218 BULLETIN 17 7, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



scarcely denticulate; about 42 scales around the middle of the body; 

 about 55 scales from the occiput to a point directly above the vent; 

 about 16 dorsal scales equivalent to the distance from snout to occiput; 

 nuchal scales moderate, those behind the ear and in the shoulder folds 

 quite small but keeled like the dorsals; the only trace of the lateral 

 fold is a short axillary fold which does not extend beyond the adpressed 

 elbow. The adpressed hindlimb reaches to the anterior corner of the 

 eye. Digits compressed, the hindtoe with 21 tricarinate lamellae. 

 A low but distinct dorsal crest beginning on the occiput, increasing 

 somewhat on the distal portion of the tail; the other caudal scales 

 heavily keeled and highly mucronate; no verticils. Tail round. A 

 group of enlarged postanals in the male. 



Dimensions: Snout to vent, 47 mm.; head to posterior ear, 12.5 

 mm.; tail, 68 mm.; foreleg, 21 mm.; hindleg, 39 mm.; width of head, 

 9.5 mm. 



Color (in alcohol) : Body color olive-buff above, with a pale 

 emerald iridescent stripe on the dorsolateral region, bordering a 

 wide sepia stripe that begins behind the eye and contains a few 

 scattered small green spots; this sepia stripe is set off below by a 

 white stripe, which begins on the upper lip and continues backward 

 along the body nearly to the groin; below this the olive-buff lateral 

 color is checkered by short transverse series of light scales, probably 

 green or pale blue in life. Ventral surface immaculate light olive- 

 buff with a greenish iridescence. Tail pale cinnamon above, with 

 narrow chevron-shaped sepia cross bars. Upper surfaces of arms and 

 legs spotted with sepia; posterior surface of femur with dark reticula- 

 tions enclosing round white spots. Lips and throat immaculate 

 white. 



Variations. — This dwarf species seems to have a fairly constant 

 and regular arrangement of the head plates. The supraoculars are 

 usually five in number though occasionally six when they are smaller 

 than usual. The internasals usually meet each other behind the 

 frontal; sometimes the first of the median azygous series meets the 

 rostral instead. In this median series there are usually three scales. 

 The posterior prefrontal is always large, sometimes indeed even larger 

 than the frontal. The occipital, on the other hand, is rather small 

 and seldom separates the inner parietals for more than one-third of 

 their length. The projecting ear scales are usually prominent, with the 

 second and third much larger than the others. In the patch of 

 enlarged scales at the upper anterior corner of the ear one scale is 

 sometimes larger than the rest, or there may be two of equal size in 

 this position. 



The color pattern is very constant. The pale wide dorsal area 

 with the sharply marked sepia stripes produces a coloration that sets 



