THE SOUTH AMERICAN LIZAEDS IN THE COLLECTION 

 OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



By Charles E. Burt and May Danheim Burt 



Of Trinity University. Waxahachie. Texas 



INTRODUCTION 



During the course of our recent study of the South American 

 lizards ^ we have examined the interestinir collection contained in 

 the United States National Museum. In it we find a new species 

 from Argentina, which is described below as Plica stejnegeri^ and 

 numerous other specimens. Although the latter serve as repre- 

 sentatives of previously described species, many of the variations 

 and peculiarities are found to be of sufficient systematic importance 

 to warrant an elaboration here. Moreover, many of the distributional 

 records are new. 



Recently Amaral (1925) has prepared an interesting and compre- 

 hensive account of the South American snakes in the collection of 

 the United States National Museum, which we now follow with our 

 contribution pertaining to the lizards. 



We wish to express here our appreciation to Dr. L. Stejneger for 

 permission to prepare this report and for the loan of valuable speci- 

 mens, and to Miss Doris M. Cochran for placing every available fa- 

 cility at our disposal while we were at the United States National 

 Museum. Furthermore, we are indebted to both for helpful criti- 

 cisms and additions to the manuscript. The senior author is also 

 indebted to the authorities of the American Museum of Natural His- 

 tory for permission to undertake this study while a staff member of 

 that institution. 



1 Additional details pertaining to certain taxonomic modifications that are incorporated 

 in the present report will be found a second contribution, entitled the " South 

 American Lizards in the Collection of the American Museum of Natural History." This 

 work will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Bulletin of the American Museum of 

 Natural History. 



No. 2849.— Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. 78, Art. 6 



2609—30 1 1 



