EINAR LÖNNBERG, REPTILES. 5 



either of the two vertebral röws of scales there is a light 

 stripe, probab]y light ollve grey in life. These stripes do 

 not occupy more than a part of the scales and are separated 

 by black in the mesial line, untill they join on the base of 

 the tail. where one row of scales corresponds to the two of 

 the back. The row of scales just outside these two are on 

 the neck provided with a similar light streak, but this dis- 

 solves on the body into a series of döts, sometimes on two 

 or three scales en suite, sometimes single and with an inter- 

 space of one or two black scales. Outside of these again on 

 the following row of scales, thus the one on which in the 

 normal M. striata the påle dorsolateral band is found, is 

 another, almost white stripe. This is, however, very much 

 narrow^er than in striata and does not occupy more than about 

 a third of the scale against two, or one and a half scales, 

 or more in striata. Outside of this streak there are numerous 

 ligjht, whitish döts, each occupying about half a scale or less. 

 The lower side appears bluish white. The throat is marbled 

 with longitudinal wavy dark streaks. The scales of the breast 

 and belly are so transparent that the tubules of the plates 

 are remarkably well visible. The latter is often also the case 

 with M. varia, which this specimen also resembles in size 

 and with regard to the colour of the throat, but it differs 

 from the same by the absence of a light lateral streak and 

 by the series of whitish döts on the scales. Another more 

 important difference is, that the subocular is entirely excluded 

 from the lip. From both species mentioned the present spe- 

 cimen differs in having two pairs of enlarged nuchals. The 

 differences mentioned and the remarkable colour pattern may 

 indicate that the Mahuia from Soy represents a new species, 

 which then may take the name given above, but as there is 

 only one specimen available, it is rather difficult to say 

 anything definite. It might also be possible, that the present 

 specimen represented a hybrid between the two other species 

 mentioned, but as nothing is known about hybrids among 

 reptiles it is not possible to express any opinion in this di- 

 rection, otherwise it might be possible to explain the irregu- 

 larities with regard to the head-shields as a product of the 

 Crossing. 



Lygosoma sundevallii Smith. 1 sp. from Machakos, 

 April 1920, coll. G. Lindblom. 



