218 SPHAERODACTYLUS. 



reason to believe that these three species, viz. meridionalis Boulenger, (Ann. mag. 

 nat. hist., 1888, ser. 6, 2, p. 40. Iguarasse, Brazil), scapularis Boulenger, (Ann. 

 mag. nat. hist., 1902, ser. 7, 9, p. 54. St. Javier, Ecuador) , amazonicus Andersson, 

 (Ark. zool., 1917, 11, no. 16, p. 1. Manaos, Brazil) should be allocated to the 

 Eublepharidae if that family be recognized. A very large series of small lizards 

 from northwestern Peru agree closely with Boulenger's description of scapularis 

 and in the field Mr. Noble considered them sphaerodactyls. I have, however, 

 examined the series and ascertained their eublepharid affinities and think they 

 should be placed in Lathrogecko or Lepidoblepharis (syn. Pseudogonatodes).' 



Sphaerodactylus. 



Small, generalized, gckkoniform lizards having "Digits narrow, slender, free, with transverse 

 lamellae inferiorly, the apex dilated into a disk, with a circular undivided plate inferiorly; all digits with 

 a sheathed retractile claw, the sheath opening laterally and inwards. Scales granular or imbricate. 

 Pupil round or subelliptical. Eyelid nearly circular. No preanal or femoral pores." (Boulenger, Cat. 

 lizards Brit, mus., 1885, 1, p. 217). 



The rather primitive character of these lizards is emphasized by the com- 

 paratively simple digital structure, by all of the digits being similarly disked, 

 by the eye with certainly almost always, if not always, a round pupil, in spite of 

 the decidedly nocturnal or crepuscular as well as sometimes diurnal habits, and 

 in lacking preanal or femoral pores. 



Within the genus the species show many diverse types of squamation of 

 which we may assume, and probably correctly, that the simple granules on head 

 and body, quite undifferentiated, represent the most primitive condition. This 

 squamation seems to be characteristic of species in which the males and females 

 often show the same gamut of colour-variations as e.g. in cinereus or elegans. 

 These species are small and show great power of adaptation to environment for 

 they occur commonly in open clearings, in the dense forests and commonly in 

 human habitations as well. This also is the type of squamation observed in 

 AristeUiger and Phelsuma. 



The granules from being rounded or tubercular give rise naturally to keeled 

 granules (Uneolatus) ; these again begin to enlarge and become imbricate, and 

 though at first very small (nigropunctatus) , we see them increase in size through 

 conditions typified by such species as notatus, macrolepsis, or pictus, finally 

 leading to such giant species, comparatively speaking, as richardsonii, anthra- 

 cinus, and copei. These largest species have the largest dorsal scales not only 



' Since described as a Lepidoblepharis by G. K. Noble (.\nn. N. Y. acad. sci., 1921, 29, p. 133). 



