The Pelvic Girdle (Text–Fig. 5)

Description or discussions of the pelvic girdle of Leiopelma include those of de Villiers (1934b), E. M. Stephenson (1952), Ritland (1955), and van Dijk (1955).

In general, in L. archeyi, the pubis remains cartilaginous throughout life. It is typically unstained in alizarin transparencies (Fig. 5A).

In L. hochstetteri, at least in some of the more mature specimens examined, the pubis shows a lateral and somewhat superficial development of bone and/or calcified cartilage which tends to extend as a strip towards the ilium or ischium or both. The whole arrangement is somewhat irregular, but the general position is constant. The epipubis typically shows extensive calcification or ossification (Fig. 5E).

The old male specimen of L. hochstetteri illustrated in Fig. 5B shows essentially the condition described above for L. hochstetteri, but the public ossification is complicated by irregular development of calcified cartilage, producing fusion with the ischium. The epipubis also shows irregular calcification. Mature female specimens of L. hamiltoni (Fig. 5C and another specimen not illustrated) show deep pink staining in the lateral region of the pubis, but the latter is quite clearly cartilaginous. The epipubis is unstained in both cases.

Comparing the pelvic girdle of Leiopelma with that of Ascaphus, it is found that the condition of L. hochstetteri resembles that of Ascaphus more closely than does that of the other two species. However, examination of a male specimen of.