FAM. 2. PELOBATIDAE.–The upper jaw and, as a rule, the vomers are provided with teeth. The tongue is oval, slightly {161}nicked, and free behind, so that it can be thrown out, except in _Asterophrys turpicola_ of New Guinea, which has a large but entirely adherent tongue. The vertebrae are procoelous, except in _Asterophrys_ and the Malay genus _Megalophrys_, where they are opisthocoelous. The sacral diapophyses are strongly dilated. The omosternum is small and cartilaginous. The metasternum has a bony style, and ends in a cartilaginous, rounded or heart-shaped disc, but in _Scaphiopus_ it forms an entirely cartilaginous plate. The tympanic disc is mostly hidden or indistinct, and is quite absent in _Pelobates_. The Eustachian tubes are very small in _Pelobates_, and exceedingly minute in _Scaphiopus stagnalis_ of New Mexico. The pupil is vertical. This family contains seven genera with about twenty species, with a rather scattered distribution. [Illustration: FIG. 32.–Map showing distribution of Cystignathidae, Discoglossidae, and Pelobatidae.] _A._ Toes extensively webbed, sacrum and coccyx confluent. _a._ Metasternum a cartilaginous plate. America .......... _Scaphiopus_, p. 164. _b._ Metasternum with a bony style. Europe .......... _Pelobates_, p. 162. _B._ Toes nearly free. Metasternum with a bony style. _a._ Vertebrae procoelous. α. Sacral vertebra articulating by one condyle with the coccyx. Europe .......... _Pelodytes_, p. 165. New Guinea .......... _Batrachopsis_. β. Sacral vertebra with two condyles. India and Malaya .......... _Leptobrachium_, p. 166. _b._ Vertebrae opisthocoelous. Ceylon and Malayan Islands .......... _Megalophrys_, p. 60 (Fig. 11). New Guinea .......... _Asterophrys_. {162}_Pelobates_ ("Spade-foot").–The tympanum is absent; the toes are webbed. The inner tarsal tubercle is large, and is transformed into a shovel which is covered with a hard, sharp-edged, horny sheath. The skin of the upper surface of the head is partly co-ossified with the underlying cranial bones, giving them a pitted appearance. The general shape is toad-like. _P. fuscus._–The smooth skin is brown above, with darker marblings, while the under parts are whitish, but the coloration varies greatly, from pale to dark brown or olive-grey with more or less prominent irregular dark, sometimes confluent, patches. Some specimens are adorned with numerous red spots. The tarsal spur is yellow or light brown. The iris is metallic red or golden. The male has a long oval gland on the upper surface of the upper arm, and although possessed of a voice, has no vocal sacs. The total length of full-grown females is nearly 3 inches, that of males half an inch less.