By
HOBART M. SMITH
A number of noteworthy items have come to attention in thecourse of a survey of material for a handbook on the herpetology ofKansas. Some of the items, which follow, can be recorded here moreappropriately than in the handbook.
Eumeces anthracinus pluvialis Cope
Recent material in addition to information presented in Taylor'smonograph of Eumeces (Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 23, 1935) revealsthat Eumeces anthracinus is composed of three geographicallydistinct populations: One occurs from western New York to northernGeorgia, and west to Kentucky, in the Appalachian uplands ornorthward of them; a second centers about the Ozark uplands butextends into northwestern Louisiana, eastern Texas, central Oklahoma,eastern Kansas, and nearly as far east as the Mississippiriver in northern Arkansas and southern Missouri; the third populationoccurs in extreme southern Alabama and Mississippi.
These populations differ in at least the color of the young. Specimensfrom the eastern area are marked at birth like the adults; thosefrom the western area are black at birth and develop stripes as theygrow older; unfortunately young specimens from the southern areaare not known.
Obviously at least two races are involved, the eastern and thewestern. Whether the southern population belongs to one of theseraces or is distinct is unknown. Until this point is settled the namefor the western race will remain in doubt. The eastern race is thetypical one, Eumeces a. anthracinus (Baird) (Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci.Phila., 1 (ser. 2):294, 1850; type locality North Mountain, Carlisle,Pennsylvania). The southern population has been named pluvialisby Cope (Ann. Rept. U. S. Nat. Mus., 74:663-664, 1900; type localityMobile, Alabama). Unfortunately no name is available forthe western population. It may either be called Eumeces anthracinuspluvialis, or be given a new name, according to the ultimate[Pg 88]decision on its consubspecificity with the southern population. Isuggest retention of the name pluvialis at least until a more carefulstudy indicates the necessity of further change.
Eurycea lucifuga (Rafinesque)
On October 21, 1945, E. W. Jameson, Jr., discovered a specimen ofthis species in a small cave situated in a park 1¼ miles south ofGalena, Cherokee County, Kansas, on the nort