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



Plate 162, Fig. 1. 



APRASIA PULCHELLA (Gray). 

 The Lined Aprasia. 



[Genus APRASIA (Grat). (Sub-kingdom Vertebrata. Class ReptiUa. Order Sauria. 

 Sub-order Leptoglossae. Tribe Geissosaura. Family Pygopidae.) 



Gen. Char. — Body and tail long and slender, cylindrical, tapering, vermiform ; destitute of 

 anterior limbs, posterior ones forming a very minute flap on each side of base of tail ; covered 

 with smooth, hexagonal scales, those below only slightly wider than those above. Head small, 

 semi-elliptically rounded in front, cheeks vertical, muzzle projecting beyond lower jaw in front; 

 one pair of large, quadrate nasal plates ; one pair of freno-nasal large shields, covering the 

 cheeks ; one large, hexagonal vertex plate or pre-frontal ; a pair of small superciliary plates on 

 each side ; rostral plate large ; labial plates large, few ; nostrils very small, near suture, between 

 the tip of the front upper labial and the square nasal plate ; vertex plate large, hexagonal ; no 

 parietal shields ; eyes with a circular eyelid of a marginal series of small scales ; pupil round; 

 external ears none, the aperture being covered by the scales. Tongue rounded and slightly 

 notched at tip. Parietal bones separate. Teeth small, blunt, with cylindrical base, pleurodont. 

 Preanal pores none. Australia.] 



Description. — Head scarcely wider than neck, semi-elliptical, pointed in 

 front; rostral plate long-, narrow, lower two-thirds nearly parallel-.sided ; the 

 pointed upper-third end bent over to appear on upper surface of head, between the 

 nasal plates, separating- them nearly to their posterior margin ; nasals larg-e, quad- 

 rate, joining- by a small portion of posterior inner edge above, with the nostrils 

 pierced in the anterior outer angle, close to suture of first upper labial plate, which 

 is small and quadrate; second labial plate about as long- as the first, but rising- 

 higher to join the outer side of the freno-nasal ; third upper labial smaller than 

 second and indented above by the eye; fourth labial rising- to nearly middle of eye 

 behind. Prefrontal or freno-nasals hexagonal, larger than the nasals, joining- in 

 mid-line above, joining- by one of their anterior edges to posterior edg-e of the nasal, 

 joining- vertex by inner posterior side, and joining- temporal plate by middle posterior 

 edge, joining small frenal or antocular plate by outer posterior side. Vertical pre- 

 orbital or frenal plate in front of eye, three times higher than long. Vertex or 

 fi'ontal plate very large, hexagonal ; no parietal nor occipital plates. Supra-orbital 

 plates large, extending- fi-om long side of vertex plate to eye-lid outside, and 

 prefrontal in front, and body scale behind. Mental plate large; first lower labials 

 very large, reaching- from mental to vertical from middle of eye, bent under the chin, 

 and separate b}' a small hexagonal plate behind the mental. Scales of throat small, 

 hexagonal. Twelve rows of hexagonal, smooth scales round the body, two middle 

 belly rows larger and wider than the others. Three large preanal scales, with very 

 minute rudimentary leg-flaps on each side, covered with two rows of three minute 

 scales each, and slightly exceeding one of the back scales in length ; circular eje-lid 

 of one row of scales. Colour : Dull brownish yellow above, paler below, with six to 

 nine longitudinal, narrow, dark-brown streaks, sometimes forming dots on the outer 

 row on each side, the next inner streak strongest and going through the eye ; rarely, 

 a ninth, central, small, dotted streak on back. Length of head, 3 lines ; from tip of 

 snout to base of tail, 4 inches ; diameter of middle of body, 2 lines. 



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