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CHAP. XIV.] THE NEOTROPICAL REGION. 73
Hylidse or tropical tree-frogs, is almost peculiar to the Antilles ;
Cuba, Hayti, and Jamaica possessing seven species, while only
one is recorded from South America. Other genera are, Pelta-
phryne (Bufonidse) from Portorico ; Phyllobates (Polypedatidse)
from Cuba ; Zeiuperus (Eanidae) from Hayti,—all Neotropical. Of
the Urodela, or tailed batrachians, no representative occurs,
although they are so characteristic a feature of the Nearctic
region.
Fresh-water fish.—The same general remarks apply to these as
to the reptiles. Only one peculiar genus is noted Lehistes, a
form of Cyprinodontidse from Barbadoes ; other genera of the
same family being, Haplochilus, Rivulus, and Girardinus, widely
spread in the ISTeotropical region ; while Gamhusia is confined to
Central America, Mexico, and the Antilles. Four other families
are represented; Siluridse by Chcetostomus, found in Portorico
and South America ;
Chromidse by the South American Acara ;
Mugillidae by the Central American Agonosfoma ; and Percidse
by the North American Gentrarchus, of which a species is recorded
from Cuba.
Trisects.—The various "West Indian islands have not been well
explored entomologically ; one reason no doubt being, that their
comparative poverty renders them little attractive to the pro-
fessional collector, while the abounding riches of Central and
South America lie so near at hand. We can, therefore, hardly
tell whether the comparative poverty, or even total absence of
some families while others seem fairly represented, is a , real
phenomenon of distribution, or only dependent on imperfect
knowledge. Bearing this in mind, we proceed to give a sketch
of what is known of the chief groups of Lepidoptera and
Coleoptera.
Lepidoptera.—The Neotropical butterfly-fauna is but poorly
represented, the majority of the most remarkable types being
entirely wanting ;
yet there are a few peculiar and very charac-
teristic forms which show great isolation, while the majority of
the species are peculiar. Four genera are exclusively or charac-
teristically Antillean, Galisto belonging to the Satyridse, with
four species, of which one ranges to South Carolina ; Clothilda