159 



tyle; digits roundish or compressed, with transverse lamellae 

 below. 



Distribution. S. Asia; Central and S. America; West Indies; 

 Africa and Madas[ascar. 



Key to the I n d o - A u s t r a 1 i a n species. o.V vr"«-;j 'i^ 



A. Parietals forming a suture; postnasal present i. A/, quinqnecarinata p. 159. 



B. Parietals entirely separated. 



I. No postnasal. 



a. 26 scales round the body; frontonasal 



more broad than long 2. M. rugifera p. 160. 



h. 28 — 30 scales round the body ; frontonasal 



as long as broad Z- ^- iiiultirarlnata p. 161. 



II. Postnasal present. 



1. 30 — 36 scales round the body; the hind 

 limb reaches the axilla or beyond ; subdi- 



gital lamellae keeled j^. M. rudis p. 161. 



2. 30 — 34 scales round the body ; the hind 



limb does not reach the axilla; subdigital '^.^ > 



lamellae smooth ^- M. miiltifasciata p. 162. 



I. Mabuia quinquecarinata Werner. 



Mahtda quinquecarinata^ Werner, Verb. Ges. Wien XLVI 1896, p. 12; Zonl. 



Jahrb. Syst. XIII 1900, p. 487. 

 Mahuia rugifera^ Boulenger, Zool. Rec. 1896. p. 22. 

 Malntia rugifera^ part., Brown, Proc. Acad. Philad. LIV 1902, p. 177. 



Snout short, obtuse; lower eyelid scaly; ear-opening oval, 

 horizontal, with pointed lobules round its border. Nostril large, 

 in the posterior part of the nasal; a postnasal; supranasals 

 present; frontonasal as broad as long, in contact with the 

 rostral and with the frontal; latter as long as frontoparietals 

 and parietals together or longer, in contact with the two 

 anterior supraoculars; four supraoculars, second largest; .six or 

 seven supraciliaries; frontoparietals larger than the interpa- 

 rietal, which is very small; parietals broad, forming a suture, 

 with eleven or twelve strong keels on the posterior part ; a 

 pair of multicarinate nuchals; sixth upper labial largest and 

 below the eye. Body with 28 scales round the middle ; nuchal, 

 dorsal and lateral scales with five strong keels, six or eight 

 ventral series smooth. Tail twice the length of head and body. 

 Limbs strong, the upper scales with two or three keels; the 



