. The tailless batrachians of Europe. Frogs; Amphibians. 96 INTEODUCTION. The annexed figure (40)' of the vertebral column (ventral aspect) of a recently transformed Pelohates cultriijes shows well the independence of the inter- vertebral spheres and the three elements which enter into the formation of the urostyle. A glance at this figure will also PiQ. 40. show to what extent the importance of the mode of articulation of the vertebrae has been overrated by those systematists who have proposed to divide the tailless Batrachians pri- marily into procoeliau and opistho- coelian types. As a matt
. The tailless batrachians of Europe. Frogs; Amphibians. 96 INTEODUCTION. The annexed figure (40)' of the vertebral column (ventral aspect) of a recently transformed Pelohates cultriijes shows well the independence of the inter- vertebral spheres and the three elements which enter into the formation of the urostyle. A glance at this figure will also PiQ. 40. show to what extent the importance of the mode of articulation of the vertebrae has been overrated by those systematists who have proposed to divide the tailless Batrachians pri- marily into procoeliau and opistho- coelian types. As a matter of fact, both occur in the family Pelohafidse, some of the exotic genera of which are normally opisthocoelian. During larval life the habits vary considerably according to the species. Thus Hyla is always on the move, swimming about in every direction like a fish; Bom- hlnator, Alyfes, Fdohates, and Rana keep more to the bottom, approaching the borders of the ponds or pools during the hotter part of the day to sun themselves in shallow water ; Discoglossus, Pelodytes, and Bufo are in the habit of coming frequently to take air on the surface, where they swim about with upturned bellies. The notion that tadpoles are exclusively herbivorous has long been exploded ; they feed on both vegetable and animal substances, and usually show a preference for the latter, in addition to the microscopical organ- isms contained in the ooze, which they swallow in large quantities. Their carnivorous or even cannibal habits are only too noticeable in confinement, and they have been utilised for making small and deHcate skeletons. The tadpoles of Jjomhinator and Alytes are almost exclusively carnivorous, the real difference between them and the perfect animal being that the former feed readily on dead or even decomposing matter,. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustra
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubje, booksubjectamphibians
