458 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.90 



catalogue of 1844 he added that the specimen is from C[entral] 

 America, that it is a dry preparation, and the "shell wants dorsal 

 plates" [laminae]. In the Catalogue of Shield Reptiles (1856) he 

 listed the same specimen as No. c under Kinosternon scorpioides 

 "Var. 1. Hinder part of sternum entire." In the Handlist (1873) 

 he finally gave the additional information that the shell is "elongate, 

 3% inches" [98.5 mm.]. These are all the details that have been 

 published with regard to this specimen, which together with its name 

 seems to have been completely overlooked by all subsequent students 

 of the genus, even hj Boulenger in his Catalogue of the Chelonians 

 in the British Museum (1889). Not finding in the latter any indica- 

 tion as to whether Gray's type was still in existence, I wrote to Dr. 

 H. W. Parker asking him if it might not be one of the unspecified 

 specimens listed under scorinoides or leucostomum. Before the month 

 was out I had his kind answer to the effect that he had located the 

 specimen and that it is the one listed by Boulenger (Cat. Chelonians, 

 p. 44) as specimen e. d , stffd. C. America, under Cinosternum berend- 

 tianum. The detailed measurements of it, which he communicated 

 at the same tune, agree closely with those of Cope's tlu-ee cotypes 

 proving that Boulenger's reference of it to this species was fully 

 justified. 



The critical measurements of the plastron of the type furnished by 

 Dr. Parker are as follows: Length of plastron 91.2 mm., anterior lobe 

 27.5 nmi., middle section 26.7 mm., posterior lobe 37.0 mm., gular 

 15.5 mm. The corresponding measurements of the largest male 

 cotype of K. berendtianum (U.S.N.IVI. No. 106294) are as follows: 

 89, 28, 27, 34, and 17 mm. 



"With regard to the locality of acuta," Dr. Parker writes, "there is 

 a MS, addition in one of our copies of Gray's catalogue saying 'Hon- 

 duras.' What authority there is for this I do not know." As 

 Siebenrock lists a specimen from Lake Peten, Guatemala, the locality 

 "Honduras" is probably correct. 



Unwelcome as the change of name is, there can be no doubt as to 

 the correctness of Boulenger's identification, and according to the 

 International Code of Nomenclature the species will have to stand as 

 Kinosternon acutum. 



KINOSTERNON CHUENTATUM CONSORS, new subspecies 



Diagnosis.— Three strong dorsal keels, rather close together; central 

 laminae of carapace narrow; plastron filling opening of shell com- 

 pletely; posterior hinge of plastron straight; no emargination of 

 posterior edge of plastron; similar to K. cruentatum Dumeril, but shell 

 averaging narrower and lower ; front lobe of plastron averaging shorter 

 and "midlobe" (the fixed part) longer. 



Holotijpe.—U.S.l^.M. No. 13912; & adult; Cozumel Island, Yucatan, 

 Mexico; collected by U.S.F.C.S. Albatross Expedition, 1885. 



