Zoologij.-] NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. \_Reptiles. 



coinciding 1 with the median lateral keels, the apices directed outwards ; the broad, 

 longitudinal space between the inner and outer row of spinose keels much lighter in 

 color than the rest of the back, and either divided into a row of large, lateral, oval 

 spots on each side, by the apices of the black triangular marks extending to meet a 

 similar smaller row of blackish triangular spots, having their bases on the outer lateral 

 row of spines and their apices inwards; or forming a more or less continuous longi- 

 tudinal pale band on each side where the triangles are disconnected; the 2 inner rows 

 come together to form lozenges or rhombs over basal fourth of tail where these two 

 ridges approach; hinder three-fourths of tail, .legs, and thighs with rather distant, 

 transverse, dark bands, those of tail usually 6 or 8 scales wide, with lighter intervals 

 2 or 3 scales wide, but sometimes narrower than the light bands; top of head with 

 5 or 6 narrow, transverse, chevron-like, dark brown bands starting from an irregular 

 midline; a broad dark band extends from the eye, enclosing the ear; a black 

 angular spot half way between shoulder and ear; under side of throat and belly 

 either plain pale ashy- grey or (sometimes) dark grey, or (more usually) mottled 

 irregularly with darker grey. From 3 to 4 femoral pores irregularly spaced on 

 basal half of each thigh, and 3 to 4 on each side preanal ones. Iris dark brown ; 

 inside of mouth and tongue yellow. 2 canines and 11 molars on each side above. 

 About 12 labial plates on each side; rostral hexagonal, 3 times wider than high; 

 chin plate large, pentagonal, with nearly equal sides. Moderate specimen, 1 ft. 1 in. 

 total length ; tip of snout to occiput 1 in., to ear 1 in. \ line ; width of head, 11 lines ; 

 tip of snout to shoulder 1 in. 7 lines, to thigh 3 ins. 7 lines, to vent 4 ins. ; length 

 of tail, 9 ins.; width of body, 1 in. 3 lines ; width of tail at base 6 lines, at half its 

 length, 3 lines; length of arm 9 lines, of forearm 7 lines; longest toe and claw, 6 lines; 

 length of thigh, 1 in. ; leg", 1 in. ; longest toe and claw from base of hind toe, 1 in. 

 1 line. Toes slender, third anterior one nearly as long as the fourth ; third posterior 

 one only two-thirds as long as the fourth. 



Reference. — =Muricated Lizard, White Jour. Voy., t. 31, fig. 6 ; = Lacerta 

 mnricata, Shaw Gen. Zool., v. 3, pt. 1, t. 65, f. 2 ; = Grammatophora, id. Kaup Isis, 

 1827, p. 621 ; =Agama Jacksoniensis, Guer. Icon. Reg. An., t. 3, f. 1. 



With the exception of the variations in color above noted, this 

 pretty little Lizard varies very little. The absence of bearded 

 scales on throat and across the occiput, and the invariably present, 

 small, median row of keeled scales along back, distinguish it readily 

 from the young of G. barbata. The resemblance is much closer to 

 the G.angulifera (of which I have many specimens before me from 

 Western Australia), which is, when adult, of nearly the same size 

 (though more slender) and much alike in coloring. But this latter 

 species, which I have not seen in Victoria, is easily distinguished 

 by its comparatively very short tail, little exceeding the body in 

 length, while it is more than double the length in G. muricata. 

 The average proportion of tail to the total length in G. muricata 

 is tto) while in G. angulifera it is only T %V ; the base of the 

 tail in G. angulifera is also much wider, and has a conspicuous 

 lateral line of 6 or 7 large spinous tubercles on each side, not 



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