a large projecting scale in the place of a fifth digit. Claws

strong and curved.

Color above black or brown, with numerous small round

or oval spots of yellow. Color beneath brownish yellow, with

large black blotches on the outside of the plates. Head black

or brown above, with numerous small round yellow spots, be-

neath yellow. Legs dark above, pale beneath. Young with a

vertebral ridge on the carapace and with a roughened area on

the plates surrounded by concentric lines; plates beneath

smooth, but with the concentric lines. Spots often obscure.

Length of carapace, 7; width, 4.75; depth, 2.75.

Throughout the State, commoner north; formerly abun-

dant on the prairies, but rare at present. Normal, LTrbana.

This species is closely related to the box turtle in both

structure and habits. It is oftener found in water than the

latter, but is essentially a terrestrial species. Its home is on

the prairies where it formerly occurred in numbers, but in the

better agricultural regions it has been exterminated.

Ohrysemys, Gray.

Gray, Cat. Tortoises, etc., in (/Oll. Brit. Mus., 1844, p. 27.

Carapace depressed. Plastron large, truncate before and

behind, immovably fixed to the carapace, with no transverse

hinge. Wings of pectoral and abdominal plates well devel-

oped. Axillary and inguinal plates present and of about equal

size. Digits 5-4, several terminal phalanges free, fully webbed,

short. Alveolar surfaces of jaws moderately narrow, with a

median carina parallel with the margins.

This genus and Pseudemys are scarcely distinct. The

slight differences in the width of the horny covering of the

jaws and in the length of the digits are not of sufficient im-

portance to separate them. To these may be added a differ-



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 228

ence in the margins of the carapace and in the form and width

of the plastron, but the latter are characters which vary in the

same species with age.

Plastron black centrally, with rays of this color extending out

along sutures, front edge deeply denticulate C. belli.

Plastron reddish orange or yellow. Dorsal and costal plates

alternating C. marginata.

Plastron reddish orange or yellow. Dorsal and costal plates in

transverse rows of three C. picta.

Ohrysemys belli, Gray.

Emys belli, Gray, Synopsis Reptilium, 1831, p. 12.—Dum. et Bibr.,

Erp. Gen., 1835, II., p. 502.

Chrysemys bellii, Agassiz, L., Contr. Nat. Hist. U. S., 1857, I., p.

439.—True, Yarrow's Checls List N. A. Kept, and Batr.,

1882.—Garman, S., List N. A. Kept, and Batr., 1884.

Shell depressed; no keel; uniformly convex above; mar-

gins nearly continuous; a very slight notch behind; nuchal

plate elongated, narrowed forwards, notched in front. Plas-

tron truncate behind, with no decided angles; outer angles of

gulars protuberant. Head below medium in size; jaws w^ak;

tympanum evident. Feet medium, fingers and toes fully

webbed; nails strong and sharp.

Length of carapace, 4.25; width, 3.38; depth of shell,

about 1.50.

Dull black above, with a greenish cast, with obscure yel-

lowish lines following sutures below the dorsal and costal

plates. Marginals above with about three transverse lines, the

median of which reaches the inner margin of the plate, and

sometimes joins a yellow band along the outer margin; mar-

ginals beneath with a broad median band which may, within,

join the stripes of adjacent plates. Plastron red, with the

central region occupied by a large blackish lyriform blotch

which is marbled with pale yellow and sends rays out along the

sutures. Sometimes also with a pair of isolated blackish spots,

one near the outer edge of each pectoral plate. Head and legs

striped with red as in C. marginata. Noticeable lines on the

head are as follows: a slender median stripe extending from the

snout to a point nearly opposite the anterior edge of the tympa-



224 Illinois State Laboratori/ of Natnidl flisfori/.

num; a stripe extending backward from the upper border of the

eje and expanding on the ])osterior part of the head, finally

extending along the dorsal side of the neck; a short stripe

extending from the posterior edge of the eye to the dorsal edge

of the tympanum; a broad stripe on the neck, which bifurcates

in front, sending its dorsal branch across the angle of the

mouth to the posterior edge of the eye and its ventral branch

across the jaws to terminate beneath the nostril; and a stripe on

the symphysis of the mandible, which bifurcates and sends

diverging branches along ventral side of neck. Fore feet with

two conspicuous stripes in front, and with narrower marginal

stripes; webs largely pale yellow. Tail with two stripes above,

which converge and finally join in a single median stripe; and

two similar stripes beneath converge from each side of the vent

and also join in a single median stripe.

Described largely from a single young example taken on

Jjong Island in the Mississippi River at Quincy. The charac-

teristic marking of the plastron becomes obscure with age. The

following is Gray's very unsatisfactory description:

"Shell oblong, solid, rather depressed in the center, con-

vex on the sides, olive waved with irregular black-edged pale-

dotted greenish lines placed on the edge and across the middle

of each shield; vertebrals nearly square, first urceolate, the

rest 6-sided; beneath black, yellow-dotted; sternum flat, sur-

rounded with an irregular yellow edge, front edge deeply den-

ticulate." (Cat. Tortoise, etc., in Coll. Brit. Mus.)

The species is very common in bottom-land lakes and

ponds at Quincy, but has not been taken elsewhere in the State.

It is closely related to C. marginata, with which it agrees in

the arrangement of the dorsal and costal plates. The elder

Agassiz states that the ground color is copper-red or bronze.

He records it as occurring in the Osage River, Missouri, and at

St. Louis.

Chrysemys marginata, Agassiz. Western Painted Tuktle.

Chrynemi/s marginata, Agassiz, L., Contr. Nat. Hist. U. S., 1857,

I., p. 439; II, pi. 1, fig. 6. — Smith, Geol. Surv. Ohio, Zool.

and Bot., IV., p. 664.—True, Yarrow's Check List N. A.

Kept, and Batr., 1882.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 225

Chrysemys picta [in part], Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab.
Nat. Hist, I., No. 5, 1883, p. 56.

Chrysemys picta, Garman, S., List N. A. Kept, and Batr., 1884.

Carapace about six inches long, depressed, convex, highest

at about the middle, posterior lateral margins slightly flared.

Nuchal plate long, narrow, notched in front. Three median

dorsals about equal in size, hexagonal. Dorsals and costals

alternating, never in transverse series of three. A slight notch

in the margin, between the caudals. Plastron rounded before,

truncate or cut out, leaving a very wide angle between the

margins of the anals, the latter sometimes denticulate. Ante-

rior lateral angles of the gulars with a blunt tooth, the mar-

gins more or less denticulate. Pectorals transverse, about half

the size of the abdominals. Axillary and inguinal well devel-

oped. Head flattened; eyes prominent, nostrils anterior and

near together. Upper jaw with a sharp tooth on each side of

a median notch; lower jaw with a median tooth. Anterior

feet with transverse imbricated scales; digits five, claws long

and curved. Posterior legs larger, expanded distally, with four

digits, claws shorter than those of the anterior digits; a corne-

ous marginal projection in place of fifth toe.

Color above greenish olive, or brown, with a narrow black-

edged vertebral line; margins of plates yellow, edged with black.

Marginal plates with lines and spots of yellow or red above,

with a wide transverse band, or a triangular marginal spot of

red and a few lines and spots of the same below. Plastron

orange or yellow, with a large black or dusky oblong central

area, this often marbled with pale, sometimes obsolete. Head
brown above, with narrow red or yellow lines and dots, with

numerous alternating black and red or yellow lines below.

Iris yellowish brown, black before and behind pupil. The
most conspicuous stripes of head and neck as follows: a stripe

extending from the upper posterior part of the head down-
wards and backwards upon the neck; a short wide dash be-

hind the eye; a stripe extending from the posterior inferior

margin of the eye beneath the tympanum and backwards on
the lower part of the neck; a short wide line near the corner

of the mouth on the lower jaw; and a median narrow stripe

extending from the tooth of the lower jaw backwards a short



ti'JC) Illinois State Laboraforij of Natural Histori/.

distance and then bifurcating, its branches continuing back-

wards on the under side of the neck. Legs and tail striped

with red or yellow.

Length of carapace, 5.50; width, 3.81; depth of shell, 1.50.

Throughout the State; common. Cedar Lake, Lake Co.;

Nippersink Lake; Oregon; Normal; Peoria (Brendel); Little

Fox River at Phillipstown; Mt. Carmel (Nat. Mus.).

This is one of the commonest turtles of ponds and small

lakes, where scores of them may be seen on bright days in sum-

mer sunning themselves on partially submerged logs. It is

especially abundant in the small lakes of the northern part of

the State. Young of this species with a carapace about an

inch and a quarter long are very different from the adults.

The most noticeable difference is in the form of the head and

carapace. The head is more convex above, with shorter snout

and proportionately more prominent eyes. The carapace is

flatter, less elongate, in some almost circular in outline. The

nuchal plate is almost square and is without the anterior notch.

With age there is a gradual change in these particulars, the

head becoming flatter, the snout more prominent, the cara-

pace elongate, and the nuchal plate narrower. Some large

specimens have the anterior edge of the first marginal plates

sharply toothed, the teeth being large next the nuchal plate

and growing smaller outwardly.

Chrysemys picta, Herrm. Painted Turtle.

Testudo picta, Herrmann, Schneider's Schildkr., 1788, p. 348.

.Emys picta, Say, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1825, IV., p. 211.

Testudo picta, LeC, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., 1829, III., p.

115.

Emys picta, Dum. et Bibr,, Erp. Gen., 1835, II., p. 297.—Holbrook,

N. A. Herp., 1842, 1., p. 75, pi. 10.—De Kay, Nat. Hist. N.Y.,

1., Zoul. III., Kept, and Amph., 1842, p. 12, pl.5, tig. 10.

Chrysemys picta, Agassiz, L„ Contr. Nat. Hist. U.S., 1857,1., p
488; II., pi. 1., fig. 1-5.—Smith, Geol. Surv. Ohio, Zool. and

Bot., IV., 1882, p. 663.

Chrysemys picta [in part], Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab.

Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 56.

Carapace about six inches long, depressed, convex, smooth.

Nuchal plate about two thirds as wide as long, notched. Dorsals



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 227

and costals arranged in transverse series of threes, never alter-

nating as in C. marginata. Anterior lateral angles of the

gulars, with a blunt tooth. Margins of the first marginals, the

gulars, and the anals sometimes serrate. Pectorals transverse,

very narrow, scarcely half the size of the abdominals. Upper
jaw notched, with a sharp tooth on each side of the excision.

Anterior feet smallest, with five digits. Posterior feet ex-

panded distally, with four digits.

Color above olive-brown, or dull black, with a narrow ver-

tebral line; median plates with yellow margins. Marginal

plates with parallel or concentric yellow lines; all the yellow

lines edged with black. Under side of marginal plates with

large marginal spots, or almost entirely, red or yellow. Plastron

yellow or orange, with an obsolete central dark area, the latter

sometimes made up of approximated gray and yellow stripes.

Neck, feet, and tail striped with red and yellow.

Size and proportions nearly the same as in C. marginata.

Mt. Carmel (Nat. Mus.).

Under the name C. picta this and the closely allied C.

marginata are included by good authorities as varieties of one

species, and as the former name has the right of priority it has

come to be commonly applied by students to the individuals of

the genus taken in Illinois. It is very probable, however, that

C. incta will be found to be very rare in this State, if it occurs

at all. C. marginata is at any rate the common species. Pre-

vious to the publication of Kennicott's list of the animals of

Cook county the two species were not discriminated by natu-

ralists, and his statement as to the abundance of C. picta in

the State doubtless applies to the other species. The two
species may always be known by the difference in the relative

positions of the dorsal and costal plates. Otherwise the differ-

ences between them are not marked. In habits they are alike

both frequenting lakes and ponds. They are occasionally

found in small streams, but their preference seems to be for

quiet water in which there are partly submerged rocks or logs

upon which they may climb to bask in the sun. They are

harmless and timid, slipping hurriedly into the water when
approached. They are said to eat both animal and vegetable

food. The eggs are elongate and are deposited by the mother



228 Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History.

in a small hole dug in the sand, and are then covered up and

left to hatch in the heat of the sun.

PSEUDEMYS, Gray.

Gray, Cat. Shield Kept., 1855, p. 33.

Carapace moderately depressed, l^lastron rather large, im-

movably fixed to the carapace, w\i\\ no transverse hinge, emar-

ginate before and behind. Wings of pectoral and abdominal

plates well developed. Axillary and inguinal plates rather

large and about equal in size. Alveolar surfaces of jaws rather

wide and with a median ridge parallel to their margins. Digits

5-4, moderately long, fully webbed.

Ridges on alveolar surfaces of jaws smooth. Both jaws with

smooth edges.

With a broad orange stripe on each side of head. Carapace

with yellow stripes P. elegans.

Without orange stripe on head. Markings of head and neck

obscure. Carapace without yellow stripes .. P. ^roos^/.

Ridges on alveolar surfaces of jaws tuberculate.

Both jaws with smooth edges. Shell greatly de-

pressed P. hieroylyphica.

Lower jaw with serrated edge. Not greatly de-

pressed .P. concinna.

Pseudemys elegans, Max.

Emys elegans, Max., Reise Nord-Amer., I., 1839, pp. 176, 213.

Tracheinys elegans, Agassiz, L., Contr. Nat. Hist. U. S., 1857, 1., p.

4.35.

Pseudemys elegans, Jordan, Man. Vert. N. U. S., 3d ed., 1880, p.

165.—Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No.

5, 1883, p. 56; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Carapace moderately depressed, convex, with very slight

indications of a keel in small examples only, emarginate be-

tween the posterior marginal plates, making the edge obtusely

serrate. Plastron emarginate before and behind. Anterior

lateral angles of the gulars slightly produced. Head of medi-

um size; upper jaw with a median emargination, lower jaw

•with a corresponding median tooth. Digits 5-4.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 229

Color above light olive-gray, varying sometimes to brown-

ish red, with yellow stripes and obscure black lines. Beneath

yellow, with a large central spot of black, and sometimes a

blotch of blood-red on each plate. Head striped with orange

and yellow, finely above, more coarsely on the sides and be-

neath. Iris greenish yellow, black before and behind the pu-

pil. A wide orange-red stripe extends from the posterior mar-

gin of the eye backwards upon the neck, where it becomes

narrower. A yellow stripe extends from the lower margin of

the eye downward and backward between the angle of the

mouth and the tympanum and thence along the neck. On
the middle line, extending from the tooth of the mandible, is a

stripe which soon bifurcates and sends backward on the infe-

rior surface of the neck two large divergent stripes. A stripe

about midway between the tooth of the lower jaw and the

angle of the mouth unites with one starting at the lower bor-

der of the eye, or may terminate short of it. The legs and

tail are striped with yellow.

Carapace of small examples about 4 inches long is 3.12

inches wide and 1.62 inch deep. Adults reach a length of 8

inches or more.

Occurs in the larger streams of the southern two thirds of

the State. Moderately common. Quincy, Henry, Peoria,

Pekin, Havana, Mt. Carmel.

A handsome species, approaching the painted turtles in

the beauty of its colors. When the epidermal scales are re-

moved from the shell the pattern is very different; on the car-

apace the brown is entirely removed and the sub-epidermal

plates are concentrically lined with black and yellow. The
plates of the plastron when desquamated show a central black-

ish spot with a pale center, and are yellow elsewhere.

Pseudemys troosti, Holbr.

Emys troofttu,Ko\br., N". A. Herp., 1842, 1., p. 123, pi. 20.

Trachemys troostii, Agassiz, L., Contr. Nat. Hist. U. S., 1857, 1.,

p. ISo.

Pseudemys troostu, Jordan, Man. Vert. N. U. S., 3d ed., 1880, p.

165.— Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State L-ib. Nat. Hist, I.,

No. 5, 1883, p. 55; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.



280 Illinois State Laboratory of Natural Histori/.

Shell moderately convex above, the slope uniform in front,

somewhat explanate above the insertion of the posterior legs, a

trifle depressed centrally. Third, fourth, and fifth dorsal plates

with an obscure rounded median ridge. Costal plates and the

first and fifth dorsals strongly longitudinally rugose; the three

central dorsals only faintly so. Nuchal plate slender, tapering

forward; the two adjacent marginals with outer angles pro-

jecting. Posterior five marginal plates of each side without

outer angles, each with a marginal notch. Plastron a little

rounded in front, nearly truncate; outer angles of the gulars

bluntly tuberculate, the anterior edges roughened. Plastron

broadly excised behind; anal plates with no angles. Head of

medium size; jaws rather strong, the upper with a very slight

median notch. Tympanum evident. Feet strong, the posterior

pair greatly expanded and strongly webbed.

Length of carapace, 9.25; width of same, 6.75; depth of

shell, 3.50.

Carapace greenish olive and black above, the former

slightly predominating, the black confined chiefly to the mar-

gins excepting on the two median costals, where it forms a

transverse median band, the olive forming on most of the dor-

sal and marginal plates large quadrate central spots; marginals

beneath more extensively black, and with the greenish olive

replaced with pale yellow. Plastron pale yellow and black,

the latter extending along the sutures on the anterior two

thirds of the plastron, but occupying most of the plates of the

posterior lobe, leaving only central spots and part of the

margins yellow. Head dusky, obscurely and finely mottled and

spotted above with olive-brown, beneath narrowly and obscurely

striped with greenish. Jaws horn-color with dots and dashes

of black. Feet and tail dusky, with indefinite markings.

Described from a single example taken on Long Island, in

the Mississippi River at Quincy. The proportions of the black

and yellow of the plastron are subject to considerable variation,

sometimes one, sometimes the other predominating.

This is one of our rarest species. The only examples in

the State Laboratory collection were collected at Quincy. Mr.

R. Ridgway of the United States National Museum has ob-



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 231

served the species at Mt. Carmel, and it has been taken also at

Wheatland, some miles above Mt. Carmel.

Pseudemys hieroglyphica, Holbr.

Emys MeroglypMca, Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, 1., p. Ill, pi. 17-

Ptychemys hieroglyphica, Agassiz, L., Contr. Nat. Hist. U. S.,

1857, 1., p. 434.

Pseudemys hieroglyphica, Jordan, Man. Vert. N. U. S., 3d ed.,

1880, p. 165.— Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat.

Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 55; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci.. 1883.

Shell oval, depressed, keelless, smooth, entire in front,

elongated and imperfectly serrated behind; sternum oblong,

nicked behind, dingy yellow, sides olive varied; head very

small, upper jaw slightly emarginate, lower jaw with a tooth;

first vertebral urceolate; each costal shield with four or five,

and each marginal with dark spots with concentric yellow

lines.—Gray.

Length about twelve inches.

The species has been observed only in the Wabash River.

It resembles in some respects P. concinna, but is more depressed,

and the mandible is not serrated.

Pseudemys concinna, LeC. Floeida Cooter.

Testudo concinna, LeC, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., 1829, III.,

p 106.

Emys concinna, Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., 1835,11., p. 289.—Holbr.,

N. A. Herp., 1842, 1., 119, pi. 19.—Gray, Cat. Tortoises, etc.,

in Coll. Brit. Mus., 1844, p. 25.

Ptychemys concinna, Agassiz, L., Contr. Nat. Hist. U. S., 1857,

I., p. 432; II., pi. 1, fig. 13; pi. 2, fig. 4-C.

Pseudemys concinna, Davis and Rice, Bull. III. State Lab. Nat.

Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 55.

Large. Moderately depressed. Carapace oval in outline

as seen from above, very slightly wider posteriorly and main-

taining its width well towards the front; slope at the sides

uniform; margins slightly flared anteriorly and posteriorly at

the sides; without vertebral carina. Anterior margin with a

wide, rounded, median emargination. Posterior margin with

several slight teeth, consisting of the produced posterior parts

of marginal plates. An acute median notch behind. Costal

2



282 Illinois State Labomtonj of Natural Ilistonj.

plates with slight longitudinal rugfe. First and last dorsal

plates with obsolete riigie. The remaining dorsal plates and

the marginals smooth. Nuchal plate nearly twice as long as

wide, its anterior edge straight. First dorsal plate vase-shaped

in outline. The second and third dorsal plates are equal in

size, are elongate, quadrangular, and about equally wide at

both ends. The fourth dorsal plate is about equal in size to

the two preceding plates and is elongate, but is hexagonal and

narrowed behind. The fifth is the widest plate of the series,

being about a third wider than long, and is sub-heptagonal.

First costal plate triangular in general form, with its outer

margin rounded. The remaining costal plates are quadran-

gular, and decrease in relative size from before backwards.

Anterior lateral angles of gular plates bluntly rounded. Pos-

terior lobe of plastron with a median notch behind; on each

side of the notch slightly sinuate. Inguinal plate produced

forwards so as to exclude the greater part of the abdominal

from the marginal plates. Head of medium size. Superior

jaw with a perfectly smooth edge and a very slight median

notch. Edge of lower jaw distinctly serrated and with a prom-

inent median tooth; its outer surface roughened. Alveolar

surfaces of jaws wide, with strongly toothed ridges. Feet

completely webbed, with rather strong, slightly curved claws.

Blackish above, obsoletely reticulate with yellow lines, the

areas between these lines being occupied in most cases by nar-

row, concentric lines of the same color. The lines on the

dorsal plates are mostly longitudinal; those on the sides are

mostly transverse. On the marginal plates are sets of concen-

tric yellow lines, each set with two more or less evident

central dots, one on each side of the line of union of two mar-

ginal plates. Wider orange-red lines lie one across the middle

of each marginal plate; they expand at the margin of the shell

and bifurcate near the inner edges of the marginal plates, their

branches uniting with each other or with the netted lines of

the upper part of the surface. Plastron pale straw-yellow,

without blotches; wings of the pectoral and abdominal plates

each with two parallel dusky lines. Inguinal plate with a

dusky ring. Marginal plates beneath orange-red, with large

round dusky spots at the union of two plates, including in



Beptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 233

some cases concentrically disposed lines of red corresponding

to the yellow lines on the superior surfaces of these plates.

Head and neck striped with yellow aad orange. A narrow

yellow line extends along the middle of the head from the

snout to a point just behind the orbit, where it abruptly

expands and terminates. Lines on each side extend from

the orbit backward upon the sides of the neck, where they

become wider and more brightly colored. Of these lines two

are more conspicuous than the others; one of them extends

from the upper edge of the orbit, where it is very narrow, back-

ward and downward, expanding on the posterior part of the

head and becoming again somewhat narrower upon the neck;

the other extends from the middle of the posterior edge of

the orbit backward through the upper part of the tympa-

num. From the inferior edge of the orbit a stripe extends

downward and backward across the angle of the jaws and

soon joins another stripe which arises on the middle of the

lower jaw; from their point of union a conspicuous stripe con-

tinues backward upon the lower part of the neck. A wide

stripe extends from the symphysis of the lower jaw backward

along the middle line for a short distance, and from it diverge,

upon the inferior surface of the neck, two rather wide stripes.

A narrow yellow stripe arises at each side of the median tooth

of the lower jaw. A line of about the same width extends

from the nostril directly downward, for a short distance, and

thence obliquely backward to the middle of the side of the

upper jaw. Legs and tail striped with orange. Skin anteriorly

mottled with black and yellowish lines. Skin of the inguinal

region white and immaculate.

Length of shell, 12.75; depth, 4.75; width, 8.75.

Apparently not common in the State. Taken only at

Mt. Carmel.

This is a southern species. A fine large example, from

which the above description is drawn, was sent me some years

ago by Dr. J. Schneck, to whom the credit of the discovery of the

species within our limits belongs. The extralimital distribu-

tion of the species includes all the South Atlantic and Gulf

States from North Carolina to Texas. It occurs also, according

to Prof. Louis Agassiz, in Arkansas and Missouri. The Illinois



'-'34 lUinois State Laboratory of Natimd History.

specimen, though a finely developed one, is abnormal in the

possession of a pair of small symmetrical supernumerary mar-

ginals, one on each side of the nuchal plate, making thirteen

for each side and twenty-six in all.

Malacoolemmys, Grat.

Gray, Cat. Tortoises, etc., in Coll. Brit. Mus., 1844, p. 28.

Carapace depressed, keeled. Plastron moderately large,

immovably fixed to the carapace, with no transverse hinge,

emarginate before and behind. Wings of pectoral and

abdominal plates large. Axillary and inguinal plates present.

Alveolar surfaces of the jaws smooth. Digits 5-4, long, fully

webbed.

A comma-shaped yellow mark behind each eye. Keels of

second and third dorsal plates concave before the tuber-

cles M. lesueuri.

Spot behind eye not comma-shaped. Keels of second and third

dorsal plates uniformly convex befoi'e the tubercles.

M. geographicHS.

Malacoclemmys lesueuri, Gray. Geographic Tortoise,

Map Turtle.

Emyfi lesueurii, Gray, Syn. Rep., 1831, p. 12.

Emys geograpMca [in part], Dum. et Bibr. Erp. Gen., 1835, II., p.

256.

Emys pseudo-geographica Holbrook, N. A. Herp., 1842, I., p.

103, pi. 15.- DeKay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., L, Zool. III., Rept.

and Amph., 1842, p. 19, pi. 2, fig. 3.

Graptemys lesueurii, Agassiz, L., Contr. Nat. Hist. U. S., 1857,

I., p. 436; II., pi. 2, fig. 10-12.

Malacoclemmys pseudogeographicus, Davis and Rice, Bull. Ill,

State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 56; Bull. Chicago
Acad. Sci., 1883.

Carapace six to eight inches long. Depressed, with a ver-

tebral ridge, from which the sides slope like the roof of a house

in young, but are more convex in large examples. Keels of

second and third dorsal plates concave before the tubercles.

Plastron distinctly emarginate behind, angulate on each side

of the emargination. Very slightly emarginate in front^



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 235

Anterior lateral angles of gular plates slightly produced.

Axillaries and inguinals equal. Head medium, its width con-

tained about 6.4 times in length of carapace. Alveolar surface

of jaws of moderate width, smooth, inner edges not elevated.

Carapace greenish olive above, obscurely reticulated with

yellow lines. A black spot on each tubercle of the vertebral

ridge, and large imperfectly-defined black blotches at the poste-

rior edges of costal and marginal plates. Plastron wholly or

largely yellow in large examples, in young with a large central

area black, lined with pale, and with short rays extending out

along sutnres. Head, neck, feet, and tail, striped with yellow.

Characteristic marks are as follows: a bright yellow comma-
shaped spot behind each eye; a median stripe extending from

the snout backward beyond the anterior edges of the spots

behind the eyes. A spot on the symphysis of the mandible.

Carapace of small example, 4.50 inches long, 3.75 wide,

1.62 high.

Throughout the State, but less common north. Quincy,

Jersey Co., Wabash Valley (Ridgway), Ohio River, Cairo.

This species resembles M. geographicus in a general way,

but is very different in the size of its head and the width and

character of the grinding surface of the jaws. The comma-
shaped spots are sometimes isolated, forming large transverse

spots. The line which begins on the tympanum in M. geo-

graphicus seems to have no counterpart in this species.

The young appear to take animal food chiefly. Stomachs

of some of those examined contained only small gastropod

mollusks. One had eaten a worm belonging to the order of

Oligochffita, and a small percentage of vegetable matter.

Most of the adults examined (from Quincy) had eaten noth-

ing but the bulbs of a sedge {Cyperus phymatodes?).

Malacoclemmys geographicus, LeS. Geographic Tor-

«T0iSE, Map Turti.e.

Testudo geographica, LeS., Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1817,

I., p. 80.

Emys geographica, Say, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1825, IV.,

p. 204.

Testudo geographica, LeC, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., 1829,

III., p. 108.



230 Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History.

Emys geociraphim [in part], Dum. et. Bibr., Erp. G('n., 1835, II.

p. 256.— Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, I., p. 99. pi. H.^DeKay,'
Nat. Hist.N. Y.,I., Zool., III., Kept, and Amph., 1842, p. 18,

pi. 4, fig. 7.

Oraptemys geographica, Agassiz, L., Contr. Nat. Hist. U.S., 1857,

I., p. 43H; 11., pi. 2, fig. 7-9.

MalacocJemmysgeograpMous, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab.

Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 5t'); Jiull. Chicago A^ad. Sci.,

1883.

Carapace eight to ten inches long. Depressed, bluntly

keeled. Keels of the dorsal plates regularly convex, posterior

tubercles not very prominent. Sides a trifle less convex than

in M. lesneuri. Outer margins of posterior marginal plates

sinuate, and bluntly toothed. A wide notch between the two

caudals. Plastron distinctly emarginate behind, slightly or not

at all in front. Anterior angles of the galars slightly pro-

duced, outer lateral margins of these plates sinuated. Axillary

and inguinal plates equal. Posterior margins of anal plates an-

gulate. Head very large, its width contained about 4.6 times

in length of carapace. Alveolar surfaces of jaws very wide,

the inner edges almost meeting at the middle line.

Carapace above olive brown, obscurely reticulate with nar-

row yellow lines. An undefined black spot on the posterior end

of the vertebral keel of each dorsal plate. Black blotches

at sutures between costal and marginal plates, sometimes also

a pair of black dots on the dorsals. Marginal plates beneath

with reniform blotches, including one or more yellow lines.

Axillaries, iuguinals, and outer extremities of pectorals and

abdominals marked with similar lines of dark and yellow.

Plastron in adults largely yellow. Lines of union between

plates gray or black; in young often with dark spots with pale

centers in the anterior inner angles of abdominal plates. Head,

neck, legs, and tail striped. Characteristic marks are as fol-

lows: a longitudinally-placed spot behind each eye; a narrow

dorsal line extending from the snout backward to about opposite

the anterior margin of the spots behind the eyes, where it ter-

minates abruptly; a stripe originating on each tympanum and

thence extending downward and backward on the neck; and a

stripe on the symphysis of the mandible.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 237

Carapace of small example 3.50 long, 'i.87 wide, and 1.37

high with plastron.

Throughout Illinois in the larger streams and lakes; abund-

ant. Nippersink Lake, Green River in Henry county, Ogle

county, Quincy, Peoria, Pekin, Little Wabash River, St. Fran-

.cisville. Little Fox River at Phillipstown, Cairo.

This is a characteristic species of our waters and occurs in

countless numbars in lakes, rivers, and flood-ground pools.

Half the individuals which one may see perched upon logs dur-

ing a day's boating in August would, if examined, prove to

be of this species. It is exceedingly common in the Illinois

and Mississippi rivers, where it is known ( with 31. lesueuri,

from which it is not discriminated) as the mud turtle. It is

timid and inoffensive in disposition, always sliding from bank

or log when approached, and even when made captive shows

none of the ferocity of '' leather backs " and snapping turtles.

The great strength of its jaws (unsurpassed in massiveness

among our Chelonia) would enable it to inflict serious wounds

if it were so disposed, and it is a little surprising to find such

efficient weapons of offense unaccompanied by special rugged-

ness of temper. The unusual width of the masticatory sur-

faces of the jaws suggests Mollusca at once as the proper food

of this turtle, and an examination of the contents of stomachs

from numerous examples, young and adult, shows that it de-

pends entirely on these for sustenance. Small examples taken

at Quincy, Illinois, had eaten nothing but the gastropod Val-

vata tricarinata.

Family CINOSTERNID^.

Shell bony, covered with horny plates. Carapace convex,

with five dorsal, eight costal, one nuchal, twenty marginal, and

two caudal plates. Plastron small or moderately large, rounded

before, truncate or emarginate behind, consisting of three por-

tions, the median of which is covered only by the abdominal

plates and is immovably united to the carapace, while the ante-

rior and posterior lobes are attached to the median fixed portion

by transverse hinges. A single gular plate. Pectorals not

forming part of the bridge. Axillary and inguinal of each



238 Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History.

side nearly or quite in contact between the abdominals and

marginals. Head large, with gular barbels. Digits 5-4, fully

webbed.

Plastron moderately wide. Wings o£ the abdominal plates

wide, with a deep groove behind. Head large, with arhom-

boidal plate above Cinosternum.

Plastron narrower. Wings of abdominal plates narrow, not

grooved behind. Head of moderate size, with no plate

above Aromochelts.

CiNOSTERNUM, Spix.

Spix [Kinosternon] Ranse et Testudinis brasiliensis species novae,

1825, p. 17.

Wagler, Nat. Syst. Amph., 1830, p. 137.

Carapace elongate, convex, smooth. Plastron moderately

large, rounded before, truncate or slightly emarginate behind.

Wings of abdominal plates wide, with a groove behind. In-

guinal and axillary plates with the wings of the abdominals

forming the bridge between plastron and carapace. Digits 5-4,

fully webbed. Head large, with a large rhomboidal plate above.

Tail with a terminal nail.

Oinosternum pennsylvanicum, Umel. Mud Tortoise.

Testudo pennsylvanica, Gmel., Syst. Nat. 1788, 1., p. 1042.

Cistudo pennsylvanica, Say, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1825,

IV., pp. 206, 216.

Testudo pennsylvanica, LeC, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N.Y., 1829,

III., p. 120.

Cinosternon pennsylvanicum, Dum. et. Bibr., Erp. Gen., 1835, II.,

p. 3(37.

Kinosternon pennsylvanicum, Holbv. N. A. Herp., 1842, I., p. 127,

pi. 21.— De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III., Kept, and

Amph., 1842, p. 21, pi. II., fig. 4. — LeC, Proc. Acad. Nat.

Sci. Phila., 1854, YII., p. 183.

Cinosternum pennsylvanicum, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State

Lab. Nat. Hist. I., No. 5, 1883, p. 54; Bull. Chicago Acad.

Sci., 1883.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 239

Carapace about four inches long, smooth, elongate, strongly-

convex, abruptly rounded behind, margins entire or slightly

sinuate. Nuchal plate small, widest behind. Dorsals widest

in front. Costals very large, transverse; marginals small and

elongate. Plastron rounded before, truncate behind. Pectorals

very much narrowed towards the middle line, forming no part

of the bridge between plastron and carapace. Abdominals

very large, wings with a deep groove behind. Axillary small

and elongate; inguinal large, the two almost meeting between

the wings of the pectorals and the marginals of the carapace.

Preanals with strongly rounded outer margins. Head large,

contracted towards the snout; jaws strong, the upper toothed.

Chin with two tentacles; two other tentacles situated farther

back on the throat. Legs short and strong, the anterior with

a few tranverse scales above and a few small ones on the palm,

posterior with scales on the soles but with no transverse ones

above; digits 5-4, with imbricated scales above, claws sharp and

curved. Skin of the posterior part of the body and of the tail

tuberculate, the latter with a terminal nail.

Olive-brown above, uniform or with a few small blackish

spots; yellowish beneath, with the sutures and margins of the

plates dark. Head brown above with paler spots and lines.

Iris brown.

Length of shell, 3.62; width, 2.62; depth, 1.50

Southern Illinois, not rare. Peoria ( Brendel ), Mt. Carmel,

common (Ridgway).

A small, obscurely-colored species, readily recognized by its

single gular plate, convex shell, large head, with plate above,

and gular tentacles. In the form of its head it resembles the

snapping turtle and, like that reptile, bites viciously, though

from its small size it is less to be feared. It preys largely on

fishes, and will occasionally take the bait of the angler. The
species is southern in its distribution and is probably not com-

mon in this State away from the southern counties. It fre-

quents muddy ditches by roadsides and the stagnant waters of

swamps. The eggs are elongate.



240 Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History.

Aromoohelys, (jRAY.

Gray, Cat. Shield Kept., 1855, p. 40.

Carapace convex, smooth or keeled. Plastron small, nar-

row, rounded before, emarginate behind; bridges formed of the

narrow wings of the abdominal and the contiguous axillary

and inguinal of each side. Digits 5-4, fully webbed. Head of

moderate size.

No stripes on sides of head. Plates of carapace with black

margins and radiating pale stripes A. carinatus.

Sides of head striped. Plates of carapace uniform in color.

A. odoratus.

Aromoohelys carinatus, Gray. Little Mud Turtle.

Aromochelys carinatus, Gray, Cat. Shield Kept. Brit. Mus., 1855,

p. 47.

Ozotheca tristycha, Aa;assiz, Contr. ]^at. Hist. U. S., 1857, p. 425;

II., pi. 5, fig. 20-22.

Aromochelys carinatus, Jordan, Man. Vert. N. U. S., 3d ed., 1880,

p. 166.— Davis and Kice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist, I.,

No. 5, 1883, p. 53; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sei., 1883.

Plates of the carapace imbricated, with black margins

and radiating pale stripes. No stripes on the sides of the

head. Otherwise similar to the following species.

Lake county (Davis and Rice).

This is a southern species which I have not taken in the

State. It is included here on the authority of Messrs. Davis

and Rice, who report it from Lake county.

Aromochelys odoratus, Latreille. Musk Turtle.

Testudo odorata, Latr., Hist. Nat. Kept., 1801, 1., p. 122.— Le C,

Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. T., 1829, III., p. 122.

Cistudo odorata, Say, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sei. Phila., 1824, pp. 206,

216.

Staurotypus odoratus, Dum. et Bibr., Erp. G^n., 1835, II., p. 358.

Sternothoerus odoratus, Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, 1., p. 133, pi. 22.

-De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III., Reptiles and

Amph., 1842, p. 22, pi. 7, fig. 13.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 241

Ozotheca odorata, Agassiz, L., Contr. Nat. Hist. U. S., 1857, 1., p.

425; IL, pi. 4, fig. 1-6.

Aromochelys odonttus, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat.

Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 53; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Shell elongate, convex, widest posteriorly, smooth or with

an indistinct vertebral ridge in adults, distinctly keeled in

young. Nuchal plate small, elongate, and widest behind in

adults. First dorsal about half as wide behind as in front; the

three following dorsals hexagonal; last dorsal about half as

wide before as behind. Costals very large, covering the greater

portion of the carapace. Marginals, excepting one on each

side of the two caudals, narrow and elongate; the two mar-

ginals next the caudals equal to the caudals in size and about

twice the width of the other marginals. Plastron small,

rounded anteriorly, emarginate posteriorly. A single small

gular; postgulars small; pectorals large, and not specially nar-

rowed towards the middle line. Axillaries and inguinals meet-

ing and with the wings of the large abdominal plates forming

the bridge between the plastron and carapace. Head large;

snout conical; jaws very strong. Two to four gular tentacles;

two more widely separated ones on the throat and with numer-

ous small tuberculiforni tentacles in series on the skin of the

neck. Anterior feet with about three transverse scales on their

anterior surface and with a few small ones on the palms; pos-

terior feet with transverse scutes on the heel. Digits 5—t, claws

sharp and curved. Skin of legs and tail with numerous papillas.

Color of shell brownish black above and below in adults,

more or less yellowish beneath in young. Head greenish olive

or black with several stripes of yellow. A narrow stripe ex-

tends from the tip of the snout to the upper part of the eye

and is continued behind the eye by a stripe which terminates

abruptly in a spot on the side of the head. Another stripe of

the same color extends from beneath the nostril, where it meets

its fellow of the opposite side, backward beneath the eye, and

continues along the neck. There is a short stripe on each side

of the lower jaw which may continue posteriorly on the skin

of the neck. Other stripes are formed by the approximation

of the light-colored tentacles. Very young examples have a

distinct pale spot on the under side of each marginal plate,



242 Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History.

showing above as a very narrow marginal spot. Posterior

margins of legs and edges of webs of the feet yellow.

Length of shell, 4.r)U, width, ;}.lt»; depth, 2.

Occurs in streams and lakes throughout the State. Deep

Lake, Lake Co.; Chicago: Peoria (Brendel); Pekin; Little Fox

River at Phillipstown; Running Lake, in Union Co.; Southern

111., common (Butler).

Few of our turtles change more with age than this. The

carapace in young examples is sharply keeled and the posterior

margins of the plates are elevated, giving an appearance of

imbrication; the nuchal plate is square or transverse, while the

marginals are nearly or quite as wide as they are long. In old

examples there is no trace of a dorsal keel or appearance of

imbrication. This is a small but strong and irritable species

which occurs in considerable numbers in muddy lakes and

rivers.

Family OHELYDRID^.

Shell bony, covered with horny plates. Plastron small,

cross-shaped, with ten, nine, eight, or fewer, plates. Inguinals

present or wanting. Head large, jaws naked. Digits 5-4, the

two median longest; fully webbed.

With two rows of marginal plates on each side. Head with

symmetrical plates. Tail without dorsal crest.

Macroclemts.

With one row of marginal plates for each side. Plates of

head small and indistinct. Tail with a dorsal series of

elevated plates forming a crest Chelydra.

Macroolemys, Gray.

Gray, Cat. Shield Rept., 1885, p. 48.

Cope [Macrochelysl Proc. Acad. Nat. Sol. Phila., 1872, p. 23.

Carapace with a wide channel on each side of the middle

line, with two rows of marginal plates. Plastron small; bridges

narrow, each covered by an elongate plate within, and without

by the contiguous axillary and inguinal. Head very large,

with symmetrically disposed plates above.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 248

Macroclemys lacertina, Schw. Alligatoe Snapper.

Chehjclra lacertina, Schweigger, Prod. Mon. Chel., 1814, p. 23.

Chelonura temminckii, Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, 1., p. 147, pi.

24.— De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III., Kept, and
Amph., 1842, p. 9.

Gypochehjs lacertina, Agassiz, L., Contr. Nat. Hist. U. S., 1857,

I., p. 414; II., pi. 5, lig. 23-27.

MacrocheJys lacertina, Davis and Rice. Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat.

Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 53; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Length of adults two feet or more. Head very large, with

small imbedded plates above; jaws strong, the upper hooked.

Shell with a deep channel on each side of the middle line,

leaving three longitudinal convex ridges; emarginate and

toothed behind. Tail long, without the elevated dorsal plates

of CheUjdra serpentina. Skin with numerous short tentacles.

Quincy, Cairo, Grayville (Ridgway), Union county (C. W.
Butler).

This large species is similar to the common snapping tur-

tle. It inhabits the larger streams of the south part of the

State, though as Dr. Hoy has observed it in Wisconsin, it

probably occurs occasionally in northern Illinois. It attains

an unusual size, even exceeding in this respect the commoner
species. Mr, R. Ridgway saw a specimen at Grayville, 111.,

which was "large enough to walk with a man standing on his

back." A large example in the Illinois State Laboratory col-

lection weighed when alive over eighty pounds. The width of

the shell at the bridge of the plastron was 17.50 inches; the

length of carapace 22,50 inches; and its depth 7,50 inches.

The head measured 6.50 inches in width. Orbit one inch in

diameter; eye small; iris black, with brown bars radiating

from the pupil.

Chelydra, Schweigger,

Schweigger, Prod. Mon. Chel,, 1814, p. 23.

Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., 1872, p. 23.

Carapace uniformly convex in adults, obscurely channeled

on each side of the middle line in young, with a single row of

marginal plates. Plastron small, with nine or ten plates;

bridges narrow, each covered by an elongate plate (not repre-



244 Illinois State Lahoratorij of Natural ll/storij.

sented in higher turtles) within, and without by the contigu-

ous axillary and inguinal. Head very large, with small plates

above.

Ohelydra serpentina, Linn. Snapping Turtle.

Testudo serpentina, Linn. Syst. Nat., 1758, p. 199.

Chelonura serpentina, Say, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., 1825,

IV., pp. 206, 217.

Testudo serpentina, LeC, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., 1829, III..

p. 127.

Emysaura serpentina, [in part], Dum. et iiibr., Erp. Gen., 1835,

II., p. 350.

Chelonura serpentina, Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, I., p. 139, pi.

23.—De Kay, Nat. Hist. N.Y., I., Zool. III., Kept, and Amph.,
1842, p. 8, pi. 3, fig. G, young.— Kenn., Trans. 111. State Agr.

Soc, 1853-54, I., p. 591.

Chelydra serpentina, Agassiz, L., Contr. Nat. Hist. U. S., 1857, I.,

p. 417; II., pi. 4, fig. 13-16, and pi. 5, fig. 18, 19.— Davis and
Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 53;

Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Length from two to four feet. Carapace oval in outline

seen from above, depressed, rounded in front, toothed behind.

Dorsal plates nearly equal in size; costals but little longer;

marginals very small. Plastron very small, leaving the greater

part of the ventral surface of the animal exposed. Gular

plates wanting; post-gulars small. Abdominals large, not

forming part of the bridge between the carapace and plastron.

Bridge narrow, covered by the axillary, inguinal, and, in great

part, by an elongate extra plate. Head large; snout pointed;

both jaws with a median tooth. Several gular tentacles. An-

terior legs with transverse scales in front. Soles with small

round scales. Posterior legs with transverse scales before and

with both transversely elongate and round scales on the soles.

Digits 4-5. Tail long, tapering, with a series of compressed

and elevated plates above, and beneath with a series of flat

paired scales.

Blackish brown above, pale yellow beneath. Superior

surface of the head, eyelids, and the jaws more or less speckled

and lined with brown.

Length of shell, 4.50; width, :^.50; depth, 2.50. Measure-

ments from small example.



Reptiles and Aniphibi'ivs of Illinois. 245

Nippersink Lake, Cook Co. (Kennicott); Greiii River, at

Genesee; Quincy; Peoria; Havana; Normal; Champaign; Union

Co.; Mt. Carmel (Nat. Mus.).

This is one of our largest reptiles. It is extremely pug-

nacious and is to be handled carefully on account of the readi-

ness with which it uses its sharp and powerful jaws. A bite

from one of the larger examples would probably amputate a

finger, at any rate do serious harm. Their food consists of all

manner of small animals, such as fishes, frogs, reptiles, and

young water birds. They are reported to have an especial

fondness for young ducks. The eggs are deposited in holes

dug in the sand along the banks of creeks, in June and July.

The flesh is esteemed by many as a luxury, and the fishermen

along the Illinois River find ready sale for those captured in

their nets. The carapace in young turtles is much rougher

than in adults, in consequence of the greater prominence of

the radiating carinae of the plates.

Young just from the egg are about ^laO inches long, with

very rough shell. The snout is provided with a small, horny,

pointed cap, with which the shell of the egg is broken. Young
kept in an aquarium had an amusing way of burying them-

selves in the sand, leaving only the tip of their snout exposed;

when fall came on they buried themselves completely for hi-

bernation. The writer has seen a pair of young scarcely less

remarkable in their way than the noted Siamese twins. They

were attached side by side for the most of their lengths. Both,

as far as could be seen, were perfectly developed, and both

were alive. The larger turtle was quite as strong as other

turtles of the same age; the other was less strong, but its hold

on life was not apparently feeble.

Family TRIONYOHID^.

Body flattened; shell covered with a continuous skin, gen-

erally cartilaginous at the margins. Head slender, covered

with soft skin; nostrils opening at the end of a fleshy probos-

cis; horny coverings of jaws concealed at the sides by fleshy

lips. Digits 5-5, with large webs, first three with claws, the

fourth and fifth clawless and concealed in the webs. Aquatic.



246 Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History.

Nasal septum with a ridge on each side. Edge of upper jaw

serrulate Aspidonectes.

Nasal septum with no ridges. Edge of upper jaw serrate.

Amtda.

Aspidonectes, Wagler.

Wagler, Nat. Syst. Amph., 1830, p. 134.

With a ridge on each side of the nasal septum. Nostrils

terminal. Edge of upper jaw serrulate. Head a trifle wider

than in Amyda.

Aspidonectes spinifer, LeS. Soft-shelled Turtle, Leath-
er-back.

Trionyx spiniferus, LeS., Mem. Mus., 1827, XV., p. 258.

Aspidonectes spinifer, Agassiz, L., Contr. Nat. Hist. U. S., 1857.

I., p. 403.—Jordan, Man. Vert. N. U. S., Sd ed., 1880, p. 168.—

Smith. Geol. Surv. Ohio, Zool. and Bot., IV., 1882, p. 668.

—Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5,

1883, p. 52; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Length about eight inches. Carapace greatly depressed,

with a slight, convex, longitudinal ridge anteriorly, with small

tubercles on its anterior margin, and in some specimens with

the entire surface roughened with small grain-like elevated

points. Plastron large, anterior, leaving the posterior legs ex-

posed. Head small, pointed, with a fleshy proboscis bearing

the nostrils. Horny covering of the jaws concealed at the

sides by fleshy lips. Legs strong, anterior pair with several

transverse scales above, posterior with a single large scale.

Feet with marginal and interdigital webs. Digits 5-5, the

first three on each foot with claws, the remaining two of each

foot with no claws and concealed in the webs.

Color olive-brown above. Carapace with round, brown,

pale-margined spots, those nearest the middle being the largest;

the margin at the sides and behind pale, bounded within by

a blackish line. A pale stripe, edged with black, extends from

the snout to the eye, and behind the latter continues backward

and downward to the side of the neck. A similar stripe ex-

tends backward from each angle of the mouth. Superior sur-

face of the neck with small blackish spots; inferior surface of



Reptiles and Ampldhians of Illinois. 247

the same spotted and reticulate with black. Legs above and

feet above and below marked with black. Young examples

sometimes show a line of blackish specks on the under side of

the plastron extending from the anterior legs to the outside of

the posterior pair.

Length of carapace, 6.00; width, 5.50; depth, with plas-

tron, 1.87.

Throughout the State. Rock Creek, Piano; Oregon;

Quincy; Peoria (Brendel); Bluff Lake, Union Co.; Wabash

River, Mt. Carmel (Ridgway).

Very similar to Amyda mutica in form and habits, and

perhaps the two should be placed in one genus. They may be

distinguished by the presence or absence of the septa of the

nostrils, as described. The round ocellate spots of the carapace

and the black-marked feet of this species are characteristic.

The habits of the two, so far as known, are the same. Both

species appear in the fish markets at Peoria, but are not dis-

criminated, all passing under the name of soft-shells or leather-

backs.

Amyda, Fitzinger.

Fitzinger, Syn. Kept., 1843, p. 30.

Margin of upper jaw distinctly serrate. Nostrils slightly

inferior. No ridges on the nasal septum. Head more slender

than in Aspidonectes.

Amyda mutica, LeS. Soft-shelled Turtle, Leather-back.

Trionyx muticus, LeS., Mem. Mas., 1827, XV., p. 263.—Holbr., N.
A. Herp., 1842, II., p. 19, pi. 2.

Amyda mutica, Agcissiz, L., Contr. Nat. Hist. V. IS., 1857, I., p.

390; II., pi, (5, fig. 6. 7. — Jordan, Man. Vert. N. U. S., 3d ed.,

1S80, p. 168.— Smith, Geol. Surv. Ohio, Zoo), and Bot., IV.,

1882, p. 668.—Davis andliice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist..

I., No. 5, 1883, p. 52; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Length about eight inches. Carapace and plastron carti-

laginous in great part, greatly depressed, smooth. Plastron

anterior, leaving the posterior legs exposed. Head small, slen-

der, pointed; nostrils opening in the extremity of a short,

fleshy proboscis. Jaws contracted, the horny covering con-

3



248 Illinois State Lahomtonj of Natural History.

cealed at the sides by fleshy lips. Legs strong, with marginal

and interdigital webs, anterior vvith a few transverse scales

above, posterior with a single large scale. Digits 5-5, the first

three of all the feet with claws, the two outer without- claws

and concealed in the webs.

Dorsal surfaces of head, legs, and carapace olive-brown,

the carapace with small obscure blackish spots and short lines,

and with a pale margin preceded by a blackish line. Plastron

and the head and legs beneath white and unmarked. A pale,

black-edged stripe extends from the snout to the eye, and is

continued behind the latter backward and downward to the

side of the neck.

Length of carapace, 0.50; width, 5.00; depth, with the

plastron, 1.

In running water throughout the State. Mackinaw Creek,

Woodford Co.; Quincy; Illinois River, Peoria; Wabash R., Mt.

Carmel (Ridgway); Ohio River, Cairo.

The leather-back is never found at any great distance

from water. The time for oviposition is in the fore part of

July, and at this season the female searches out a sloping

bank up which she creeps a short distance and deposits her

eggs in a hole dug in the sand. At other seasons these turtles

remain in the water, though they may often be seen at its

edge basking in the sun. They are expert swimmers and

can move with considerable speed against a strong current.

Hundreds of them may be seen at the foot of dams across the

Illinois River in July, where they apparently collect in at-

tempting to get further up the stream. They take the hook

occasionally, and their flesh is highly esteemed as food.

ORDER SAURIA.

Body elongated and covered with numerous small imbri-

cated scales. Four limbs (rarely wanting). Shoulder girdle

always present. Eyelids and external organs of hearing pres-

ent. Jaws with teeth set in a continuous groove; jaws not

dilatable. Heart with three chambers. Urinary bladder pres-

ent. Oviparous, with a few exceptions.

Our lizards are almost confined to the southern third of

the State, where two species q,re very common. The joint



Reptiles and Amphibians of lUinois. 249

snake occurs in the central part of the State, but grows more
common southwards. The six-lined lizard appears to be very

local in its distribution in the State, and has only been ob-

served in the central and northern parts. AH our species are

insectivorous. They are perfectly harmless to man, although

large examples of the blue-tailed lizard have received the name
" red-headed scorpion " under the impression that they are poi-

sonous. This cannot, however, be said of all lizards; a large

western species (Heloderma suspectum) introduces a poison

into wounds produced with its teeth, which may afEect the sys-

tem very injuriously. Recent lizards are nearly all terrestrial

in habit, and none of the Illinois species are aquatic.

SYNOPSIS OF THE FAMILIES REPKESENTED IN ILLINOIS.

Tongue not bifid. Legs four. Scales imbricated, carinated

above. A fold of the skin on each side of the neck. Proxi-

mal end of clavicle simple Tguanid^,

Tongue deeply bifid, with an ensheathing base. Legs wanting

,

or with a pair of rudimentary hind legs. Body serpenti-

form. A lateral longitudinal groove. Proximal end of

clavicle simple Anguid^e.

Tongue bifid, but with no ensheathing base. Legs four. Two
transverse subgular folds of the skin. Scales granular

above, large below. Premaxillary single. Clavical dilated

at proximal end Teid.^.

Tongue notched at the tip. Legs four. No transverse subgu-

lar folds. Scales smooth and about uniform in size above

and below. Premaxillary double. Proximal end of clavi-

cle simple SciNciD^.

Family IGUANID^E.

Tongue short, thick, fleshy, but slightly free in front,

scarcely bifid. Teeth attached to the inuer face of the jaws,

pleurodent. Femoral pores present or absent. Premaxillary

single. Clavicle with simple proximal ends. Mesosternum an-

chor-shaped. A xiphisternal fontanel present. Abdominal ribs

generally wanting.



250 Illinois State Laboraforij of Natural History.

SCELOPORUS, WiEG.

Wiegmann, Isis, 1S28, p. 369.

Holbrook, N. A. Herp., 1842, II., p. 73.

Hoffmann, Bronn's Thier-Keich, 1883, VI., Reptilien, p. 1238.

Body somewhat depressed. Head shorh, convex above;

plates mostly small. Interparietal largest. Nostril near the

margin of the snout, opening in a single plate. Several series

of supraciliaries. No subgular fold. A short fold on each

side of the neck. Scales imbricated, those of the back and

tail carinated, those of the belly smooth. Tail rather short,

depressed and thickened at the base. Femoral pores well de-

veloped. No anal pores.

Sceloporus undulatus, Bosc. Brown Swift, Pine-tree

Lizard.

IStellio undulatus, Bosc, Latreille's Nat. Hist. Rept., 1801, II., p.

40.

Lacerta hyacinthina {i) and L.fasciata (?), Green, Jour. Acad.

Nat. Sci. Phila., 1818, p. 349.

A(/ama undulata, Harlan, Med. and Phys. Res., 1853, p. 140.

Tropidolepis undulata, Dum. et Bibr. Erp. Gen., IV., 1837, p. 298.

—Holbrook, N. A. Herp., 1842, II., p. 73, pi. 9.—De Kay, Nat.

Hist. N. Y.. I., Zool. III., Rept. and Amph., 1842, p. 31, pi.

8, fig. 16.—Gray, Cat. Spec. Lizards in Coll. Brit. Mus., 1845,

p. 208. ^
Sceloporus undulatus, subsp. undulatus, Davis and Rice, Bull.

111. State Lab. Nat. Hist, I., No. 5, 1883, p. 48; Bull. Chicago

Acad. Sci., 1883.

Total length about six and a half inches. Scales large

above, sharply carinate and mucronate, many of them with

notches on each side of the apex, about forty-five in a row from

the parietals to a point opposite the vent. Scales below not

carinate nor mucronate but'with an apical notch. Scales in a

transverse row midway between the fore and hind legs, about

forty-five. Femoral pores from twelve to sixteen. Two
frontal plates. Five series of supraciliaries, one of large plates,

and an inner one and three outer series of small obtusely cari-

nate ones. From two to four small frontoparietals. Four

small parietals and a single very large interparietal From



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 251

six to eight prefrontals. Internasals about ten, varying

greatly in number, most of them obtusely carinate. A single

nasal plate with the nostril opening in its posterior part. Au-

ricular aperture large, bordered anteriorly with five acutely-

pointed scales. Three rows of small supralabials. On the

side of the neck behind the ear is a fold of the skin overlying

a vertical impression which is lined with minute scales. Scales

on the superior surface of the legs carinate; those on the pos-

terior surfaces of the humeri and femora very small. All the

scales on the tail are carinate and verticillated. A curved lin-

ear impression behind the vent.

Color above grayish brown, with a series of transverse

curved black bars on each side of the back. Tail and legs

above barred with black. All the bars bordered posteriorly

with pale. A narrow black line extends from the eye posteri-

orly over the ear and fore leg, and may terminate behind the

latter or pass into a brown band which continues along the

side of the abdomen. This last is often obscure or wanting.

A narrow black line crosses the head from one supraciliary

ridge to the other. Color beneath grayish white or bluish; in

females and young with no, or few, green or blue scales on the

throat, and with the throat, sides, and ventral surfaces of the

femora speckled with black, generally with a short, dark medi-

an band before the vent; in males with most of the throat and

a large elongate patch on each side of the abdomen of a me-

tallic blue or green color.

Length from tip of snout to vent, 3.00; from vent to tip

of tail, 3.62.

Southern Illinois, abundant. Grafton, Belleville (Nat.

Mus.), Cobden, Anna, Johnson Co., Cave in Rock, Villa Ridge,

Cairo.

This is by far the most abundant lizard in Illinois. It

seems to be confined chiefly to the southern third of the State;

as far as I know no specimens have been collected north of

Grafton, in Jersey county. Dr. Hoy, however, took a specimen

in Wisconsin in 1850, and we shall not therefore be surprised

if after more careful collecting the species is found to occur

farther north in Illinois. But it is always to be remembered
that the great change in the character of this State wrought



252 Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History.

in the last forty years by the felling of timber, cultivation of

the soil, and draining of ponds ard swamp lands, has had its

effect upon our fauna, and the capture of a species in central or

northern Illinois forty years ago is not necessarily evidence as

to the present distribution of the species. Southern birds and

serpents which were in early days not rare in the latitude of

Blooraington and Peoria are now not found away from south-

ern Illinois, some of them not in the State at all. The food of

the brown swift consists of insects. The stomach of an exam-

ple from southern Illinois, dissected Jan. 12, 1885, was nearly

filled with small ants (Crematogaster), and contained besides,

two beetles (one a carabid, the other a chrysomelid) and a

cricket. It is commonly seen on old rail fences or in the woods

on logs. It runs with great rapidity, and often eludes the col-

lector by scampering up the trunks of trees.

Family ANGUID^.

Legs wanting or two rudimentary posterior legs present.

Body long and serpentiform, with lateral longitudinal grooves.

Head pyramidal. Tongue bifid, extensile, with squamiform

papillae. Teeth placed on the inside of the jaws and project-

ing inwards.

Ophisaurus, Daudin.

Daudin, Hist. Nat. Kept., 1803. VII., p. 346.

Dum. et Blbr., Erp. (ien., 1839, V., p. 421.

Holbrook, N. A. Herp., 1842, II., p. 139.

Legs wanting. Ear-opening present, small. Eyelids well

developed. A deep groove along each side of the abdomen.

Two longitudinal series of teeth on the roof of the mouth
borne on the pterygoids and palatines. Several supranasals.

Nostril lateral, opening through a single plate. Sternal bones

represented by rudimentary cartilages; clavicles not meeting at

the middle line. Pelvis rudimentary and cartilaginous, the

cartilages of opposite sides not meeting at the middle line, each

bearing a minute cartilage representing femora.

The species described is the only one in the genus.



Reptiles and Ampliibians of Illinois. 253

Ophisaurus ventralis, Linn. Joint -snake, Glass -snake.

Anguis ventralis, Linn., Syst. Nat, 1766, p. 391.

Ophisaurus ventralis, Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., V., 1839, p. 423.

-De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III., Rept. and Amph.
1842, p. 34; Holbr. N. A. Herp., 1842, II., p. 139, pi. 20.—Gray,

Cat. Spec. liizards in Coll. Brit. Mas., 1845, p. 56.

Ophiosaurus lineatus, Kenn., Trans. 111. State Agr. Soc, 1853-54,

I., p. 591,

Opheosaurus ventralis, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat.

Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 48; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Total length about twenty-eight inches. Body long and

slender. Scales equal in size above and below, those on the pos-

terior part of the body and on the tail with a slight median ridge

forming obtuse longitudinal carinae. Aperture of the ear small.

A deep groove extending from a short distance behind the ear

along the sides of the abdomen to the vent. Scales in a longi-

tudinal row from the parietals to a point opposite the vent,

about one hundred and twenty-five. Scales in a transverse row

about midway between the head and vent, twenty-four. Head
continuous with the body, compressed forwards and pointed.

Two series of supraciliary plates. Frontal large, widest behind.

Two small frontoparietals. Two large parietals and a pentag-

onal interparietal. Two prefrontals. Internasal large, as

broad as long. Seven supranasals. Nasal plate small. Ros-

tral slightly wider than high. Eleven supralabials, the ninth

and tenth largest. Marginal series of infralabials elongate

and narrow.

Color above clay yellow,, or brown or greenish olive, with a

median longitudinal stripe of brown, and on each side above

the lateral grooves a wide black or brown stripe including

three narrow whitish lines. On the sides of the abdomen be-

neath the lateral grooves are two narrow dark stripes. Beneath

whitish, unspotted.

Length of body to the vent 28.25; tail beyond vent. It).

Throughout the State; rare in the north; formerly common
in central and southern Illinois, but now fast disappearing.

Cook Co. (Kennicott), Stark Co. (Boardman), Peoria ( Bren-

del), Normal, Wabash Valley (Ridgway).

The colors of Illinois specimens of the joint snake are

generally disposed in distinct longitudinal dark and pale stripes,



254 Illinois State Laboratory of Natural Histonj.

as described. Occasional specimens occur in which the dark of

the sides is intimately mingled with pale, and the pale stripes

of the back may be thickly speckled with black or brown.

This form seems to be more common farther south. In young

examples the dark and pale stripes of the side are of about equal

width. Formerly this was a very common species in dry prairie

regions, but its haunts have been destroyed by the cultiva-

tion of the soil, and few can now be found. Many of those

now captured have stubbed tails, these organs having been pre-

viously broken and partially reproduced. The small boy de-

voutly believes this species to possess the power of " coming

together" again after being broken into fragments. It should

be unnecessary to state here more than that it is only the long

tail which breaks, and that this appendage is scarcely more

brittle than are the tails of other lizards. An example dis-

sected had eaten crickets.

The rudimentary sternal bones are imbedded in the mus-

cles a short distance behind the head. The sternum is a thin,

transversely elongate plate of cartilage, and lies behind the

other bones of the arch. The scapula is largely, perhaps wholly,

bone. The supra-scapula is well developed and is cartilaginous.

The coracoid is large, transversely placed, and meets its fellow

of the opposite side; it is also cartilaginous. The clavicle is a

slender, curved bone, which is attached at its outer extremity

to the ventral surface of the supra-scapula.

The pelvic bones consist of a rather long ilium, attached to

the transverse process of the fifty-seventh vertebra, and a flat-

tened bone, supposed to represent ischium and pubis combined,

at its free extremity. In a small acetabulum in the surface of

the latter fits a minute cylindrical femur. The bones are fully

ossified. Those of the two sides are separated by a considerable

interval. They are imbedded in muscle slightly in front of the

vent. The rudiments are probably quite variable. The figures

given by Dr. Shufeldt (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1880, p. 399)

and those in Bronn's Thier-Reich do not agree, and neither

agree with dissections made by the writer.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 255

Family TEID^.

Tongue long, bifid, with squamiform papillae. Teeth

solid, pleurodont. Head pyramidal, with large, regularly dis-

posed plates above. One pair of supranasal plates. Nostril

opening in the midst of a plate, or between two plates. Scales

of the back granulate or carinate; scales on abdomen large.

To these, other characters used by Prof. Cope may be added as

follows: A xiphisternal fontanel; premaxiilary single; clavi-

cles dilated proximally; mesosternura cross-shaped.

Onemidophorus, Waglee.

Wagler, Syst. Amph., 1830, p. 154.

Holbrook, :N". A. Herp., 1842, II., p. 109 (Ameiva).

Hoffman, Bronn's Thier-Reich, 1883, VI., Reptilien, p. 1076.

With two subgular folds. Tongue with no sheath, free

behind. Maxillary teeth compressed, the posterior teeth tri-

cuspid. Femoral pores present. Scales granulate above, trans-

versely elongate and quadrangular on the belly. Digits 5-5.

Onemidophorus sexliaeatus, Linn.

Lacerta 6-Uneata, Linn., Syst. Nat., 1766, p. 364.

Cnemidoptiorus sex-lineatus, Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., 1839, Y.,

p. 131.

Ameiva sex-lineata, Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, II., p. 109, pi. 15.

Onemidophorus sex-lineatus. Gray, Cat. Spec. Lizards in Coll.

Brit. Mus., 1845, p. 21.—Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab.
Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 47; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci.,

1883.

Total length about seven inches. Body slender. Tail

lung, cylindrical, and tapering. Posterior legs much larger

than the anterior, with long slender digits. Head small, com-

pressed before the eyes and pointed. Scales on the back and

sides, the superior and posterior surfaces of the posterior legs,

the posterior surfaces of the anterior legs, and on the throat,

minute and granular. Scales of the ventral surface of the

abdomen large and quadrangular; about thirty in a longitudi-

nal row and eight in a transverse row. Femora with a ridge

bearing sixteen pores. Scales of the tail large, verticillated,

carinate. Two well-marked gular folds. Ear-opening large,



25(> IJltnois State Lahoratori/ of Natural Histori/.

circular, exposing the tympanum. Frontal plate wider in front

and rounded. Parietals small. Inner series of superciliaries

composed of four plates. Prefrontals in contact for a short

distance at the middle line. Internasal large, hexagonal, wider

than long. Nasals large, touching at the middle line, the nos-

tril opening in their lower part. Rostral produced backward

and acutely angled between the nasals. Two loreals. Six

supralabials, the third largest. Five elongate, narrow infrala-

bials.

Color above brownish gray, with three narrow yellow

longitudinal lines on each side with black spaces between them.

Head brown or blue-gray. Legs brown. Entire under parts

bluish white.

Length of body to the vent, 2.2r); tail beyond vent, 4,50.

Local in its distribution and not common; probably occurs

in suitable localities throughout the State. Ottawa, Henry,

Cave in Rock (?).

An exceedingly active lizard and consequently difficult of

capture. It occurs in dry sandy regions, where it may be seen

by roadsides among shrubbery, or running along the lower rails

of fences. It never resorts to trees, but trusts to its swiftness

and skill in dodging from one covert to another to escape its

pursuers. The only specimens the writer has collected in the

State were taken at Henry, in a dry sunny field on the banks of

the Illinois River. They were not rare in that particular local-

ity, but were not seen any where else, though the country round

about was scoured for miles. I think I saw an individual of

the species at Cave in Rock on the Ohio River during the sum-

mer of 1883, but it disappeared so completely and suddenly,

before I could get a fair glimpse of it, that I cannot be sure

about it. An example has recently been sent to me from

Ottawa.

Family SCINOID^.

Tongue very slightly notched at its tip, free in front,

with squamiform papillae. Teeth pleurodent. No gular or

lateral folds. Nostril generally in one plate. No femoral or

inguinal pores. Basal portion of scales ossified. Premaxillae

double. Xiphisternal fontanel generally wanting.



Beptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 'i57

With two supranasals. Lower eyelid scaly. Anterior margin

of ear-opening with several projecting scales .... Eumeces.

No supranasals. Lower eyelid with a transparent central part.

Ear-opening with no projecting scales Oligosoma.

EUMEOES, WlEGMANN.

Wiegmann, Herp. Mex., 1834, p. 36.

Body fusiform, cylindrical. Head pyramidal, four-sided.

Two supranasals. Lower eyelid scaly. Ear-opening large,

generally with a few projecting scales at its anterior margin.

Scales smooth, large. Tail cylindrical and tapering. Toes 5-5.

Eumeces fasciatus, Linn. Blue-tailed Lizaed, Red-

headed Lizard, Scorpion.

Lacerta fasciata, Linn., Syst, Nat., 1758, p. 209.

Scincus erythrocephalus, Gilliams, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila.,

1818, 1., p. 461.

Plestiodon quinquelineatum, Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., V., 1839,

p. 707.

Scincus fasciatus, De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III., Kept.
and Amph. 1842, p. 29, pi. 8, fig. 17. — Holbr., N. A. Herp.,

1842, II., p. 127, pi. 18.

Scincus quinquelineatum, Holbr., 1. c, p. 121, pi. 17.

Plestiodon erythrocepJurlus, Holbr., 1. c, p. 117, pi. 16.

Plestiodon quinqaelinentuin and P.fasciatum, Kenn., Trans. 111.

State Agr. See, 1853-54, 1., p. 591.

Eumeces fasciatus, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat,
Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 47; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Eumeces obsoletus, Davis and Rice, Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Total length about eight inches. Body moderately slen-

der, tail long and tapering. Scales smooth, about equal in

size above and below, median row beneath the tail largest and

transversely elongate. Fifty-three scales in a longitudinal

row from the occipital plates to a point opposite the vent.

Thirty scales in a transverse row about midway between the

fore and hind legs. Ear-opening large, somewhat elongate

vertically, in young examples with a few projecting scales at

its anterior margin. Frontals and parietals the largest of the

head plates. Six large supraciliaries. Two prefrontals. A
single internasal. Two supranasals, occasionally four. One



258 Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History.

small postnasal. Two loreals, the anterior the smaller and

separating the supranasals and prefrontals. Supralabials nine,

the eighth largest, the sixth alone reaching the orbit. Six in-

fralabials, the sixth largest.

Color above dark chestnut-brown or, in old examples, brown-

olive with five longitudinal blue stripes, the median of which

bifurcates at the base of the head and the outer on each side

extends through the ear forward on the upper lip. Posterior

half of the tail blue or bluish slate-color. Lines often obscure,

sometimes wanting. Beneath white or pale bluish.

Length of body to vent, 3.19; tail beyond vent, 5.50.

Common in the southern counties of the State, rare else-

where; probably does not now occur in northern Illinois.

Cook Co. (Kennicott); Cobden; Anna; Dug Hill, Union Co.;

Johnson Co.; Cairo.

In large specimens a few strise occur on each of the dorsal

scales. The submentals and anals are in some finely reticulate.

The ventral scales present an appearance of striation, but

with a lens this is seen to be due to fine dark lines radiating

from the basal part of the scale. Very old examples of this

species represent the Scincus erythrocephalus of Gilliams. This

form is commonly known as the red-headed scorpion in south-

ern Illinois, and has been mistaken for Enmeces obsoletus, a

species which does not occur in Illinois. As illustrating the

changes which take place in this species with age, the follow-

ing examples are given:

1. Total length 4.50 inches. Stripes distinct. Head like

the back in color. Width of head equal to distance

from tip of snout to anterior margin of the interpari-

etal plate.

2. 5.50 inches long. Stripes distinct. Head paler brown

anteriorly than elsewhere. Width of head equal to

distance from snout to middle of interparietal.

3. 6.25 inches long. Stripes less distinct. Head reddish

brown. Width slightly greater than distance from

snout to middle of interparietal.



Beptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. '259

4. 6 inches long. Stripes very obscure. Head of a uni-

form pale brown color. Width equal to distance from
snout to posterior margin of interparietal.

5. 7.50 inches long. Median stripe lacking, color of back

uniform brown, lateral stripes nearly wanting. Head
brown, width equal to distance from snout to middle

of first occipital plates.

6. 9 50 inches long. No stripes, pale grayish brown above.

Head pale red, width equal to distance from snout to

posterior margin of the occipital plates.

The last is evidently an aged example, and lacks the pro-

jecting scales commonly present in younger examples at the

anterior margin of the ear-opening. The species is active, run-

ning with equal address on the ground or on trees, though

perhaps it is less commonly seen on the latter than the brown
swift. When captured with the hand it attempts to bite, but

is not, as far as my experience goes, able to do serious harm.

Oligosoma, Gikaed,

Girard, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1857, p. 196.

Body fusiform, cylindrical. Head short, pyramidal. No
supranasal plates. Lower eyelid with a central transparent

portion. Ear-opening large, with no projecting scales at its

anterior margin. Scales smooth, of medium size. Tail cylin-

drical and tapering. Toes 5-5.

Oligosoma laterale, Say. Ground Lizard.

Scincvs lateralis, Say, Long's Exped. to Rockj^ Mts., 1823, II.,

p. 324.

Lygosoma lateralis, Dum. et Jiibr,, Erp. Geu. V., 1839, p. 719.

—

Holbr., N. A. Ilerp., 1842, TI., p. 133, pi. 19.

Mocoa lateralis.. Gray, Cat. Spec. Lizards in Coll. Brit. Mus., 1846,

p. 83.

Oligosoma laterale, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist.

I., No. 5, 1883, p. 40; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Small; total length about four and a quarter inches. Body
cylindrical. Head small; snout short: superciliary region con-

vex. 'Ear-opening large, exposing the tympanum. Scales



200 Illinois State Laboyatorij of Natural History.

about equal on dorsal and ventral surfaces; much smaller on

the sides; largest on the ventral surface of the tail. Seventy

scales in a row from the occipital plates to a point opposite the

vent. Twenty-six scales in a tranverse row midway behind

the fore and hind legs. Frontal plate contracted to a point

behind where the supraciliaries of opposite sides are but

slightly separated. Supraciliaries in two series, the inner of

four large plates, the outer of many very small ones. The

two transverse prefrontals separated by the frontal or touch-

ing at their inner angles. Internasal large. No supranasals.

A single nasal; no postnasals. Two loreals, Supralabials seven,

the sixth largest. Six infralabials.

Color above light chestnut-brown, with a lateral dark

brown or black stripe extending from the snout nearly to the

tip of the tail, or terminating in older examples immediately

behind the posterior legs. The brown of the middle of the

back with a few serially disposed dark spots. Legs brown,

marked with dark brown or black above. Beneath yellowish

on the body; bluish on the tail.

Length of body to vent, 1.75; tail beyond vent, 2.50.

Southern Illinois; not common. Cave in Rock.

This is our rarest lizard. It frequents wooded regions and

is found under rocks and among leaves. It is not known to

ascend trees.

ORDER OPHIDIA.

Body greatly elongated and covered with horny imbricated

(in a few cases granular and not imbricated) scales. Limbs

wanting (rudiments of hind limbs present in the boa-con-

strictor, pythons, and a few others). Shoulder girdle never

present. Eyelids and external organs of hearing wanting.

Mouth very dilatable, the bones of the Jaws being loosely ar-

ticulated. No urinary bladder. Oviparous or ovoviparous.

Because of the superstitions associated with them serpents

possess a peculiar interest for most people. The almost uni-

versal dread in which they are held has probably been ac-

quired in the majority of cases, having been instilled into the

childish mind by fancied encounters of imaginative and igno-

rant travelers in the tropics. Certain children, at any rate, who



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 261

have not had such fictious recounted to them by nurse; or

parent, or playmate, show no fear when serpents are first

brought into their presence. The truth is that the number of

poisonous species of a given region is not often large. In

Illinois we have but four poisonous serpents in a total of about

forty species; and the proportion of noxious to innoxious spe-

cies is probably not much greater anywhere in the country.

At the same time it must be acknowledged that the prevalent

fear of snakes serves a very useful purpose in keeping children

from being bitten by species really poisonous. The harmless

kinds take advantage of the feelings they inspire, and simulate

the behavior of their formidable relatives by coiling, striking,

and even producing a semblance of the noise of the rattlers

by causing the tail to vibrate rapidly in contact with dead

vegetation. All, or nearly all, will use the teeth when pressed,

but the bite is not followed by serious consequences.

We have no very large species. Certain of the boas and

pythons of tropical countries reach a great length— as much
as fifty feet or more, it is asserted. The smallest, among which

are our species of Carphophis, are not above a foot long.

The food consists of living animals, generally swallowed

alive, but sometimers picked up after having been killed by

other agencies. The teeth serve merely as organs of prehen-

sion, and the fangs, when present, are used only in striking.

The young hatch from eggs, which are commonly deserted

after being placed among decaying vegetable matter; but some

species are known to guard them until the young come forth.

Some are, it is believed, habitually ovoviparous; and from ob-

servations made on our common species it is evident that many,

at least occasionally, produce living young.

Without fangs. Pupil of eye round. No pit between eye and

nostril. Two series of subcaudal plates CoLmmiD.^.

With fangs. Pupil of eye vertical. A pit between eye and

nostril. Some or all of subcaudals united .... Crotalid^.

Family COLUBRID^.

Teeth numerous, used only for prehension, the posterior

ones sometimes larger than the others and grooved. With-



'^62 Illinois State Laboratory of Natural II /story.

out fangs or poison glands. Head generally slender, always

lacking the lateral pits which characterize our poisonous spe-

cies. Pupil of eye round. Cephalic plates covering most of

the head. Dorsal scales carinated or smooth. Subcaudal

plates in two series. Tail ranging from long to short, always

without a rattle.

This family contains most of our serpents. All are per-

fectly harmless to man, but when cornered they often show

considerable spirit in defending themselves. The slight

wounds which they are able to inflict with their teeth heal

almost as readily as scratches from a needle. The spreading

adder, a dark form of which is known as the king snake, ap-

proaches the moccasin and rattle snakes in shape of head and

body, and is very generally believed to be poisorous,— a belief

which it encourages by extravagant behavior when disturbed.

The food consists of fishes, frogs, mice, birds, and insects.

Our species spend most of their time on the ground among
vegetation. A few are expert climbers, while many of the

common terrestrial species swim and dive readily when com-

pelled to enter the water. The species of Nerodia and Regina

are constantly found about water, where they depend upon

fishes for sustenance. The eggs are often placed in loose de-

caying vegetable matter, where their development is accelerated

by the warmth due to the process of decomposition. Many of

our species, perhaps most, or even all, may produce young alive.

A SYNOPSIS OF ILLINOIS GENERA OF COLUBRID^.

1 (15). Dorsal scales carinated.

2 ( 0). Anal plate entire.

3 (22). Rostral not wedged between internasals.

4 ( 5), Two nasals Eutainia.

& ( 4). A single nasal, grooved below nostril.

Tropidoclonium.

6 ( 2). Anal divided.

7 (14). Loreal present.

8 (12). Two nasals.

9 (26). Rostral normal in shape.

10 (27). Anteorbitals present, loreal not reaching orbit.

11 (23). Scales strongly carinated Nerodia.



Reptiles and Aiiij)/i/l)/(()is of lUinois. 'im

12



'ifil TUinois State Lahoratonj of Natural Histonj.

slender, with more or less evident yellow or greenish longitu-

dinal stripes. Often ovoviparous.

Lateral stripes on the third and fourth rows of dorsal scales.

Dorsal scales in 19 rows. The dark color of the back uni-

form. Body slender E. saurita.

Dorsal scales in 21 rows, with more or less distinct black

spots between the stripes. Stouter than E. saurita.

E. RADIX.

Lateral stripes on the second and third rows of scales.

Dorsal scales in 19 rows E. sirtalis.

Dorsal scales in 21 rows E. vagrans.

Eutainia saurita, Linn. Ctakter Snake, Riband Sjjake.

Var. saurita.

Colvher s(i/irit(i, Linn., iSyst. Nat., ed. 12, I7HB, I., p. 'iiHo.

Enfdivid sdurifa, Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Rept., Pt. I., 1853, p. 24.

liJutaiiui saiiritd, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist.,

I., No. 5, 1883, p. 38; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

'r/iqiidoiMtus sduritd, S. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. ZoOl., 1883,

pp. 23, 137, pi. 3, fig. 2.

Var. faireyi.

Eutdint'it fdueiji,Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Rept., Pt. I., 1853, p. 25.

Evtit'ulit faireyi, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist,

I., No. 5, 1883, p. 39; Bull. Chicago xlcad. Sci., 1883.

7'/'t/>i(Joiu)tus sdurita. var. falrei/f, S. Garman, Mem. Mus.
Comp. Zool., 1883, p. 137.

Var. proximus.
CiilnlHr i>r(i.vinnis,':^-Ay, Long's Exped. to Rocky Mts., 1823, I.,

p. 187.

Eutdiuidpro.ci/iid.Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Rept.,Pt. I., 1853, p. 25.

Euifrnid proxima, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat.

Hist., I., No. 5. 1883, p. 39.

'rropidonotiis suuritd. var, prn.vinids, S. Garman, Mem. Mus.
Comp. Zool., 1883, pp. 24, 137.

Body slender. Head distinctly marked off by the more

slender neck. Tail long, tapering. All the dorsal scales cari-

nated. Frontal elongate, hexagonal, sides generally incurved.

One anteorbital. Three postorbitals. Seven or eight suprala-

bials; sixth and seventh largest. Ten infralabials; fifth and



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 265

sixth largest. Dorsal rows of scales nineteen. Ventrals about

160-175. Subcaudals about 100-115. Anal entire.

Color above from light brown to black, uniform or with

short whitish lines between the stripes. All three stripes green

or yellow, or the dorsal stripe yellow and the two lateral green.

Lateral stripes on the third and fourth rows of scales of each

side. Beneath green or whitish, uniform. Black or brown

below the lateral stripes. Head brown above with two white

or yellow spots at the inner margins of the parietals. Anteor-

bital with a wide pale stripe next the eye. Generally with one

or more of the postorbitals pale. Supralabials pale, all, or only

the anterior, narrowly margined with black above.

Total length of example of \a,r. fairetji, 27.50; tail, 8.25.

Throughout the State. Not common. Chicago (Nat.

Mus.), Cook county (Kennicott), Peoria (Brendel), Normal,

•Jersey county, Mt. Carmel (Ridgway), Union county.

The three varieties occur in the State. Saurita is not

represented by Laboratory collections, and is probably rare. It

is included on the authority of Messrs. Davis and Rice and the

National Museum list.

Variety saurita.

Color above light chocolate-brown. Stripes yellow. Tail

more than a third of the total length. Ventrals about 157.

Subcaudals 115-118.

Variety faireyi.

Color above black. Stripes greenish. Tail less than a

third the total length. Ventrals about 174. Subcaudals about

105-115.

Variety proxima.

Color above black. Dorsal stripe brownish yellow. Lateral

stripes whitish green or yellowish. Tail much less than a third

of the total length. Ventrals about 170-180. Subcaudals

100-108.



'2fi6 Ul'Dioii^ Staff Lahorfiiori/ of Xnfural Illsfori/.

Eutainia, radix, Bd. and Gir.

h:nl<iiiii,i nidi.v, r>d. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Kept., Pt. 1., 1858, p. ;^4.

— Kenn., Trans. 111. State Agr. 8oc., 18r)3-r)4, I., p. 592.

Efitdiila nuU.v. Davis and Rice, Hull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist.,

I., No. 5, 1883, p. 39; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Head rather small, wider than the neck. Tail moderately

long, tapering. Dorsal scales all carinate. Frontal hexagonal

or pentagonal. Two nasals. One large anteorbital. Three

postorbitals. Seven supralabials; fifth and sixth largest. Nine

or ten infralabials: fifth and sixth largest. Dorsal rows twenty-

one; sometimes twenty or nineteen. Ventrals 150-160. Anal

entire. Subcaudals about ()5-75.

Color above brown, with three longitudinal yellow stripes

and six longitudinal series of black spots: the black color often

predominating. Dorsal stripe on one and two half rows of

scales, becoming decidedly orange towards the head. Lateral

stripes on the third and fourth rows of each side. There are

two series of the black spots on each side between the dorsal

and lateral stripes, and a single row of spots below the lateral

stripe. Beneath greenish, with two series of black spots, one

on each side near the edges of the ventral scutes. Head plain

brown above, with a pair of small yellow spots at the inner

margins of the parietals. Iris brassy immediately about pupil,

but extensively black before and behind. Posterior margin of

all the supralabials marked with black. Infralabials and under

side of the head yellowish.

Length, 12; tail, 6.

Occurs in all parts of the State, but is more common north.

Cook county (Kennicott), Freeport, Milan, Colona, Galesburg,

Normal, Mt. Carmel (Ridgway).

Eutainia sirtalis, Linn. Gakteu Snake.

Var. sirtalis.

Co/ II her sirtalis, Limi., Syst. Nat., ed. lU, 1758, p. 222.

TropidoNot/is sirtaiis, Ilolbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, IV., p. 41, pi. 11.

Kataiuia sirtalis. lid. and ( Jir., Cat. N. A. Kept., Pt. 1. 1853, p. 30. -

Kenn., Trans. 111. State Agr. See, 1853-54, 1., p. 592.

'rri>i>i(i<>n<i1 Its sirtalis, subsp. sirtalis. olisi-iira, and dorsalis, Davis
and Rice, Hull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., I, No. 5, 1883,

pp. 39. 40; liull. Cliicago Acad. Sci., 1883.



Reptiles and Amphibian)^ of' Illinois. 'KM

'rnipidoiiotiis sirtitlis, y. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool... 1888,

pp. 24, 138, pi. 3, fig. 3.

Var. parietalis.

('(tliihcr ixiiii'tdlis^ Say, Long's Exped. to Rocky Mts., 1823, 1., p.

186.

Ki(t<iiiii<t [uirif^talis, Bd. and (iir., ('at. N. A. Kept., Pt. I., 1853,

p. 28.

Eiitii'iud sirtdUs, subsp. jxirletalift, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111.

State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, p. 40; Bull. Chicago Acad.
Sci., 1883.

TropidonoiKs sirtalis, var. [xtfii'talis^ S. Garman, Mem. Mus.
Zo(U., pp. 25, 139.

Body moderately slender. Head distinctly wider than

neck. Tail slender, tapering. Dorsal scales all carinated.

Frontal hexagonal. Two nasals. A single large anteorbital.

Three postorbitals. Supralabials seven; fifth and sixth largest.

Ten infralabials; fifth and sixth largest. Dorsal rows nine-

teen. Ventrals about 140-170. Anal entire. Subcaudals

about 60-80.

Colors extremely variable. From light olive-brown to

blackish brown above, with three longitudinal green or yellow

stripes. Head olive-brown above, white below. Pupil with a

narrow brassy ring about it. Iris blackish with some copper-

color above and below. Tongue red, black-tipped. The dorsal

stripe occupies one and two half rows of scales. The lateral

stripes occupy the second and third rows of each side. The
ground color may be nearly uniform, or with two series of

black spots ou each side. Black spots are generally present on
the side, beneath the lateral stripes. Green beneath, with a

series of black spots on the scutes at each side. Head brown
above, with a pair of small yellow spots at the inner edges of

the parietals. Supralabials greenish, uniform, or with black

posterior margins.

Total length, 40.25; tail, 8.

Throughout the State. Abundant. Freeport, Oregon,

l*eoria. Normal, Bloomington, Champaign, Anna.

Variety parietalis.

In addition to the typical form of the species this variation

is quite frequently met in the eastern part of the State. It is



2»)S Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History.

marked along the lateral stripes, between head and tail, with

obscure red spots; and the skin, when the dorsal scales are

drawn apart, shows short whitish marks in about three series

on each side, the two lower in pairs, and the upper composed

of single spots at the margin of the dorsal stripe.

The species is extremely common everywhere, and with the

other striped species is known as the garter snake. It is not

so strictly terrestrial as is supposed, being most commonly
found near water in the dry part of summer; and in spring,

when just awakened from hibernation, it may occasionally be

seen lying in the water as if trying to moisten the dried-out

skin. It feeds on fishes and insects, and, when it can get them,

gorges itself with tadpoles.

Eutainia vagrans, Bd. and Gir. Large-headed Striped

Snake.

Eutainia vagrans, Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Rept., Pt. 1., 1853,

p35.

Eiita Ilia vagnnis. Baird., U. S. Pac. R. R. Expl., 1859, X., Reptiles^

p. 19, pi. 17.— Cooper, U. S. Pac. R. R. Expl., 1860, XII., Rep-

tiles, p. 297.— Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat.

Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 39; Bull. Chicago Acad. !Sci., 1883.

7'ropiclonotas sirtatis. var. vagrans. S. Garman, Mem. Mus.

Comp. Zool., 1883, p. 139.

Body long and slender. Head short and broad. Dorsal

scales all carinated. Supralabials eight; sixth and seventh

largest. Twenty or twenty-one rows of dorsal scales. Ven-

trals 161-179. Anal entire. Subcaudals in 70-90 pairs.

Color above light olive-brown, with two series of blackish

brown spots on each side, the spots of the upper series encroach-

ing on the dorsal stripe. Lateral stripes on the second and third

rows of dorsal scales of each side. Beneath slate color.

A single specimen of this species collected near Chicago by

Mr. E. W. Nelson is the only one known to have been found

in the State.

Nbrodia, Bd. and Gir.

Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Rept., Pt. I., 1853, p. 38.

Dorsal scales carinated, in from twenty-three to thirty

-

three rows. Rostral normal. Two internasals. Two pre-

frontals. Loreal present. Two nasals. One or two anteor-



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 'ifiU

bitals. Two or three postorbitals. Anal divided. Aijuatic

serpents of medium size, spotted with black or dark brown.

Dorsal scales in 23-25 rows. No suborbital plates present.

N. SIPEDON.

Dorsal scales in 29-33 rows. Suborbital plates present.

N. OYCLOPIUM.

Nerodia sipedon, Linn. Spotted Water Snake.

Var. sipedon.

Coluber si2)edoi), Linn., Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1758, I., p. 219.

TroiH/Joriotus sipedon, Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, IV., p. 29, pi. 6.—

De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III., Kept, and Amph.,
1842, p. 42, pi. 14, tig. 31.

Nerodia sijyedou, Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Rept., Pt. I., 1853, p. 38(3.

—Kenn., Trans. 111. State Agr. Soc, 1853-54, I., p. 592.

Tropidonotus sipedon, Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., 1854, Til., p. 568.

Tropidonotus sipedon . subsp. sipedon. Davis and Rice, Bull. 111.

State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 42; Bull. Chicago
Acad. Sci., 1883.

Tropidonotus sipedon, S. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 1883,

pp. 25, 140, pi. 2, fig. 3.

Var. fasciatus.
( 'oluher fasriatus. Linn., Syst. Nat., ed. 12, 1766, 1., p. 378.

Nerodia fasciata, Bd. and Gir., ('at. N. A. Rept., Pt. I., 1853, p. 39.

Tropidonotus fasciatus. Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab.
Nat. Hist., I.. No. 5, 1883, p. 42: Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci, 1883.

Var. erythrogaster.

Coluber erythroijaster. Shaw, Gen. Zool., III., 1804, p. 458,

Nerodia erytTirogciKter. Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Rept., Pt. I., 1853,

p. 40,

Tropidonotus sipedon. subsp. eriithroijaster. Davis and Rice,

Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 42; Bull.

Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Trojiidonotus sipedon. var. ( rulhrogaster. S. Garman, Mem.
Mus. Comp. Zool., 1883, pp. 26, 141.

Var. rhombifer.
Tropidonotus rhombifer. Ilallowell. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila.,

VI., 1852, p. 177.

Nerodia rhombifer, Bd. and Gir,, Cat. N, A. Rept., 1853, p. 147.

Tropidonotus rhombifer. Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab.
Nat. Hist,, I., No. 5, 1883, p, 43; Bull, Chicago Acad. Sci.. 1883.

Tropidonotus sipedon. var, rhontbifer. S, Garman. Mem. Mus.
Comp. Zool., 1883, pp, 26, 141.



:i7(l lU'niois Slate IAihonitonj of Natural llistonj.

Body moderately slender. Head distinctly marked off by

the more slender neck. Tail cylindrical, tapering, of moderate

length. Rostral wider than high, excavated below. Frontal

much larger than wide, pentagonal. Parietals very large. A
single nasal, with a groove below the nostril, sometimes appar-

ently two plates with the nostril between. Loreal rhoraboidal.

A large vertically elongate anteorbital. Two or three postor-

bitals. Supralabials eight, sixth and seventh largest. Ten in-

fralabials, the fifth and sixth largest. From twenty-three to

twenty-five rows of dorsal scales, the carinae on the outer scales

a trifle less prominent. Ventrals one I80-iri(). Anal divided.

Subcaudals in 40-80 pairs.

Color extremely variable; from yellowish brown through

various shades of brown and red to blackish brown, sometimes

uniform, but generally with a dorsal series of dark spots and on

each side a series of smaller squarish spots which alternate

with those of the dorsal series. Generally some of the spots of

the three series, on the anterior part of the body and on the tail,

fuse, forming transverse bands; sometimes all are thus fused.

The number of the spots varies with age. Beneath yellowish,

with subtriangular blackish or brown spots on the scutes, be-

coming larger posteriorly and giving the prevailing color;

sometimes uniformly reddish. Posterior margins of labial

plates generally dark. Young, and some adults, with a pair of

small pale spots on the parietals, as in the Euttenia?.

This water snake is one of the commonest species within

our limits. It feeds largely on small fishes.

Throughout the State. Cook county, Ogle county, Gales-

burg, Peoria (Brendel), Pekin, Normal, Anna.

Variety sipedon.

Grayish brown, with three series of squarish dark spots,

those of the lateral series alternating with the dorsal spots.

Beneath thickly blotched with black posteriorly, becoming

paler towards the head. Dorsal rows twenty-three. Common
everywhere.



Bepfih'S and Amphibians of Illinois. 271

Variety fasciatus.

Dark brown, with transverse lozenge-shaped spots on the

back, and from thirty to thirty-eight red spots on each side.

Reddish white beneath. Dorsal scales in from twenty-three to

twenty-five rows. Anna, Union county.

Variety erythrogaster.

Uniform reddish brown or blackish above, bright reddish

or yellow beneath. Dorsal rows from twenty-three to twenty-

five. Peoria, southern Dlinois, Anna (C. W. Butler).

Variety rhombifer.

Brown above, with a series of rhomboid dark spots on the

back, which touch by their apices. More or less blotched with

black beneath. Dorsal rows twenty-five (Hallowell gives this

number in his original description; later vrriters have given

twenty-seven as the proper number). Two specimens are in

the collection of the Northwestern University at Evanston,

one from Cook county, and the other from Union county.

Nerodia cyclopium, Dum. et Bibr.

Tropldoiiotiisciicloplon, Dura. etBibr., Erp. Gen. 1854, VII., p. 576.

Tmiiidoiintiis cychyphitu, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab.
Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883. p. 43.— S. Garman, Mem. Mus.
Comp. Zool., 1883, pp. 26, 142, pi. 2, fig. 4.

Body moderately stout. Head swollen at the cheeks, nar-

rowed forward. Tail tapering, rather short. All the dorsal

scales carinate, those of the outer row less strongly, those of

the back very strongly, becoming sharp longitudinal keels on
the tail. Rostral about twice as broad as high. Nasal large,

nostril near the upper margin, but not quite dividing it into

two plates. Loreal large, widest below. One large anteorbital,

widest above. Two postorbitals and from two to three subor-

bitals. Supralabials greatly developed, eight in number; the

sixth and seventh much the largest. Infralabials from ten to

twelve; fifth and sixth largest. Dorsal rows from twenty-

seven to thirty-three. Ventrals about 144. Anal divided.

Subcaudals about 65 pairs.



"i72 Illinois State Laburatori/ of Nntund History.

Color brown above, obscurely marked with black, this

color being mostly confined to the bases of the scales and indi-

cating vertical lateral bands and dorsal spots as in T. sipedon.

Brownish beneath posteriorly, paler anteriorly; in an Illinois

example yellowish below, with a small black spot on each side

of most of the abdominal scutes, and with a few similar irreg-

ularly placed spots on the under side of the tail.

Total length, 41.25; tail, USA).

Southern Illinois. Bluff Lake, Union county.

The only example of this species in the Laboratory collec-

tion from Illinois differs in some respects from the typical forms

of the species as described. On one side there are two subor-

bitals, on the other but one; on neither side is the anteorbital

in contact with the suborbitals; the latter crowd the labials

away from the eye, leaving an unoccupied space above the

fourth labial. The dorsal scales are in twenty-nine rows. The

ventrals number one hundred and forty; the subcaudals, sixty.

Regina, Bd. and Gir.

J3d. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Kept., Ft. I., 1853, p. 45.

Dorsal scales carinated, in from nineteen to twenty-one

rows. Rostral normal. Two internasals. Two prefrontals.

A single nasal, grooved beneath the nostril. Loreal present.

One or two anteorbitals. Two or three postorbitals. Anal

plate divided.

Dorsal scales in 19 rows. Colors in longitudinal bands. With
two approximated blackish bands on the abdomen.

R. LEBERIS.

Dorsal scales in 20 rows. Colors in longitudinal bands. No
longitudinal bands on ventral surface R. grahami.

Dorsal scales in 19 rows. Brown above, spotted with black.

Red below, with a series of round black spots on each

side R. KIRTLANDI.

Regina leberis, Linn.

fo/vber leberis. Linn.. Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1758, 1., p. 21(5.

Tropidnnotvs Jel,eris, Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, IV., p. 49, pi. 13.

-De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I.. Zool. Ill,, Kept, and Amph.,

1842, p. 45., pi. 11, fig. 23.



Reptiles and Amphihians of Illinois. 273

Regina leheris, Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Kept., Pt. I., 1853, p. 45.—

Kenn., Trans. 111. State Agr. Soc, 1853-54, 1., p. 592.

Tropidonotiis lehf^rin, Dam. et Jiibr., Erp. Gen., 1854, VII., p. 579.

— Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5.

1883, p. 41; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.—S. (Jarman, Mem.
Mus. Comp. Zool., 1883, pp. 27, 142, pi. 2, fig. 1.

Body moderately slender. Head small. Tail rather short.

Dorsal scales all carinate, the outer very faintly, in nineteen

rows. Rostral wide and low, excavated beneath. One ( !) nasal,

grooved below the nostril, sometimes also above. Two anteor-

bitals. Two postorbitals. Snpralabials seven or eight; fifth

and sixth largest. Infralabials nine or ten; fourth and fifth

largest. Dorsal rows nineteen; scales of outer row widest.

Ventrals 140-149. Anal divided. Subcaudals 64-81. Tail

about three tenths the length of the body.

Color above brown, with a blackish line occupying the

median row of dorsal scales, and on each side similar lines

occupying the fifth row. On the sides a straw-colored band

occupies the upper half of the outer row and the whole of the

second dorsal rows. Lower half of outer dorsal row and outer

margins of the abdominal scutes occupied by a brown band.

Beneath yellowish, with two longitudinal bands of brown.

Labials and lower part of rostral yellowish. A small brown

spot beneath the angle of the mouth.

Throughout the State. Cook county, Geneva, Galesburg.

Similar to B. grahami in the number of dorsal scales and

number and form of the head plates, but differing in color, the

average number of ventral and subcaudal scutes, and the pro-

portional length of the tail.

Ventrals, 147. Subcaudals, 72. Total length, 12.50; tail, ;^>.

Ventrals, 141). Subcaudals, 7U. Total length, S.aO: tail,

2.()2.

Regina grahami, Bd. and Gir.

Regina grahamii, Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Rept., Pt. I., 1853, p.

47.—Kenn., Trans. 111. State Agr. Soc, 1853-54, I., p. 592.

Trnpidonotifs gnthdnii, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat.

Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 41; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Tropidonotiis leheris, var. gni/nanii, S. Garman, Mem. Mus.

Comp. Zool., 1883, pp. 28, 142.



274 Illinois State Labnrafori/ of Natnvid Histori/.

Body moderately slender, tapering towards the extremities.

Head small, not much wider than the neck. Tail rather short.

All the dorsal scales carinate, Rostral low and broad, dis-

tinctly excavated below. Parietals very large. Frontal

elongate, pentagonal. A single (!) nasal plate on each side,

obliquely grooved below the nostril. Two anteorbitals. Two
postorbitals. Seven or eight supralabials; the fifth and sixth

largest. Ten infralabials; fourth and fifth largest. Dorsal

rows nineteen; the scales of the outer row of each side less

strongly carinate than the others, and about as wide as long.

Ventrals loO-lTH. Subcaudals hA-iu) pairs. Anal divided.

Tail about two tenths the length of the body.

Color above brown, with a pale brown dorsal stripe about

three scales wide: on each side of this stripe a wide brown or

gray band edged with blackish, and about five scales wide; and

outside these on each side a straw-colored band occupying

the three outer rows of scales. Edges of the outer dorsal rows

and sides of the abdominal scutes black, producing on each

side of the abdomen a zigzag line. Beneath straw-color,

uniform, or with a median dusky band beneath the tail, and be-

fore the vent a series of blackish spots.

Total length, 31.75; tail, 5.50.

Throughout the State. Cook county ( Kennicott), Normal,

Pekin, Champaign.

In the original description of this species the number of

dorsal rows of scales is given as twenty. Illinois examples

have nineteen without exception, as far as I know. Besides

the differences of color, this species differs from R. leberis in

the number of ventral and subcaudal scutes, and in the length

of the tail as compared with that of the body.

Ventrals, 173. Subcaudals, 65. Total length, 27.25; tail,

4.75.

Ventrals, 15S. Subcaudals, 54. Total length, 31.75: tail,

5.50.

Ventrals, 15<). Subcaudals, 58. Total length, 26.75; tail,

5.25.

Ventrals, H)0. Subcaudals, 61. Total length, 14; tail, 2.50.



Reptiles (ind Aniphibiaus of Illinois. 275

Regina kirtlandi*, Kenn.

Hti/iiH/ kirtldiidii. Kenn., Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 185(5.

p. Its.

TrDitlddcloiiiiiiii kirthiiidi. Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab.
Nat. Hist., I., No. o, 18H3, p. 41; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci.,

1883.

'l'n>[)hloii<>ttis kirtlandii. S. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool.,

1883, pp. 28, 143, pi. 1, fig. 3.

Body tapering towards the extremities. Head small,

scarcely wider than the neck. Tail short, tapering, in adults

abruptly more slender than the body. Dorsal rows of scales

nineteen, all carinated. Rostral low and wide. Frontal hexag-

onal. Supraciliaries small. One nasal, grooved below the eye.

One anteorbital. Eye small. Two postorbitals. Six suprala-

bials, fifth and sixth largest. Seven infralabials, fifth largest.

Dorsal rows of scales nineteen. Ventrals 131-i;^;i Anal

divided. Subcaudals in 52-56 pairs.

Color above brown, with two dorsal series of black spots,

and on each side a series of larger round black spots, some-

times with a series of small spots beneath the last. Flanks

gray. Ventral surface, between two submarginal series of

round black spots, bright red, almost carmine beneath the tail,

gradually fading to a dull yellowish white on throat and under

side of head. Labials yellowish. Young are almost uniform

brown above, and frequently are speckled with black between

the round spots of the ventral scutes.

Total length of an adult, 17; tail, 3.25.

Formerly common in the north half of the State; rare at

present. West Northfield (Kennicott), Normal, Champaign.

A handsome snake, which ten years ago was not un-

common along prairie brooks, in the central part of the State.

Tiling, ditching, and cultivation of the soil have destroyed its

haunts and nearly exterminated it. Mr. Kennicott found it

in northern Illinois under logs. I have never seen it else-

where than on the open prairie, [t has a peculiar habit of

flattening its body and remaining motionless to escape de-

tection.

* Prof. E. D. Cope has recently established the genus Clonophis
for this species.



",'76 fiflnois State fjihoratorij of Ndtiiral History.

TROPIDOOLONIUM. Coi'E.

Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. .Sci. Phila., IHtK), p. 76.

Microps (preoccupied in Coleoptera), Hallowell, Prec. .Acad.

Nat. Sci. Phila., VIII., 1856, p. 240.

Dorsal scales cariuated. Rostral plate normal. Two in-

ternasals. Two prefrontals. One nasal, grooved below the

nostril. Loreal present. One anteorbital. Two postorbitals.

Head small, not distinct. Teeth small, isodont. Anal not

divided. Tail short.

The genus is here restricted to the species for which it

was originally proposed.

Tropidoclonium lineatum, Hallowell.

Miarops tineatus, Hallowell, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., VIII.,

1856, p. 241.

Tropidodoiuon liitmtunt. Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila.,

1860, p. 76.

sioiTi-id lineata, S. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 1888, pp.

32, 143.

Head small, not distinct. Tail short, tapering abruptly.

Dorsal scales in nineteen rows; the two outer rows on each

side larger than the others, smooth and shining; first row

without carinse, second row with a faint carina at the base of

each scale; third row with the outer halves of scales polished

but with distinct carinse. Frontal plate longer than wide, the

sides parallel. One anteorbital. Two postorbitals. Eye small,

above the third labial. Supralabials six or seven, third and

fourth largest, fifth crowded away from the margin. Ventrals

150. Subcaiidals 26.

Color above brown, with a yellow-gray median stripe one

and two half scales wide extending from the occiput to the tip

of the tail, and with three outer rows of dorsal scales of the

same color on each side. A distinct black spot at the base of

each scale of the outer row. Head above olive-brown; supra-

labials yellow-gray. Ash-gray beneath, becoming yellowish on

the head and tail. Each ventral plate with a transverse black

spot on the middle of its base. The spots behind the first ten

each with a median posterior notch, the notches becoming

gradually deeper posteriorly and for a short distance before



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 277

the vent dividing the spots into two. Subcaudals each with a

basal black spot.

Total length, 15.12; tail 1.37.

Described from a single example* from Urbana, 111., col-

lected April 4, 1889, the only representative of the species

which has thus far been found within our limits. The species

is said to occur from Kansas to Texas, and is not included in

any of the accounts of species of this region. In Dr. Yarrow's

catalogue of North American reptiles in the National Museum,

T find record of an example taken at Hughes, Ohio, April, 1879,

a record which seems to have escaped the attention of recent

writers. The Illinois example differs from Hallowell's descrip-

tion of the type in several respects, and does not agree exactl}'

with other descriptions with which it has been compared.

Thus the abdominal plates are said to vary from 138 to 145,

the subcaudals from 32 to 35 pairs, while the eye is said to rest

on the third and fourth supralabials. In none of these char-

acters does our example agree exactly, as may be seen by the

above description. The colors also of the Illinois specimen

seem to be darker than usual.

Storeria, Bd. and Gir.

Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Kept., Pt. I., 1853, p. 135.

Dum. et Bibr., Ischnognathus, Erp. G(5n., VII., 1854, p. 50H.

Dorsal scales carinated, in fifteen to seventeen rows.

Anal plate divided. Rostral normal. Two internasals. Two
prefrontals. Two nasals, or one with a groove beneath the

nostril. One or two anteorbitals. One or two postorbitals.

Ovoviparous. Small, obscurely-colored species.

The nostril is commonly said to open between two nasal

plates in species of this genus. This is not always so, occa-

sional specimens showing a single plate on one side of the

head with a groove beneath the nostril, while there are two
plates on the opposite side, or the plates of both sides may be

united. In a perfect example of S. occipitomaculata in the

Laboratory collection there is but one large postorbital plate.

* Other examples of the species from the same locality were
examined after this was written. See Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist.,

ni., p. 187.



27(S Illinois State Labonttory of Nafiinil I/ls/ori/.

Dorsal scales in 15 rows S. occipitomaculata.

Dorsal scales in 17 rows S. oeka vi.

Storeria occipitomaculata, Storer.

'/'i<i/)i(f(iii(itiis occ//>it(i-iii(irii/(/fns. s>torer, Hep. liept. Mass., 1889,

p. 2;;o.

Coliihcr ()ci-//iH(i-iii(/rii/at>is. atorev, J3ost. Jour. Nat. Hist., 1H40,

III., p. 33.

Cohiht^r rciinstiis. Ilallowell, Proc. Acad. Nat. 8ci. Phila., 184^5-47,

III., p. 278.

Stori'i-id i>cclj)lt()-i/i((cn/(it</,lid. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Kept., Ft. 1.,

1853, p. 137.— Kenn., Trans. 111. State Agr. Soc, 1853-54, 1.,

p. 592.

Storeria (Jcei2Jit<tiiH>c/itat<f. D'dYis and Rice, JiuU. 111. State Lab.

Nat. Hist. I., No. 5, 1883, p. 40: Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci.,

1883.— S. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zor.l., 1883, pp. 30, 143,

pi. 1, fig. 2.

Small. Body tapering to the extremities. Head small.

Tail short. All the dorsal scales carinated. Rostral plate ex-

cavated below; its anterior face convex. Frontal hexagonal,

sides converging posteriorly. Two anteorbitals. Two postor-

bitals. Six or seven supralabials. Seven infralabials; the

fourth and fifth largest. Dorsal rows fifteen. Ventrals 117-

128. Anal divided. Subcaudals 43-52.

Olive or chestnut-brown above, uniform, or with a dorsal

ash-gray stripe, and a similar stripe on the outer rows of dorsal

scales, the latter more obscure than the dorsal stripe, or want-

ing altogether. Beneath salmon-red, fading anteriorly into light

gray. External margins of the ventral scutes gray; the ante-

rior scutes with distinct blackish submarginal spots, forming a

longitudinal series for each side. Head above reddish brown,

faintly iridescent, with three occipital pale spots, the median

much the largest. Fifth supralabial pale.

Total length of an adult female, U.-U; tail, 2,44.

Occurs everywhere within oar limits. Not common. Cook

county (Kennicott), Peoria (Brendel), Normal, Belleville

(Nat. Mus.), Anna.

Storeria dekayi, Holbr.

Tropldoiiotn.s dekdni, Holbr., N. A. llerp., 1842, IV., p. 53, pi. 14.—

De Kay, Nat. Hist., N. V., I., Zoul. III., Kept, and Amph..

1842, p. 46, pi. 14, fig. 80.



Beptilefi and Amphibians of Illinois. 279

:^t<>nri(i (lrk(tjii. Bd. and (iir., Cat. N. A. Kept., Ft. I., 1858, p.

135.—Kenn., Trans. 111. State Agr. Soc. 1853-54. p. 592.

Tschnognathiis deJiai/i. Dum et Bibr.,Erp. Grn., VII., 1854, p. 507.

Storeria dckayi,. Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist.,

I., No. 5, 1883, p. 40; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.— S. Gar-

man, Mem. Mas. Comp. Zool., 1883, pp. 31, 143, pi. 1, fig. 1.

Small. Body tapering to both extremities. Head small,

but clearly marked off by the slender neck. * Tail short. Ros-

tral excavated below, its anterior face convex. Frontal hexag-

onal, wide. Two nasals. One large anteorbital. Two post-

orbitals, sometimes one. Seven small infralabials, the fourth

and fifth much the largest. Seventeen dorsal rows of scales,

the outer rov.- of each side widest. Ventrals about 120-128,

Anal divided. Subcaudals about 48-60.

From ash-gray to chestnut-brown above, with a pale dorsal

stripe, on each side of which is a series of brown spots; the

latter may encroach upon the median stripe, and occasionally

unite across the middle line: sometimes they are wanting.

Beneath pale gray, with one or two small black specks near

the outer margins of each ventral scute. Head brown above,

with a faint iridescence. On each side of the neck, at the base

of the head, is an obliquely-placed black or brown bar, the two
occasionally meeting above. Smaller black bars across the tem-

porals and superior labials of each side extend to or slightly be-

yond the angle of the mouth. Posterior margins of the third

and fourth supralabials black. Infralabials pale, or touched with

black at the margins.

Total length, 12.75; tail, 2.50.

Occurs in all parts of the State, but is not very common.
Englevvood, Chicago, Piano, Peoria (Brendel), Kappa, Normal,

Belleville and Mt. Carmel (Nat. Mus.).

Hydrops, Wagler.

Wagler, Syst. Amph., 1830, p. 170.

S. (larman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zo()l., 1883, p. 34.

Scales smooth and shining, in from fifteen to twenty-one

rows. Anal plate divided. Uostral normal. One or two inter-

nasals. Two prefrontals. One or two nasals. A large elongate

loreal, with the jirefrontal forming the anterior rim of the orbit.



2N() ]IIi}iois Sf'tfe Lahoratonj of Nafiinil llistonj.

No auteorbitals. Two postorbitals. Body moderately stout.

Head scarcely distinct from the body.

Two internasal plates. With several longitudinal red stripes

above H. erythrogrammus.

One internasal plate. Uniform blue black above.

H. ABACURUS.

Hydrops erythrogrammus, Daudin. Rkd-i.inkd Horned
Snake, Hoop Snake.

(Joliihtr ciuthrognimniiis, Daudin, Hist. Nat. Ilept.. 1799, VII.,

p. 93, pi. 83. fig. 2.

Helimps erythroiini nun IIS. Holbr., N. A. Herp.. 1842, III., p. 107,

pi. 25.

Ahdstor eii/f/iro(//(ininiiis. Dd. and (iir.. Cat. N. A. Kept., Pt. I.,

1853, p. 125.

('(ilopisma i^i-yfliroijidinnnis, Dum.et liibr., Elrp. (Jen., 1854, VII.,

p. 33i).

Ahastor eri/f/iiu(jniiui/iii.s, Davis and Rice*, Bull. 111. State Lab.

Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 32; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci.,

1883.

Hydrops <fi'ijHir(i<jntiiniii(s.'6. (larman, Mem. Mus. Comp. ZoiU.,

1883, pp. 35, 144.

Body moderately stout. Head scarcely wider than the

neck, slightly depressed. Tail short. Dorsal scales smooth.

Rostral plate very wide. Two small internasals. Prefrontals

large, forming part of the anterior rim of the orbit. Frontal

plate hexagonal, its lateral margins nearly parallel, except

between the parietals. Supraciliaries large. One nasal plate,

grooved below the nostril. Loreal elongate, forming part of the

anterior rim of the orbit. No anteorbital. Two postorbitals,

the lower small, Supralabials seven, sixth largest. Infrala-

bials seven or eight, the fourth or fifth largest. Dorsal scales

in nineteen rows, all smooth and polished. Ventrals 167-185.

Subcaudals in ^JS-oO pairs.

Color above bluish black, with five longitudinal red stripes.

Of these, one on each side occupies the two outer rows of scales,

excepting the bases of the scales of the inner row: three

scales above these stripes, on each side, is another, occupying but

one scale in width: while the fifth stripe occupies the median

dorsal row of scales. Beneath carneous, with round black



Reptiles and Amphibians of TUinois. 2S1

spots near the outer margins of each ventral scute, forming

two longitudinal series. Sometimes with a broken median

series of spots. Cephalic plates faintly margined with yellow.

Labials and scales of the under side of the head, each with a

black central spot.

Attains a length of more than 86 inches.

Southern Illinois. " Found north to Mt. Carmel at least."

(Ridgway.)

Hydrops abacurus, Holbr. Red-bellied Horn Snake.

Coluber uhdcitnis, Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1836, 1., p. 119, pi. 23.

Htlicoj)ft ahacarns; Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, III., p. Ill, pi, 26.

Faranr-ia ahactirns, Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Rept., Pt. I., 1853,

p. 123.

(Uilopisnia abavanini. Dum. et Bibr., Erp. G^n., VII., 1854, p. 342.

Hydropa abacurus, Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., Atlas, pi. 65.

Farancia nhacura, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat,

Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 32; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Hudrops abacurus. S, Garman, Mem. Mus.Comp. Zool., 1883, pp.

36, 144, pi. 1, fig. 5.

Body tapering very slightly toward the extremities.

Neck thick, as wide as the head. Head small. Tail of mod-

erate length, maintaining its diameter well toward the tip and

tapering suddenly, the tip covered by a conical nail. All the

scales smooth and shining. Rostral plate wide. But one in-

ternasal. Two large prefrontals, each forming a part of the

boundary of the orbit of its side. Frontal large, elongate.

Supraciliaries small. One nasal, grooved below the nostril.

A single elongate loreal which forms part of the anterior boun-

dary of the orbit (some authors consider this an anteorbital

and describe the species as without a loreal). No anteorbitals.

Two postorbitals, the lower much the smaller. Parietals large,

bounded exteriorly by two elongate temporals. Six or seven

supralabials, the eye above the third and fourth, fifth and sixth

largest. Infralabials eight or nine, the fifth largest, those fol-

lowing it becoming rapidly smaller, the last smallest of all.

Dorsal scales in nineteen rows, large, the outer scales wider

than long. Ventrals 168-203, the one preceding the anals

divided. Subcaudals in 35-49 pairs, a few of those behind the

vent sometimes united.



282 Illinois Stitfe L<ih<)r<itoni of Xofunil llixfonj.

Color above uniform bluish black. Beneath bright brick-

red, with broken or complete transverse bluish black bands

which are continuous at the sides with downward extensions

of the black of the dorsal surface. The red of the ventral sur-

face extends upward on the sides between the black bars to

the third or fourth row of dorsal scales. Head olive-brown

above, uniform or marked with red. Posterior supralabials

reddish brown with black central spots. Inferior surface of

the head brownish anteriorl}^ becoming pale salmon-red be-

hind, many of the plates with black central spots. The trans-

verse black bars alternate on the posterior part of the tail, and

are wanting toward the tip.

Total length of an example from Union Co., 88.50; tail,

6.25.

Southern Illinois. Frequent. Wabash \' alley (llidgway),

J31uff Lake, Union Co.

This is a beautiful serpent with the scales of the dorsal

surface like polished ebony. " Not uncommon as far north as

Vincennes. A living female with eggs was sent to the Na-

tional Museum from Wheatland, Ind." (liidgway). "Com-
mon around the Bluff Lakes [Union Co.

J
during August and

September." (C W. Butler.)

Oyolophis, Gunther.

Giinther, Cat. Coll. Serp. in iirit. Mus., Ft. I., 1858, p. 119.

Bd. and (iir., Chlorosoma, Cat N. A. Kept., Pt. 1., ISoS, p. 108.

Dorsal scales perfectly smooth, in fifteen rows. Anal

plate divided. Rostral normal. Two internasals. Two pre-

frontals. One nasal, nostril opening in its middle. Loreal

present. One anteorbital. Two postorbitals. Small, slender;

bead distinct from body; tail moderately long.

Cyclophis vernalis, Harlan, (tkekn Snake.

cohilx-r n^n/olls, Harlan, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., ^^, 1827,

p. 3()1.— Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, 111., p. TU, pi. 17.—De Kay,

Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III., Kept, and Amph.. 1842, p. 40,

pi. 11, fig. 22.

('hlnrofinvKt nriin/is. J5d. and (iii\, Cat. N. A. Kept., Pt. I., 1853,

1'. 108.— Kenn., Trans. 111. State Agr. Soc, 1853-54,1., p. 592.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 283

L/')p(^Jtis nriKtlis. Smith, (leol. Surv. Ohio, Zoi)!. and Hot., IV.,

1882, p. 695.

Cjirlophis cerna/ls, Davis and liice, liull. 111. State Lab. Nat.

Hist., I., No. 5, 1883. p. 36; Hull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.—

8. (rarman, Mem. Mas. Comp. Zool, 1883. pp. 39, 146, pi. 3,

flg.4.

Small. Body slender. All the dorsal scales smooth. Ros-

tral plate angulate between the internasals. Frontal elongate,

narrowed behind, pentagonal. One or two anteorbitals. Two
postorbitals. Seven supralabials; middle of the eye above the

third and fourth. Eight infralabials, the fifth largest. Dorsal

scales in fifteen rows. Ventrals about 148 in adults (125 or

more in younger examples). Subcaudals about SO (()9-95).

Color above uniform pale green; whitish below. Head

olive above. Iris pale yellow about pupil, more extensively so

above; elsewhere dark. Supralabials pale. Young examples

are more brownish.

Total length of an adult female, 10.25; tail, 5.25.

Occurs in all parts of Illinois. Common. Cook county,

Galesburg, Peoria (Brendel), Normal, Monroe county (Nat.

Mus.)

A handsome small species occurring everywhere in mead-

ows and pastures. It feeds upon insects. A female before me
which was captured at Normal, July 6, contains fully developed

eggs.

Phyllophilophis, S. Garaian.

S. Garman, Mem, Mus. domp. Zool., 1883, p, 40.

Dorsal scales carinated, in seventeen rows. Anal plate

divided. Rostral normal. Two internasals. Two prefrontals.

One nasal plate, with the nostril opening in its middle. Loreal

present. One anteorbital. Two postorbitals. Small, slender;

head distinct; tail long.

Phyllophilophis sestivus, Linn. Green Snake.

Coluber astimis, Linn., Syst. Nat., ed. 12, 1766, 1., p. 387.

Le2)tophis nstiom; Ilolbr., N. A. Ilerp., 1842, IV.. p. 17, pi. 3.—

Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Kept., Pt. I., 1853. p. 1()6.

Lr-ptophis iiiajalls. 13d. and (Jir., 1. c, p. 107.



2N4 Illino'iPi Sfdfe Laboratory of Natural Hisfori/.

ffcfpftoilri/u.s (istiviis, Uuin. et Bibr., Erp. Gt'n., VII., 1854, p. 209.

ci/c/ophU- (istirns, Davis and Kice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat.

Hist., I., No. 5,1883, p. .%; Bull. Chicago Acad., 1883.— S.

Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zoul., 1883, pp. 40, 140, pi. 3, tig. 1.

J^hyJhyphilopliis (istinis.S. Garman, List N. A. Rept. and Batr.

Essex Inst., 1884.

Small. Body long and slender. Head long, wide behind,

narrowing forward. Neck slender. Tail long, slender and

tapering. Dorsal scales, excepting the two outer rows of each

side, distinctly carinated. Rostral plate large, convex, with a

lunate impression below, obtusely angulate between the inter-

nasals. Frontal plate elongate, pentagonal, narrowed behind.

Loreal quadrangular. One anteorbital (three on each side in an

example from southern 111.). Twopostorbitals. Seven or eight

supralabials; center of the eye behind the line of junction of

the third and fourth, sixth largest. Eight iufralabials, fourth

and fifth largest. Ventrals 150-165. Subcaudals 111-135.

Color above pale green. Supralabials and entire under

surface greenish white.

Total length, 27.25; tail, 9.75.

Southern Illinois, common. Mt. Carmel (Ridgway),

Anna (Butler), Pine Hills, Union county.

Easily distinguished from Cycloj)]iis vernalis. From the

strong resemblance of this small serpent to some of the tree-in-

habiting species of the tropics one would infer that its habits

were similar, but instead, as observed by Prof. Cope in an

example kept by him in confinement, it remains under-ground

most of the time with the head and neck exposed and motion-

less, a habit which may serve it in eluding its enemies or bring-

ing the insects on which it feeds within its reach. Those we

have collected were found among herbage, in situations similar

to those in which Cyclophis vernalis occurs.

Coluber, Linn.

Linn., Syst. Nat., 1748, p. 34.

Bd. and Gir., Bascanion, Cat. N. A. Rept., Pt. I., 1853, p. 93.

S. Garman, (in part) Mem. Mus. Comp. Zoiil., 1883, p. 40.

Dorsal scales smooth, in seventeen rows. Anal plate

divided. Rostral normal. Two internasals. Two prefrontals.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 285

Two nasals. Loreal present. One large superior and a, very

small inferior anteorbital. Two postorbitals. Eye large. Body

long, slender; head distinct; tail long.

Large active species.

Coluber constrictor, Linn. Black Sn.\ke, Blue Racer.

( '(iliilx-r roustrictor, Liun., Syst. Nat., 1758, ed. 10, 1., p. 216.—Storer
Best. Jour. Nat. Hist,, 1840, III., p. 27.—Holbr. N. A. Herp.'

1842, III., p. 55, pi. 11.— DeKay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zoul!

III., Kept, and Amph., 1842, p. 35, pi. 10, fig. 20.

Based II ion consttictoi: Bd. and Giv., Cat. N. A. Rept., Pt. I., 1853,

p. 93.— Kenn., Trans. 111. State Agr. .Soc, 1853-54, 1., p. 592.

< 'orjljiliodoii const r/ctoi\ Duin, et Bibr., Krp. Gen., VII., 1854,

p. 183.

liosfuniiiini constrictor. Davis and Rice, IJuU. 111. State Lab. Nat.

Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 38; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

CoJtihtr constrictor.^. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 1883,

pp. 41, 146, pi. 4, fig. 3.

Large. Body long and slender. Head elongate, clearly

marked off from the body, front convex, sides channeled. Eye
large. Tail long and tapering. Rostral plate strongly convex,

angulate between the internasals. Frontal large, elongate, its

lateral margins incurved. Supraciliaries jutting over the eyes.

Nostril large. Two nasals of about equal size. One or two
loreals. Two anteorbitals, sometimes but one, the superior very

large, vertically elongate and expanded above; inferior plate

small. Two postorbitals. Seven supralabials, the fourth, sixth

and seventh largest. Nine infralabials, the fifth much the

largest, the eighth and ninth very small. Dorsal scales in

.seventeen rows: large, all perfectly smooth. Ventrals, 172-1 UO.

Anal divided. Subcaudals in 89-110 pairs.

Color above uniform deep blue-black or olive-brown, slate-

gray or greenish white beneath. Inferior portions of all the

supralabials pale. Head olive-brown above. Pupil with a nar-

row coppery ring. Iris nearly all black. The colors of the

young are entirely different. In specimens of a foot long there

is a dorsal series of dark brown blotches, and below these on

each side numerous small brown spots. Beneath gray, with

numerous round or lunate black spots toward the sides. Head
olive-brown above, the plates edged and marked with black.

Tail uniform brown above, paler below.



286 Jlli)i(>/s Sfiife Laboratory of Natural History.

Total length of an example from southern Illinois, 4r).r)0;

tail, 11.50.

Throughout the State. Common south. Cook Co. (Ken-

nicott), Galesburg, Peoria (Brendel), Normal, Trbana, Cob-

den, Anna.

Formerly a common species, but it has been exterminated

in the better agricultural regions, and is not common at present

except in localities where there are extended tracts of unculti-

vated land to afford it retreats. The pilot snakes and this

species are not commonly discriminated, and accounts of the

habits of the black snake as frequently refer to one as to the

other. This is one of the largest species of our fauna, reach-

ing a length of seven feet or more. It is perfectly harmless, but

will occasionally pursue one whom it recognizes as more cow-

ardly than itself. It is a great coward, however, and ordinarily

takes to flight at the first sound of one's approach. It is an invet-

erate robber of birds' nests, climbing trees for this purpose with

great facility. Besides young birds, its food consists of frogs

and field mice. The form known as the Blue Racer seems to

to be the more common in central Illinois.

PiTYOPHIS, HOLBR.

Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, lY., p. 7.

Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Kept., Pt. I., 1853, p. fi4.

Median rows of dorsal scales slightly carinated, outer rows

smooth, in from twenty-five to thirty-five rows. Anal plate

entire. Rostral plate produced upward and backward be-

tween the internasals. Two internasals. Two pairs of pre-

frontals or one pair; sometimes with a small intermediate extra

plate— the anterior frontal. Two nasals. Loreal present. One

or two anteorbitals. Two to five postorbitals. Includes large,

spotted species.

Pityophis catenifer. Blainville. Bull Snake.

Var. catenifer.

f'nJtihrr ((/t<nif(r, Blainville, Nouv. Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat., III.,

1834, pi. 26, fig. 2, 2a, 2b.

rituophis vatenifer, Bd. and (Jir., Cat. N. A. Kept., Pt. I., 1853,

p. 69.



Beptiles (ind Amphibians of Illinois. 28"^

Var. sayi.

ro///&^r .«///«. Schlegel,Essai Phys. Serp., 1837, p. 157. — Bd. and
Gir., Cat. N. A. Kept., Pt. I., 1853, p. 151.

Pitjldphis sdf/i. subsp. s(n/l, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab.

Nat. Hist., 1., No. 5, 1883, p. 38.

Pityojtliis i-< fit II ifIf. var. .stti/L S. (Jarman, Mem. Mus. Comp.
'

Zool., 1883, pp. 52, 150.

Var. bellona.

VInirehilliii htlloiKi. Bd. and Gir., Stansbury's Explor. and Surv.

(ireat Salt Lake, 1853, p. 350.

Fitnophis bdfoiui. Bd. and Gir. Cat. N. A. Rept., Pt. I., 1853,

p. 66.

Fityiyphis cateiilfei; var. Jiellona, S. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp.
'

Zool.,1883,'pp. 53, 151.

Large. Head large, wide behind, snout somewhat pointed.

Outer dorsal scales smooth, the median rows carinate. Rostral

plate wedged between the internasals, sometimes reaching the

prefrontals. Prefrontals in a transverse series of one or two

pairs. Sometimes with a small extra plate in advance of the

frontal. Frontal large, its lateral margins parallel or conver-

gent posteriorly. Parietals large, with a linear impression, as

if mutilated. One or two loreals, one or two anteorbitals; if

two, the inferior is much the smaller. From two to four post-

orbitals. Supralabials eight, the fourth or fifth reaching the

orbit, seventh largest. Eleven to thirteen infralabials, gradu-

ally increasing in size to the seventh, thence diminishing.

Rows of dorsal scales from twenty-five to thirty-five. Ventrals

2011-243. Subcaudals 52-71.

Color above froQi yellowish white to reddish brown, with

a dorsal series of large black or brown spots, and with two or

three series of smaller spots on each side. Beneath yellow,

more or less blotched with black. A black bar, arched for-

wards, generally extends from orbit to orbit across the head.

Another black bar extends from the supraciliary plate to the

angle of the mouth, crossing the seventh and eighth upper

labials. Labials more or less widely edged with black.

Total length, (U.75; tail 8.

Prairies in all parts of the State. Rockland (Nat. Mus,),

Normal, southern Illinois (Nat. Mus.).



28S Illinois Sfdfc Lahoratory of Natural Histor;/.

Variety sayi ( ? )

Illinois examples of the species are referred to this variety

with a good deal of doubt. If the published descriptions of

the variety are complete, our snakes certainly do not belong to

it. In many respects the central Illinois examples are inter-

mediate between var. Sftiji and var. bellotia, and, judging from

descri))tions alone, are as properly referable to the latter as to

the former. The description following is based upon six

examples from the prairie region of central Illinois.

Rostral plate wedged between the internasals above, in one

example reaching the prefrontals. Two pairs of prefrontals.

A small anterior frontal present in four examples. Frontal

large, wide in front, emarginate for the accommodation of the

anterior frontal when the latter is present, sides slightly in-

curved and approaching posteriorly. Parietals large, impressed

as if from an injury. Loreals one or two. Anteorbitals one in

live examples, two in the remaining one, the inferior plate in

the latter very small. Postorbitals two, three, or four; in one

example three on one side and four on the other. Supralabials

eight, the fourth alone reaching the orbit; fourth, sixth, and

seventh largest. Eleven infralabials. Dorsal scales in from

thirty-one to thirty-three rows, from seven to nine outer

smooth. Ventrals 201)-228. Subcaudals 51-60 pairs.

Color above straw-yellow, faintly brownish in some

examples, with a dorsal series of large black or brown spots

numbering from forty-two to fifty-five to the vent, and from

nine to thirteen on the tail. On the dorsal scales of each side,

are one or two additional series of black or brown spots *vhich,

anteriorly, are elongate longitudinally, and on the tail fuse with

the dorsal spots, forming transverse bars. Beneath pale yellow,

with brown or black blotches confined to the sides of the ven-

tral scutes or uniformly distributed. Head with a black bar

extending from orbit to orbit on the supraciliaries, frontal

and prefrontals. An oblique black bar extends from the

orbit to the angle of the mouth, crossing the seventh and

eighth supralabials. Most of the labials are edged with black.

The black spots, in some examples, encroach upon the yellow

ground color to such an extent that only narrow lines of yellow

appear between them.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 289

In an attempt to find where the Illinois examples of the

species belonged, the published descriptions of American species

of the genus have been tabulated, and those characters of each

in which any one of the six examples described agreed were

checked. It was found that most of them agreed most closely

with var. hellona. The descriptions of var. sayi are, however,

not complete, and the result is consequently unsatisfactory.

The bull snake is not an uncommon species in Illinois,

occasionally even occurring in door yards. When offended it

will strike, as do most other harmless snakes, and utter a hiss-

ing sound accompanied by a humming noise bearing a very

remote resemblance to the bellow of a bull, hence the com-

mon name. While holding one of these snakes over a table

a short time since, the rapid vibration of the tail on the

smooth surface of the table gave forth a hissing sound bearing

resemblance to the noise made by the rattle of members of the

genus Crotalus. The resemblance would doubtless be increased

where the tail struck against grasses and leaves, and may serve

these snakes as a protection against enemies. The humming
noise which accompanies the hissing is due to a vibration of a

peculiar flattened and freely movable epiglottis.

Elaphis, Aldrovandi.

Aldrovandi, Serpentum et Draconum, 1640, p. 267.

Bd. and Gir., Scotnplns. Cat. N. A. Kept., Ft. I., 1853, p. 73.

S. Garmaa, Mem. Mus. ( lomp. Zool., 1883, p. 53.

A few median dorsal rows with faintly carinated scales;

dorsal rows twenty-three to twenty-nine. Anal plate divided.

Rostral normal. Two internasals. Two prefrontals. Two
nasals. Loreal present. Anteorbitals one. Postorbitals two

or three. Body long, slender; head distinct; tail long. In-

cludes the largest and most active of our Ophidia.

General color black, uniform, or with obscure blotches.

E. OBSOLETUS.

(ieneral color brown, with chestnut blotches E. guttatus



290 Illinois State Laboraloyij of Natiirul Hisfonj.

Elaphis obsoletus, Say. IMlot Sxakk, Hlack Snake.

Var. obsoletus.

(U)hiber ohso/etus, Say, Ijong's KxpeiJ. to Rocky Mts., 1823, I.,

p. 140.

Georgia ohsnJefa, Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Kept.. Ft. I., 1853, p. 158.

fSrotopJu's ohsn/t'fns, Kenn., Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Pliila., IS'iO.

p. 330.

('<)/nl)('r olisojrtiis, siibsp. ohsohtiis and coiijiiiis, Davis and Rice,

Hull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 18S3, pp. 3H. 37;

Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

.
Eldphis itbsnlftiis, S. (larman, Mem. Afus. Comp. ZotU., 1883, pp.

54, 151, pi. 4, fig. 2.

Var. lindheimeri.

Scot'tp/iis liii(lh(^imfrii, Bd. and Gir. Cat. N. A. Rept. Pt. I., 1853,

p. 74.

Scotophis ettinri/i, lid. and Gir., I.e., p. 157.

Coluber emoryi and ('. liitdhniiiK^ri, Davis and Rice, Bull. State

Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5. 1883, p. 3ti; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci.,

1883.
' Elaphis obsoletus,yni\ liiidtirimerii, S. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp.

Zool., 1883, pD. 54, 152.

Body elongate, slender, slightly compressed, ventral sur-

face flattened. Head large, elongate, clearly separated by the

narrower neck. Only the median dorsal scales carinate. Ros-

tral plate wide, excavated below. Prefrontals very large.

Frontal pentagonal, nearly or quite as wide in front as long.

One large anteorbital. Two or three postorbitals. Eight su-

pralabials, the middle of the eye above the line of juncture of

the fourth and fifth. Thirteen infralabials, the sixth and

seventh or fifth and sixth largest. Dorsal scales in from twenty-

five to twenty-nine rows, the two or three outer rows of each

side smooth, the carinae of remaining rows becoming more

prominent above. Ventrals 217-239. Sabcaudals 72-85.

Color above brown or black with a silken gloss, or a gray

ground color, and black or brown dorsal and lateral blotches.

Beneath, straw-yellow in the young, with squarish or elongate

blackish blotches, mostly confined to the sides in front, but

gradually fusing toward the tail and giving a uniform dark

slate-color on the under side of the latter. In adults most of

the ventral surface is dark slate or black; in all stages on the



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. *il)l

under side o£ the head the color is uniform yellow, and this

color occupies the middle of the scutellse for some distance be-

hind the head. Labials mostly yellow, some of them with faint

dusky margins.

Total length, 64.50; tail, 10.

Throughout the State. Most abundant in southern Illi-

nois. Rashville, (xalesburg, McLean county, Mt, Carmel

(J. Schneck), Union county.

Variety obsoletus.

Dorsal scales in twenty-five to twenty-nine rows. Ven-

trals 231-239. Subcaudals 76-85. Color above black or

brown, sometioies with a gray ground color and black or brown
dorsal and lateral spots. Beneath dark slate-gray posteriorly,

becoming paler forward.

Variety lindheimeri.

Dorsal scales in twenty-nine rows. Ventrals 217-234.

Subcaudals 72-85. Ground color gray, narrowly separating

dorsal and lateral black or brown blotches.

Southern Illinois,

With material representing this species from various local-

ities in the State, I find it impossible to separate the variety

ronfinis from obsoletus. A complete series maybe selected con-

necting the darkest with the palest individuals of the species.

The rows of dorsal scales vary from twenty-five to twenty-

seven in both black and light-colored examples. This is a fine

large species which bears a superficial resemblance to the com-

mon black snake (Coluber constrictor) and this latter species is

occasionally credited with traits which belong to the pilot

snake. The pilot snake is said to climb trees in search of birds'

nests as does the true black snake. Dr. J. Schneck, of Mt.

Carmel, in a note to the American Naturalist for 1880, states

that one of the forms of this species has the habit of moving the

tail rapidly when excited, and thus producing a bu/zing sound.

Mr. Chas. Aldrich makes a similar statement concerning an-

other form which he collected in Iowa.



'liyl Illinois Stale Lahorntorii of Natural History.

Elaphis guttatus, Linn. Fox Snake, Cokn S.vake.

Var. guttatus.

Cn/nhcr (/iiffdfiis, Linu.,Syst. Nat , ed. 12, ITWJ, p. 385.—Holbruuk,

N. A. Herp., 1842, III., p. (55, pi. 14.

Sr<,t<,j,/ii.s!/iitti/'tns, Bd. and Gir., Cat. >^. A. Kept, Pt. I., 1853, p. 78.

EIrtphis i/iiftdtiis, Diirn. et Bibr. Eip. Gt^n., VII., 1854, p. 273.

Cohihi^r guttaius, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist.,

I., No. 5, 1883, p. 37 ; Bull, Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Eldphis ovttdtiis, 8. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 1883, pp.

55,152, pi. 4,lig. 1.

Var. vulpinus.

Hcotopliis Tdipiiids, Bd. and Gir., Cat. X. A. Kept., Pt. I., 1853, p.

75.—Kenn., U. S. Pac. R. R. Expl., 1853-55, XII., Book II., p.

299.

fJoltiber tulj)liius. Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist.,

I., No. 5, 1883, p. 36 ; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

/iJ/((p/iif! r/dftdtiis, var. vnljiirids, S. (Jarman, Mem. Mus. Comp.
Zool., 1883, pp. 56, 153.

Body moderately slender. Head large. Carina^ of dorsal

scales faint, several outer rovers smooth. Rostral plate wider

than high, emarginate beneath and with a lunate impression

above the emargination. Frontal plate about as wide as long.

One large anteorbital. Two postorbitals. Supralabials eight,

eye over the fourth and fifth, seventh largest. About eleven

infralabials, tifth and sixth much the largest. Dorsal scales in

from twenty-five to twenty-seven rows, seven or more outer

smooth on the neck, farther back only two perfectly smooth.

Ventrals 200-235. Subcaudals 65-70.

Ground color above grayish yellow or brownish, with a

dorsal series of large hazel blotches and on each side two or

three series of smaller blotches, the blotches of the lowest

series extending upon the abdominal scutella? ; all the spots

obscurely margined with black. Beneath yellowish, checkered

with black. Head brown above, uniform or with a dark bar

reaching from orbit to orbit across the prefrontals and with

others from the eye to the mouth. Two elongate brown spots

on the neck, behind the head, may unite anteriorly upon the

parietals.

Total length 25.50 ; tail, S.25.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 2'j;>

Throughout the State. Cook Co. (Mus. N. W. Univ.),

Peoria (Brendel), Normal, Wabash Valley (Ridgway).

Ophibolus, Bi). AND GiR.

Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Kept., Ft. I., 1853, p. 82.

Dorsal scales smooth, in from seventeen to twenty-five

rows. Anal plate entire. Rostral normal. Two internasals.

Two prefrontals. Two nasals, occasionally but one. Loreal

present or, rarely, wanting. One anteorbital. Two or three

postorbitals. Body moderately stout. Head not well sepa-

rated from the body.

Dorsal scales in 25 rows. Spotted with olive-brown above.

Obsoletely blotched below 0. calligaster.

Dorsal scales in 21 rows. Spotted with chestnut-brown or with

red above. Blotched with black below. . . .0. triangulus.

Dorsal scales in 21 rows. Light chestnut-brown above, with

obscure blotches. Uniform reddish yellow beneath or ob-

soletely blotched 0. rhombomaculatus
Dorsal scales in 21 rows. Chiefly black above, with narrow

transverse yellow lines which bifurcate on the flanks or not.

Most of the dorsal scales with a yellow spot in some ex-

amples 0. GETULUS

Dorsal scales in 19 rows. Loreal plate present. Red, with

black rings 0. doliatus.

Dorsal scales in 19 rows. Loreal plate wanting. Red, with

black rings 0. elapsoidea.

Ophibolus calligaster, Harlan.

Colnhir ((illicjKstcr, Harlan, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Fhila.. IN27,

v., Pt. II., p. 359.

ophihohis trdiisii, Kenn., Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, p. 99.

f.tfnijinipcHls mUii/dsft^r, Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 18W,
p. 255.

(tjtfiib'ihis <-(illi<i<islir, Davis and Rice, lUill. HI. State Lab. Nat.
Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 34; Bull. Cliicago Acad. .Sci. 1883.

oji/iiho/iis fii(i/i(/ii/iis, var. cdlJhjKsti r, s. Garman, Mem. Mus
Comp. Zoul., 1883, pp. ))6, 185.

Rather large. Body tapering gradually to the extremi-

ties. Head of moderate size, not noticeably wider than the



"itlt f//ino/s Sf(df> fjabordforij of Xdfiinil Ilislonj.

iieck. Tail cylindrical, tapering, short. All the dorsal scales

smooth. Rostral plate wider than high, strongly convex, dis-

tinctly but obtusel}^ angulate on each side at the line of union

of the anterior nasal and first labial plates, faintly angulate on

each side between the anterior nasal and the internasal, and

with an evident obtuse angle between the internasals. Frontal

rather short and wide, its anterior margin nearly straight, late-

ral margin converging posteriorly, acutely angulate behind.

Loreal plate quadrangular. One large anteorbital. Eye small.

Two postorbitals (three on one side in one example studied).

Two elongate temporals wedged between the parietals and the

fifth and sixth supralabials. Seven supralabials, the eye above

the third and fourth, fifth and sixth largest. Nine infralabials,

fifth largest, fourth next. Dorsal scales in twenty-five rows.

Ventrals 199-207. Subcaudals 43-47.

Color above olive-brown, with a dorsal series of from fifty-

three to fifty-nine transverse dorsal brown blotches, each mar-

gined with three, or, where the spots fuse, two, series of small

brown spots. Beneath yellowish white (in alcohol), with ob-

solete dusky blotches. A brown band, edged with blackish

brown extends backwards on the neck from the outer margin

of the parietal of each side. A brown spot on the frontal and

parietals includes a small pale spot which lies partly upon the

tip of the frontal. An obscure dark brown bar extends from

orbit to orbit on the posterior portions of the prefrontals.

Another bar extends from the eye to the angle of the mouth.

The spots of the median dorsal row are about two and a half

scales long and eleven wide. Posteriorly some of them are

emarginate before and behind. Described from two examples

in the Laboratory collection.

Total length of example from Pekin 40.7") ; tail 5.25.

Occurs on prairies throughout the State. Not very com-

mon. Pekin, southern Illinois (Mus. N. W. Univ.), Mfc. Car-

mel (Nat. Mus.).

This species bears a very strong resemblance in the char-

acter of the plates of the head and the character and disposition

of the spots to ElapJiis (juttatus. It has the same small eye

the same transverse band between the orbits, the oblique band



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 295

from the eye to the coruer of the mouth and the elongate

bands on the neck and back part of the head.

Ophibolus triangulus, Boie. Milk Snake, Chicken Snake,

House Snake, Thunder and Lightning Snake, King

Snake, Chequered Adder.

Var. triangulum.

Coluber triangulum, Boie, Isis, 1827, p. 537.

Coluber €ximius,E.o\h\:., N. A. Heip., 1842,«I1I., p. (59. pi. 15.-

De Kay, Nat. Hist. X. Y., I., ZoOl. III., Kept, and Amph.,

1842, p. 38, pi. 12, fig. 25.

Opliibolus eximius, Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Kept., Pt. I., 1853, p.

87.—Kenn.,'Trans. 111. State Agr. See, 1853-54, 1., p. 592.

Ablahes trianguJuin, Dum. etBibr., Erp. Gen., VII., 1854, p. 315.

Opliibolus doliatus, subsp. triangulus; Davis and Rice, Bull. 111.

State Lab. Nat. Hist. I., No. 5, 1883, p. 34 ; Bull. Chicago

Acad. Sci., 1883.

Ophibolus triangulus, S. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zoiil.,

1883, pp. 65, 155, pi. 5, fig. I.

Var. doliatus.

opliibolus doliatus, Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Kept. Pt. I., 1853,

p. 89.

Ophibolus doliatus, subsp. doliatus, Davis andiRice, Bull. 111.

State Lab. Nat. Hist., 1., No. 5, 1883, p. 34 ; Bull. Chicago

Acad. Sci., 1883.

Ophibolus triangulus, var. doliatus, S. Garman, Mem. Mus.
Comp. Zool., 1883, pp. 6G, 155.

Body cylindrical, maintaining its diameter well toward

both extremities. Head of medium size. Neck rather thick

in adults. Eye small. Tail short. All the dorsal scales per-

fectly smooth. Rostral plate wider than high. Loreal quad-

rangular. One anteorbital. Two postorbitals. Seven suprala-

bials, eye above the third and fourth, lower postorbital resting

in a notch between the fourth and fifth. Nine infralabials,

the fifth much larger than the others. Dorsal scales in twenty-

one rows, the scales of the median rows differing less in size

from those of the lateral rows than usual. Ventrals about 21 1

.

Subcaudals about 52 pairs (a few occasionally united).

Color above pale brown or gray, with large dark brown or

reddish brown dorsal blotches edged with black, and low down
»;



:JU() Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History.

on the flanks a series o£ small black spots with pale centers

:

some of the latter spots alternate with the brown dorsal

blotches, while others are opposite them and may fuse with

their black margins. Sometimes there are two series of spots

on the flanks. Iris red. Tongue red, black-tipped. Yellowish

beneath, checkered with black, paler anteriorly, often mostly

black posteriorly from fusion of the black marks, spots some-

times confined to the sides. Head brown above posteriorly,

sometimes with a cordiform or triangular pale spot behind the

parietals
;
generally with a more or less distinct dark bar on

prefrontals, reaching from one orbit to the other. A black

dash extends from the eye to the corner of the mouth. Labials

edged with black. The anterior dorsal brown spot generally

includes the pale spot behind the parietals and extends upon

the head ; it frequently also fuses with the spot following.

Total length of example from Galesburg, 36 ; tail, 5.12.

Throughout the State. Moderately common. Freeport,

Galesburg, Peoria (Brendel), Pekin, Hudson, Normal, Urbana,

Mt. Carmel (Nat. Mus. ), Cobden, Anna.

Variety triangulus.

With large chestnut-brown, black-margined dorsal spots

separated by a gray or yellowish brown ground color. Check-

ered with black beneath. Everywhere common.

Variety doliatus.

With large red black-margined dorsal blotches and white

or gray interspaces. The approximation of the black margins

of adjacent blotches gives the effect of pairs of transverse

black lines embracing pale bands. Beneath yellowish, with

most of the black at the sides, or the surface mostly black.

Southern Illinois.

Farmers frequently find this species in their cellars, where

it is supposed to be attracted by the milk. Its food, according

to De Kay, consists of frogs and toads.

Ophibolus rhombomaculatus, Holbr.

Coronella rhDinhonidciiIaUi, Uolbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, III., p.

103, pi. 23.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 2^1^

(}j)/ilh()his rhoinJiniwK-iihitiis. Hd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Rept. Pt. I.,

1853, p. 86.—Davis and Rice, liull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Flist.,

I., No. 5, 1883, p. 34; Ball. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

OpfiUiohi.s triaii(/ii/(is, var. rhoinhinndcnhilits, S. Garman, Mem.
Mus. Comp. Zoiil., 1883, p. loC).

Dorsal scales in twenty-one rows.

Light brown above with a large dorsal and two small

lateral series of dark-margined reddish brown blotches. Salm-

on-red beneath, with very obscure dark blotches. A dark

stripe extends from the eye to the corner of the mouth. Dorsal

blotches about fifty-two (ten of which are on the tail), each

about seven scales wide and from one and a half to two and a

half scales long. Ventrals about 211. Subcaudals about 45.

Southern Illinois (Davis and Rice).

Ophibolus getulus, Linn. Chain Snake, King Snake.

Var. getulus.

(Juhiber yetalus, Linn., Syst. Nat., ed. 12, 1766, L, p. 382.

Coromlia getula, Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, III., p. 95, pi. 21.

Coluher getulm, Be Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III., Rept.

and Amph., 1842, p. 37, pi. 10, fig. 21.

Ophihohis (letnlns. Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Rept., Pt. 1., 1853,

p. 85.

(Juronella getuhi, Dum. et Ribr., Erp. Gen., VII., 1854, p. 616.

OpJiiboJus rjetiilus, sahs'p.!/('fN/iis\ Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State

Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 33.

Ophibolus getulus, S. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zo(')l., 1883, pp.

68, 156, pi. 5, fig. 3.

Var. sayi.

(Coromlia sayL Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, III., p. 99, pi. 22.

('oluber myi, De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III., Rept. and
Amph., 1842, p 41.

Ophibolus sayi, Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Rept., Pt. I., 1853, p. 84.

Coroii'Masayi, Dam. et Bibr.. Erp. G6'i., VII., 1851. p. 61!).

Ophibolus (/etuJus, var. sayi, Davis and Rice. Bull. 111. State Lab.

Nat. Hist., L, No. 5. 1883, p. 34; Bull. (Chicago Acad. Sci.,

1883.—S. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 1883, pp. 68, 156.

Body moderately stout. Width of the head but little

greater than the diameter of the neck. Tail rather short,

tapering. All the dorsal scales smooth, liostral plate but

little wider than high, convex, angulate between the interna-



'398 Illinois State Lahoratory of Natural History.

sals. Frontal pentagonal or subhexagonal. Loreal present.

One large anteorbital. Two postorbitals. Eye moderate in

size. Seven supralabials, eye over the third and fourth, sixth

largest, the succeeding plates rapidly decreasing in size. Dor-

sal scales in twenty-one rows. Ventrals 200-224. Subcau-

dals 41-52.

Color above black, with transverse yellow lines, which may

be very narrow and not extend downwards on the flanks, or

may be so wide as to give the prevailing color and bifurcate on

the flanks, thus producing a dorsal series of large black or

brown areas and another smaller lateral one for each side.

Sometimes with a yellow dot on most of the dorsal scales.

Beneath yellow, with squarish blotches of black. Mostly de-

void of black beneath the head and neck; sometimes nearly

black posteriorly from union of the blotches. Head black

above, dotted with yellow. Supralabials and infralabials black-

edged.

Throughout the State. Rare north, moderately common
in the south part. Peoria (Brendel), Wabash and Richland

counties (Ridgway), Anna and Dug Hill in Union county.

Variety getulus.

With from twenty-five to thirty-five transverse yellow

lines which bifurcate on the flanks and divide the black of the

dorsal surface into several series of large blotches. Most of

the scales of the blotches uniformly black. This variety has

not, to my knowledge, been found in Illinois.

Variety sayi.

Black, with more than sixty transverse yellow lines, some-

times mostly lacking, which, as a rule, do not bifurcate on the

flanks. Sometimes most of the dorsal scales have a central

yellow dot. This variety represents the species in the State.

The young may be taken occasionally under logs in southern

Illinois. I have not collected it north of Union county, but Dr.

Brendel reports it from Peoria, and Dr. Hoy has taken it in Wis-

consin, so that it may be looked for anywhere within our

borders.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 'JV)V<

Variety niger, Linn.

Mr. Ridgway reports this variety froQi Mt. Carmel. It is

unknown to me.

Ophibolus doliatus, Linn.

roluher doliatus, Linn.. Syst. Nat., ed. 12, 1766, 1., p. 379.—Harlan,

Jour. Acad. Nat. «ci. Phila., 1827, V., p. 362.

Corondla doliata, Holbr. (not of Dum. et Hibr.), N. A. Herp.,

1842, p. 105, pi. 24.

Optiiholus doliatus, subsp. coccwetis, Davis and Kice, Bull. 111.

State Lab. Nat. Hist, I., No. 5, 1883, p. 34; Bull. Chicago

Acad. Sci., 1883.

Ophibolus doliatus, S. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 1883,

pp. 64, 154, pi. 5, fig. 2.

Body slender, cylindrical. Tail short. Dorsal scales smooth.

Rostral plate wide. Frontal wide and short. One anteorbital.

Two postorbitals. Loreal present. Supralabials seven. Infra-

labials eight. Dorsal scales in nineteen rows. Ventrals

169-176. Subcaudals 81-43 pairs.

Color above light red, with from twenty to twenty-five

pairs of transverse black bauds which are continuous about the

body, or are interrupted on the abdomen. Between each pair is

a yellowish band.

Occurs in southern Illinois according to Davis and Rice.

It is probably rare. I have not seen it.

This species may be known from the variety doliatus of

0. triancfidns by the fewer rows of dorsal scales and the char-

acter of the transverse black lines.

Ophibolus elapsoideus, Holbr.

Calamaria elapsoidea, Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, III., p. 119, pi. 28.

Osceola elapsoidea, Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Rept., Pt. I., 1853, p.

133.—Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5.

1883, p. 33; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Op/iiholus doliatus, var. dapsoideus. S. Garman, Mem. Alus.

Comp. Zool., 1883, pp. 65, 155.

Ophibolus elajjsoideus, S. Garman, List. N. A. Rept. and Batr.,

Ball. Essex Inst., 1884.

Small. Body slender. Tail short. Rostral plate wide.

Frontal wide and short, subhexagonal. Loreal absent, its place



300 lUinois State Laboratory of Natural History.

occupied by a downward extension of the prefrontals. One

auteorbital. Two postorbitals. Supralabials seven, sixth

largest, eye above the third and fourth. Infralabials seven,

fifth largest. Dorsal scales in iiiiietpfn rows, the outer scales

of each side a tritle the largest. V'eutrals 175-180. Subcau-

dals 44-54.

Bright red above, with eighteen to twenty-five pairs of

transverse black bands, each pair enclosing a white band.

Head red in front, marked with black posteriorly, and with a

yellow band bounded by black bars on the occipital region.

The black bands may be continuous around the body, or be

interrupted on the ventral surface.

Anna; not uncommon (C. W. Butler).

DiADOPHIS, Bd. and Gik.

Bd. and Gil., Cat. N. A. Kept., Ft. 1., 1853, p. 112.

Dorsal scales smooth, in fifteen to seventeen rows. Anal

plate divided. Rostral normal. Two internasals. Two pre-

frontals. Two nasals. Loreal present. Two anteorbitals. Two
postorbitals. Moderately slender. Head distinct from the body.

Small species.

Diadophis punctatus, Linn. King Snake.

Var. punctatus.

Coluber pandatus, Linn., iSyst. Xat., ed. 12, lT»it), I., p. 376.—

Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, III., p. 81, pi. 18.— De Kay, Nat.

Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III., Kept, and Amph., 1842, p. 39, pi.

14, fig. 29.

Diadophis punctaiit^, Bd. aud Gir., Cat. N. A. Kept., Pt. I., 1853,

p. 112.

Abtabes pit nctatas, Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., VII., 1854, p. 310.

Diadophis pwudatus, subsp. purictatas, Davis and Rice, Bull.

111. State Lab Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 35; Bull. Chicago

Acad. Sci., 1883.

Diadophis 2')nn(!tatus. S. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zoiil., 1883,

pp. 72, 138, pi. 2, fig. 2.

Var. amabilis.

hiadopliis amabiUs, Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Rept., Pt. I., 1853,

p. 113.



Beptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 3Ul

Bladophis jiunctotns, subsp. amuMlis. Davis and Rice, Bull.

111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 35; Bull. Chi-

cago Acad. Sci., 1883,

T)iadoj)7ils panctdt/is, var, anHihilis, S. (xarman, Mem. Mas.

Com p. Zool., 1883, p. 159.

Var. arnyi.

Di(i(7oj)his arnijL Kenn., Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, p.

99.— Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., L,

No. 5, 1883. p. 35; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Diddophin pifjictatii.^, var. arni/i. S. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp.
Zool., 1883, pp. 72, 158.

Small. Head depressed. Tail short. Dorsal scales smooth.

Rostral plate much wider than high. Frontal wide, the width

well maintained posteriorly. One nasal, the nostril opening in

its middle, or two nasals, with the nostril opening mainly in the

anterior plate. Two anteorbitals and two postorbitals. Supra-

labials seven or eight, the third and fourth or the fourth and

fifth beneath the eye. Supralabials eight or nine, the fifth

large. Dorsal scales in from fifteen to seventeen rows. Ven-

trals about 141-198. Subcaudals 36-59 pairs.

Color above black or blackish brown, with a yellow band

across the base of the head. Beneath yellowish, with a single

median series or with numerous irregularly distributed spots of

brown or black. Supralabials dark or yellow, Tnfralabials

and other plates on the under side of the head uniform yellow-

ish or each with a small brown spot. The yellow band of the

base of the head varies in width from a single scale to three or

even four scales, and may be interrupted in the middle; it is

in most examples bordered before and behind with black.

Throughout the State. Mot common. Rock Island (Nat.

Mus.), Warsaw, Union county (Mus. N. W. Univ.).

Variety punctatus.

Fifteen rows of dorsal scales. Uniform yellow below or

without a median longitudinal series of dark spots on the ab-

dominal scutellae. Ventrals 148-160. Subcaudals 36-56.

Variety amabilis.

Fifteen rows of dorsal scales. Yellow beneath, with

numerous small black spots. Ventrals 182. Subcaudals 59.



302 Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History.

Variety arnyi.

Seventeen rows of dorsal scales. Yellow beneath, thickly

spotted with black. Occipital band from one to one and a half

scales wide. Veutrals KiO. Subi-audal-s ")0 pairs.

A specimen of this species in the Laboratory collection

from Warsaw, Hancock county, has the lower part of the ros-

tral and, excepting a narrow superior border, all the supralabial

plates but the last yellow. In some respects it resembles the

form described by Prof. E. D. Cope as var. sficfogenys.

Hetbrodon, Beau v.

Eeauv., Latreille, Hist. Nat. Kept., 1799.

Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Kept., Pt. I., 1853, p. ol.

Dorsal scales carinated, in twenty-three to twenty-seven

rows. Anal plate divided. Rostral plate plow-shaped, with a

a keel above. Two internasals, with a small azygos plate be-

tween them or separated by numerous small plates. Two pre-

frontals, in contact or separated by small plates. One or two

loreals. Short and stout, with large, wide head and short tail.

The species possess the power of expanding the body.

Internasals and prefrontals in contact with the azygos.

H. PLATYRHINUS.

Internasals and prefrontals separated from the azygos by small

plates H. siMUS.

Heterodon platyrhinus, Latreille. Spreading Adder, Hog-

nose Snake, Blowing Viper.

Var. platyrhinus.

Heterodon, pfatyr/ihias, Latr., Hist. Nat. Kept., 1802, p. 32, pi.

28, fig. 1-3.— Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, IV., p. 67, pi. 17.—De
Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III., Rept. and Ampli., 1842,

p. 51, pi. 13, lig. 28.— Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Kept., Pt. I.,

1853, p. 51.— Kenn., Trans. 111. State Agr. Soc, 1853-54, I., p.

592.— Dum. et Bibr., Erp. G^n., VII., 1854, p. 766.— Davis

and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p.

43; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.— S. Garman, Mem. Mus.

Comp. Zuo]., 1883, pp. 75, 159, pi. 6, fig. 5.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. ;{(>;{

Var. niger.

Ht^terodoN iiii/ii; Troost, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., III., 1833,

p. 18G.

Body stout. Head large. Snout recurved. Tail short

and tapering. Dorsal scales, with the exception of the outer

row of each side, carinate. Rostral plate produced forward,

slightly recurved, anterior margins sharp, keeled above. Azy-

gos plate elongate, bounded anteriorly by the rostral, at the

sides by the internasals and prefrontals, and posteriorly by the

prefrontals. Vertical longer than wide, hexagonal. Nine or ten

anteorbitals, postorbitals, and suborbitals, with the supraciliary

completely encircling the eye. Nostril valvular, situated in the

posterior part of the nasal. A single loreal. Supralabials eight,

increasing in size from first to seventh, eighth equal to fifth.

Nine or ten infralabials. Dorsal rows of scales twenty-five.

Ventrals about 140. Subcaudals 37-60.

Color above from grayish brown to black, in the lighter-

colored examples with about thirty brown or black dorsal spots,

with one or more series of smaller spots on each side, or with

a series of squarish pale dorsal spots, margined before and be-

hind with black and with a round black spot at each side.

Often unifor.n brown above, sometimes blue-black. Beneath

uniform whitish in adults, in young blackish or nearly uniform

black. A dark bar, including the anterior margins of the

supraorbitals and frontal and the posterior half of the ])re-

frontals, extends from orbit to orbit. A bar on the head, be-

hind the orbit, is continuous with a black bar which extends

backward upon the neck. A short black vitta extends from
the eye to the angle of the mouth.

Total length, 27.87: tail, 3.62.

Throughout the State; common south. Cook Co. (Kenni-

cott), Peoria (Brendel), Tazewell Co., Belleville, Mt. Carmel,

Union Co.

Variety platyrhinus.

Color above grayish to reddish brown, with dark bands.



3(U lUinois State Laboratori/ of Natural History.

Variety niger.

Nearly uniform brown, or bluish black, laro;e.

Southern Illinois. Belleville, Mt. Carmel (Nat. Mus.),

Saratoga.

A singular species known everywhere as the spreading

adder from its habit of expanding the head and neck wheal

disturbed. From its threatening behavior it is thought to be

poisonous, but it has no fangs and is consequently perfectly

harmless. I have seen the variety niger when suddenly

exposed by turning over a log under which it was concealed,

lash the body about violently and cast a yellowish ma-

terial from its mouth, at the same time hissing and expanding

to its greatest capacity. This variety when struck a sharp

blow, will sometimes pretend to be mortally wounded, casting

itself upon its back and persistently returning to that position

when placed belly downward.

Heterodon simus, Linn. How-nose Snake.

Var. simus.

Culnher simus, Linn., Syst. Nat., ed. 12, 1766, 1., p. 375.

HHenxloN simus, Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, lY., p. 57, pi. 15.—

Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Kept., Pt. I., 1853, p. 59.

Heterodon simus, subsp. simus; Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State

Lab. Nat. Hist., L, No. 5, 1883, p. 44; Bull. Chicago Acad.

Sci., 1883.

Heterodon simus, S. Garmau, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 1883, pp.

16, 160, pi. 6, fig. 4.

Var. nasicus.

Heterodon nasicus, Bd. and Gir., Stansbury's Expl. and Surv.,

Val. Great Salt Lake, 1853; Cat. N. A. Rept., Pt. I., 1853, pp.

61, 157.

Heterodon simtm var. nasicus, S. Garman, Mem. JVIus. Comp.
Zool., 1883, pp. 77, 160, pi. 6, fig. 6.

Small. Body stout. Head large, convex above. Tail

very short, cylindrical, tapering. Dorsal scales all carinate ex-

cepting the outer row of each side; scales of the row next the

outer with very faint carinse on their basal portions. Rostral

plate produced forward and upward, its. anterior face flat,



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. ;)05

keeled above, with sharp anterior margin. Azygos plate

minute, surrounded by small plates which separate the interna-

sals from the nostril. Prefrontals small, separated by small

intervening plates. Nostril large, valvular, in posterior part of

nasal. Two or three loreals. From ten to thirteen small oculars,

with the supraocular encircling the eye. Supralabials eight,

sixth largest. Infralabials ten to thirteen. Submentals short.

Dorsal rows twenty-three to twenty-seven. About 146 ven-

trals. Subcaudals about 40.

Color above yellowish brown, with a dorsal and two or three

smaller lateral series of brown spots. Beneath yellowish, more
or less blotched with squarish black marks, these sometimes

giving the prevailing color. Throat and neck uniformly pale

beneath. A brown band extends from orbit to orbit, arching

slightly forward. Behind this a pair of bars, one on each side,

extend from the upper posterior rim of the orbit toward the

middle line. A wide brown band extends from the eye to the

angle of the mouth. Wide bands extend from the parietals

downward and backward on each side of the neck; a short

band on the middle line meets them at the posterior margin of

the parietals.

Total length of small Illinois example, 7.62; tail, 1.

Rare in Illinois. Pekin.

Variety simus.

About thirty-five spots in the dorsal series. Dorsal scales

in twenty-five rows. From five to eight small plates about the

azygos. Frontal plate as broad as long.

Credited to Illinois by Davis and Rice.

Variety nasicus.

About fifty spots in the dorsal series. Dorsal scales in

twenty-three rows. Azygos encircled by many small plates.

Vertical plate slightly broader than long.

The only example of the species in the collection of the

State Laboratory represents this variety.



3()<) Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History.

Haldea, Bd. and Gir.

Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Rept., Pt. I., 1853, p. 122.

Dorsal scales in seventeen rows. Anal plate divided.

Rostral normal. One internasal. Two prefrontals. Two na-

sals. Loreal elongate, with the prefrontal forming the anterior

rim of the orbit. No anteorbitals. One postorbital. Small.

Haldea striatula, Linn.

Colnljrr striatuhis, Linn., 8yst. Xat., ed. 12, 1766, I., p. 375.—

Harlan, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1S27, V., p. 354.

r.alamaria strintnla, Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, III., p. 123, pi. 29.

Haldea striatula, Bd. and Uir., Cat. N. A. Kept., L*t. I., 1853, p.

122.

(U))ior;ephalHS striatuln i. Dam. et Bibr., Erp. Gon., VII., 1854, p.

140.

Haldea striatula, Baird, U. S. Pac. R. R.Expl., 1859, X., Rept., pi.

32, fig. 91.— Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist..

I., No. 5, 1883, p. 32; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Vir(/iiiia striatul((, S. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zoi)!., 1883, pp.

97, 166, pi. VII., fig. 2.

Small. Moderately slender. Head scarcely wider than

the neck. Tail short. Dorsal scales carinated. Rostral plate

narrowed above. But one internasal, subtriangular. Prefron-

tals reaching the orbit. Nostril opening in the posterior mar-

gin of the anterior nasal plate. Loreal elongate, reaching the

orbit. No anteorbitals. A single postorbital. Supralabials

six, fifth largest. Dorsal scales in seventeen rows, the outer

row of each side obsoletely, the rest distinctly carinate. Ven-

trals 119-130. Subcaudals 25-46 pairs.

Color above grayish or reddish brown. Beneath yellowish

or reddish. A light chestnut band across the parietals; some-

times wanting.

Length about 10 inches.

Southern Illinois.

This species is reported from Wisconsin and other points

to the north of us, and we may therefore look for it anywhere

in the State.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 307

Virginia, Bd. and Gir.

Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A.. Rept., Pt. I., 1853, p. 127.

Dorsal scales smooth, in fifteen or seventeen rows. Anal

plate divided. Rostral normal. Two internasals. Two pre-

frontals. Two nasals, nostril in the posterior edge of the an-

terior plate. Loreal large, with the prefrontal bounding the

orbit in front. No anteorbitals. Two postorbitals. Small.

Dorsal scales in 17 rows V. elegans.

Dorsal scales in 15 rows V. valeri.1;.

Virginia elegans, Kenn.

Virginia elegans, Kenn., Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, p.

99.—Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No.

5,1883, p. 31; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.— S. Garman,
Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 1883, pp. 98, 166.

'^ Resembles V. valerice ; vertical and occipital plates nar-

rower. Dorsal scales very narrow and elongated, much more

so than V. valerice., disposed in seventeen rows. Color uniform

light olivaceous brown above; dull yellowish white beneath."

"Readily distinguished from the nearly allied V. valerice

by the narrower dorsal scales in seventeeu rows instead of

fifteen as in that species."

"Heavily timbered regions of southern Illinois'' (Kenni-

cott), Mt. Carmel (Ridgway).

Virginia valerise, Bd. and Grir.

Virginia Valeria;, Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Rept., Pt. I., 1853, p.

127.—Bd., U. S. Pac. R. R. Expl., 1859, X., Rept., pi. 33, fig. 94.

— Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5,

1883, p. 31; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883. —S. Garman,
Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 1883, pp. 98, 166, pi. 7, fig. 3.

Small. Head scarcely wider than neck. Tail short, taper-

ing. Rostral about as high as wide. Internasals present.

Prefrontals reaching the orbit. Frontal hexagonal. Nostril

opening in posterior edge of anterior nasal plate. Loreal elon-

gate, reaching the orbit. No anteorbitals. Two postorbitals.

Supralabials six, fifth largest, lufralabials six. fourth largest.



MOM Illinois State Lnhoratorij of Natural History.

Dorsal scales in fifteen rows, all smooth. Ventrals 117-128.

Subcaudals, 24-37 pairs.

Grayish or yellowish brown, uniform, or with from two to

four longitudinal series of black spots. Uniform yellow be-

neath. Spots of the back sometimes irregularly distributed.

Not common. Cook Co. (Nat. Mus.), Union Co. (Mus. N.

VV. Univ.).

Oarphophis, Gerv.

Gerv., D'Orb. Diet. Nat. Hist., 1843, III., p. 1*)1.

8. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 1883, p. 99.

Dorsal scales smooth, in thirteen rows. Anal plate divid-

ed. Rostral normal. Internasals present or absent. One

nasal. Loreal large, reaching the orbit. No auteorbitals. One

postorbital. Very small. Head not distinct from the body,

depressed. Tail short, terminating in a single acute nail.

No internasals C. helen^.

Internasals present C. am(ENA.

Oarphophis helenae, Kenn. Worm Snake.

Celuta heleiiw, Kenn., Proc. Acad. Nat. 8ci. Phila., 1869, p. 100.

CarpJiophiops helenw, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat.

Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 31; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

(Jarphophis lidtiur, 8. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zocil., 1883,

pp. 100, 166.

Small. Body cylindrical, maintaining its diameter well

toward the extremities. Head small, depressed, no wider than

the neck. Tail moderately long,, its tip covered by a sharp

conical nail. A single pair of prefrontals, each of which forms

part of the anterior boundary of the eye of its side. No inter-

nasals. One nasal, the nostril opening in its middle. An
elongate loreal, forming part of the anterior rim of the orbit.

No anteorbitals. One postorbital. Supraciliary unusually smaU.

Frontal large, wide. Supralabials five, the fifth largest and

elongated. Six infralabials, fourth largest. Dorsal scales in

thirteen rows, all smooth and polished. Ventrals 120-125.

Subcaudals 30-36.

Color above from pale to dark olive-brown. Supralabials,

outer row of dorsal scales of each side, and entire ventral sur-

face, flesh-color.



Reptiles and Amphihians of Illinois. 309

Total length of an example from Cobden, 9.62; tail, 1.68.

Southern Illinois. Not uncommon. Mt. Carmel (Ridg-

way), Cobden, Dug Hill, Union county.

Occurs under logs in the woods.

Oarphophis amoenus, Say. Ground Snake.

Var. amoenus.

Co/iiber aniijentis. Say, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Fhila., 1825, IV., p.

237.— Storer, Best. Jour. Nat. Hist., 1840, III., p. 28.

J) rfichyorrliofi aiiioui /IS. Kolbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, III., p. 115'

pi. 27.

Celnfa amoena, Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Rapt., Pt. I., 1853, p. 129.

('(irp/i(>2>/tls aiiuniid, Dum. et Bibr., £rp. Gen., VII., 1854, p. 131.

—

Allen, Proc. Best. Soc. Nat. Hist., 1869. p. 182.

('(irj>/i<)phiojM amoeiiiis, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat.

Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 31; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Carplwphis amcena, S. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. ZoOl., 1883,

pp. 100, 167, pi. 7, fig. 1.

Var. vermis.

Celata vermis, Keun., Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, p. 99.

Carplio2)hiop.s vermis. Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat.

Hist., 1., No. 5, 18S3, p. 31; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Carpliopliis amaiiia.y^x. rermis. S. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp.
Zoo]., 1883, pp. 101, 167.

Small, cylindrical. Head small, not wider than the neck.

Tail of moderate length, terminating in a point. Rostral wide.

Internasals present. Prefrontals forming part of the anterior

rim of the orbits. One nasal. Loreal large, elongate, reaching

the eye. No anteorbitals. One postorbital. Supraciliaries

very small. Supralabials five, the fifth largest. Tnfralabials

six, third largest. Dorsal scales in thirteen rows, all smooth

and shining Ventrals 112-13L Subcaudals 24-36 pairs.

Lustrous brown or black above. Flesh-color beneath.

Reaches a length of about 12 inches, with the tail 1.50.

Occurs throughout the State. Not common. Cook Co.

(Kennicott), Mt. Carmel (Ridgway).

Variety amoenus.

Brown above. Outer row of dorsal scales and ventral

surface, flesh-color.



310 Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History.

Variety vermis.

Black above. Two outer rows of dorsal scales and the

ventral surface flesh-color. Larger than var. amoenus.

Family OROTALID^.

With poison glands and erectile fangs, ordinary teeth fev^.

Head wide and deep, with a deep pit between the eye and nos-

tril. Cephalic plates crowded forward, or the frontal and two

parietals wanting. One or two nasals. Loreal present or ab-

sent. Pupils of the eye vertically elongate. Most of the dor-

sal scales strongly carinated. Some or all of the subcaudal

scutellae united. Tail short, with or without rattle.

This family includes the rattlesnake, water moccasin, and

copperhead. All are venomous, but not so dangerously so as is

commonly supposed. They may be known from most of the

non-venomous species from their stouter bodies, wider heads,

and the pit between the eye and nostril. No harmless snake

of this country has this pit. In regard to these depressions

Owen writes : "Secreting follicles of the skin in serpents are

chiefly confined to certain depressions or inverted folds of the

derm. These in Crotalus and Trigonocephalus constitute a pit

between the nostril and the eye on each side of the head."

A few harmless species, such as the spreading adder, resemble

the members of this family in stoutness of body. With the

exception of members of the genus Elaps, the family contains

the only venomous serpents in the United States. The four

described below are the only poisonous species which occur in

Illinois.

With a rattle. Frontal and parietals lacking. Supralabials

separated from the eye by more than two series of small

plates. Most of the subcaudal scutellse entire. .Crotalus.

With a rattle. Frontal and parietals present. Supralabials

separated frem the eye by two series of small plates. The

posterior subcaudal scutellae divided Sistrurus.

Without a rattle. Frontal and parietals present . . Ancistrodon .



Reptiles and Ampliihians of /lllnoLs. Bll

Orotalus, Linn.

Linnuius, Ace. Mus. Adolph. Frid., 1751, p. 39.

Bd. and Gir., Cat. N. A. Kept, Ft. I., 1853, p. 1.

Head deficient in cephalic plates, the frontal and parietals

being absent and their place being occupied by small scales

like those on the body. Pit between the eye and nostril large.

Fangs and poison glands well developed. Supralabials sep-

arated from the orbit by three or more series of small plates.

Dorsal scales in from twenty-one to thirty-one rows, carinated.

Subcaudals entirft or with one or two posterior divided. Rattle

present. Body moderately stout. Tail short.

Orotalus horrid us, Linn. Timber Rattlesnake.

Crotalns horridus, Linn., Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1758, 1., p. 214.

Crotalns durissiift, Holbr. N. A. Herp., 1842, III., p. 9, p]. 1.— De
Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III., Kept, and Amph. 1842, p.

55, pi. 9, fig. 19.— Kenn. Trans. 111. State Agr. .See, 1853-54,

I., p. 592.— Bd. and Gir.. Cat. N. A. Rept., Ft. I., 1853, p. 1.

Cavdisona Jiorrida, Cope, Free. Acad. Nat. Sci. Fhila., 186(5, p. 309.

Crotalus horridus, Davis & Rice, Bull. Ill State Lab. Nat. Hist.,

I., No. 5, 1883, p. 27 ; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.—S. Gar-

man, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 1883, pp. 115, 174, pi. 9, fig. 1.

Large, reaching a length of six feet. Body moderately short.

Neck contracted abruptly behind the head. Tail short, com-

pressed, not tapering. Rostral plate small, narrowed above.

Two nasals, the anterior larger. Two or more loreals. Two
anteorbitals, the superior larger, the inferior smaller and form-

ing the superior margin of the pit. About five postorbitals and

suborbitals, the latter separated from the supralabials by two
rows of scales. Supralabials fourteen, first and fifth (fourth in

some examples) largest. Fifteen infralabials. A pair of large

elongate submentals. Dorsal scales carinate, excepting the

outer rows, which are smooth or obsoleteiy carinate in front,

in from twenty-three to twenty-five rows. Ventrals 165. Sub-

caudals 23, the first and last paired.

Color above brownish yellow to almost black, posteriorly

with transverse z;ig'/'ag bands of chestnut-brown, edged with

black and bordered outside the black with yellow, anteriorly

with three series of brown spots bordered in the same manner.

7



312 J/liiiois Sf'iie [Aihoni/orij of N<(tnt<ti I/islori/.

Beneath yellow, more or less blotched and s[)eckled with black

at the sides. Head uniform brown above, with a wide brown

band extending from the eye obli(|uely downward and back-

ward over the angle of the mouth. Tail black in adults, banded

in young.

Total length of specimen from Mt. Vernon, 40; tail, with

nine rattles, 4.r)().

Throughout the State in hilly forest regions, but being

rapidly exterminated. Cook Co. ( Kennicott), Peoria (iirendel),

Wabash Valley (Ridgway), Mt. Vernon, Union Co.

SiSTRURUS, S. Garma-N.

S. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 1883, pp. 110, 176.

Wagler, Caudisona, 8yst. Amph. 1830, p. ITC).

Bd. and Gir., Crotalophorus, Cat. N. A. Rept., Pt. I., 1853, p. 11.

With large symmetrical cephalic plates. Loreal present.

Pit between eye and nostril large. Fangs and poison gland

well developed. Supralabials separated from the orbit by two

series of small scales. Dorsal scales in twenty-three to twenty-

five rows, from one to three outer rows smooth. Subcaudals

entire or but few divided. Rattle present. Body stout. Tail

short.

Sistrurus catenatus, Raf. Massasauga, Prairie Rattle-

snake.

Crotalinus catenatus, Raf., Am. Month. Mag., 1818. IV., p. 41.

CrotaJox)1iorns tergeniuws, Rolhr. N. A. Herp., 1842, III., p. 29, pi.

5.— De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III., 1842, Rept. and

Amph. p. 57.—Bd. and Gir., Cat. K. A. Rept., Pt. I., 1853, p. 14.—

Kenn., Trans. 111. State Agr. Hoc, 1853-54, 1., p. 592.

Crotdloj'Jiorns klrtlandii, Kenn., 1. c— Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen.

VII., Pt. II., 1854, p. 1482.

Crotalus tergemimis, Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gc'm., VII., Pt. II., 1854,

p. 1479.

Caudisona ter(jemina, Davis & Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat.

Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 28; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

' Crotalus catenatus, S. Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 1883, p.

118, pi. 9, fig. 2.

Sistrurus catenatus, idem, 1. c, p. 176.

Small. Body fusiform. Head moderately wide. Neck

slender. Tail short, scarcely tapering. Dorsal scales carinate



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 313

except the two outer rows of each side. Rostral plates exca-

vated below. Anterior nostril much the larger, reaching the

posterior nasal and in contact above with prefrontal and su-

praciliary. Inferior anteorbital about half as wide. About
four postorbitals and suborbitals. Supralabials small, about

thirteen. Infralabials thirteen. Dorsal rows twenty-five. Ven-
trals 140. Subcaudals 28, generally a few posterior plates

divided.

Color above gray to blackish brown, with a dorsal series

of about forty chestnut-brown spots edged with black, and

outside the latter color narrowly margined with white. On
each side two or three series of smaller brown spots similarly

margined. First dorsal spots w^ith two arms which extend

forward to the parietal plates. A wide brown band extends

from the eye over the angle of the mouth and terminates on

the side of the neck ; it is margined above with pale yellow

and below by a yellow bar which extends from the inferior

anteorbital across the angle of the mouth. Superior labials

mostl}'^ brown. Beneath thickly blotched with black, paler

anteriorly.

Total length, 25.50 ; tail, with four rattles, 8 inches.

Prairies throughout the State. Cook Co. (Kennicott),

Galesburg, Peoria (Brendei), Pekin, Normal, Farmer City.

Anoistrodon, Beauv.

Beauvais, Agkistrodon, Trans. Am. Fhil. Soc, 1799, p. 381.

Dum. et Bibr., Trigonocephalus, Erp. Gen., 1854, VII.. p. 1488.

S. Garman, Ancistrodon, Mem. Mus. Comp. ZoOl., 1883, p. 120.

With symmetrical plates on the head. Loreal present or

absent. Pit between the eye and nostril large. Fangs and

poison glands well developed. Dorsal scales in from twenty-

three to twenty-five rows, all strongly carinated. Posterior

subcaudal plates divided. No rattle. Body short. Tail short,

terminating in three elongate plates. Terrestrial or aquatic.

Includes the poisonous copperhead and the water moccasin.

Scales in 23 rows. Loreal present. Terrestrial . . A. contortrix.

Scales in 25 rows, Loreal wanting. Aquatic ... A. i-iscivorus.



314 l/i/)i()'S !>f(if(' Ijibontforij (>f Nitiund ll/sfori/.

Ancistrodon contortrix, Linn. Coiterueai).

( 'dliiher rontortri.v, Linn., Syst. Nat. ed. 10, 1758, p. 21(j.

Trlr/oiiocejihdlns contortrix, Ilolbr. N. A. Ilerp., 1842, III., p. 39,

pi. 8.—De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I.. Zool. III., Kept, and
Amph., 1842, p. 53, pi. 9, tig. 18.

Aijkistnxiiiii coDlortri.v, Bd. and (lir., Cat. N. A. Kept., Pt. I.,

1853, p. 17.

Triijonoecphahis rnuiortri.v, Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., 1854, VII.,

rt. II., p. 1494.

Ancistrodon contorlri.v. Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859,

p. 336.— Davis and liice, Bull. III. State Lab. Nat. Hist.,

L, No. 5, 1883, p. 28; Ball. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.—S. Gar-

man, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool., 1883, pp. 120, 178, pi. 8, fig. 1.

Body moderately stout. Head wide. Neck slender. Tail

short and tapering. All the dorsal scales carinate. Ros-

tral large. Frontal pentagonal. Generally three prefrontals,

the median very small. Loreal present, separating the pos-

terior nasal from the superior anteorbital. Anteorbitals three,

inferior minute. Postorbitals from four to six. Supralabials

eight, the third nob reaching the orbit. Infralabials ten.

Dorsal rows of scales twenty-three. Ventrals about 150.

Subcaudals about 45, the posterior in pairs.

Color above light chestnut-brown, with a series of inverted

Y-shaped brown marks on each side. Color beneath yellowish,

with a series of black blotches on each side. Head uniforni

brown above, each parietal with a small brown spot with a pale

margin ; sides with a yellowish white band which posteriorly

rounds the angle of the mouth and extends forward on the in-

fralabials.

Length from two to three feet.

Throughout the State ; rare north, frequent south.

Peoria (Brendel), Anna (C. W. Butler).

This species is very rare in northern Illinois, if it occurs

there at all. Dr. Brendel reports having seen but two

speciuieus at Peoria, and these more than twenty years ago.

It is not uncommon in the southern part of the State, and

Messrs. Boyer and Strode report it as not rare in Pulton county.



lieptiles and Aiiipliihuniff of Il/inois. 315

Ancistrodon piscivorus, Lac. Water Moccasin.

Crotdlus 2)l.scivi)rus, Lac, liuftoii's Hist. Nat., (iuad. Ovip. et

Serpens, 1789, II., pp. 180, 424.

Tri</(>noc('j)haIus jn.sc'lcorns, Holbr., N. A. Ilerp., 1842, III., p. 33,

pi. 7.

Toxio<yphis j^iseivorns, Bd. and Gir., Cat. JS. A. Kept., Pt. I.,

1853, p. 19.

Tri<jono(<q)ltalns jjisciooriis, Dum. et 13ibr., Erp. Gt'n., VII., Pt.

2. 1854, p. 1491.

Ancistrodon pisciconis, Cope, Proc Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859,

p. 336.

Ancistrodon piscivoriis, subsp. 2^is<'ivor/is, Davis and Rice, Bull.

111. State Lab. Nat. Hist, I., No. 5, 1883, p. 28; Bull. Chicago

Acad. Sci., 1883.

Ancistrodon piscii'orns, S. Garman, Mem. Mus. Coinp. Zool.,

1883, p. 121. pi. 8, fig. 2.

Body short and stout, tapering toward both extremities.

Head large, deep, wide. Neck slender. Tail short, compressed,

tapering, abruptly more slender than the body. All the dorsal

scales carinate. Rostral plate large, truncate above. Inter-

nasals triangular, the outer margin arcuate. Frontal large,

longer than wide, hexagonal. Parietals large, their posterior

extremities nearly or cjuite separated by transverse sutures.

Nasals two. No loreal. Three anteorbitals, the superior large,

elongate, and reaching the posterior nasal. Three small post-

orbitals. Seven or eight supralabials, the third reaching the

orbit Ten infralabials. Dorsals in twenty-five rows. Ven-

trals 136 Subcaudals about 45, often the first, and generally

from ittr-'^n to twenty-five posterior, paired.

Color above brown or blackish, with about eleven trans-

verse black bands alternating with as many brown bands, the

latter vvidening on the back and with a dusky center, the black

bands widening at the sides and often with a brown area in the

expanded lateral portions. Sometimes nearly uniform blackish

brown, often mostly brown with narrow transverse lines of

black. VV^ith numerous black blotches beneath, black pos-

teriorly. Head uniform brown or black above, with a wide

black band, edged above with brown and below with yellow,

extending frc m the eye over the angle of the mouth and ter-

minating on the neck. Tail uniform black, or with a few pale

spots beneath posteriorly, sometimes banded.



316 //////()/.<> Sfafr L((hnr<(U)ni of Naiural Hisforij.

Total length of a very large specimen from Bluff Lake,

40 ; tail, 6.25.

Shallow lakes and bayous of southern Illinois, abundant.

Bluff Lake, Union Co., Mt. Carmel (Bidgway).

The water moccasin is very abundant in the lakes of the

southern part of the State. Mr. llidgway of the National Mu-
seum states that it occurs as far north as Mt. Carmel, and thinks

possibly even to Vincennes. During July it may be seen in

great numbers coiled up on partly submerged loi^s, where it lies

for hours basking in the sun. If disturbed it hisses and vibrates

its tail after the manner of its relatives, the rattlesnakes, but

always retreats into the water when approached too closely.

Sometimes it makes its way up an inclined tree to a distance of

six or eight feet above the water, but tumbles headlong into

the water when alarmed. Mr. Peery, who lives at the edge of

Bluff Lake, in Union Co., tells me that in the fall of the year

this serpent leaves the water and resorts to the bluffs for hi-

bernation. A female kept in confinement by Mr. C. W. Butler,

of Anna, gave birth to young in the fall of the year. Dogs

are occasionally bitten by this species, but generally recover

after a spell of severe sickness.

All the Illinois examples of the species belong to the va-

riety piscivorus. The variety pngnax may be known from

the position of its second labial, this plate being crowded up-

ward from the margin of the jaw. It has not been observed

within our limits.

CLASS AMPHIBIA.

Exoskeleton generally wanting. Two occipital condyles.

Mandible of several pieces. No true diaphragm. Respiration

during a part or whole of life by means of branchiae. Heart

in the adult with three chambers. Two aortic arches. Blood

not warm, red corpuscles nucleated. Alimentary canal termi-

nating in a cloaca. Oviparous.

Illinois members of the group belong to the two orders

characterized below. Our species all have naked skins. A
group (order Gymnophiona) represented by a few genera occur-



'Reptiles and Ain})h/hi<nis of TH'nioh. 317

ing in Africa, South America, and Ceylon lias small embedded

scales, and is further characterized by absence of limbs and

tail.

Body of adult stout, short. Hind legs suited to leaping and

swimming. No tail. Frogs and toads Order Anura.

Body long and slender. Hind legs not enlarged for leaping

and swimming, sometimes wanting. Tail and sometimes

branchi;e persistent. Salamanders Order Urodela.

ORDER ANURA.

(Amphibia Ecaudata, Theriomorpha, Batrachia.)

Body stout, short, more or less depressed. With two pairs

of legs, the anterior of which bear four, and the larger posterior

pair five, digits. Mandible generally toothless. Adults tailless.

Vertebral column composed of but few vertebras and terminat-

ing in along solid coccyx—the urostyle. Sternal arch complete.

Radius and ulna fused. Tibia and fibula also fused. The two

proximal tarsal bones very long and often fused at their

extremities.

The adults are known as frogs and toads. They move on

land by leaps, the structure of the posterior legs being specially

suited to this mode of locomotion. In water they use the same

legs for swimming. The food consists chiefly of small inverte-

brates, insects constituting the greater part of it. The young

are known as poUywogs and tadpoles. They are fish-like, liv-

ing in water, in which they swim with the aid of a tail, and

breathing by means of branchia). Instead of teeth they pos-

sess horny jaws. At this stage of their lives they subsist

chiefly on vegetable substances, such as filamentous Alga3,

diatoms, desmids, etc.

SYNOPSIS OF THE FAMILIES REPRESENTED IN ILLINOIS.

1 (2). Fingers and toes with no evident discs at their tips. 3.

2 ( 1 ). Fingers and toes with evident discs 7.

3 (4). Upper jaw with teeth. No overlapping sternal

cartilages ; omosternum and sternum present.

Transverse processes of sacrum subcylindrical.

Uanid.h.



81(S Illinois State Lahoratonj of Natural History.

4 (8). No teeth 5.

5 (6). No parotid. Omosternum wanting, clavicle and

precoracoid sometimes wanting. Transverse pro-

cesses of sacrum expanded Engystomid.'!<:.

(5). Parotid present. Sternal arch with clavicles, pre-

coracoids and overlapping cartilages; omosternum

wanting Bufonid.^e.

7. With teeth. Sternal arch with overlapping carti-

lages ; omosternum and sternum present. Trans-

verse processes of sacrum expanded Hylid^:.

Family RANID^.

No parotids. Fingers and toes generally without discs
;

the former without webs, the latter webbed ; basal portions of

fourth and fifth toes not bound together. Teeth on the upper

jaw, and generally on vomers also. No fontanel between pa-

rieto-frontals. Omosternum and sternum present. Coracoids

expanded, in contact with each other and narrowly separated

from the precoracoids by cartilage. No epicoracoids. Trans-

verse processes of sacrum subcylindrical. Urostyle articulated

to two sacral concavities. Liver with three lobes.

A large and widely distributed family, including many
large species. It is represented in Illinois by the single genus

Ran a.

Rana, Linn.

Linnjeus, Systema Natune. ed. 10, 1758, 1., p. 210 (S. Garman).

Hoffmann, Bronn's Thier-Reich, VI., Amphibien, p. CIS.

Holbrook, N. A. Herp., IV., p. 77.

Fingers and toes very slightly or not at all expanded at

their tips, the former without webs, the latter more or less

webbed. Tongue wide, free and deeply excised behind. Tym-
panum distinct. Skin smooth or slightly tubercuiate. Gland-

ular folds present or absent. Vomerine and maxillary teeth

present. No fontanel between the parieto-frontals. Males

with two lateral vocal sacs.

This genus includes all the large active frogs of swamps

and meadows. Seven species occur in the State.



Reptiles und Amphibians of Illinois.

SYKOPSIS OF THE ILLINOIS SPECIES.

;5h»

With distinct dark spots above, arranged in more

or less perfect longitudinal rows 3.

Spots, when present, obscure and not arranged in

longitudinal rows 9.

With more than two complete rows of spots be-

tween the glandular folds of the back.

R. AREOLATA.

With but two complete rows of spots between the

glandular folds 5.

Spots oval or nearly round; glandular folds narrow

and elevated 0.

Spots isolated, anterior of the three on the head

small or wanting; males with saccular dilations

behind the angles of the mouth.

R. UTRICULARIA.

Spots not isolated, anterior of the three on the

head about equal to the others ; males without

saccular dilations R. pipiens.

Spots squarish
;
glandular folds wide and depressed.

R. PALUSTRIS.

11). With distinct glandular folds on the sides of the

back; size small or medium 10.

12). Tympanum large. No distinct dark spot extending

from the nostril through the eye and including

the tympanum R. clamitans.

No, or very indistinct, glandular folds. Size very

large R. catesbiana.

10). Tympanum very small; a distinct dark spot extend-

ing from the nostril through the eye and includ-

ing the tympanum. R. silvatica.

Rana areolata, Bd. and Gir.

liana areolata, Bd. and (Jir., Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1852,

VI., p. 173.

Rana rajyito, LeC. Proc, Acad. Nat. Sci. l'hila.,lS5r),VIIL,p. 425.



H2() //(/iioiti S/(ifr Ldhorafori/ of Ntthinil Itisfori/.

lidiKi iirvitldtii, Hiiird, Mex. JJound. Siirv., \KA), III., Reptiles,

p. 28, pi. ;{<•>, lig. 11 iiiid 12.

Riina (trcohitd, subsp. ((/jiilo, Cope, (Iheck J^ist N. A. IJatr. and

llept, 1875, p. 115.

R(ina circiilosd, Kice and Davis, Jordan's Man. Vert., 2d ed.,

1878, p. 355.

Romt areo/ata, JJoulenger, Cat. Hatr. Sal. in Coll. JJrit. Mus.,2ded.,

1882, Sal. Ecaudata,p.4I.

liana areolata, subsp. capito, Mice and Davis, Bull. 111. State

Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1888, pp. 22, 23.

liana arcolata, subsp. circiilosa, Kice and Davis, Bull. Chicago

Acad. Sci., 1883.

Body about two and a half inches long, rather stout. Glan-

dular folds conspicuous. A saccular dilation at the corner of the

mouth in males. Skin tuberculate and punctate above, smooth

below ; femora granulate posteriorly. Head large, obtuse,

with a marked concavity between the nostril and the eye.

Fingers with slight web. Web of toes small and with deeply

incurved margins.

Color above dark gray or slate-color, with about six longitu-

dinal rows of round dark spots margined with yellowish. Sides

marked with numerous spots and specks of black. Yellowish

white beneath, with dark markings of irregular size and

shape on the throat, Irides golden mingled with black. An-

terior and posterior legs gray, the former with spots and the

latter with alternating wide and narrow bands of black. Inter-

spaces between larger markings speckled with dusky.

Length of body, 2.33; width of head, .89; femur, 1.06;

tibia, 1.06 ; tarsus and fourth toe together, 1.64.

Rare. Northern Illinois.

The only specimen known to have been taken in Illinois

was collected years ago by Robert Kennicott, and is now in the

collection of the National Museum at Washington. In 1878

Messrs. Rice and Davis secured a specimen from northern In-

diana and described it as a new species {R. chridosa), which, at

a later date, they reduced to the rank of a variety. Kennicott's

specimen was examined by them and pronounced identical with

the Indiana specimen. The specimen at Washington is labeled

R. areolata capito^ and a study of more material from this region

will probably show this name to be the right one for Illinois

examples of the species.



tleptihs and Amphi})inns of Illinoh. H2l

Rana utricularia, Harlan.

Jidiia iitn'ciiJan'/is; Amer. Jour. Sci. and Arts, 1825, X., p. 00;

Jour. Acad. Nat. ,Sci. I'hila., 1820, V., p. 337.

Rana hahrina (in part), Dum. et JJibr., Erp. Gen., 1841, VII L,

p. 352.

liana berlandleri, Baird, Mex. Hound. Surv., 1859, III., Reptiles,

p. 27, pi. 30, fig. 7.

Rana halccina, subsp. herlandieri, Cope, Check List N. A. Batr.

and Uept., 1875.

Rana ntricularia, Boulenger, Cat. Batr. Sal. in Coll. Brit. Mus.,

2d ed., Sal. Ecaudata, p. 40.

Size large; body about tbree inches long. Olive-green

above, with isolated subcircular black spots. Legs spotted and

banded with black. Pale below. Males with saccular dila-

tions of the skin behind the angles of the mouth for the accom-

modation of the vocal sacs.

Length of body, 2.50; from tip of snout to axilla, 1.25;

femur, 1.25; tibia, L37; tarsus and fourth toe together, 1.94.

The above measurements are from a male taken near Phila-

delphia, Pa. A male from Macomb, Miss., is smaller.

Dunleith (Ridgway), Union Co.

The major part of the description of R. pipiens will ap-

ply to this species. The size, proportions, and the plan of

markings are about the same in both species. The saccular

dilations of the skin in the males of this species will readily

distinguish them. Both sexes can probably, in most cases, be

distinguished from those of B. pipiens by the character of the

spots and by the general color. In this species the spots are

fewer in number, are smaller, rounder, and more widely sepa-

rated. The anterior of the three spots of the head is smaller

than the other two, or may be wanting. The general color is

more brown than green, and gives specimens a slight general

resemblance to R. palnstris. A few immature specimens of

RancC from Villa Ridge and Anna are referred with some hesi-

tation to this species. One of the largest of these is a male of

the year, and shows the distended skin at the corners of the

mouth. The ground color of these specimens in life was slate-

gray with a slight coppery tinge. The head, above, in males

was pale green with a brassy tinge over the eyes and along the

sides of the snout. I'upil of eye black; iris coppery above and



322 llViuoi^ State Lahnratorij of Natural Historij.

below, black anteriorly and posteriorly. Tympanum brown,

with a pale center. Glandular folds yellow. Femora gam-

boge-yellow ventrally, and, in a female, with a wash of the same

color along the flanks. The largest of these specimens meas-

ures 2.37 inches in length.

Rana pipiens, Schreber. Leopard Fkog, Shad Fkog.

liana jnpiens!, Schreber, Der Naturforscher, 1782, p. 182 (S. Gar-

man).

Eanajnpiem, Gmel., Syst. Nat., ed 13, 1788, III., p. 1052.

Rana halecina, Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., 1841, VIII., p. 352.

—

Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, IV., p. 91, pi. 22.—De Kay, Nat.

Hist. N.Y., I., Zool. III., 1842, Kept, and Amph., p. ri, pi. 20,

flg. 49.— Kenn., Trans. 111. State Agr. Soc, 1853-54, 1., p. 593.

Iiaii(( pipiens, LeC, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Pliila., 1855, VIII.,

p. 424.

liana halecina, Boulenger, Cat. Batr. Sal. in Coll. lirit. Mas., 2d

ed., 1882, Sal. Ecaudata, p. 41.— Davis and Bice, Bull. 111.

State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 24; Bull. Chicago

Acad. Sci., 1883.

Rana. pip) lens, S. Garman, Bull. Essex Inst., XX., 1888. p. 95.

Body about three inches long ; slender. Males with no

saccular dilations of the skin at the corners of the mouth.

Skin smooth above and below, excepting that of the ventral

posterior surfaces of the femora, which is granulate. Head

obtusely pointed, sides scarcely arcuate. Margin of lower lip

notched on each side of the symphysis, leaving a median knob.

Tongue obcordate, with two small posterior lobes : free for

half its length behind, and also extensively free at the sides.

Nostril about midway between the tip of the snout and the an-

terior border of the eye. Eye large. Tympanum circular in

outline; about two thirds the longitudinal diameter of the eye.

A well-developed glandular fold extends along each side from

the posterior upper margin of the eye nearly to the posterior

extremity of the body, terminating above the femora. Two
other folds, one for each side, extend along the upper lip

obliquely downward and backward between the tympanum and

the angle of the mouth, and terminate above the axilla. Mar-

gins of the webs deeply incurved between the toes, not extend-

ing beyond the base of the penultimate phalanx of the fourth



licptHe^ and Aiiipliihidiis of lUhtois. 323

toe. Palms with two obscure tubercles; soles, each with a large

and a small tubercle.

Greeu above, with more or less perfect series of pale mar-

gined oval black spots on the back, and with the legs spotted

and banded with black. White or yellowish white beneath.

Margin of the upper lip pale or green, with a dark band above

the pale margin, often including spots of pale, extending pos-

teriorly to the angle of the mouth. Above the dark stripe is a

pale one which extends from near the tip of the snout posteri-

orly and passes upon the glandular fold, which is pale to its

posterior extremity. An obscure dark band extends from the

nostril to the eye, but is often interrupted, or ruay be repre-

sented by a black spot over the nostril only. Pupil of the

eye black, iris golden. Tympanum brown, with a pale spot in

its center. The head above is marked with three large spots of

about equal size ; one of these lies on the middle line just in

advance of the eyes, the other two lie one above each eye.

Between the glandular folds of the back are two longitudinal

series of oblong and oval black spots, with about four or five

spots in each series. Generally there are several extra spots

between the series. The glandular folds of the back are yellow.

Immediately below the folds is a series of large black spots,

and beneath these are several large spots and a number of

smaller round black spots of irregular size. Anterior legs

spotted with black above, and constantly with a black dash on

the base of the humerus. Posterior legs with black transverse

bars above and with a few spots between the bands at the mar-

gins; sometimes only spotted. Posterior surface of femora

vermiculate or spotted with black. Posterior surface of the

tarsi with a more or less perfect black longitudinal band. Body

beneath pale yellow or white, with a few small spots near the

angle of the mouth, and sometimes with the lower lip and sides

of the throat dusky.

Length of body, 2.()9-3.50 ; from tip of snout to axilla,

1.25-1.()S ; femur, 1.37-1.87 ; tibia, 1.5<)-2.(>() ; tarsus and fourth

toe, 'i.()()-2.8l. The measurements first in order were nuide in

all cases from a male; the higher measurements were from

females.



824 Illinois Sidle Lahoratonj of Natural Histonj.

Tlie species occurs in a])imdance throughout Illinois.

Dunleith (Kidgway), Freeport, Cook (^o. (Kennicott), Green

R., Henry Co., Normal, Peoria (Brendel), Cairo, Grand Detour

(Yarrow).

This frog can generally be distinguished from its near

ally, li. paJustris^hy the shape of the spots on the back, by the

e(|ual size of the three spots on the head, by the narrower and

more elevated glandular folds, and by the ground color above,

which is green, brassy, or greenish gray, instead of brown. As a

rule, this species has less black about the tympanum. Speci-

mens are occasionally found which are nearly intermediate be-

tween the two species, and the young especially are often very

similar. There still exists a difference of opinion as to whether

or not the males of R. pipiens have external vocal sacs. The

fact is that the vocal sacs are as truly external in R. palusfris

and R. pipiens as they are in R. ntricularia (R. herlandieri, etc.

of authors), and the difference between the two former and the

two latter, in respect to the sacs, is that the skiti behind the angle

of the mouth is conspicuously distended to accommodate the sacs

in R. ntricularia^ and is not thus expanded in the other two

species. Of the many males of R. pipiens which have been ex-

amined from central Illinois none have the skin distended, but

all have sacs just beneath the angle of the mouth between the

skin and adjacent muscles. The species has been described as

having internal vocal sacs, but the latter occupy the same po-

sition as in R. ntricularia, and differ only in being smaller.

Next to the bull frog, this is our most familiar species. It oc-

curs everywhere along brooks and about ponds, and in damp
weather may be found in fields at a considerable distance from

water. During the dry weather in August it collects in great

numbers about pools of water on the prairies. Its food con-

sists of insects and, at least occasionally, of mollusks. In the

few stomachs examined by the writer, Coleoptera constituted

the principal part of the former. The mollusks were taken

from the stomach of a single specimen and belonged to the ge-

nus Limnaea.



liepfiies and Aviphibians of Illinois. 325

Rana palustris, LeC. Pickkrkl Fkog, Marsh Fkug.

liana palustris, LeC, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N.Y., 1825, 1., p. 282.—
Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., 1841, YIII., p. 35H.— Holbr., N. A.
Herp., 1842, IV., p. 95, pi. 23.— De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I.,

Zoul. III., Kept, and Ampli., 1842, p. (52, pi. 22, fig. 60.—Cope,
Check List N. A. Batr. and Kept., 1875.— Bouleuger, Cat.

Batr. Sal. in Coll. Brit. Mus., 2d ed., 1882, Sal. Ecaudata, p.

42.— Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., I.,

No. 5, 1883, p. 24; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Body about two and a half inches long. Males with no
saccular dilations of the skin at the corners of the mouth.

Skin smooth above and below, excepting granulated areas on
the ventral posterior surfaces of the femora. Head obtuse, dis-

tinctly arcuate at the sides when viewed from above or below.

Margin of lower lip notched on each side of the symphysis, leav-

ing a median knot. Tongue obcordate, with two posterior

lobes; free for half its length posteriorly, and also extensively

free at the sides. Eye large. Tympanum circular in outline,

about two thirds the longitudinal diameter of the eye. Nostril

about midway between the eye and the tip of the snout.

Palms with a pair of inconspicuous tubercles; soles with a large

and a small tubercle each. Margins of webs incurved between

the toes, not reaching beyond the penultimate phalanx of the

fourth toe. A wide depressed glandular fold extends from the

posterior margin of the eye along the sides of the back nearly

to the posterior extremity of the body. Another glandular

fold extends along the side of the head passing over the angle

of the mouth posteriorly and terminating above the axilla.

Color above pale brown, with four series of large, quad-

rangular brown or black spots with pale margins. Under part

of the body yellowish white; of the thighs bright yellow.

Upper lips with dark irregular spots, forming in some examples

an almost continuous stripe. Above this stripe is the yellow

glandular fold, and above the anterior portion of the fold is a

dark band which includes the nostril and extends to the an-

terior border of the eye. Pupil of the eye black; iris golden.

Tympanum pale brown with some black at its center. Be-
tween the tympanum and the eye is a small triangular black

spot. A black or brown bar extends from the posterior border



32() Illinois Stdle lAihoidlonj of Ndtiiral Hisfonj.

of the eye over the tympanum and downward behind the latter

to the glandular fold of the side of the head. Head above

with three dark spots, of which the anterior is smallest and is

commonly minute. Between the bright yellow glandular folds

of the sides of the back are two longitudinal series of squarish

black or brown spots, sometimes united so as to form two

wide longitudinal bands. Below the glandular fold of each

side is another series of large dark spots, and still lower

down on the sides are a few large spots and several

smaller round spots. Anterior legs like the back above, with a

dark dash at the base of the humeri and with a few other

dark spots elsewhere; sometimes with a dark band along the

posterior surface. Posterior legs banded and spotted with

brown or black above, with the posterior surface of the femora

marbled with black or with numerous small round spots. A
black band extends along the posterior surface of the tibia.

Lower lip more or less speckled with dark spots.

Length of body, 2-2.62; from tip of snout to axilla, .97-

1.25; femur, .94-1.37; tibia, 1.03-1.50; tarsus and fourth toe,

1.37-2.06.

Wabash Valley (Ridgway), Bluff Lake in Union Co.

This species has been reported common throughout the

State, but it is far from being so. It does not occur at all on

the prairies of central Illinois, and it is doubtful if it is common

anywhere within our limits. Two fine examples were taken

in southern Illinois in the summer of 1883, and are the only

ones taken during many years' collecting. These specimens

differ from typical forms of the species from the East in

several particulars. The spots are black and most of those of

the two median series of the back are united so as to form

two wide longitudinal bands. The entire throat back to the

anterior limbs is obscurely marbled with dusky. The species

bears a general resemblance to B. pipiens^ but it is to be readily

separated from the latter by the arcuate outline of the sides of

the head, by the form of the spots, and by the wide depressed

o-landular folds. It will average smaller than U. pipiens. The

males do possess vocal sacs, and in precisely the same situation

as in males of the other species. The habits are much the same

as those of the leopard frog. This species breeds a little earlier,



Rc/jfih'S and Anipfiibifnis of fl/inois. 327

and in life is peculiar for its strong odor. It is said to utter a

"prolonged grating note while floating at the surface of the

water."

Rana clamitans, Latr. Spring Frog, Green Frog.

Rana clamitans, Latr., 1801, Kept., 11, p. 157 (S. Garman).
Rana clamata, Dam. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., 1842, VIII., p. 373.

Rana cJamitan^; Holbr., X. A. Herp., 1842, IV., p. 85, pi. 20.

Rana fontinaUs, De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zucil. III., Rept.

and Amph., 1842, p. (i2. pi. 21, fig. 54.

Rana c/aniata, Kenii., Trans. 111. State Agr. Soc, 1853-54, I.,

p. 593.

Rana clamitans, Cope, Check List N. A. Ba'r. and Rept., 1875.

Rana chnnata, Roulenger, Cat. Batr. Sal. in Coll. Brit. Mus., 2d

ed., 1882, Sal. Ecaudata, p. 36.

Rana clamitans, Davis and Rice, Bull. Ill State Lab. Nat. Hist.,

I., No. 5, 1883, p. 24; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Body about three inches long ; stout. Glandular folds on

the side of the body evident. Males with no saccular dilations

behind the angles of the mouth. Skin minutely roughened
;

granulate about the vent. Head of moderate size, obtusely

pointed. Margin of lower jaw notched on each side of the

symphysis, leaving a median projection. Tongue obcordate,

with two posterior lobes, extensively free posteriorly and later-

ally. Nostrils about midway between the tip of the snout and

the e^'e. Tympanum large, circular iu outline, more than two

thirds the longitudinal diameter of the eye. First finger ex-

tending beyond the second when the two are opposed. Palms

with two indistinct tubercles, soles with but one tubercle.

Margins of webs markedly incurved between the toes; reaching

slightly beyond the base of the antepenultimate phalanx of the

fourth toe. A well-defined glandular fold extends along the

sides of the back from the posterior border of the eye nearly to

the posterior extremity of the body. An indistinct fold also

extends along the side of the head, lying between the tympa-

num and the corner of the mouth and terminating above the

axilla.

Color above green or brown, darker posteriorly, with ob-

scure black spots of irregular size. White beneath, throat

yellowish. Tympanum brown. Pupil of eyes black ; iridea



328 Illinois State Lahomtonj of Ntttural Histoyy^

golden. Anterior legs with a dark dash at their bases, and with

a few dark spots elsewhere on the limbs, sometimes almost en-

tirely black posteriorly. Posterior legs obscurely banded and

spotted with black ;
posterior surface of thighs mottled ; webs

dusky. White below, with the lower lip dark-spotted, and in

young specimens with the throat, flanks, and ventral surface

of the femora mottled with dusky.

Length of body, 2.87 ; from tip of snout to axilla, 1.87;

femur, 1.10; tibia, 1.25; tarsus and fourth toe together, 2.

These measurements are from a small example.

The species occurs in all parts of the State. Ottawa,

Champaign, Union Co.

This is a large species more closely resembling the bull

frog than 3,ny other. The glandular folds of the sides, the

length of the first finger as compared with the second, and the

incurved margins of the webs between the toes will always en-

able one to separate the two species. The spring frog is very

rarely found at any great distance from water. In the latter

part of summer it may often be found on the banks of small

woodland streams, but owing to its habit of diving headlong

into the water when approached it is not easy to secure. Its

flesh is frequently eaten.

Rana catesbiana, Shaw. Bull Frog.

Rana catesbiana, Shaw, Gen. Zool. 1800-19, III., p. 106, pi. 33.

Rana mugiens, Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., 1812, VIII., p. 370.

Rana pipiens, Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, IV., p. 77, pi. 18.

—

De Kay, Nat. Hi&t. N. Y., I., Zool. III.. Kept, and Amph.,
1842, p. 60, pi. 19, fiof. 48.

Rana catesbiana, Cope, Check List N. A. Batr. and Rept., 1875.

—Boulenger, Cat. Batr. Sal. in Coll. Brit. Mus„ 2d ed., 1882,

Sal. Ecaudata, p. 36.— Davis and Rice, Bull. III. State Lab.

Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 25; Ball. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Body six inches, or more, long; stout. No glandular folds.

Males without saccular dilations of the skin behind the corners

of the mouth. Skin faintly tuberculate above, distinctly

tuberculate on the sides; granulate in the region of the vent

and on the posterior surface of the femora. Head very large

and wide, obtusely pointed. Margin of lower jaw notched

on each side of the symphysis. Tongue obcordate, with two



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 829

small posterior lobes; extensively free posteriorly and laterally.

Nostril about midway between the tip of the snout and the

anterior border of the eye. Tympanum very large, its diam-

eter equal to or exceeding the longitudinal diameter of the

eye. First finger extending but little or not at all beyond the

second when the two are opposed. Palms with two tubercles

each; soles with but one. Webs between the toes very large,

reaching a little beyond the base of the distal phalanx of the

fourth toe and quite to the tips of the other toes. Margins of

webs not so strongly incurved as in R. clamifans.

Color above uniform olive-green or with obscure dusky

spots, darker posteriorly. Head often bright green. Yellow-

ish beneath. Pupil of the eyes black; irides golden. Tym-
panum brown or green, with a pale center. Anterior legs

with a few dusky spots. Posterior legs obscurely banded and

spotted with dusky; posterior surface of thigh mottled with

black. Under parts more or less speckled and mottled with

blackish.

Length of body, (>; from tip of snout to axilla, 2.06; femur,

2 25; tibia, 2.37; tarsus and fourth toe together, 3.94.

Common in all parts of the State in permanent waters.

Lake Co., Peoria, Anna, Mt. Carmel (Yarrow).

This frog is one of the largest of its kind. It is widely

known from its peculiar bass notes, which have a fancied re-

semblance to the expression " blood 'n' 'oun's." It rarely occurs

away from the water and is most commonly seen at the mar-

gins of lakes or bayous, with only the head exposed. At such

times it may be approached to within a short distance, and is

often caught by throwing towards it a hook biited with a bit

of red flannel. Frogs thus captured are often seen in the

markets and command a good price. Its food consists of in-

sects, mollusks, young frogs, young turtles, snakes, young
.ducks, and field mice; in fact almost anything that will pass

between its capacious jaws. It passes more than one season in

the tadpole state. It is extremely abundant in the shallow

lakes in the northern and southern parts of the State.



8'5() Jlliiiois Sfiife Lnhoratort/ <>/ Xdliiral llistonj.

Rana silvatica, LeC. Wood Frog.

Rdiiit sij/rafirri, LeC, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. \. Y., 182."), I., p. 282.

— Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gi'ti. 1841, VIU.. p. 3i)2 — Holbr.,

N. A. Herp., 1842, IV., p. 99, pi. 24.

liana tem2)oraria, subsp. silvatica, Cope, Check List N. A. Uatr.

and Rept., 1875.

Rana silvatica, Boulenger, Cat. Batr. .Sal. in Coll. Brit. Mus., 2d

ed., 1882, Sal. Ecaudata.

Rami teniporarid, subsp. sijlmtica, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111.

State Lab. Nat. Iliht., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 25; liull. Chicago

Acad. Sci., 1883.

Body about two inches long ; slender. Males with no

saccular dilations of the skin at the angles of the mouth.

Glandular folds present. Femora granulate beneath. Head

small, obtusely pointed. Nostrils slightly nearer the tip of the

snout than to the anterior border of the eye. Tympanum very

small. Margins of webs between the toes incurved.

Color above reddish brown, uniform in adults, more or less

mottled with obscure dusky marks in young examples. A dark

brown or black spot, which rapidly widens posteriorly, extends

from the nostril through the eye, includes the tympanum, and

is obliquely truncate above the anterior legs. Below this spot

is a yellow band which in adults is lost in the ground color on

the side of the snout, but in the young continues to the tip of

the snout. Anterior legs with obscure dusky marks, with a

distinct black dash at the bases of the humeri. Posterior legs

with transverse dusky bands. Body white beneath, yellowish

posteriorly, sometimes with faint dusky marks anteriorly.

Length of body, 1.52; from tip of snout to axilla, .60;

femur, .72; tibia, .74 ; tarsus and fourth toe together, 1.00.

Northern Illinois, Peoria (Brendel).

This is the most nearly terrestrial of all our Rame. Tt is

generally found in oak woods among the fallen leaves. It is

one of the first species to awake from hibernation in the spring

and resorts at once to the water to breed. This accomplished,

it leaves the water and is not again found in it during the re-

mainder of the season. The eggs were found by Prof. Putnam

in Massachusetts, as early as the 18th of April, attached in a

mass to a spear of grass. It feeds upon insects.



Reptiles find AmpJiihiaiis of Illinois. 331

Family ENGYSTOMID^.

No parotids. Tympaauin concealed. Fingers and toes

not expanded at their tips, the foraier without, the latter with

or without, webs. No teeth. Hearing apparatus fully devel-

oped. Prefrontals fully developed, in contact with each other,

and with the parieto-frontals. No overlapping sternal carti-

lages. Clavicles and precoracoids sometimes wanting. Trans-

verse processes of sacrum dilated.

This is a small but widely distributed family containing

eight genera and about twenty-one species. It is represented

in North America by the single genus Engystonia.

EngYSTOMA, Fitzinqer.

Fitzinger, Neue Klassiflcatioa dec Reptilien, 1820.

Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen. 1841, IX., p. 738.

De Kay, Nat. Hist. K. Y., I., Zool. III.. 1842, Kept, and Amph.,
p. 65.

Head small, pointed, continuous with the body; mouth-cleft

small; tongue free behind, elliptical, entire. Limbs stout and

rather short. Eustachian ossicle very small. Males with an

internal, sub-gular vocal sac.

The genus contains twelve species, most of which occur in

tropical America.

Engystoma carolinense, Holbr. Nebulous Toad.

Eiigtjstoma carolinense, Holbr.. N. A. Herp., 1842, Vol. I., p. 83.—
Dam. et Bibr., Erp. Geu., 1841, VIIL, p. 743.—LeC, Proc.

Acad. Nat. Sci. rhi'a., 1855, VIII., p. 430.— Gimtlier, Cat.

Batr. 8al. in Coll. Brit. Mus., 1858, p. 51.— Cope, ('heck List

N. A. Batr. and Rept , 1875.— Boulenger, Cat. Batr. Sal. m
Coll. Brit. Mus , 2d ed., 1882, Sa'. Eciudata, p. 1(52.—Yarrow,
Check List N. A. Rept. and Batr., 1882.— Davis and Rice,

Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 18; Ball.

Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Body stout, oval. Skin smooth, with a distinct fold just

behind the head. Head depressed, flat above, triangular in

contour. Eye small. Lower jaw incised at the symphysis,

with a rounded eminence occupying the bottom of the incision.

Legs rather short, but stout, the femora of the hind legs being



832 Illinois State Laboratonj of Natural History.

especially strong. Fingers and toes slender, cylindrical, with

small round tubercles at the articulations below. One palmar

and three plantar tubercles. The first or inner toe is shortest,

the fourth very much the longest, while the two intermediate

toes, the second and third, with the others, form a series the

members of which regularly increase in length outward; the

fifth toe is about as long as the second.

Color above olive-brown or gray, marked and spotted with

dusky; below pale yellowish, closely marbled with purplish,

but more yellowish posteriorly on the abdomen and under side

of the femora. Two wide, poorh^ defined pale bands begin

at the fold of the skin behind the eyes and pass backward

and slightly downward to the insertion of the femora; they are

bordered above by a sinuous band of interrupted elongate dark

spots, and below by a wider continuous dark band, which in

front passes immediately over the fore legs, through the eye

and around the snout, where it unites with its fellow of the

opposite side. Two dark bands cross the tibia. The throat of

adult males is bluish black. The colors vary with age and, to

some extent also, at the will of the animal. Older examples

are darker, and the markings are in them more obscure. The

characteristic markings are consequently more apparent on

medium-sized specimens because of the paler color and conse-

quent greater contrast between it and the dark marks. Exam-
ined with a lens, the skin of the body is seen to be sprinkled

with minute dark specks, the closer aggregations of which

form the dark spots, while their absence in numerous small

irregular areas on the abdomens of the younger examples

produces a fine mottling of the under side. Occasionally the

pale bands on the sides of the back are so nearly the shade

of the ground color as not to be apparent; and they may
be rendered still more obscure by the absence of the dark

band which generally bounds them above. A very young speci-

men before me has a series of small dark spots along the mid-

dle of the back. The feet are more or less spotted with dark

above. A black spot over the vent seems to be constant.

Length of body of an adult male, 1; length of head from

tip of snout to the cervical fold, .19; vertical diameter of head,

.12; from tip of snout to axilla, .50.



lieptiJes and Amphibians of Illinois. 833

Extreme southern part of the State.

This is a small, clumsy toad, with a very small head and

disproportionately stout hind limbs. It has been reported from

the most southern part of the State only, and is probably very

rare even there. It is one of the species which, like the siren,

water-moccasin, and red-bellied horn snake, mark southern

Illinois as a part of a southern zoological sub-region. Outside

Illinois the species is almost confined to the Southern States;

though Dr. Holbrook thought he recognized its peculiar note

in the State of New York. Of its habits but little can be

written at present, LeConte found it abundant under logs in

Georgia, and others have collected it among weeds. The pecu-

liar form, small immersed head, small withdrawn eyes, and

strong hind legs, suggest subterranean habits.

Family BUFONID^.

Parotids present. Tympanum present or absent. Fingers

and toes not expanded at their tips; the former perfectly free;

the latter with small or large webs. Skin generally more or

less warty. No teeth. Hearing apparatus fully developed.

Superior plate of the ethmoid bone ossified, usually covered by

the completely ossified parieto-frontals, or by these and the

prefrontals together. Precoracoids present, divergent from the

coracoids, the latter dilated, nearly or quite in contact, each

connected with the former on the same side by a cartilaginous

arch. Diapophyses of sacral vertebra dilated. Urostyle at-

tached to two sacral condyles.

The family contains four genera, and ninety-nine species.

Species belonging to the family are found in all the great zoo-

logical regions.

BUFO, Laurenti.

Laurenti, Synopsis Reptilium, 1768.

Hoffmann, Bronn's Thier-lleich, VI., Amphibien, p. 643.

Smith, Geol. Surv. Ohio, IV., Zool. and Jiot. Pt. I., Zool., 1882,

p. 702.

Head moderate in size, broadly rounded. Mouth rather

large. Parotids well developed, with evident pores. Tympa-
num more or less distinct. Short and stout; fingers and toes



884 Illinois Slate Lahoralorij 0/ Nalitral History.

cylindrical or depressed; toes palmate or semipalniate. Skin

warty or smooth (subgenus Calophrynus). Two metatarsal

tubercles, one of which is very large and is situated at the base

of the first toe. Tongue elongate, oval, free for a part of its

length behind and at the lateral margins. Males generally

with an internal subgular vocal sac. Pupil of eye elliptical

and dilatable. Eustachian tube large.

Of the ninety-six species belonging to this genus, fifty-

seven occur in the zoological region of v/hich South America

forms the greater part; seven occur in the North American

region ; and the remainder are distributed, some to each of the

remaining regions of the globe.

Bufo lentiginosus, Shaw. The American Toad.

Var. lentiginosus.

Katia lentigiiiosa, Shaw, General Zoo!., III., Amph., 1802, p. 173,

pi. 53.

Bufo musicm, Diim. et Bibr., Erp. Gen. VIII , 1841, p. 689.

Telmatohins lentiginosus, LqC, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sei. Phila., 1854,

VII., p. 426.

Bufo Untiginosiis, subsp. lentiginosus, Cope, Check List N. A.

BatP. and Rept., 1875.— Davis and Bice, Bull. Ill, State Lab.

Nat. Hist., L, No. 5, 1883, p. 17 ; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Var. americanus.

Bufo (iniericanus, LeC, MS. (LeConte never printed a descrip-

tion of this variety).— Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1st ed., 1834, I.,

p. 75, pi. 9.— Baird, U. S. Mex. Bound. Surv., 1859, Reptiles,

p. 25, pi. 39, fig. 1-4.

Btifo lentiginosus, sabsp. americanus, Cope, Check List N. A.

Batr. and Rept., 1875 —Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab.

Nat. Hist., I., No. 5,1883, p. 17; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Var. lentiginosus and americanus.

Bufo lentiginosus, Boulengec, Cat. Batr. Sal. in Coll. Brit. Mus.-

2d ed., 1882, Sal. Ecaudata, p. 308.

Body very stout, depressed. Skin tuberculate above, gran-

ulate below. Head not tuberculate except about the eyes,

widely channeled longitudinally, with two ridges bounding the

channel at the sides. Upper jaw incised at the symphysis; lower

jaw incised on each side of the symphysis, leaving a symphy-



Ueptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 335

seal knob. Eyes large. Parotids large, elongate, imperfectly

elliptical. Tympanum circular or slightly elongate vertically,

its diameter a trifle greater than half the longitudinal diameter

of the eye. Vocal sac of male opening by two large slits in the

floor of the mouth, one on each side, just within the mandible.

Legs short and very stout. Fingers a little depressed, with a

few small tubercles beneath. First fiuger projecting nearly at

a right angle to the others, and more enlarged at the base than

they ; the third finger longest. Palm with a large round

callosity. Toes depressed, partly webbed, the first the shortest,

the fourth' much the longest. A large flattened process arises

on the under side of the foot at the base of the first toe; on

the outer side of the foot is a callosity about half the size of

that on the palm.

The color varies with age and locality. The general color

of adults is olive, or reddish or grayish brown above, with a

narrow vertebral pale line and with spots of dark brown or

black, margined with pale; pale below, immaculate or spotted

with black. The color of the upper surface in old specimens

is often so dark that the markings cannot readily be discerned.

On well-colored specimens of medium size the following marks

may be seen: Two small vertically elongate spots, one on each

side of the middle line below and inside the nostrils; a quad-

rangular spot below the eye; a small spot between the latter and

the elongate spots; an elongate spot between the anterior angle

of the eye and the nostril; a large elongate spot extending from

the inferior posterior rim of the eye to the angle of the mouth;

two spots on the head, sometimes united and forming a band

between the anterior angles of the eyes; two elongate spots,

one on each side, lying on the lid of the eye and extending

obliquely backward across the cranial ridges nearly to the me-
dian pale stripe; two small spots, one for each side, at the upper

anterior margins of the parotids; two small spots near the

median line, about opposite the middle of the parotids; two

large spots, one for each side, near the upper posterior margins

of the parotids; then follow several spots of different sizes on

each side of the median line, and outside these are still others.

All these spots on the back have a narrow pale margin. Under
surface pale yellowish or whitish; immaculate or spotted with



33r) lUinois St'(te Ldbofofonj of N<itny<il Itistonj.

black. Well-defined bands are frequently apparent on the legs

of the younger examples, but in adults are generally obscured

by the ground color. Tubercle at the base of first toe black-

tipped. Tips of fingers and toes also sometimes black-tipped.

The males are much smaller than the females, adults of the

former not l)eing more than one third the weight of a fe-

male with ripe ova. Length of head not much more than half

the width of the same. Depth of the head, measuring from

the under side of the closed mandible to the highest point of

the cranial ridges, about one half the width of the head.

Length of head contained about four times in the length of

the body from tip of snout to tip of urostyle.

Length of body of an adult female, 3.62; width of abdo-

men, 2.75; depth of abdomen, 1.37. Length of body of an adult

male, 3; width of abdomen, 1.31; depth of abdomen, 1.

Variety americanus

Cranial ridges not much elevated, not specially enlarged on

the back of the head, slightly diverging posteriorly, and, at the

back of the head, turning at right angles to the original course

and reaching tympanum. Body very stout. Limbs short and

strong. Skin very coarsely tuberculate above. Color above

olive-brown, spotted as described above; below yellowish white,

more or less spotted with black. In this variety the ridges on

the head are never as prominent as in the adults of the variety

le)diginostis. Occasional examples approach the other variety

in the prominence of the ridges, but the latter are never so

much enlarged behind. Generally the channel of the head is

open behind, but in a large male before me it is completely

closed by a transverse ridge passing from the posterior end of

one longitudinal ridge to that of the other. The colors are, as

a rule, darker in this variety. All the Illinois examples which

have been studied, excepting very young ones, are spotted on

the skin of the ventral side. These spots are most abundant

in the region between the fore legs, and are sometimes so

aggregated there as to form a large blotch. Some young ex-

amples have no other marks on the skin of the ventral side

than this blotch. The throat is generally plain whitish, but



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 337

exceptions occur in which it is slightly spotted, and on a female

before me are two black bands just within and parallel to the

rami of the mandible. The posterior part of the abdomen
and the ventral side of the thighs are generally pale.

Abundant throughout the State. Specimens have been

studied from Freeport, Normal, Galesburg, and Ceutralia.

Variety lentiginosus

Cranial ridges elevated and with a bulbous enlargement

behind. Body less stout, limbs more slender, fingers and toes

longer and more slender, mouth larger, eye larger, and skin

very much less coarsely tuberculate, than in the variety ameri-

canus.

Two toads, now before me, from southern Illinois, differ

from others collected in the central part of the State in so

many particulars, and agree in many points so closely with the

variety lentiginosus, as to warrant our including this variety in

the fauna of the State. Attention was called to these toads by

the peculiar note they uttered,—a note quite unlike the trill of

toads which collect in ponds in central Illinois in the spring

of the year. The note consists of a prolonged and rather

shrill scream, repeated at short intervals at dusk in sum-

mer evenings. The toads themselves were more active than

their more northern cousins, hopping with such celerity as to

lead one quite a chase before they could be captured. In

markings they agree well with the northern variety, but the

ground color is more predominant, the spots being proportion-

ately reduced in size. The entire ventral side of the body is

yellowish white. The ridges of the head are not so much en-

larged posteriorly as they are on large examples of this variety

from the Southern States, but are markedly elevated behind.

The most noticeable difference between these specimens and

those of the variety americanus, from central Illinois, is in the

smooth skin and slender legs and digits of the former. The
foot and toes are especially slender and the webs are much re-

duced in size. The entire build of these two specimens is sug-

gestive of the appropriateness of the name "land frog," given

this variety by the early writers on American Herpetology.

Length of the two specimens 2.37 and 2.12 respectively.



''iHH J//i)i()/s Sfdtc Liihorntunj of Ndtiirnl llisfori/.

Southern Illinois ; collected only at Anna and Villa liid^e.

Though at other seasons of a mild and timid disposition,

the toad throws off its mildness and timidity with the first

warm days of April and hies to some pool or wayside ditch in

recklessly amorous humor. Here the sexes meet and, not with-

out some animated discussion, partners are chosen. Soon after-

wards the spawn is to be seen suspended among dead water

plants, or lying on the bottom as strands of translucent gelat-

inous matter, in which at pretty regular intervals, the dark-

colored eggs are imbedded. From these eggs small tadpoles

or pollywogs are, a little later, excluded, and often in such

numbers as to blacken the bottoms of pools. The tad-

poles feed upon Algee and other vegetable matter for several

weeks, then acquire limbs, lose their tails by resorbtion, and

appear on land as very small toads. Henceforth they live

on land, excepting during the breeding season, and feed on

animal food, chiefly insects. During the summer, toads lead

the lives of hermits in shallow holes or under boards or stones,

and are widely scattered. They are inactive during bright

days and remain in their retreats, but at dusk and on cloudy

days they may be seen in gardens and fields hopping about

in search of insects. Of these nothing comes amiss. Stink-

bugs, tumble bugs, and even stinging Hyinenoptera may
be taken from their stomachs. Predaceous beetles (Carabida?)

form a conspicuous element of the food of adult toads, the

common genera Harpalus, Evarthrus, Pterostichus, and Amara
being most largely represented. Tn the food of young toads,

ants take the place of beetles to some extent. Injurious insects

are frequently eaten, among them Aphididae; but the greater part

of the food of toads taken at random consists of insects which

do not attract the attention of economic entomologists. Bene-

ficial insects are perhaps as frequently eaten as injurious ones.

The variety of species eaten at one time is astonishing. Six-

teen genera, representing two classes of arthropods and five of

the seven orders of one of them, have been determined from

the contents of one stomach. The following list gives in the

order of their importance the elements of the food of twelve

stomachs of toads from .37 inch to 8 inches in length:



Beptiles and AnipJiibians of Illinois. 389

Carabidie, FormicidEe, Coleoptera (miscellaneous), Chryso-

melid.ne, Hymeuoptera (miscellaneous), Hemiptera (Pentatomi-

daj, Lyga3ida3, Aphidida?), Orthoptera, Lepidoptera (larvae),

Diptera, Myriapoda, and Arachnida.

Family HYLID^.

Parotids generally wanting. Tympanum present. Fingers

and toes more or less expanded at their tips; the former with

or without webs, the latter always more or less webbed; basal

portions of the fourth and fifth toes bound together by the

integument. Teeth always on the upper jaw; generally on

vomers, and in one genus (Pharyngodon) on the parasphenoid.

With or without a fontanel between the parieto-frontals.

Omosternum and sternum present; sternum with overlapping

cartilages. Transverse processes of sacrum more or less ex-

panded. Urostyle attached to two sacral condyles. Vertebrae

procoelian.

The three genera of this family which belong to the fauna

of Illinois, agree in lacking parotids, in having maxillary and

vomerine teeth, and in having a fontanel between the parieto-

frontals. The family is represented in all the zoological regions

except the Ethiopian.

SYNOPSIS OF THE GENERA. REPRESENTED IN ILLINOIS.

1 (4). Digital discs small; fingers without webs.

2 (3). Webs reaching nearly to the tips of the toes. Tympanum
not distinct. Transverse processes of sacral vertebra

not much expanded AcRis.

8 (2). Webs small, not reaching nearly to the tips of the toes.

Tympanum distinct. Transverse processes of sacral

vertebra widely expanded Chokophilus.

4(1). Digital discs large; fingers and toes with webs. Tympa-

num distinct. Transverse processes of sacral verte-

bra widely expanded Hyla.



340 Illinois State Lahoratonj of Natural History.

ACRIS, DUM. ET BiBR.

Diim. et liibr., Erp. G("n., 1841, VIII.. p. 50R.

Iloi'fiuann, Bronn's Thier-Ileich, VI., Amphibien, 1873-78, p. 647.

Smith, (ieol. Surv. Ohio, IV., Zool. and liot., Pt. I., Zonl.,.1882,

p. 70r).

Digits but slightly expanded at their tips. Toes with

large webs; basal part of fourth and fifth toes bound together

by the integument; fingers free. No i)arotid. Tympanum
small and not distinct. Tongue short, cordiform, excised, and

partly free behind. Teeth present on upper jaw and on vomer.

Skin smooth or slightly roughened. Sacral diapophyses not

widely expanded. Parieto-frontals embracing a fontanel.

Males with a subgular vocal sac. The genus is peculiar to

America.

Acris gryllus, LeC. Crkjket-frog, Peeper, Savannah
Cricket.

Var. gryllus.

Rana (jrulJits, LeC, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist , N. Y., 1824, 1., p. 282.—

Harlan, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1827, V, p. 340.

Acris gryllus, LeC , Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 18.54, VII.,

p.' 426.

Acris gryllus, subsp. gryllus. Cope, Check List N. A. Batr. and

Kept., 1875.

Acris gryllus gryllus, Yarrow, Check List N. A. Eept. and Eatr.,

1882.

Acris gryllus, subsp. gryllus, Davis and Rice, EuU. 111. State

Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 18; Bull. Chicago Acad,

Sci., 1883.

Var. crepitans.

Acris crvplUiiis, Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1854, VII., p.

59: LeC, 1. c, p. 426.— Baird, Mex. Bound. Surv., 1859, liep-

tiles. III., p. 28, pi. 37, fig. 14-17.

Acris gryllus, subsp. crepitans, Cope, Cheek List, 1875.

Acris gryllus crepitans, Yarrow, Check List, 1882.

Acris gryllus, subsp. crepitaji'i, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State

Lab. Nat. Hist, 1., No. 5, 1883, p. 18; Bull. Chicago Acad.

Sci., 1883.

Acris gryllus, Dum. et Bibr., Erp. G6a., 1841. VIII., p. 507.—

Boulenger, Cat. Batr. Sal. in Coll. Brit. Mus., 2d ed., 1882,

Sal. Ecaudata, p. 336.



lieptiles and Ampliihians of Illinois. 841

Small, Upper surface of body and limbs with small scat-

tered elongate or rounded warts of irregular size. Posterior

part of skin of belly and the inferior posterior part of that

covering the posterior femora distinctly granulate. Two large

granules beneath the vent. Throat, chest, and the greater

part of the limbs, smooth. A distinct fold of the skin across

the chest between the fore legs. Tongue broad, slightly ex-

cised behind, and free for about one fourth of its length be-

hind. Nostrils situated in slight eminences. Eyes prominent.

A single large palmar callosity. The first finger of the male

but slightly swollen. Two small conical plantar tubercles.

Color above, some shade of gray, brown, or olive-green, of-

ten with a median longitudinal diffuse band of red or green,

and with several black spots, of which a triangular one between

the eyes is constant and characteristic. Beneath pale. Upper
jaw black or dark brown, with four vertical pale lines on each

side. A narrow pale line extends from the lower posterior part

of the eye to the base of the fore leg. Above this line lies an

elongate black spot which extends from the eye towards, but

does not quite reach, the fore leg. Behind the insertion of

the fore leg, on the side, is a large oblique black spot margined

with white. Another similar but smaller spot lies in advance

of, and above, the insertion of the hind leg. The triangular

spot between the eyes is narrowly margined with white, its

apex pointing backward. The middle of the back is often occu-

pied by a longitudinal red or green band, and immediately on

each side of the latter are several obscure black spots. Color

beneath pale, sometimes tinged with yellow on the throat.

Throat more or less speckled with dusky or brown. Lower jaw

pale, or with a few dark specks at the symphysis, becoming

darker towards the angle of the mouth, from which point a

dark dash passes to and upon the base of the fore leg. Legs

and digits dark above, with round dark spots; pale and un-

marked below. A black spot may often be visible over the

.vent, and generally a dark bar passes from this region along

the posterior surface of the thigh.

Length of body, .87-1.25; from tip of snout to axilla,

.28-50; femur, 41-62; tibia, .r)2-.69; tarsus and fourth toe to-

gether, .69-.94 inch.



;ii2 Illinois Sfdic Liihoratonj n/' Natural ffi.-ifori/.

The species is one of the most abundant meuibers of the

family in all parts of Illinois. Specimens are in the collectioc

of this Laboratory from Geneva, Cedar Lake, Colona, Geneseo,

Peoria, Pekin, Normal, Urbana, Warsaw, Union county, and

Cairo.

Size and color are extremely variable. In most specimens

from central and northern Illinois the markings are all very

obscure, and often the triangular spot between the eyes is so

indistinct as to require close looking to detect it. Others of the

marks described above may even be wanting, and in but few

specimens are all the marks plainly visible. The greenish and

reddish forms seem to be more abundant in southern Illinois.

The skin of the more northern individuals is rougher, the

warts often being elongate and ranged so as to form short

ridges.

This is a rather coarsely built frog, bearing a close resem-

blance in build to the Ranidae. It is more strictly terrestrial

than our other Hylidse, and probably never resorts to shrubs

and trees. It is usually found at the margins of streams or

pools, into which it leaps when disturbed, but only to return to

the shore a short distance from the observer. It is a good

swimmer, as its webbed hind feet indicate. Its note is a rap-

idly repeated grating noise, thought to resemble the trilling of

a cricket, whence the name cricket-frog. Its food consists of

insects, and if the habits of the frogs led them more frequently

into cultivated grounds they would doubtless do good service

to agriculture in destroying aphides. Among other insects,

Chlorops, crane flies, Thyreocoris, Calocoris rapidus, numer-

ous pupil' and wingless female Aphididae and Orthoptera, have

been determined from the contents of their stomachs. Exam-'

pies nearly grown were taken November 17, 1N88, under logs

in the vicinity of a creek in Champaign county, where they

were hibernating.

The variety gnjilas of this species has been credited to

Illinois and probably occurs about the shallow lakes of the

south part of the State. LeConte's characterization of the

two forms in the Proceedings of the Philadelphia Academy is

the best extant, but the only difference he presents which in

so variable a species is of varietal importance, is the size (1.4



Reptiles and Amplnbians of Illinois. 348

inches for variety grijUaa and 1.2 for variety crepitans). None
of the Illinois specimens examined are more than 1.25 inches in

length of body.

Chorophilus, Baird.

Baird, Proc. Acad. JSIat. Sci. Phila., 18.54, Vol. VII., p. 60. (Cho-

rophilus and Helociictus of this reference are included in

the genus as now used.)

Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1865, p. 194.

Smith, Geol. Surv. Ohio, Vol. IV, Zool. and JJot., Pt. I., Zool.,

1882, p. 704.

Digits but slightly expanded at the tips. Toes with very

small webs; fingers free. Tympanum small but distinct.

Tongue cordiform, excised, and partly free behind. Teeth

present on upper jaw and on vomer. Skin more or less granu-

late. Sacral diapophyses widely expanded. Prefrontals sepa-

rate from each other. Fronto-parietals embracing a fontanel,

without a postorbital process. Males with a subgalar vocal

sac. The species are all American.

Chorophilus triseriatus, Wiedman.

Ilyhi triseri(tt((, Wiedman, Keise 1, 1839, p. 249.

Uelocd'tvs triseriatus, Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1854,

VII., p. 60.

Chorophilas triseriatus, subsp. triseriatus, Cope, Check List N.
A. Batr. and Kept., 1875.

Cliorophilus triseriatas, Boulenger, Cat. 13atr. Sal. in Coll. Brit.

Mus., 2d ed., 1882. Sal. Ecaudata, p. 335.

ClioropltiJas triseriatas triseriatas, Yarrow, Check List N. A.
Rept. and Batr., 1882.

Chorophilas triseriata,s, Davis and Ilice, Bull. 111. State Lab.
Nat. Hist-. I.. No. 5, 1883, p. 19.

Chorophilus triseriatas, subsp. triseriatas, Davis and Rice, Bull.

Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Small. Small webs between all the toes. Vomerine teeth

between, not behind, the internal nares. Dorsal surface finely,

ventral surface coarsely, granulate. Upper surface of head,

limbs, excepting the femora, and in males the throat, smooth.

Tympanum circular in outline, about half the longitudinal di-

ameter of the eye. Tongue elongate, slightly excised, and free

behind for about a third of its length. Upper jaw very slightly

9



344 Illinois State Lahoratonj of Natural I/istari/.

excised, lower rounded. Palm with numerous rounded tuber-

cles. First finger of males greatly swollen at base. Two small

plantar tubercles. Basal part of outer toes bound together by

the integument. Skin of the throat greatly distended in males

and thrown into longitudinal folds when the vocal sac is at rest.

Color above ash-gray or dull black, marked with spots and

longitudinal stripes of brown or black. Below whitish, with a

few brown specks on the side, and on the belly, behind the fore

limbs. The upper jaw is margined by a dark stripe, which is

widest in front and becomes gradually narrower on each side

to the angle of the mouth. Above this stripe is another pale

one which passes just beneath the eye and extends backward,

between the angle of the mouth and the tympanum, to the base

of the fore leg of each side. Both these bands are continuous

around the snout. Above the pale stripe are dark bands, one

for each side, which include the nostrils, rapidly widen to the

eyes, and are continued behind them to or beyond the middle

of the sides. Two other bands begin behind the eye, extend

along the sides of the back, and terminate a short distance

above and in front of the femora. A median dorsal band be-

gins on the snout, expands abruptly between the eyes, and ter-

minates at about two thirds the distance from the snout to the

posterior end of the body. At its posterior termination lie two

short stripes, one on each side of the middle line, reaching

back toward the end of the body. Legs colored like the back

above, with dark spots; pale below.

Length of body about 1.14; length from tip of snout to

axilla, 5; femur of hind leg, .87; tibia of hind leg, .41; tarsus

and fourth toe together, ^^^.

Occurs throughout the State. Specimens have been ex-

amined from Oregon, Piano, Normal, and Johnson county.

Kennicott reports the species from Cook county.

The above description will apply to most normally colored

adults; but it is to be remembered in using it that the species

is subject to a good deal of variation in markings, with locality,

age, and sex. The males are. as a rule, darker colored than

females and young, and the latter may lack the dorsal stripes

altogether, and may be speckled with brown. The median

dorsal stripe generally expands between the eyes, but some-



. Reptiles and AnipJiibiaiis of lllhiois. 345

times sends distinct branches to the latter, and in some exam-

ples these seem to have become isolated and form dark spots

above the eyes. The stripe is often interrupted, and may be

continuous with one or other of the short stripes which begin

at its posterior end. The two latter may be united for a part

of their length across the middle line.

With the first mild spring days, often before all the snow

and ice of winter have disappeared, the loud trill of this small

species may be heard from pools and ditches. The note is so

resonant that on quiet evenings it may be heard a half mile or

more and is commonly attributed to the larger frogs of

the genus Rana. When the note is uttered the vocal sac is

extended to its utmost and is larger than the head. Later

in the season the note is not heard and the species is not often

seen. It feeds upon insects. Hemiptera, Coleoptera, and in-

sects of other orders may be found in its stomach.

Hyla, Laurenti.

Laurenti, Synopsis Reptilium, 1768.

Hoffmann, Jironn's Thier-Reich, VI., Amphibien, p. 653; Cope,

ibid, p. 612 (quotation).

De Kay, Nat. Hist. N . Y., I., ZoOl. III., Kept, and Amph., 1842,

p. 71.

Digits expanded into evident discs at their tips. Toes

webbed, fingers more or less webbed, or free. Tympanum dis-

tinct. Eustachian tube well developed. No parotid. Tongue
broad, entire or slightly excised, adherent, or more or less free

behind. Teeth present on upper jaw and on vomers. Skin

smooth or a little roughened. Sacral diapophysis widely ex-

panded. A fontanel between the fronto-parietals. Inferior

eyelid transparent. Males with one or two vocal sacs.

This is a genus of arboreal frogs, the members of it

spending much of the time on trees and shrubs, to which they

cling by means of the large digital discs. They are very active,

leaping incredible distances when alarmed, but depending for

protection mainly on a ready power of suiting their color to the

surroundings. The species are most numerous in the neotropic

region. Twelve species occur in North America of which but

three have thus far been found in Illinois.



34(') Illinois State Lahorutoni q/' Nafural History.

Green or gray, with a yellow stripe on each side. No dark

markings. Body about l.T-'i inch long H. cinerba.

With an X-shaped dusky mark on the back. Snout produced

in front of the nostrils. Palms and soles not granulate.

Body about .87 inch long H. pickekingi.

With numerous irregular dark markings. Palms and soles

granulate. Snout bluntly rounded; nostrils almost ter-

minal. Body about l.C) inch long H. versicolor.

Hyla cinerea, Pennant. Bull Frog, Green Tree-frog,

Cinerf:ous Frog.

Var. cinerea.

Calamita cinerea, Schneider, Amph., 1, 174, 1799 (as cited by S.

Garman).
Hyla lateralis, Daudin, Hist. Nat. des. Rain., Gren. et ('rap.,

1802, p. 16, pi. II., fig. 1.— LeC, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y.,

1825, I., p. 279.— Harlan, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1820,

v., p. 341.— Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., 1841. VIII., p. 587.

H. carolinensls, Giintlier, Cat. Batr. 8al. in Coll. Brit. Mus., 18.58,

p. 105.— Cope, Check List N. A. Batr. and Kept., 1875.

—

Boulenger, Cat. Batr. Sal. in.. Coll. Brit. Mus., 2d ed., 1882,

Sal. Ecaudata, p, 377.— Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab.

Nat. Hist., I.. No. 5, 1883, p. 20; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Var. semifasciata.

Ilijla sciiiifasciaia, Hallowell, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1857,

p 307."

Of medium size; about 1.75 inches long. Skin smooth above,

largely granulate below. A single plantar tubercle; surface of

palm with none. Body moderately slender; head large. Eye

large and prominent. Tympanum circular in outline, about

two thirds the longitudinal diameter of the eye. Mandible

seen from below almost angulate in front, with a symphyseal

knob. Tongue short, obcordate, free at the sides and for about

one third its length behind; notched behind. Vomerine teeth

in two short transverse rows between the internal nares. Skin

of the belly and that of the inferior posterior part of the

femora distinctly and closely gi'anulate. Middle of throat also

with a few small granulations. Skin elsewhere smooth. Webs



Reptiles and Aiiipliihiinis of Illinois. 347

of fiagers very small; discs large, that of the first digit smallest.

Hind legs long and slender. Webs of toes extending to the

base of the distal phalanx in all bat the fourth toe, where they

reach the base of the penultimate phalanx; discs not as large

as those of the fingers.

Color above from bright pea-green through various shades

of gray to almost black, with specks of orange on the back, and

a wide buff or silvery stripe beginning at the tip of the snout

and extending along the upper jaw, under the tympanum and

along the side, to the posterior end of the body, or terminating

on the side of the abdomen. Iris golden, pupil elongate in

life. Color beneath yellowish or flesh-color, unspotted; throat

at the angle of the mouth greenish. Legs green or gray above,

pale beneath; discs and webs pale. A pale stripe extends along

the posterior face and upon the base of the fourth finger of the

anterior leg. A similar pale stripe extends along the posterior

face of the tarsus and is continued upon the fifth toe of the

posterior leg.

Length of body, 2.06; from tip of snout to axilla, .75;

femur, 1; tibia, 1.00; tarsus and fourth toe together, 1.44.

The foregoing measurements are taken from a single Illinois

example, and are above the average for the species. Typical

examples of the species are said to average less than 1.5 inches

in length.

Southern Illinois. Abundant about lakes.

An example of this species from Bluff Lake, Union county,

conforms more closely with Hallowell's variety seniifasciata

than with type forms of the species. It differs from the latter

in its greater size and in that the lateral pale stripe terminates

on the middle of the side. This stripe was, in life, bordered

below on the snout, and both below and above on the side, with

dusky. The pale stripe on the posterior face of the anterior

leg was also bordered below by a dusky line.

This is the most beautiful tree-frog of our fauna. It lives

on the leaves of plants, frequenting especially lily pads and

other aquatic vegetation at the edges of lakes. It occurs also,

at times, in fields of corn. Its food consists of insects, the

common fly being, it is said, preferred. Its note resembles the

tone of a cow bell heard at a distance. Where abundant



348 Jllinois Siri'e Xjaboratori/ oj Natural History.

about water, the frogs are very noisy just before dusk, the

chorus being broken, however, by longer or shorter inter-

vals of silence. A single note is first heard, and, as if that

were a signal, it is taken up and repeated by a dozen noisy

throats till the air is resonant with the sound. After a time it

ceases as suddenly as it began, to be again resumed after a

period of quiet.

Hyla pickeringi, Holbr. Castanet Tree - frog, Piping

Tree-frog.

HylodesinGkeringii, Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, IV , p. 13o, pi. 34.—

De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III., Rept. and Amph.,

1842, p. 69, pi. 20. fig. 51.

Hyla pickerinijii, LeC, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phlla.. 1854. VII.,

p. 429.— kenn., Trans. 111. State Agr. See, 1853-54, I., p. 593.

—Cope, Check List ^^^. A. Batr. and Uept., 1875.—Boulenger,

Cat. Batr. Sal. in Coll. Brit. Mus., 2d ed., 1882, Sal. Ecaudata,

p. 399.—Yarrow, Check List N. A. Rept. and Batr., 1882.—

Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5,

1883, p. 20; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

A small delicate species, about .87 inch long. Skin mostly

smooth above, granulate beneath and on sides. Palms with a

few small tubercles and one large one; base of first finger with

a tubercle. Soles smooth, with a well-developed tubercle at the

base of the first toe, and a minute one at the bases of the

fourth and fith toes, the latter sometimes wanting. Body very

slender; head large and long, flat above; limbs slender and

weak. Snout produced, distinctly projecting beyond the nos-

trils, somewhat angulate. Mandible seen from below rounded

in front, the sides less divergent posteriorly than usual; not

swollen in front so as to form a knob. Tongue large, obcor-

date, notched, and in part free behind. Tympanum slightly

elongate vertically, its vertical diameter about two thirds the

longitudinal diameter of the eye. Dorsum mostly smooth, with

a few granules above each eye. Belly and ventral surface of

femora coarsely, throat and ventral portion of the sides finely,

granulate. Surface elsewhere smooth. Fingers longer and

more slender than usual, the third especially long; web wanting

between the first and second fingers, almost imperceptible

between the others. Toes also long and slender; webs very



Reptiles and At}iphibi(tns of Illinois. 349

small, minute between the first aud second toes and only reach-

ing; the base of the antepenultimate phalanx ot' the fourth toe.

Discs at tips of digits only moderately large.

Color above some shade of gray or brown, with narrow

lines of dark brown or black, the principal of which are dis-

posed on the back in the form of a large letter X
;
pale beneath.

The ground color is usually pale brown. The anterior arms of

the X-shaped mark converge from just behind the eyes to the

middle of the back, where they meet; and from this point the

two posterior arms diverge posteriorly and ventrally. Another

mark behind this sometimes resembles an inverted letter V. A
dark band, well defined above but fading into the ground color

below, extends along the side of the suout to the anterior border

of the eye. A wider band, which includes the tympanum, extends

from the posterior border of the eye toward the base of the

anterior leg. Two lines, one above each eye, sometimes unite

across the median line and form a triangular spot. Iris golden,

pupil black. The legs above are like the back in color and are

banded with brown, two or three wide bands occurring on the

femora and on the tibia3. A dark line is generally present on

the posterior surface of all the legs. A dark spot overlies the

vent. Body and legs uniformly pale beneath, or with the throat

yellowish, speckled with dusky.

Length of body, .87; from tip of snout to axilla, .44; femur,

.44; tibia, .5; tarsus and fourth toe, .61). These measurements

are from a single specimen.

The species is sparingly distributed throughout the State.

Cook county (Kennicott), Aux Plains River (Ridgway), Run-
ning Lake in Union county.

Though so delicate in appearance this tree-frog is really

one of the most hardy of our frogs. In Massachusetts

Mr. J. A. Allen found it the first to become active in the

spring, and often when the weather was severely cold. The
eggs were found by Prof. F. A. Putnam on the 17th of

April, placed singly upon plants at some distance apart. The
note is a clicking or piping noise.



850 Illinois State Laborafori/ of Natural Historij.

Hyla versicolor, LeC. Common Tuee-toad.

Ilyla versicolor, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y.. 1H25, I., p. 281.—

Harlan, .Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1826, V., p. 34:i—Dum. et

Bibr^Erp.Gen. 1841,VIir., p.SOi}.—De Kay, N;<t. Hist. N. Y.,

I., Zool. III., 1842, Kept, and Araph.,p. 71. pi. XXL, fig.' 53.—

Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, IV., p. 115, pi. XXVIII. — Kenn.,

Trans. 111. State Agr. Soc, 1853 54, 1., p. 592.— Cope, Check
List N. A. J3atr. and Rept, 1875.—Boulenger, Cat. Batr. Sal.

in Coll. J3rit. Mus., 2d ed .1882, Sal. Ecaudata, p. 372. -Yar-
row, Check List, 1882. —Davis and Rice. Hull. Ill State Lab.

Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 20; Bull. Chicago Acad. Nat.

Sci., 1883.

Toad-like; of medium size, about 1.6 inches long. With
small warts above; closely granulate over most of the ventral

surface. Palms granulate, with a large grooved tubercle; a

second tubercle on the basal part of the first finger. Soles

granulate, with an elongate tubercle at the base of the first

toe, and a very small one at the base of the fourth and fifth

toes. Body stout; head only moderately large; limbs strong.

Snout bluntly rounded. Mandible seen from below rounded

or truncate in front, produced upwards at symphysis, but not

swollen in front, as in H. cinerea, so as to form a knot. Tongue

very short and broad, free for about one third its length be-

hind, and with a small notch. Vomerine teeth in two short

rows, slightly separated, between the internal nares. Eye large.

Tympanum about two thirds the longitudinal diameter of the

eye, beneath a rounded fold of the skin. Warts of the dorsal

surface small and isolated; entire under surface granulate, that

of the abdomen sharply and closely; that of the throat more

finely and less closely; while that of a wide strip between the

anterior legs is minutely granulate or nearly smooth. Legs

obscurely granulate excepting the posterior surface of the

humeri and the upper surface (proper) of the posterior feet,

which are smooth, and the ventral surface of the femora, which

are sharply and closely granulate. Webs of fingers small; of

toes rather large, reaching the distal phalanx in all but the

fourth toe, where they reach the penultimate.

Color above ash-gray, brown, or green, variously marked

with dark bands and spots. A pale spot beneath each eye with

a dark one behind it, and an oblique dark band on the head



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 351

above each eye are coustaiit. Beneath pale, throat dusky, or

with a few dark specks; yellow on posterior part of belly and

ventral side of femora. Upper lip more or less dusky. A dark

band extends from the nostril to the anterior upper angle of

the eye. A quadrate pale spot lies between the eye and the

angle of the mouth, and is bounded posteriorly by a dark spot,

which extends from the posterior rim of the eye upward and

backward, including the tympanum, toward the base of the

anterior leg. Markings of the back brown or blackish, with

narrow black margins. Two bands start, one on each side,

from the dorsal margins of the eyes and extend toward the

middle line and posteriori}^; they are sometimes united across

the line. The spots of the back are large, of very irregular

form, and are not just alike in any two specimens. Sometimes
the greater part of the surface is occupied by a brown patch,

with processes of the same, color passing out from it; often

four smaller spots lie two on each side of the middle line; and

various other degrees of fusion or isolation of the spots occur.

Flanks with small brown spots. Legs and feet dark above,

banded with brown or black; pale below. Femur with two
dorsal transverse bands, marbled posteriorly with purple or

brown, yellow below; tibia also with two dorsal bands; tarsus

with one band.

Length of body, 1.44-2; from tip of snout to axilla, .02-87;

femur, .G9-.92; tibia, .71-.94; tarsus and fourth toe together,

.94-1.21.

Common throughout the State. Cook county (Kennicott),

Aux Plains River (Ridgway), Yorkville, Rock Island, Gales-

burg, Peoria (Brendel), Normal, Anna.

Besides the variation in the markings of adults, noted

above, there is great variation in the ground color, dependent

on a number of circumstances. Young specimens taken on
the leaves of plants are green, with few or no dark marks.

Adults also vary in general color from greenish through shades

of gray to almost white, but the color most common is ash-gray.

This frog is commonly found on fences, the walls of buildings,

the trunks of trees, or on leaves of plants. Its note is often

heard in midsummer in the evening and just before rains. The
voice is ventriloquous, and this, with the power which the frogs



852 Illinois Stale Lobomfori/ of Natiind Ifisfor'/.

possess of suiting their color to the surface they rest upon,

makes their capture diflficult. They pass the winter in hollow

trees and logs. The food consists of insects ; ants, moths,

and Coleoptera (click beetles, etc.) being found in their

stomachs. A small specimen from southern Illinois, taken on

blackberry leaves, had stuffed its stomach with numbers of a

small ant, Cremasfogasfer li)ieoIata.

The "mummified frog" referred to by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt

in "Science,'' Vol. VIII., p. 279, obtained from a lump of coal

in Bloomiogton, McLean county, Illinois (Shufeldt writes it

McLean Co., Penu., and later corrects to Burlington, 111.), was

examined at the Illinois Laboratory soon after it was found.

It was beyond doubt a dried up example of this species which,

by some accident, had got among the coal.

ORDER URODELA.

(Amphibia Caudata, Icthyomorpha, etc.)

Body elongated and more or less cylindrical. Anterior and

posterior legs of nearly equal size (posterior pair wanting in

the family Sirenidse). Digits varying as follows: 2-2, 8-2, 3-3,

4-4, or 4-5, the last combination being the commonest. Man-

dible generally with teeth (wanting in the Sirenidae). Adults

with tails. Vertebral column composed of many vertebrae,

with no terminal solid coccyx. Sternal arch not complete, the

clavicles and coracoids not meeting at the ventral median line.

Radius and ulna not fused. Tibia and fibula separate. Proxi-

mal tarsal bones not elongate nor fused at their extremities.

The adults are known as tritons, salamanders, and mud-

puppies. They move on the land by walking or running, and

swim in the water by an undulating movement of the tail and

body. The food consists of insects, Crustacea, and mollusks.

The young are generally tadpoles, living in the water and re-

spiring by means of branchiae (a few never enter the water at

any age). They possess teeth like those of the adults and feed

mainly upon animal food, Entomostraca, Brauchiopoda, and

Cladocera often constituting the greater part of it. They may

be known from the tadpoles of the order Anura, by their more

elongate bodies and the absence of horny plates on the jaws.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 353

SYNOPSIS OF THE FAMILIES REPRESENTED IN ILLINOIS.

1 ( 2). Branchial tufts persistent. Vertebrae amphicoeli-

an 11.

2(1). Branchial tufts lacking in adults 3.

3(4). Vertebrae amphicoelian 7.

4(3). Vertebrae opisthoccelian 5.

5 ( 6). Tongue small, and free only at the sides. Palatine

teeth in two longitudinal series. No parasphe-

noid teeth. Occipital condyles sessile.

Pleurodelid^.

6(5.) Tongue rather large, free laterally and posteriorly.

Palatine teeth in transverse series. Two para-

sphenoid patches of teeth. Occipital condyles

with pedicels Desmognathid^.

7 ( 8). Tongue attached by a pedicel and all its margin

free, or by a narrow median strip, and free later-

ally and posteriorly. Palatine teeth transverse.

Parasphenoid teeth present. Carpus and tarsus

cartilaginous. Pterygoids wanting.

Plethodontid^.

8(7). Tongue largely attached, free in front and at the

sides 9.

9(10). Branchial apertures closed in adults. Palatine

series of teeth nearly or quite transverse, on the

posterior margin of the palatine bones. No
parasphenoid teeth. Carpus and tarsus ossified.

Pterygoids present Amblystomid^.

10 ( 9). Branchial apertures open (in our species) or closed.

Palatine series of teeth not transverse, on the

anterior margin of the palatine bones. Carpus

and tarsus cartilaginous Menopomid.*;.

11 (12). With two pairs of legs. Jaws provided with teeth.

Teeth on the roof of the mouth in an arched

series Proteid^.



354 Illinois State Lnhondori/ of Naturdl llisfori/.

12 (11). Posterior leajs and the pelvic bones lacking. Jaws

with horny plates instead of teeth. Teeth on

the roof of the mouth in two large patches.

SiKENIDiE.

Family PLEURODELID^.
Branchial opening^s closed in adults, no tufts. Fingers

four; toes five. Palatine teeth in two longitudinal series borne

posteriorly on processes of the palatine bones, which project

backward beneath the parasphenoid. Eyelids present. Teeth

on maxillaries and premaxillaries. No parasphenoid teeth.

Tongue free at the sides. Parietals not embracing frontals.

Pterygoids and prefrontals present. Occipital condyles sessile.

Carpal and tarsal bones ossified. Ribs small. Vertebrae

opisthocoelian.

DIE3MYOTYLUS, RafINESQUE.

Rafinesque, Ann. Nat., 1820.

Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, XI., p 126.

Smith (Notophthalmus), Tailed Amphibians, 1877, p. 103.

Tongue small, free at the sides. Palatine teeth in two

longitudinal series which diverge slightly posteriorly. Pro-

cesses from the frontals and tympanic bones forming an arch

behind the orbit. The first and fifth toes rudimentary. Tail

strongly compressed. Skin above the eyes and on the jaws

with large mucous pores.

Two species referable to this genus occur in the United

States. The following is the only one which occurs in the

Eastern and Middle States. It is the closest ally of the

European tritons which our fauna furnishes us.

Diemyctylus miniatus, Raf. Newt, Eft, Evet, Red

Eft, Spotted Teiton.

Form miniatus.

Trlturas )ii,lniatu.<i, Raf. Ann. Nat., 1820.

Notophtlmlnms miniatus, Baird, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 2d

Ser., 1849, I., p. 284.

Salamandra symmetrica, De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III.,

Kept, and Amph., 1842, p. 73, pi. 15, fig. 33.



lieptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. d^o

Salamandra cocemea, De Kay, 1. c, p. 81, pi. 21, fig. 54

Noto2^Mh (limns miniatus, Kenn., Trans. 111. State Agr. Soc.

1853-54, I., p. 55t3.

Diemyctylvs muihttiis, subsp. miniatus, Davis and Rice, Bull.

ill. state Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 15; Bull, Chicago

Acad. Sci., 1883.

Form viridescens.

Triturus viridescens, Raf., Ann. Nat., 1820.

Notoplithdlmns I'iridfsccns, Bnird, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila.,

2d Ser., 1849, 1., p. 284.

Triton miilejiniictat/is, De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zoo\ III.,

Kept, and Amph., 1842, p. 84, pi. 15, fig. 134.

JS'oto2)htli(i!mns viridescens, Kenn., Trans. 111. State Agr. Soc.

1853-54, I., p. 593.

Diemyctylus miniatus, subsp. viridescens, Davis and Rice, Bull.

111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 15; Bull. Chicago
Acad. Sci. 1883.

M(dye viridescf-ns, Boulenger, Cat. Batr, Sal. in Coll. Brit. Mus.,

2d ed., 1882, Sal. Caudata, p. 21.

Length, including the tail, about three inches. Body
somewhat irusiform. Skin smooth or scabrous. Head small,

bluntly rounded. Tongue small. Eye small. Anterior legs

slender, with four digits, the first of which is shortest, the

fourth next in length, and the third longest. Posterior legs

much larger than the anterior legs, with five digits, the first

and fifth of which are rudimentary. Vent situated in a promi-

nence. Tail strongly compressed.

Color above olive-brown or brownish red, with numerous
black specks, and on each side a longitudinal series of red spots

enclosed in black rings.

Beneath pale yellow or salmon-red uniformly sprinkled

with round black spots. Upper lip pale, with a few dark

specks. A dark band extends from the nostril through the

eye and terminates above the base of the anterior leg. Pupil

of the eye black; iris golden or reddish. Dorsal surfaces of

the legs colored like the back; ventral surfaces, like the belly.

Tail dark above, pale below, speckled with black.

Length, including tail, 3.50; tail, 1.75.



356 Illinois State Laboratonj of Natural llisforij.

The species occurs throughout the State and is not uncom-

mon in northern and southern Illinois. Cook Co. (Kennicott),

Geneva, Delavan, Peoria (Brendel), Mt. Carmel (Ridgway),

Cave in Rock, Grand Tower.

Form miiiiatus.

Skin scabrous. Tail with no, or with a very slight, fin-

like expansion above and below. Color brownish red above,

salmon-red below. Terrestrial,

Form viridescens.

Skin smooth. Tail with a fin-like membranous expansion

above and below. Color olive-brown above, pale yellow below.

Aquatic.

The colors vary a good deal in both forms. The number
of red spots of the longitudinal series varies from one to seven,

and the number may not be the same on the two sides of the

same animal. In nearly grown young they are, at least occa-

sionally, wanting. In addition to the red spots of the longitudi-

nal series there are often a few others farther down on the sides.

The limits of the two colors of the dorsal and ventral surfaces

are clearly defined, and they may be separated along the sides

by an obscure dark line. A pale vertebral stripe is not uncom-

mon. The males may be known by the enlarged posterior legs.

These limbs are used for clasping the females during sexual

union, and on the ventral surface of each is a series of trans-

versely elongate corneous black tubercles, which are doubtless

of service in maintaining the embrace. The digits are fur-

nished with similar corneous tips. The posterior legs of the

female are smaller than those of the other sex and lack the

tubercles. The form miniatus occurs under stones, logs, etc,

and appears to be strictly terrestrial. The form viridescens^ on

the other hand, is always found in the water, either in small

streams or quiet pools. The movements, whether on land or

in water, are not rapid, and specimens may be captured quite

easily with the hands. The food consists of insects, small

moUusks, and crustaceans, the latter constituting an important

element of the food of the aquatic form. The species eaten



Reptiles and Amiihihians of Illinois. 357

belonpf in the main to the groups Branchiopoda and Ostracoda.

I have observed the sexes engaged in the reproductive act in

July, but this was probably preparatory to a second brood, for

I have now before me a nearly grown larva which was taken

in southern Illinois April 20, and is probably the offspring of

adults which met early in spring.

Family DESMOGNATHID^.

No branchial tufts; opening closed in adults. Fingers

four; toes five. Palatine teeth borne on transverse processes

of the palatine bones. Parasphenoid with two thin plates

bearing elongate patches of teeth. Parietals not embracing

frentals. Prefrontals and pterygoids wanting. Occipital con-

dyles with pedicels. Carpus and tarsus cartilaginous. Verte-

bra? opisthocffilian.

Peculiar to America.

Desmognathus, Baird. •

JJaird. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sei. Phila., 2d Ser., 1849, 1., 282.

Cope, Proc. Acad, Nat. Sci. Phila., 1869, p. 112.

Tongue large, free laterally and posteriorly. Palatine

teeth in two short series on transverse processes of the palatine

bones. Premaxillaries united, embracing a narrow fontanel.

Parietals ossified. Tail subcylindrical at base, compressed dis-

tally. With lateral series of mucous pores.

An examination of the cranial bones and vertebra? is nec-

essary to separate members of this genus from those of Pletho-

don. There are no essential external differences between the

two genera. Three species are known from the eastern United

States, and two of them occur in Illinois.

Desmognathus nigra, Green. Bi.ack Salamander.

HahinKdidra nit/ra, Green, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1818, 1.,

p. 352.

Triton ni<jer, De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III., Kept, and
Araph., 1842. p. 8.^j, pi. 1.5, fig. 35.— Ilolbr., N. A. Ilerp., 1842,

v., p. 81, pi. 27.

Desntoi/natlius nicjer, IJaird, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 2d Ser.,

1849, 1., p. 285.



358 Illinois State Lahoratonj of Natural Ilistonj.

DesniDi/nat litis niuni, Cope, Pioc. Acad. Nat. Sci. I'hila., 18»W,

p. 117.

Desmo(jnathus ni'/er, Boiilenger, Cat. Hatr Sal. in Coll. Brit.

Mus., 2d ed., 1882, Sal. Caudata, p. 19.

Desmut/ndtJiiis nii/ra, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lai). Nat.

Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 14; liull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Length, including tail, from four to six inches. With
twelve costal folds. Body rather stout. Head of moderate

size; snout rounded. Eyes prominent, with a tubercle in the

anterior angle. Tongue nearly circular in outline. With two

series of pores on the side, the superior of which extends from

the eye nearly to the tip of the tail. Tail almost cylindrical at

its base, compressed, and with a dorsal membranous expansion

distally.

Color above and below brown or black, slightly paler be-

neath. Lips, palms, and soles paler.

Length of body, (>; tail, 2.8.

Cook county.

A specimen of this species is in the National Museum at

Washington, labeled as having been collected in Cook county

by Robert Kennicott. Outside Illinois the species is chiefly

confined to the coast states, and is especially abundant in the

mountains of Pennsylvania and farther south. It is to be

looked for under stones in running water. Hallowell found

the females distended with eggs in April, and counted as many
as seventy yellowish ova in the ovaries of one individual.

When about one and a half inches long they lose the gills.

The young are exceedingly active.

Desraognathus fusca, Raf. Dusky or Painted Sala-

mander.

Trltnrasfuscus, Raf., Ann. Nat., 1820.

Sdhimaiidnt pii-t<i, De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III., Rapt.

and Amph., 1842, p. 75.

i^alanumdra quadrinutctihtta, Ilolbr., N. A. Ilerp., 1842, V.,

p. 49, pi. 13.

Desinoi/iKithiis fuscits, J3aird, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Piiila., 2d

Ser., 1849, 1., p. 285.—Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. PMla., 1869,

p. 115.

Pletliodon fuscus. Smith, Tailed Amphibians, 1877, p. 69.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 359

Desmognaihus fuscus, Boulenger, Cdt. Batr. ISal. in Coll. Brit.

Mus., 2d ed., 1882, Sal. Caudata, p. 77.

Desmognathuft /iiscti.s,suhs'p. ftisrus,l>a,v\s and Rice, Bull. Ill,

State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 14; Bull. Chicago
Acad. Sci., 1883.

Length, including the tail, about three and a half inches.

With fourteen costal folds. Body moderately stout. Head of

moderate size, snout prolonged. Eyes prominent, with a tu-

bercle in the anterior angle. Tongue oblong oval in outline.

Two series of lateral pores, the superior of which is imperfect,

or may be lacking. Tail subcylindrical at the base, compressed

and carinate above, with a dorsal membranous expansion dis-

tally.

Color above brown, marbled with pink and gray, paler and

marbled beneath and on the sides. Young with two dorsal

longitudinal series of pink spots; old individuals uniform

blackish.

Length of body, 2.3; tail, 1.76.

Mt. Carmel (Ridgway).

This species is reported by Messrs. Davis and Rice as

occurring throughout the State. It lives in swift flowing

brooks, under stones. The eggs are laid embedded in strings of

gelatinous material and are carried wrapped about the body of

one of the adults. There are two varieties of the species, but

only the variety fiisca has been observed in Illinois. The
variety auriculata may be looked for in southern Illinois. Prof.

Cope characterizes the two forms as follows:

Above brown, with gray or pink shades; sides and belly mar-

bled, the pale predominating; no red spots on sides.

var. FUSCA.

Above and sides black; the latter with a series of small red

spots; a red spot from eye to canthus of mouth present or

absent; belly marbled, the dark predominating.

var. AURICULATA.

10



300 Illinois State Lahoratonj of Natural History.

Family PLETHODONTID^.

No branchial tufts; openings closed in adults. With four

legs, fingers four, toes four or five. Palatine series of teeth

more or less transverse. Eyelids present. Teeth on the niax-

illaries and premaxillaries. Parasphenoid teeth present. The

tongue attached by a slender median pedicel and free all round,

or attached by a median strip which extends from the anterior

margin to about the middle, the tongue being thus free at the

sides and behind. Palatines not prolonged over the parasphe-

noid. Pterygoids wanting. Prefrontals present, not prolonged

and embracing frontals. Premaxillaries generally embracing

a fontanel. Occipital condyles sessile. Carpus and tarsus car-

tilaginous. Vertebrae amphicoelian.

SYNOPSIS OF ILLINOIS GENERA..

1 (2). Tongue attached by a pedicel and free all round. One

premaxillary bone, with a fontanel. Fingers four;

toes five, free. Cranial bones ossified Spelerpes

2 (1). Tongue attached by a median strip and free at the sides

and behind. Two premaxillary bones 3.

3 (4). Fingers four; toes five. Parietals ossified .. Plethodon.

4 (3). Fingers four; toes four. Parietals ossified.

Hemidactylium.

Spelerpes, Kaf.

Rafinesque, Atlantic Jour. 1832, 1., p. 22.

Hoffmann, Bronn's Thier-Reich, VI., Amphibien, p. 670.

Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1869, p. 104.

Tongue small, circular in outline, attached by a pedicel,

free at its margins. Vomerine teeth more or less transverse,

interrupted medially or continuing to the parasphenoid patches;

the latter in two large posteriorly divergent patches. Costal

grooves well marked. Tail long, with no membranes. Species

mostly small.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 361

ILLINOIS SPKCIES.

1 (2). Vomerine teeth continuous with the parasphenoid

patches. Costal grooves fifteen or sixteen. General

color red or brown with numerous dark spots and

specks S. RUBER.

2 (1). Vomerine teeth not continuous with the parasphenoid

groups 3.

3 (4). Costal grooves thirteen. Tail very long, with black

vertical bars. General color yellow, the sides thickly

marked with black S. longicaudus.

4(3). Costal grooves thirteen. Tail of moderate length, with

no vertical bars. General color yellow, with a black

stripe on each side of the back S. bilineatus.

Spelerpes ruber, Latr. Red Salamander.

Salamandra rubra, Latr., Hist. Nat. des Reptiles, 1802. IV., p.

305.—De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III., Kept, and

Amph., 1842, p. 80, pi. 17, fig. 43.— Holbr. N. A. Herp., 1842,

v., p. 35, pi. 9.

Pseadotriton ruber, Baird, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 2d Ser.,

1849, I., p. 286.

BoUtoglossa ruhra. Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., 1854, IX., p. 89.

Spelerpes ruber, Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1869, pp. 105,

107.— Smith, Tailed Amphibians, 1877, p. 86.— Boulenger,

Cat. Batr. Sal. in Coll. Brit. Mus., 2d ed., 1882, Sal. Caudata,

p. 62.

Spelerpes ruber, subsp. ruber, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State

Lab. Nat. Hist., I.. No. 5, 1883, p. 13; Bull. Chicago Acad.

Sci., 1883. .

Length, including tail, about five and a half inches. With

fifteen or sixteen costal folds. Body moderately slender. Head

not clearly marked off from the body. Gape rather small.

Jaws strong. Snoub short. Eyes rather small and not very

prominent. Tongue circular in outline, attached by a slender

pedicel only. Palatine series of teeth extending outside the

inner nares and within continuous with the sphenoidal patches.

Tail short and strong, cylindrical at its base, compressed and

ensiform distally; no membranous expansion.



M2 Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History.

Color above red or reddish brown, with numerous dusky

specks or spots, the latter often distinct and round, or obscure

and of irregular size and shape, sometimes even fusing so as

to form an irregular mottling of the surface. Below pale

orange or flesh-color, unspotted. Legs spotted above, pale be-

low. Lower jaw generally more or less spotted.

Length from tip of the snout to the posterior margin of

the vent, 3,25; tail from the posterior margin of vent to the

tip, 2.25.

Aux Plaines River.

A specimen of the species in the collection of the Na-

tional Museum at Washington is the only one known from the

State. It was collected by Robert Kennicott. This is a fine

strong species of great activity, which occurs under stones

both on the land and in running streams of spring water.

The female has been observed with the body distended with

ova in the latter part of April. Several varieties are indicated

in the lists, but it is doubtful if they are entitled to that rank.

Spelerpes longicaudus, Green. Long-tailed Salamander.

Salamandra longicauda, Green, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila.,

1818, 1., p. 351.—De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III., Kept,

and Amph., 1842, p. 78, pi. 17, fig. 41.—Holbr.,N. A. Herp.,

1842, v., p. 61, pi. 19.—Baird, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Thila, 2d

Ser, 1849, p. 287.

Cylindrosoma longicaudatum, Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., 1854,

IX., p. 78.

Sj^elerpes longicaudus, Cope, Free. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1869,

pp. 105, 107.— Smith, Tailed Amphibians, 1877, p. 84.— Bou-

lenger, Cat. Batr. Sal. in Coll. Brit. Mas., 2d ed , 1883, Sal.

Caudata, p. 64 — Davis and Rice, Bull. III. State Lab. Nat.

Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 13; Bull. Chicago Nat. Sci., 1883.

Length, including the tail, about five inches. With thir-

teen costal folds. Body very slender. Head of moderate size,

slightly wider than the neck, depressed. Eyes prominent.

Gape large; jaws weak; margin of upper lip angulate on each

side and slightly excavate between the angulations. Tongue

attached by a distinct pedicel. Palatine series of teeth not ex-

tending outside the inner nares, and not continuous with the

sphenoidal patches. Tail extremely long and slender, subquad-



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 3(33

rangular iu section at its base, gradually taperiug and com-

pressed toward the tip.

Color above and below yellowish l)rown, or l)rownish yel-

low, or pale yellowish, with small spots or specks of black on

the back, often consisting of a more or less perfect vertel)ral

series and, generally, with the sides thickly marked with black,

which on the body forms a closely mottled area with scalloped

upper margin, and on the sides of the tail, vertical bars which

may be angulate posteriorly. Immaculate l^elow. Legs spotted

with black al)Ove, uniformly pale or with a few spots below.

Length of the body from tip of snout to the posterior

margin of the vent, 2; tail, from posterior margin of the vent

to the tip, 3.31.

Southern Illinois, abundant. Makanda, Cobden, Saratoga,

Johnson Co.

A consideral)le range of variation is presented by the

species. The plan of coloration is that described above, i. e.,

plain belly, closely marked sides, and slightly speckled back;

l)ut young examples and occasional well-grown ones may have

the back uniformly marked with rather large black spots or

with numerous fine specks. In some young the spots are

not aggregated on the sides, but these specimens generally

show a tendency to such aggregation in a broken row of elon-

gate spots on the superior part of the side and in an obsolete

mottling of the surface l)elow it. The throat may be obso-

letely mottled with brownish. This little animal has l^een

called the cave salamander, and is said to frequent the waters

of deep caverns. It is one of the most aljundant of its kind

in the extreme southern part of the State, where it is commonly

found under logs and stones, occasionally associated with Fleth-

odon ghdinosns. I have never seen it in water, and have

taken l)ut one example from a cave, though caves in vari-

ous parts of the region in which the species occurs have been

carefully searched. It is an active little fellow, reseml»ling

the lizards in the quickness of its movements when attempting

to escape capture.



3()4: Illinois State Lal>o)-tttonj of Natiiial llistonj.

Spelerpes bilineatus, Green.

Salamandra bisUneata, Green, Jour. Acad. iSJat. Sci. Phila., 1818,

I., p. 352.

Salamandra bilineaia, De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III.,

Eept. and Amph., 1842, p. 79, pi. 23, fig. 67.— Holbr., N. A.

II«rp., 1842, IX., p. 55. pi. 16.

Spelerpes hilinedta, Baird, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 2d !Ser.,

1849, 1., p. 287.

Bolitoglossa biliueata, Dum. et liibr.. Erp. Gen., 1854, IX., p. 91.

Spelerpes hilineatns, Cope, Froc. Acad. Nat. -Sci. Phila., 186'.t, pp.

105, 107.— Smith, Tailed Amphibians, 1877, p. 83.— Bou'en-

ger, Cat. Batr. Sal. in Coll. Brit. Mus., 2d ed., 1882, Sal. Cau-

data, p. 66.—Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist.,

I., No. 5, 1883, p. 13; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Total length about four inches. With fourteen costal

folds. Small, body slender. Head small, slightly wider than

the neck, snout rounded. Eye prominent. I^alatine teeth not

extending outside the inner nares and not continuous with the

sphenoidal patches. Tail long and slender, suhcylindrical at

base, slightly compressed distally.

Color al)Ove brownish yellow, with a distinct narrow black

stripe extending from the posterior margin of the eye to near

the tip of the tail. Beneath yellow, immaculate.

Length of body to the vent, 1.42; tail, from the vent to

the tip, 3.88.

This small species is included on the authority of Messrs.

Davis and Rice. Dr. Hoy has collected it at Racine, Wis. A
form of the species originally descril)ed as Salamandra rirrigera

possesses two barl)els on the snout. The habits, as far as known,

are like those of S. Jongicandus.

PlethoDON, Tschudi.

Tschudi, Batr., 1883, p. 92.

Hoffmann, Bronn's Thier-Reich, VI , Amphibien, p. 668.

Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1869, p. m.

Tongue moderately large, attached 1)y a median strip, free

laterally and posteriorly. Palatine teeth interrupted medially.

Parasphenoid patches of teeth in contact at the middle line.

Costal grooves well marked. Tail rather long, with no mem-

branous expansion. Species mostly of small size.



Reptiles ami Amphibians of Illinois. 305

The following will separate the two species known to

occur in Illinois:

With fourteen costal grooves. Palatine series of teeth extend-

ing outside the inner nares. Color black, with gray spots,

most numerous on the sides. Moderately stout.

P. GLUTINOSUS.

With from sixteen to nineteen costal grooves. Palatine teeth

not extending outside the inner nares. Color dark gray,

with or without a red longitudinal dorsal band. Rather

slender P. erythrokotus.

Plethodon glutinosus, Green. Gray-spotted Salamander.

Salamandra glutinosa, Green, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Pbila., 1818,

I., p. 357.—De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III., Kept, and
Amph., 1842, p. 81, pi. 17, tig. 42.— Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842,

p. 39, pi. 1©.

Plethodon glutinosa, Baird, Jour. Acad, Nat. Sci. Phila., 2d Ser.,

1849, p. 285.

Cylindrosoma glutinosum, Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., 1854, IX.,

p. 80.

Plethodon glutinosus, Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 18()9,

pp. 99, 100.—Smith, Tailed Amphibians, 1877, p. 66.— Bou-
lenger, Cat. Batr. Sal. in Coll. Brit. Mus., 2d ed, 1883, Sal.

Caudata, p. 56.— Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat.
Plist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 12; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Length, including the tail, about five and a half inches.

With fourteen costal folds. Body slender. Head depressed.

Eye prominent, no tubercle in its anterior angle. Palatine

teeth in two series which extend outside the inner nares.

Tongue large, nearly circular in outline, attached for al)out

three fourths its length by a narrow strip along its middle, l)e-

ginning near the anterior margin. Tail cylindrical at its base,

gradually tapering to the tip, very slightly compressed distally,

no mem1)ranous expansion.

Color al)Ove and below bluish 1)lack in adults, l)rownish

black above and pale brownish below in young, with numerous

small grayish white spots, which are often aggregated on the

sides or form larger white blotches there. Throat, gular fold,

palms, soles, digits, and under side of the tail more or less

brownish.



360 Illinois State L(ibon(tori/ of Nulnral Hii^tonj.

Length of l)ody. 2.02; tail, 2.31.

Southern Illinois, abundant. Makanda, Cobdeu, Anna,

Saratoga, W. North field (Yarrow).

The head and ventral side of the tail are as a rule almost.

or quite devoid of spots. Young examples generally have the

spots as numerous on the top of the head as elsewhere. The

margins of the vent are pale in the darkest examples. Under

stones and logs in southern Illinois this salamander is very

abundant. It sometimes occurs in caves. I have never seen

it in the water. Once disclosed, it is easily captured, as its

movements are not rapid. It has been reported common
throughout the State, ]>ut occurs in lal)oratory collections made

in Union county only, though doubtless it is common in other

counties adjacent.

Plethodon erythronotus, Green. Red-backed Salamander.

Var. erythronota.

Salamandra erythronota. Green, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila.,

1818, 1., p. 356.— Harlan, .Four. Acad. Nat. ISci. Phila., 187(5,

v., p. 329.— Storer, Best. Jour. Nat. Hist., 1840, III., p. 53.

Pletliodon erythronota, Baird, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila.. 2d

Ser., 1849, 1., p. 285.

Plethodon erythronotus, var eryl?ironotus, Cope, Pros. Acad.

Nat. Sci. Phila., 1869, pp. 99, 100.

Plethodon cinereus, subsp. erythronotus, Davis and Rice, Bull.

111. State liab. Nat. Hist., 1., No. .5,1883, p. 12; Bull. ChicHgo

Acad. Sci., 1883.

Var. cinerea.

Saltnaandnt cinerea, Green, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1818, 1.,

p. 326.— Harlan, Jour. Acad. Nat. S.;i., Phila., 1826, V.,

P. 330.

Plethodon cinerens. Baird, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 2d Ser.,

1849, 1., p. 285.

Plethodon erythronotus, var. cinereus, Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat.

Sci. Phila., 1869, p. lOO.

Plethodon cinereus, subsp. cinereus, Davis and Rice, Bull. Ill

State Lab. Nat. Hist., 1., No. 5, 1883, p. 12; Bull. Chicago

Acad. Sci., 1883.

Salamandra erythronota, T)e Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., ZoOl. III.,

Rept. and Amph., 1842, p. 75, pi. 16, fig. 38.



Beptiles and Ampliihians of Illinois. 367

PletJiodon erythronotum, Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., 1854, IX.,

p. 86 — Smith, Tailed Amphibians, 1877, p. (54.— Jioulenger

Cat. Batr. Sal. in Coll. Brit. Mus., 2d ed., 1882, Sal. Caudata,'

p. 37.

Total length from three to three and a half inches. With

from sixteen to nineteen costal folds. Body cylindrical, very

slender. Head small, flat ahove, depressed. Eye prominent.

Lower jaw weak. Tongue large, attached by a strip along its

middle. Palatine teeth not extending outside the inner nares.

Tail rather short, cylindrical and tapering. Legs weak; first

toe of both anterior and posterior feet rudimentary; fifth toe of

latter small.

Color above uniform brownish l)lack with minute scattered

white points or with a wide longitudinal baud varying from

yellow to bright red, extending from the tip of the snout

nearly to the tip of the tail. Color below whitish mixed with

dusky, the latter color predominating posteriorly, l)ecoming

paler anteriorly until on the throat the color is whitish with

an obscure dusky mottling.

Length from snout to vent, 1.25; tail, l)eyond vent, 1.16.

Credited to Illinois on the authority of Davis and Rice.

It should be looked for in southern Illinois.

Variety erythronota

may be known l)y its wide yellow or red dorsal band.

Variety cinerea

lacks the dorsal band, but otherwise presents no essential points

of difference. It has l)een supposed to be represented merely

by the old examples of the species, Ijut it is not positively

known just what the relations of the two forms is. It is not

a relation of sex, for Hallowell found by dissection both males

and females of the red-backed form.

This little salamander is one of the earliest to appear in

spring, and, in localities frequented by it, is common under
stones and the bark of decaying logs. It is strictly terrestrial,

the eggs being deposited in small masses under bark. The
young accompany the parent for some time after hatching.



308 Illinois Slate Lahorutonj oj Natural History.

* Hemidactylium, Tschudi.

Tschudi, Klass. Batr., 18:^8. pp. oK, 94.

Holfoiann, Bronn's Thier-lleich. VI., Amphibien. p. 6()'J.

Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 18()9, p. 99.

Fingers four, toes four. Tongue attached by a median

strip, free laterally and posteriorly. Palatine teeth interrupted

medially. Parasphenoid patches not in contact. Parietals

ossified, without fontanel. Two premaxillaries, embracing a

fontanel.

But one species occurs within our limits.

Hemidactylium scutatum, Schlegel. Four -toed Sala-

mander.

Bdlamaudra scutata, Schlegel, Mus. Leyd. Abbildungen, 1837,

pi. 40, fig. 4 6 (From Cope).

IfcDiidactij/iiuii sciitdtnm, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 2d Ser.,

1849, p. 286.

Salainandra uulanostlcta, Gihhes, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist., 1845,

V. p. 89, pi. 10.

Besmodaetylus scutatiis and D. mehmosticiiis, Dum. et Bibr.,

Erp. Cen., 1854, IX., pp. 118, 119.

HeinldactyliuDi scftatuin, Kenn., Trans. 111. State Agr. Soc,

1853-54, 1., p. 593.— Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1869.

p. 99. —Smith, Tailed Amphibians, 1877, p. 59.— Davis and

Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., L, No. 5, 1883, p. 12;

Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Total length about two and six tenths inches. Body cy-

lindrical. Head large; snout obtuse; neck contracted. Tail

cylindrical, a little more than twice the length of the body.

Legs weak, all with four digits.

Color above ashy l)rown, with scattered black spots. Snout

yellow. Legs and tail brownish orange. Entire under surface

silvery white, marked with jet black spots.

Northern Illinois (Kennicott).

Mr. Kennicott reports this species common m some local-

ities in northern Illinois. It is found under logs and is said to

be very alert in its movements.



Reptiles and Awphihians of Illinois. 369

Family AMBLYSTOMID^.

No branchial tufts ; openings closed in adults. With four

legs ; fingers four, toes five. Palatine teeth in a more or less

transverse series. Eyelids present. Teeth on the maxillaries

and premaxillaries. No parasphenoid teeth. Tongue free in

front. Palatine bones not prolonged over the parasphenoid.

Pterygoids and prefrontals present, the latter, with the parietals

prolonged and embracing the frontals. Premaxillaries not em-
bracing a fontanel. Occipital condyles sessile. Carpus and

tarsus ossified. Vertebrie amphica4ian.

Represented by the single American genus, A.mblystoma.

Amblystoma, Tschudi.

Tschudi, Batr., 1838, p. 57.

Hoffmann, Bronn's Thier-Reieb, YI., Amphibien, p. 666.

Smith, Tailed Ampliibidns, 1877, p. id.

Body stout or rather slender. Mouth large, subterminal.

Tongue large and fleshy, its anterior portion finely plicate.

Palatine teeth extending to or passing behind the internal

nares. Gular fold present. Costal grooves well marked. Palms
and soles generally with one or more tubercles. Tail rather

.long, compressed distally, with no membranous expansion.

Synopsis of Illinois Species.

1 ( 2) Palatine series of teeth not extending outside the inner

nares. Plica3 of tongue radiating from a median
longitudinal groove. Mandible projecting. Color

black or brownish, with gray spots on the sides.

Rather small and slender A. microstomum.

2 ( 1 ) Palatine series of teeth extending outside the inner

nares. Tongue with no longitudinal grooves, plicai

radiating from behind 3

8 (0,9) Costal grooves twelve 4

4(5) No or one indistinct plantar tubercle. Color uni-

form gray or with pale spots on the sides. Size

small A. JEFFERSONIANUM.



370 Illinois State Lahomtonj of Natural History.

5(4) Two distinct plantar tubercles. Color brown or black,

with numerous yellow spots; these generally aggre-

gated on the sides of the belly A. tigrinum.

C) (3,9) Costal grooves eleven -. . . . .7

7 ( 8) With a series of round yellow spots on each side, Im-

maculate below. Large A. punctatum.

8 ( 7) With transverse gray bands on i\e back. Rather

small and stout A. opacum.

9 (3,0) Costal grooves ten. Palatine series of teeth convex

backwards. Color blackish brown, uniform or with

a few gray specks on the sides A. talpoideum.

Amblystoma microstomuni, Cope.

Amhlystoma microsfontitin, Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila.,

18(51. p. 123; Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1867, p. 20<j.

Amhly-stoina jjorpJiyi'iticuin, Hallowell, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci,

Phila., 1856, p. 8.

Amhlystoma microsfoinam, Smith, Tailed Amphibians. 1877, p.

44 — Boulenger, Cat. Batr. Sal. in Coll. Brit. Mus., 2d ed.,

1882, Sal. Caudata, p. 50.— Davis and Kice, Bull. 111. State

Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 11

Total length from four to six inches. With thirteen cos-

tal folds. Body slender for a meml)er of this genus. Head

very small, strongly convex a)>ove and sloping uniformly from

the occiput to the margin of the snout. Eye small and well

forward. Gape small, lower jaw distinctly projecting beyond

the upper when the mouth is open. Tongue but slightly free

at its lateral margins, with a median longitudinal groove from

which the pliciv radiate. Palatine series of teeth contiguous

at the middle line and forming an ol)tuse angle, the apex Ijeing

directed anteriorly; not extending beyond the inner margin of

the nares. Legs rather weak, digits depressed, the fourth toe

especially long. Tail sul)cylindrical at its l)ase, compressed

and gradually decreasing in depth distally.- Superior surface

of head smooth; inferior surface and sides of tail granulate;

skin elsewhere minutely pitted.

Color above and below dull black or fuscous, with numer-

ous grayish white patches on the sides, often contiguous and



Beptiles and Am^^hibians of Illinois. 371

giving the prevailing hue. Under surface with a few scattered

patches of the same color.

Length from tip of snout to posterior end of anal slit,

2.50; tail beyond the latter point, 1.75.

Occurs in the south half of the State. Galesburg, Nor-

mal, Champaign, Decatur, Mt. Carmel (Ridgway).

A rather slight Amblystoma, readily to be separated from

any other by its short series of palatine teeth, its small head,

and projecting mandible. It is not uncommon on the prairies

of central Illinois in spring, resorting at that season, with A.

figrinnm, to the temporary pools for reproduction. It sometimes

awakes from hibernation before the snow has all disappeared,

and in one instance was taken in water on the 18th of Febru-

ary. During the summer occasional specimens find their way
into cellars. The largest specimen examined is from De-

catur, and measures 2.94 inches from tip of snout to posterior

end of the anal slit, and 2.25 inches from the latter point to

the tip of the tail, giving a total length of a fraction more

than five inches. Prof. Cope gives six inches as the maximum
of length. A single example from Normal, taken in spring,

presents differences from the ordinary form which possibly in-

dicate a variety. The short snout and the color separate it at

once from A. cingidata. In this example the jaws are nearly

equal, so that the upper one is slightly visible when the head is

viewed from beneath. There is a line of five large mucous pores

over the eye, a patch of al)Out the same number beneath the

anterior portion of the eye, and a line from the posterior mar-

gin of the same to the corner of the mouth. The tail de-

creases but slightly in depth towards its tip, and is so strongly

compressed distaUy that the terminal fourth is very thin. The
tail is distinctly grooved beneath for more than its basal half;

but this may be due to the action of the alcohol. Black above

and below, marked as in the ordinary form.



372 Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History.

Amblystoma jeffersonianum, Green.

Var. platineum.

Amblystoma platineum, Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1867,

p. 198.

Amblystoma Jeffersonianum, snhsp. platineum, Davis and Rice,

Bull. 111. 'state Lab. Xat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 11; Bull.

Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883,

Yar. fuscum.

Amblystoma fuseum, Hallowell, Proc. Acad. Xat. Sci. Phila.,

1857, p. 216.

Amblysto)na jeffersonianum, \SiT. fuscum, Cope, Proc. Acad. Xat.

Sci. Phila., 1867.

Amblystoma Ji^ffersonianum, subsp. fuscum, Davis and Rice,

Bull. 111. "state Lab. Xat. Hist, I., No. 5, 1883, p. 10.

Var. laterale.

Amblystoma laterale, Hallowell, Proc. Acad. Xat. Sci. Phila.,

1856, VIIL, p. 6.

Amblystoma Jeffersonianum, YSLV. laterale, Cope, Proc. Acad. Xat.

Sci. Phila.. 1867, p. 197; Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab.

X"at. Hist., L, Xo. 5, 1883, p. 10; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Salamandra Jefferso7iiana, G^reen, Contr. Macl. Lye. to Arts and
Sciences, 1827, 1., p. 4.

Amblystoma Jeffersonianum, Cope, Proc. Acad. Xat. Sci. Phila.,

1867, p. 195.

Amblystoma Jeffersonianum, subs]). Jeffersonianum, Davis and
Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Xat.' Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 10.

Extreme length from about four to six inches. With
twelve costal grooves. No or one indistinct plantar tubercle

Body rather slender. Head elongate, snout obtuse. Tongue

large. Palatine teeth in four series, the median two nearly

straight or arched forwards. Eyes large and well forwards.

Mucous pores present on sides of head. Tail shorter than

body, oval in section at its base, gradually compressed toward

the tip. Legs rather strong ; toes long and but slightly

depressed.

Color gray, dark brown or black, with pale blue spots on

the sides, or with numerous small or large pale spots on the

sides and a few small ones on the belly, or with no spots and

with a dark shade along the sides.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. B78

Four Tarieties have been described and are indicated below.

Three of them have been recorded from the State, and we may
.

look for the remaining o le.

Variety platineum.

Lead-colored, with many indistinct whitish spots or with

none. Eyelids with pale margins. . More slender than the

\2iT\eiy jtfersonianum

.

Belleville (spec, in Nat. Mas.).

Variety fuscum.

Dark brown, with a dark band along the sides. Length

from tip of snout to posterior end of anal slit, 2.25 ; from lat-

ter point to end of tail. 1.55.

Not yet observed from Illinois.

Variety laterals.

Black, with large pale spots on the sides and small ones

beneath. Median series of palatine teeth convex forwards.

About half the size of variety jetfersonianinn.

Northern Illinois (Davis and Rice).

Variety jeffersonianum.

Gray or black, with or without small pale spots on the sides.

In fresh examples, with light blue spots on the sides. Length

about 5.50

Southern Illinois (Ridgway).

Amblystoma tigrinum, Green. Tiger Salama^tder.

Salamandra tigrina, Green, Jour. Acad. Xat. Sci. Phila., 1S25,

v., p. 116.

Triton tigrinus, De Kay, Xat. Hist. X. Y.. Rept. and Amph.,
1842. p. 83, pi. 15. fig. 32.— Holbr., X. A. Herp.. I., ZoCl. III.,

1842, v., p. 79, pi. 26.

Amblystoma tigrina. Eaird, Jour. Acad. Xat. Sci. Phila., 2d Ser.,

1849, 1., p. 284.

Amhtystoma tigrinum, Dum. et Eibr., Erp. Gen., IS.54, IX., p. 108.

Lope, Free. Acad. Xat. Sci. Phila., 167, p. 179.—Boulenger,

Cat. Batr. Sal. in Coll. Brit Mus., 2d ed.. 1SS2, Sal. Caudata. p.

43.— Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Xat. Hist., I.,

No. 5, 1883. p. 10: Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.



374 Illinois State Lahoratonj of Nafural Ilisfonj.

Very large, total length from six to eleven inches. With

twelve costal grooves. Body rather stout. Head large, wide,

convex above. Eye small but prominent. Mouth large.

Tongue large, obovate, wider than long, plicnc radiating from

its posterior portion, no longitudinal groove. Palatine teeth

extending outside the inner nares. Mucous pores of head

mostly between the eye and nostril and in an elongate patch

above them. Cervical fold conspicuous. Limbs strong; digits

depressed. Tail varying in length, shorter or longer than the

body, strongly compressed distally and regularly decreasing in

depth towards the tip.

Color above brown or brownish black, with numerous irregu-

larly disposed round yellow spots. Brown or dusky below,

with scattered yellow spots or with most of the spots aggre-

gated on the sides and more or less coalescent. Throat with a

few spots or almost entirely yellow. Legs and tail spotted with

yellow.

Length of an average specimen, from snout to the posterior

end of the anal slit, 4.19; from the latter point to tip of tail,

3.44.

Throughout ihe State. Cook Co., Peoria ( Brendel), Nor-

mal, S. Illinois.

The colors vary in individuals and with age. The yellow

spots may be distinct and bright yellow or so obscure as to be

scarcely discernible; they may be abundant and pretty regu-

larly distributed, or may be few in number and confined chiefly

to the sides of the belly. Young just from the water are nearly

uniform brownish black above, with no spots or a very few

small ones, and are yellowish beneath, with perhaps a few indis-

tinct spots at the sides. At this stage some of the larval

characters are not yet lost. Rudiments of the branchite are

apparent; the rami of the mandible are not so much arched,

nor so widely divergent as in adults; the palatine teeth are

strongly arched forwards; the tongue is smalljand elongate:

and the tail is shorter proportionally to the body than in adults.

Examples about five inches long ordinarily resemble the adults

in every respect except the proportional length of the tail,

which seems to increase with age. The following measure-

ments illustrate this change of proportions. The first are from



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 375

a young one in which rudiments of the branchiae persist; the

second from an average adult; the third from a very large in-

dividual. (1) Body, 2 50; tail, 1.75. (2) Body, 4.19; tail,

3.44. (3) Body, 5.25: tail, 5.50.

The larvte are so remarkable as to deserve a special para-

graph. They differ in no essential respect from the Siredon of

Mexico and our Western States, but as far as at present known
positively, they do not breed while in the larval condition.

The Siredon of the West is now known to transform into an

Amblystoma very similar to, and perhaps only a variety of, our

species. The larva of A. tigriniim when about ready to trans-

form is nearly four inches in length, and, barring its legs, bears

an obvious resemblance to some of the fishes, notably, in the

shape of the head, to Pelodichthys. The body is gradually more

and more compressed from the head to the extremity of the

tail. Head'deep at the base, with a uniform slope from base to

snout, the profile of which is nearly straight. Tongue large

and fleshy, mounted on the hyoid bones, and strictly comparable

with similar structures in fishes; the tongue of the adult Am-
blystoma develops later. Palatine teeth in four series, strongly

arched forwards, approximating and parallel with the maxil-

laries. Gill-opening large, making free communication with

the mouth. A free fold of skin continues from its anterior mar-

gin over the throat, uniting at an angle with one from the op-

posite side; and across the opening are three free arches, each

bearing at its dorsal extremity a branchial filament, and along

its inner margins a series of acute flexible processes resembling

the gill-rakers of fishes, which interlock when the arches are

closed. The anterior arch lacks the filaments on its anterior

side. The opening is bounded posteriorly with what is evi-

dently a fourth arch, though it is united behind with the

integument; it also bears the filaments on its anterior edge.

The costal folds are evident and agree in number with those of

adults. Limbs weak; digits flattened and pointed. The tail is

strongly compressed and bears a membranous expansion above

and below, that above extending forwards nearly to the head

and that below reaching the vent.

This is our largest and most alnindant salamander. It re-

sorts in great numbers to the ponds on prairies in early spring

U



376 f/l/iio/s State LahoratoriJ (>/' Ndlinal Ilit-toi-i/.

to deposit its mass of eggs. At sucli times it frequently iiiids

its way into cellars. The eggs are generally attached to sticks

or dead vegetation and are surrounded by a translucent gela-

tine. A little later the larva- are al)andant in these pools,

feeding, as I find by dissection, largely on Crustacea, which the

gill-rakers on the branchial arches enable them to collect. The

stomachs are sometimes packed with J)(ij)lini(i piilex. The

smallest examples examined— .al)Out an inch long—had eaten

nothing but animal food. They lose their branchite and leave

the water before the close of the summer, and many of the

pools in which they breed are soon after dried up. They are

not often seen afterwards until the fall rains set in, when

they again appear in cellars and under porches, evidently

searching for a place to pass the winter. Their movements on

land are very clumsy and their migrations to and from the

water seem to be performed at night. A large specimen kept

in an aquarium cast its skin fivice ]>etween the 12th and 18th

of October, I am disposed to l)elieve, from facts given below,

that this species remains, where conditions are suital^le, or, per-

haps, unsuital)le, to its complete development, longer than one

season in the larva state, and may even breed in that state,

As l)efore stated, the young ordinarily leaves the water when in

the neighl)orhood of four inches long, and specimens four and

a half inches long have all the essential adult characters.

There are now in the Lal^oratory collection, however, two spec-

imens measuring seven and three fourths and eight and three

eighths inches respectively, which retain in a remarkal»le de-

gree the larval characters, and had doubtless but recently left

the water when they were captured. The tongue of these

examples is very small, elongate, and occupies no more than

half the space between the rami of the mandil)le. The man-

dibular rami are less arched and less widely divergent than in

adults; the palatine teeth are more strongly arched forwards;

the rudiments of l)ranchia3 persist; the digits are strongly de-

pressed; and the membranous expansion is still present for a

short distance on the tail above, and sharp grooves indicate its

recent resorbtion at other points. The colors also are those of

a recently transformed larva. One of these examples proves

to l)e a male with well-developed sexual organs. Unfortu-



Reptiles and AnipJtih'uins of Illinois. 377

nately the date at which they were collected has been omitted

from the lal)els. Both were taken at Normal in 1882. Many
other young of the usual size were collected the same season.

Amblystoma punctatum, Linn. Spotted Salamander.

Ldcerta punctata, Linn. Syst. Nat., ed. 12, 17(5(5, I., p. 370.

Salaniandra veneuosa, Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, V., p. 07, pi. 21,

Salaniaiidra suboiolarea,De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool,. III.,

Kept, and Amph.. 1842, p. 74, pi. 10, fig. ."-6.

Anihlustonia pun.'itatd , Baird, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila..2dSer.

1849. 1., p. 283—Kenn., Trans. 111. State Agr. Soc, 1853-54, 1., p.

593.—Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1867, p. 175.—Smith,

Tailed Amphibians, 1877, p. 3(5.— Boulenger, Cat. Batr. Sal.

in Coll. Brit. Mus., 2d ed., 1882, Sal. Caudata, p. 41.— Davis
and Bice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p.

9; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci.. 1883.

Total length about six inches. With eleven costal grooves.

With one indistinct plantar tubercle or with none. Body
stout, cylindrical, slightly swollen at the abdomen. Head
wide, depressed, large, mucous pores present. Eyes moderately

large. Mouth large. Tongue large, nearly circular in outline,

its plicae radiating from its posterior portion. Palatine teeth

in three series, the median being arched backwards. Tail oval

in section at its base; compressed distally.

Color above bluish black with a longitudinal series of

large round yellow or orange spots on each side of the back,

extending from the eyes nearly to the tip of the tail. Beneath

uniform bluish black, with no marks. Legs with one or two

spots of yellow above.

Length of body from tip of snout to posterior end of anal

slit, 3.40; tail beyond the latter point, 3.10.

Occurs throughout the State but is not common. Cook

Co. (Kennicott), Union Co. (in collection Northwestern Uni-

versity at Evanston), Mt. Carmel and Belleville (Yarrow).

This is a large species bearing a general resemblance to A.

tif/riniim, but is to be distinguished at once by the disposition

of the spots in two series and by the immaculate ventral sur-

face. It has not, to my knowledge, been seen in the central

part of the State. Mr. Kennicott tells us in his catalogue of

the animals of Cook county (Trans. 111. Agr. Soc, 1853-54) that



B78 Illinois State Lahordfonj of Xdliinil llisionj.

he has only taken it there in timber. In the Eastern States it

replaces A. tigrinum. It is commonly found under logs and

stones. In an article on the development of this animal Prof.

S. F. Clarke states that the eggs are deposited in masses of

from two to three hundred and are covered, as are those of A.

tigrinum, by a gelatinous coat. The species is said to use its

tail for prehension. (S. Garman, Science, VIII., 13.)

Amblystoma opacum, Gravenhorst,

Sdlamaiidra opaca, Gravenhorst, Lleber. Zoul. Syst., 1807, p. 431.

iSdlamandra fasciata, De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., I., Zool. III.,

Kept, and .\mph., 1842, p. 77, pi. 17. tig. 40.

Amhlystoma opaca, Baird, .Jour. Acad. Nat. 8ci. Phila., 21 Ser.,

1849, p. 283.

Sala»i(i7idia opaca, Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., 1854, IX., p. 6(5.

Amblystoma opacum.. Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 18(57, p.

173.— Smith, Tailed Amphibians, 1877, p. 37.— Boulenger,

Cat. Batr. Sal. in Coll. Brit. Mus , 2d ed., 1882. Sal. Caudata,

p. 40.— Davis i.nd Rice, Bull. III. State Lab. Nat. Hist, I.,

No. 5, 1883, p. 9; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Total length about three and a half inches. With eleven

costal folds. Two distinct plantar tubercles [sic]. Body stout

and short, fusiform. Head large, depressed, widened posteri-

orly. Mouth large, jaws about equal. Tongue large, obovate,

completely occupying the space between the mandibular rami;

plica? radiating from the posterior part of the tongue. Vomer-

ine teeth extending outside the inner nares; consisting of three

series,— a median large one straight or arched forwards, and a

short series behind each of the internal nares. A distinct

postocular groove, curving downwards behind the angle of the

mouth. Cervical fold distinct. No large mucous pores on the

head. Limbs moderately strong. Tail short, thick at the

base and subcylindrical, compressed distally and tapering to

a point.

Color above fuscous, with wide grayish-white transverse

bands which widen laterally and terminate abruptly on the

upper part of the sides. Head often extensively gray between

the eyes, with a band of the color passing from this over the

eyes and sometimes uniting with the extremities of first white



Reptiles and Ampliibians of Illinois. 379

band, thus enclosing a large dark area on the posterior part o£

the head. The bars of the back and tail may be interrupted

medially, and frequently unite at their extremities with adjacent

bars. Beneath dark slate-color, or, in some alcoholic examples,

liver-brown, immaculate. Cervical fold, palms, and soles, pale.

Digits with pale articulations, giving an annulated appearance.

Length from snout to posterior end of the anal slit, 2.19;

from latter point to tip of tail, 1.28.

Occurs throughout the State. W. Northfield (Kennicott),

Cobden, Mt. Carmel (Yarrow).

According to descriptions of this animal there is but a

single indistinct plantar tubercle. The specimens before me
from southern Illinois have two tubercles, both of which are

clearly visible. The male and female remain with the eggs,

which are said to be deposited in the "beds of small ponds,"

and to number as high as one hundred and eight.

Amblystoma talpoideum, Holbr. Mole Salamakder.

Salamandra talpcidea, Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, Y., p. 73, pi. 24.

Ambli/stoma talpoldeuni, Dura, et Bibr., Erp. Gen., 1854, IX., p.

109.— Cope, Free. Acad. Nat.Sci. Phila., 1867, p. 172.—Smith,

Tailed Amphibians, 1877, p. 41.— Boulenger, Cat. Batr. Sal.

in Coll. Brit. Mus., 2d ed., 1882, Sal. Oaudata, p. 40.— Davis

and Kice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883,

p. 9; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Total length about three inches. With ten costal grooves.

Body short and stout, depressed. Head large, depressed, snout

slightly angulate. Mouth large, jaws about equal. Palatine

series of teeth in three sections, the median slightly arched

backwards. Mucous pores present on head. Tail short, thick

at its base, compressed distally.

Color above dusky or dark brown, mottled with small gray

dots and a few obscure dusky spots. Beneath dusky.

Length from tip of snout to posterior end of anal slit, 2.H0;

from latter point to end of tail, 1.50.

Cairo (Cope).

In Prof. Cope's " Review of the Amblystomida? " a speci-

men of this species from Cairo, is noted as belonging to the

National Museum and as having been collected by Kennicott.

The species is a near relative of A. opacum.



380 Illinois SUtte Lahonitonj oj Natural History.

Family CRYPTOBRAN0HID.E.

Two pairs of legs present, the anterior with four digits,

the posterior with five. Jaws provided with teeth. Palatine

teeth approximating and parallel with those on maxillariesand

premaxillaries. No parasphenoid teeth. No eyelids. No
branchial tufts. Branchial opening present (in our genus) or

absent. Premaxillaries not aiichylosed. Nasals, pterygoids,

and prefrontals present. Occipital condyles sessile. Carpus

and tarsus cartilaginous. Vertebrae amphicoeliau,

Cryptobranchus, Leuckaet.

Leuckart, Isis, 1821, p. 257 (S. Garman).

Branchial openings persistent. Body stout. Mouth large,

terminal. Tongue large, free in front. Palatine series of

teeth strongly arched forward, parallel wirh, but not as long as,

that on the jaw. Internal nares at the extremities of the pala-

tine series. No gular fold. Outer digits with lateral mem-
branous expansions. Tail short, compressed distally, with a

dorsal membranous expansion.

Cryptobranchus alleghaniensis, Latr. Hellbender.

Salamandra aUeghaiiiensls, Latr., Hist. nat. des Reptiles, 1802,

p. 253.

Abratichus aMeghaniensis, Harlan, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y.,

1824, 1., p. 233.

Menopoma aUeghaiiiensis, id., ibid., p. 271.—De Kay, Nat. Hist.

N. Y., I., Zool. III.. Kept, and Amph., 1842, p. 89. pi. 18, fig.

44.— Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842, V., p. 95, pi. 32.— Baird, Jour,

Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 2d Sen, 1849, 1., 289.— Dum. et Bibr.,

Erp. Gen., 1854, IX., p. 206.— Smith, Tailed Amphibians,

1877, p. 22.

Cryptobranchus alhghanicusis, Boulenger, Cat. Batr. Sal. in

Coll. Brit. Mus., 2d ed., Sal. Caudal a, p. 81.

Menopoma aUeglianien.sis, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab.

Nat. Hist., I., No. 5, 1883, p. 8; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

Total length from one and a half to two feet. Body

stout, cylindrical. Head wide, depressed, with lines of large

mucous pores above and below. Eye small and not prominent.



Reptiles and AmpltUnans of Illinois. 381

superior. Mouth large, jaws strong, the lower jaw bearing a

membranous fold of skin on each side. Tongue large, free in

front. Teeth on jaws and palatines in single series and

directed backwards. Gill cleft not large; no gular fold. Legs

rather stout; digits short, with very slight webs, and the outer

ones with membranous expansions. Tail short, stout at base,

compressed distally, and with a large dorsal expansion.

Color above and below uniform leaden, with obscure dark

spots.

Length of a small specimen : from tip of snout to poste-

rior end of anal slit, 7.25; from latter point to the end of the

tail, 3.87.

Wabash River (Ridgway).

This species is said by Prof. Cope to occur in all the tribu-

taries of the Mississippi River, and so may prol)ably be found

throughout the State. It is a large aquatic batrachian resem-

bling in many respects the larvt^ of our salamanders. It is

said to feed upon crayfish, fishes, reptiles, etc. Specimens from

Ecorse, Michigan, examined by Prof. S. I. Smith, had eaten

C(n)ihanis projiinqnus, together with a neuropterous larva

allied to Perla, and a small fish.

Family PROTEID^.

Two pairs of legs present, all with four digits, or the an-

terior with three and the posterior with two. Jaws provided

with teeth. No parasphenoid teeth. No eyelids. Branchial

tufts persistent, with three fi'ee arches in the branchial open-

ing. Premaxillaries not anchylosed. Maxillaries, nasals, and

prefrontals wanting. Pterygoids and palatines present. Occi-

pital condyles sessile. Carpus and tarsus cartilaginous. Ver-

tebne amphiccelian.

Necturus, Rafinesque.

llafinesque, Jour. Phys., 1819, vol. 88, p. 417.

VVagler, Nat. Syst. Amph., 1880, p. 210.

Smith (Menobranchus) Tailed Amphibians, 1877, p. 17.

Four digits on all the feet. Body stout. Mouth of mod-

erate size, terminal, with large fleshy lips. Tongue free in front;



382 Illinois State Ijuhoratory of Natural Histori/.

slightly free at the sides. Palatine teeth approximating those

on the preniaxillaries, the series interrupted posteriorly. In-

ternal nares large, outside the palatine teeth. Branchial tufts

plumose. Gularfold present. Tail short, strongly compressed,

with extensive membranous expansions above and below.

Necturus maculatus, Rafinesque. Mud Puppy, Water Dog,

Necturus maculatus, Raf., Jour. Phys., 1819, vol. 8S, p. 417.

Triton lateralis. Say, Long's Exped. to the llocky Mts., 1823, 1,,

p. 5.

Menohranchus lateralis, Harlan, Ann. N. Y. Lye, 1824, 1., p. 233.

-De Kay, Nat. Hist. N. Y., Kept, and Amph., 1842. p. 87. pi.

18, fig. 45.— Holbr., N. A. Herp., 1842. V., p. 115, pi. 38, and
also p. Ill, pi. 37.

Necturus lateralis, Bdivc^, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 2d Ser,,

184U, I., p. 290.

Menohraacihus lateralis, Dum. et Bibr., Erp. (lea., 1854, IX., p.

183.— Smith, Tailed Amphibians, 1877, p. 17.

Necturus maculatus, Boulenger, C^t. Batr. Sal. in Coll. Brit. Mus.,

2d. ed., 1882, Sal. Caudata, p. 84.

Necturus lateralis, Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat.

Hist., I., No. 5, 1883 (inserted under errata); Bull. Chicago

Acad. Sci.. 1883.

Total length about one and a half feet. Bodystout. Head

depressed, very wide at base, somewhat contracted before the

eyes. Eyes small, embedded, lateral. Mouth not very large,

with large expansions of the skin forming fleshy lips. Jaws

angulate in front; palatine teeth approximating and parallel

with the maxillary teeth, interrupted posteriorly. Internal

nares large, opening outside the palatine series of teeth.

Tongue very large, extensively free in front. Branchial tufts

large; gill-opening not large, crossed by but one free arch.

Gular fold distinct. Limbs moderately strong; digits without

webs or lateral expansions of the skin. Vent with plicate

margins. Tail spatulate; stout and cylindrical at the base,

strongly compressed and increasing in height distally, with a

fin-like expansion above and below.

Color above dark gray, with obscure subcirculardark spots

and minute dark specks. An obscure dark band extends along

the snout and through the eye, behind which it may terminate



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 383

or continue along the side of the body. Branchial tufts crim-

son. Beneath paler than above, with the under side of the

throat and middle of the belly nearly white. Tail sometimes

with an orange border and generally with large submarginal

dark spots.

Length from tip of the snout to p( sterior margin of vent,

9.25; from latter point to end of tail, 4.87.

Occurs in running water throughout the State. Cook Co.,

Oregon, Peoria (Brendel), Henry, Mt. Carmel (Yarrow).

This is one of our largest batrachians, but it retains through-

out life many of the characters of the tadpoles of other mem-
bers of the order. It is often captured on hooks baited for fish,

and so dreaded is its bite that the line is frequently cut to let it

escape. It is, however, perfectly harmless. The spawning

season is in April and May. The eggs, Holbrook tells us, are

about as large as peas. It subsists on crustaceans, insects, and

mollusks.

Family SIRENIDE.

Posterior legs and the pelvic bones wanting. Anterior

legs with three or four digits. Jaws provided with horny'

plates instead of teeth. Vomerine teeth in two large divergent

patches. No parasphenoid teeth. No eyelids. Three per-

sistent branchial tufts, with three corresponding free arches

across the branchial opening and a fourth arch bound in

the integument. Premaxillaries not anchylosed. Maxil-

laries, palatines, pterygoids, and prefrontals wanting. Occipital

condyles sessile. Carpus cartilaginous. Vertebra? amphicoelian.

The family includes but two genera, both American. They
may be defined as follows :

Digits three. Branchial tufts not fimbriate. With longi-

tudinal bands Pseudobkanchus.

Digits four. Branchial tufts fimbriate. Without longi-

tudinal bands Siren.

Siren, Linn.

Linna'us, Act. Acad. Upsal. 17<)6.

Dum. et Bibr., Erp. Gen., 1854, IX., p. 191.

12



384 Illinois Siate Lahorafori/ of JSiitural Hi.xfori/.

Body long and slender. Mouth small, inferior. Tongue

free in front and slightly free at sides. Vomerine teeth in two

patches, not in contact in front, widely divergent posteriorly.

Interral nares outside the patches of teeth. Branchial tufts

fimbriated. Tail short, compressed, with a slight dorsal mem-
brane.

The genus includes but the single species described below.

Siren lacertina, Linn.

Siren lacertina, Linn., Act. Acad. Upsal. 17B0.— Harlan, Jour.

Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1826, V. p. 321.— Holbr., N. A. Herp.,

1842, T., p. 101, pi. 34.— liaird. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila.,

2d Ser., I., 1849, p. 291.— Dum. et. Bibr., Erp. Gt^n., 1854, IX.,

p. 193.— Smith, Tailed Amphibians, 1877, p. 12.— Boulenger,

Cat. Batr. Sal. in Coll. Brit. Mus., 2d ed., 1882, Sal. Caudata,

p. 87.— Davis and Rice, Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., I.,

No. 5, 1883, p. 6; Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., 1883.

' Total length from two to three feet. Slender and eel-like.

Head rather small, depressed. Ey> small, embedded, well for-

wards. Snout but slightly rounded from side to side, almost

truncate. Nostrils inferior, widely separated. Mouth small,

inferior, transverse; lower lip marked off by a groove. Lower

jaw provided with a black, corneous, sharp-edged covering, like

I he jaws of tadpoles, in place of teeth. Upper jaw with a sim-

ilar but smaller plate. Vomerine teeth in two large oblique

patches. Three coarsely fimliriate branchial tufts. Branchial

opening not large, covered by three free arches, bearing at their

inner margins series of short cartilaginous tubercles. The single

pair of legs is placed close behind the head. They are rather

weak, and bear four small digits which have dark horny tips

resembling claws. Vent, a puckered orifice. Tail compressed

and tapering towards the tip, with a slight dorsal membranous

expansion.

Color above dusky or black, sometimes with small whitish

spots. Beneath bluish black.

Length from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent,

6.87; tail beyond the latter point, 3.37.

Not uncommon in southern Illinois. N. III. (Davis and

Rice), Alton (Cope), Running Lake, Union Co., Mt. Carmel

(Ridgway).



Beptihs and Amphibians of Illinois. 385

A small example of this species from Running Lake,

Union Co., was marked when alive with a bright orange band

across the end of the muzzle and another one extending from

the sides of the mouth to the bases of the branchial tufts.

This remarkable batrachian is not uncommon in the mud of

lakes in the southern portion of Illinois. It is probably pretty

strictly limited to that portion of the State, though Messrs.

Davis and Rice record it from northern Illinois on the strength

of a specimen in the collection of the Northwestern Univer-

sity at Evanston. What they feed upon is not very definitely

known. LeConte found nothing but mud in the stomachs of

those he examined, and we imagine this had been taken for the

minute organisms it contained, just as the tadpoles of frogs

till their intestines with this material for a similar purpose.

The acute black corneous tips of the digits, especially marked
in young, led Linna3us to describe the Siren as possessing

claws, and a granulation of the skin observable in some alco-

holic specimens probably led others of the fathers to describe

it as possessing small embedded scales. Linnaeus is represented

as writing to Dr. Gordon of South Carolina, to whom he was
indebted for specimens of the Siren, that nothing had so much
exercised his mind, and there was nothing he so much desired to

know, as the true nature of this animal. Le Conte and others

proved many years ago, by finding spawn in its, ovaries that it

was an adult batrachian. So many southern species inhabit

the south part of the State that it would not be surprising if

Pseudobranchus striata should also be found to occur there.



EXPLANATION OF THE FIGURES.

PLATE IX.

Fig. 1.—Ventral view of the shell of Emys meleagris.

Fig. 2.—Dorsal view of the shell of Chrj^semps marginata: a,

dorsal plaies; b, costal plates; c, marginal plates; d, nuchal plate.

Fig. 3.—Ventral view of the shell of CJirysemys maryiiiata: a,

gular plate; h, postgular plate; c, pectoral plate; d, abdominal plate;

e, preaTial platf ;/, anal plate; g, axillar plate; 7*. inguinal plate.

Fig. 4.—Ventral view of the shell of Aromochelys odoratus.

PLATE X.

Fig. 5.—Ventral view of the shell of Chelydra serpentina.

Fig. 6,—Right ramus of mandible of Malacoclemmys geo-

graphicus.

Fig. 7.—Right ramus of mandible of M. lesueuri.

Fig. 8.— Ventral view of the skull of M. geograpMcus : mx^
maxilla; •» vomer; j??, palatine bone.

Fig. 9.—Ventral view of the skull of M. lesueuri. Same bones,

outlined as in Fig. 8.

PLATE XI.

Fig. 10.—Feet of Cistudo Carolina: a, fore foot; h, hind foot.

Fig. 11.—Feet of Chrysemys marginata : a, fore foot; h, hind foot.

Fig. 12.—Feet of Emgs meleagris: a, fore foot; 6, hind foot.

PLATE XII.

Fig. 13.

—

Aspidonectes spinifer, dorsal view.

Fig. 14.—The same, ventral view.

PLATE XIII.

Fig. 15.—Ventral view of the head of ElapMs obsoletus-: I, in-

fralabials; m, submentals; 7i, ventrals.

Fig. 16.—Dorsal view of the head of E. obsoletus: a, rostral

platf ; b, internasal; c, prefrontal; d, frontal; e, supraorbital; /, parie-

tal; 0. dorsals.

Fig. 17.—Lateral view of the head of E. obsoletus: ^f, nasals;

h, loreal; i, anteorbital; j, postorbitals; A-, supralabials; I, infralabials;

o, dorsals.



Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois. 388

Fig. 18.—Dorsal view of the head of Eumecea faciatus.
Fig. 10.—Bones of the rudimentary hind limb of Boa scytale.

(After Hoffmann.)

Fig. '20.—Rudimentary hind limb of Python, showing muscles.

(After Hoffmann.)

Fig. 21.

—

Rana areolata: a, hind foot; h, fore foot.

PLATE XIV.

Fig. 21.— Rana damata: a, hind foot; 6, fore foot.

Fig. 2'i.—Rana eatesbyana : a, liind foot; 6, fore foot.

Fig. 2,i.—AGiis gry'las: a, hind foot; 6, fore foot.

Fig. 25.

—

Ohorophilus triserlatus : a, hind foot; h, fore foot.

Fig. 26.

—

Hyla versicolor : <i, hind foot; h, fore foot.

PLATE XV.

Fig. 27.—Sternal bones of Rana eatesbyana: st, sternum; xs,

xphisternum; co, coracoid; cl, clavicle; os, omosternum; s, scapula;

ss, suprascapuU.

FII-..28.—Sternal bones of Biifo lentiginosus : st, sternum; xs,

xiphisternam; co, coracoid; ep and ep', epicoracoids; ^:)c, precera-

coids; el, clavicle; s, scapula; ss. suprascapula.

Fig. 29.—Sternal bones of Hyla versicolor: st, stevanm; os, omo-

sternum.



INDEX OF GENERA.

Acris 339, 340

Aromochelys 238, 240

Amblystoma 215, 3H9

Amblystomid^ 353,361*

Amphibia 316

Amyda 246,247

Ancist'rodon 310, 313

Anouid.e 249,252

ANURA 317

Aspidonectes 215, 246

Bufo 333

BorONiD^ 318,333

Carphophls 263, 308

CHELONIA 216

Chelopus 215

Chelydra 243

Chellydrid^ 218, 242

Chorophilus 33l», 343

Chryst-mys 215,219,222

ClNOSTERNID^ 218,237

Cinosternum 238

Cistudo 215,218,219

Caemidophorus 255

Coluber 263, 284

colubrid^ 261

Crotalid^ 261, 310

Crotalus 310,311

Cryptobranchid^, Errata, 380

Cryptobranchus 38"

»

Cyclophis 263, 282

Desmognathidje 353 357

Desmognathus 215. 357

Diadophis 263 3

Diemyctylus 354

Elaphis 263,289

EMYDIDiE 217,218

Emys 218.221

Eneystoma 33i

Enqystomid^ 318, 331

Eumeces 257

Eutainia 262, 263

Haldea 263.306

Hemidactylium 360, 368

Heterodon 215, 263. 302

Hydrops 263.279

Hyla 215,339,345

Hylid.e 318. 339

Iguanid^ 249

Macrocletnrays 242

MalHCOclemmys 219,234

Menopomid^ See Errata.

N'^cturus 3sl

N^rodia 215, 262, 268

Oliffosoma 257. 259

Ophibolus 215,263.293

Ol'HIDIA 216,260

Optiisaurus 252

Ph.vllophilophis 263, 283

Pit>ophis 263.286

Plethodon 360,364

Pleth' (DONTid^ 353, 360

Pleukudklid^ 353, 354

PROTEID^ 353. 381

Pseudemys 215, 219 228

Rina 215, 318

Ranid^ 317,318

R"gina 263,272

REPriLIA 216

SAURIA 216,248

.Sceloporus 250

SciNCiu^E 249, 256

Siren 383

Sikenid^ 354, 383

Sistruius 310.312

Spelerpes 215, 360

Storeria 263,277

Teidai 249,255

Trionyciiid.e 218, 245

Tropidoclonium 262. 276

URODELA 317,352

Virgiuia 263,307



PLATE IX.

Fig. 1. Fig. 2.

Fig. 3, Fig. 4.



PLATE X.

Fig. 5. Fig. 6. Fig. 7.

Fig. 8. Fig. 9.



PLATE XI.

Fig. 10.

Fig. 11.

Fig. 12



PLATE XII.

Fig. 13,

Fig. 14.



PLATE XIII.

Fig. 15. Fig. 16. Fig. 17.

Fig. 18. Fig. 19. Fig. 20.

riG. 21

a



PLATE XIV.

[]

Fig. 22.

a b

Fig. 24.

Fig. 23.

Fkj. 25. Fig. 2(5.



PLATE XV.

Fig. 27.

Fig. 28.

Fig. 29.