34 BARBOUR: ZOOGEOGRAPHY. 



Timor-Laxjt. 



Before proceeding to consider the various islands of the Moluccan groups, 

 it is proper to notice the herpetology of a small archipelago which presents a 

 rather anomalous condition. The Timor-Laut or Tenimber group hes about 

 two hundred miles almost directly eastward of Timor and about the same dis- 

 tance to the north of Melville Island off the coast of northern West Australia. 

 While the charts are deficient in soundings, they lead one to suppose that the 

 island is completely surrounded by water of great depth, from 200 to 900 fathoms ; 

 there are, however, no soundings on a direct line between Babar, Dawera, and 

 the small islands Selu, Wariari, and Sera, which lie off the west coast of Jamdena, 

 the largest island of the Tenimber group. 



We owe our knowledge of the herpetology of this island to the collections 

 of H. 0. Forbes. Boulenger reported on "The coUection of reptiles and ba- 

 trachians from the Timor-Laut Islands, formed by Mr. H. 0. Forbes" (Proc. 

 Zool. soc. London, 1883, p. 386-388, pi. 41-42). The reptiles are so few in 

 number that it may be well to mention each species. 



As might be expected, the Gekkos are wide-ranging forms, though it is 

 interesting to see that Gekko gecko (Linne) reaches here the eastern limit of its 

 range. It occurs also on both Timor and Celebes. Peropus mutilatus (Wiegm.) 

 Varanus indicus (Daud.), and Cryptoblepharus boutonii (Desj.) also were found, 

 all wide-ranging forms. 



So far as we know, the scincids are but three in number, wide-ranging, and 

 generally Papuan in relationships. They are Riopa rufescens (Shaw), Emoia 

 cyanurum (Less.), and Dasia smaragdinum (Less.). The first mentioned may 

 prove to be an autocthonous species, as Boettger has separated the Halmahera 

 Riopa as R. mentovarium. 



The agamids are very interesting. One of these is Physignathus maculila- 

 bris Blgr. This species belongs to a genus which occurs in Australia, Timor- 

 Laut, and the Indo-Chinese Peninsula. The Tenimber species is closely similar 

 to P. gilberti (Gray) from Australia. The other agamid is Calotes cristatellus 

 Kuhl, which ranges from the Malay Peninsula through most of the islands as far 

 as Mysol. The representatives of this species on the islands from Celebes east- 

 ward may be referred to a subspecies, violuccanus Lesson; while those on Celebes 

 seem to be similarly recognizable, and may be known by the race name celebensis 

 Gthr. 



Among the Ophidia we have with Python reticulatus (Schn.) e^•idences of 



