Zoology.-] NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. [Reptiles. 



Plate 131. 



CYCLODUS NIGROLUTEUS (Quoy and Gaim. sp.). 



The Southern, or Blotched, Blue-tongued Lizard. 



[Genus CYCLODUS (Wagler). (Sub-kingdom Vertebrata. Class Reptilia. Order 

 Sauria. Sub-order Leptoglossaj. Tribe Geissosaura. Family Scincida;.) 



Gen. Char. — Form moderately thick, elongate, fusiform. Head large, thick, sub-trigonal, 

 obtusely pointed in front. Neck short, thick. Head-shields thick, rather rugose ; nasal plates 

 near the tip of snout, touching (or nearly) each other above, ovato-trigonal ; nostril in centre 

 of nasal plate, with a curved furrow bordering its posterior edge*; inter-nasal plate rhombic ; 

 no supra nasals ; fronto-nasals two, moderate, touching ; frontal large, broad, obtuse-angled in 

 front, narrow behind ; two moderately large fronto-parietal plates ; parietals large ; inter- 

 parietal resembling the frontal, and nearly as long, but much narrower, acute-angled in front ; 

 four superciliary plates over each eye, the second largest ; about 5 rows of temporal plates 

 between the eye and the ear ; polygonal occipital shields in one or more transverse rows ; orbit 

 surrounded by a row of small plates ; two frenal plates between the nasal plate and the orbit ; 

 lower eyelid scaly. Ear-opening large. Scales of back and sides bony, large, convex, sub- 

 hexagonal, rugose, with obscure, diverging grooves ; scales of belly thinner and smoother. 

 Legs four, nearly equal, small, short, strong ; feet small, each with five short, cylindrical, sub- 

 equal toes ; claws short, thick. Tail short, rather less than one-third of the total length, sub- 

 cylindrical, very slightly compressed laterally, tapering, with rather thicker scales than the 

 back of the body, and a central row of large, broad scales below. Tongue short, flat, scaly, 

 slightly notched at the point.. Teeth on edge of jaws bluntly rounded ; palate without teeth, 

 with a triangular notch behind.] 



Description. — Form: Moderately elongate, rounded; head trigonal; snout 

 obtusely pointed ; neck short. Plates : Nasals nearly touching' over tip of rostral, 

 a curved sulcus bordering posterior edge of nostril; the four temporal plates 

 immediately behind the rows of ocular plates surrounding the eye, from the parietal 

 plates above to the hindmost labial plate below, less than half the length of the 

 temporal plates next following them posteriorly; rostral plate wider than long; 

 inter-nasal plate slightly longer than wide ; width of anterior part of frontal plate 

 about three-fourths of the length ; anterior edge of ear dentated with a few pro- 

 jecting scales. Colour : Ground colour of whole body and head above and below 

 rich, dull yellow with blackish-brown longitudinal dashes, leaving the yellow in the 

 form of two longitudinal rows of about five to seven large, irregular, rounded 

 patches extending from the neck to the base of tail ; tail irregularly ringed with 

 about five yellow bands about three or four scales wide, and five or six blackish- 

 brown rings about two or three scales wide; throat unspotted pale yellow; sides 

 and belly irregularly netted with longitudinal black dashes on the yellow ground; 

 a few transverse dark dashes on the hind legs ; tongue bright Prussian blue. 



Measurements. 



Total length of rather large specimen 



Length of head from snout to anterior edge of ear 



Length of inter-nasal plate... 



\\ I'lltl ■• ^ jj ••• ••• ••• 



Length of frontal plate 



* Except in C. auuarime, now the type of the genus Omolepida. 

 Vol. II.— Decade XIV.— s. [ 119 



