260 BARBOUR: ZOOGEOGRAPHY. 



This is the only Antillean representative, in fact the only American repre- 

 sentative, of a genus the other species of which inhabit southern Europe, north- 

 ern and western Africa, the Cape Verde Islands, and Madeira. The fact that 

 the Cuban species is so rare in collections would make it seem possible that the 

 species may exist on Haiti; it is not likely to occur on Porto Rico or Jamaica, 

 or on the Lesser Antilles. It is curious that its existence in the West Indies 

 should be confined to Cuba, although we observe too many similarities in West 

 Indian and West African generic ranges for the general habitat of Tarentola to 

 seem very peculiar. 



Sphaerodactylus torrei, up. no v. 

 Spluwroitai-li/liiK siiidiitor Boulenger, Cat. lizard.s Brit, imis., 188.3, 1, p. 219 (non Sparrman). 



Anderson (Bihang. K. Svensk. vet-akad. Handl., 1900, 26, afd. 4, no. 1, p. 

 27) has shown that the name Sphaerodactylus spulaior (Sparrman) must be 

 transferred to *S'. fantasticus Dumeril & Bibron, since he has identified the original 

 specimens from St. Eustatius in the Stockholm museum with that species. It 

 now becomes necessary to rename the Cuban species, which I have done in honor 

 of the distinguished Cuban naturalist, Carlos de la Torre. 



This is apparently a common species in eastern Cuba. It is supposed to 

 occur also upon San Domingo; but no comparison from the two localities can be 

 made here, nor did Boulenger, in 1885 have any from Haiti. 



Type: — No. 6,916, M. C. Z. An adult, Santiago de Cuba, Wirt Robinson, 

 collector. Two paratypes. 



Snout rather pointed, longer than distance from eye to ear opening; ear 

 aperture vertical, ovoid, rather small. Rostral large, with median cleft above, 

 nostril between rostral, first labial and one to three small nasals; five upper and 

 five lower labials; mental large, truncate posteriorly; no regular chin shields, 

 but many polygonal scales, which pass into the throat granules. Upper eyelid 

 with small spine-like scale above the middle of the eye. Upper surfaces with 

 very small minute granule-like scales, largest on the snout; scales of abdomen 

 imbricate and larger. Tail cylindrical, with verticals of scales and a row of 

 enlarged scutes below. Dirty brown or whitish, upper surfaces with five dark 

 brown bands between the end of the snout and sacrum, the three anteriors often 

 extending almost or quite across neck and chest. A varying number of complete 

 bars on tail. Two longitudinal whitish stripes on the snout. 



Upon my collecting trip in 1913 I got two fine large specimens from Cabo 

 Cruz and Mr. C. T. Ramsden gave me a beautifully marked individual from 

 Guantanamo. 



