VOL. XVII, PP. 17-20 FEBRUARY 5, I9C4 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



A NEW LIZARD FROM THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY, 



TEXAS. 



BY LEONHARD STEJNEGER. 



{By permission of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.] 



During the various collecting trips made by the field natur 

 alists of the Biological Survey into western Texas, a series of 

 lizards belonging to the genus Sceloporus were collected, which 

 clearly belong to an undescribed species. It forms part of the 

 small section of the genus characterized by the minuteness of 

 the lateral scales, of which, thus far, only two species have been 

 taken within the United States, viz., S. variabili-s and S. couchii. 

 I wish to associate with this very distinct species the name of 

 the originator and chief of the Biological Survey, who has done 

 such an immense work in increasing our knowledge of our 

 vertebrate fauna, 



Sceloporus merriami sp. nov. 



Diagnosis. Lateral scales minute, granular; 55 to 56 femoral pores in 

 a continuous series across the preanal region; 56 to 66 scales between the 

 shielded part of the head and the base of the tail; 14 to 18 dorsal scales 

 corresponding to the shielded part of the head; head shields smooth. 



Habitat. Rio Grande Valley, western Texas. 



Type. United States National Museum, No. 33,039; East Painted Cave, 

 2 PBOC. BIOL. Soc. WASH, VOL. XVII, 1904. (17) 



