46 BARBOUR: ZOOGEOGRAPHY. 



of Acanthophis antarcticus (Shaw) is important, as we know almost certainly 

 that in the Moluccas it is confined to Ceram. It has long been known from the 

 Ke Islands; and now Roux records it from Aru, as well; so that its migration 

 route to Ceram is plainly seen. Were it not for such species as this one and the 

 Stegonotus, we might be incUned to imagine, in view of the great depth of water 

 about the islands, that the Papuan species had reached Ke fortuitously. 



This explanation, however, could not of course apply to any such number 

 of species when we take the lizards into consideration as well. Of these Roux 

 records twenty-one species. Five are wide-ranging members of the Gekkonidae, 

 and their presence is not significant. Gekko vittatus Hout. and Gekko monarchus 

 (Dum. & Bibr.) both occur; the former Malayan, and the latter of Papuan 

 affinity. Then, of the Agamidae, Roux records for the first time Physignathus 

 temporalis (Gthr.), a species hitherto known from Queensland and Papua only; 

 while on page 247 he remarks that Werner has reported Draco lineatus Daud., 

 and has described D. ochropterus Werner, both from this group. As a matter 

 of fact, D. lineatus was first recorded a long time ago, so that it is not especially 

 surprising to find another peculiar species present. And in view of what we 

 know of the distribution of such species as Acanthophis antarcticus, and the 

 avian genus Casuarius, it is hard to understand why in regard to the Draco 

 records Roux wrote: — 



"Mit diesem Fund wiirde in die herpetologische Fauna der Kei-Inseln ein 

 Element hineintreten, welches fur eine fruhere Relation dieses Archipels mit 

 den mehr westlich gelegenen Inseln (sei es nordwestlich oder siidwestlich) 

 sprechen wiirde. 



"Eine weitere Bestatigung dieser Fundortsangabe ware wiinschenswert." 



We have already remarked on the hydrographic evidence, so we need do 

 no more than call attention to it again in this connection. 



Other lizards are abundant. The wide-ranging Varanus indicus (Daud.) 

 is found commonly, as well as the geographical race of Tiliqua gigas (Schn.) 

 subsp. keiensis Oud. The other seines number eleven species; and, though 

 Sphenomorphus kuhnei (Roux) and Leiolepisma beccarii (Peters. & Dor.) are 

 peculiar to the islands, still the great majority are of direct Papuan origin, and 

 might be expected to occur. One species should be mentioned specially, and 

 that is Lygosoma muelleri (Schl.). Tliis species is rare, extremely retiring in its 

 habits, and seems to be generally confined to the dense forest. It is certainly 

 not one which could by any chance have been carried about by human agency. 

 Roux records it from both Ke and Aru. It was previously known, he says, 



