40 i;rr.i>ETTX i.i-t, i'nitki) statks national museitm 



{IU'2'2, j). C):')) found it to he " coinmoii on tlic lowlands all about the 

 range (Santa Marta Disti'ict). l)ut not unconnnon in the more open 

 parts of the H()0(l-])lain forests at \'alencia and \'alle de Ut)ar. 

 Althou<2li a a-i'ound form, it readily (dinil)s about in low bushes in 

 search of food." 



Afp'iiifies. — Although mur'mus is probably the least specialized, 

 leniH/scdfds seems to be more nearly central in relation to the other 

 forms of the len) iiii^cdt uk group. Its possible e\'olution fi'om niKr/mii^ 

 stock through, or in common with, (nuhcusis will be discussed in the 

 summary at the end of this section. 



Le/>/i.^(<//irs- is most closely allied to n/iir/coloi' fi-om which it dif- 

 fei's only in the possession of a less specialized color i)attern. The 

 relationshi[) with ocelltfcr is not so close and will be discussed under 

 that foi-m. 



CNEMIDOPHORIJS LEMNISCATUS NIGRICOLOR (Peters) 



BLACK RACE RUNNER 



TS78. Ciicniidoijhoni.s nUjricoJor Peteks. Sitz.-Ber. d. Ges. iiaturf. Fioiiiide zu 

 Berlin, p. 70 (type locality, •' Insel Gruppe Los Rocques, im Nortleii von La 

 Guayra. Venezuela"; 4 cotypes). — O'Shaughnessy, Zool. Ret-, for 1ST4. vol. 

 11, 187U, 1). 70. — BocoriiT, Miss. sci. ^fex. et Ainer. cent., vol. .S, liS74, p. 273 

 pi. 20c, figs. 3, 3rt.— BouLENGER. ("at. I>iz. BritLsh :Mns., vdl. 2. 1SS5. p. 364; 

 Cat. Liz. British Mns., vol. 3, 18S7, p. ")(),"). — Cope, Trans. Aniev. Pliilos. Soc. 

 vol. 17. 1892. p. 30; Ann. R?pt. U. S. Nat. Mus. for IS'IS. 1!)00. p. 508.— G.\dow, 

 I'roc. Ziiol. Sdc. London. l!)(i(!. p. .301. — Meek. I'ulil. Field Mns. Nat. Hist., 

 zool. ser., vol. 7, 1010, ]». 417 (|)ai'l). — Ritthve.x. Ocens. I'.iii. ]\Ins. Zool. TTniv. 

 Mich., no. 143. 1023. \). 8. ( all ) .— Wkiinku. Zeitschr. f. wissensch. ZikiL. vol. 

 125, p. 537. 



T)ia</n<)s}s. — This form is like Icm n'/scdfus in most structural cliai'- 

 acters. differing chielly in coloration. The \'enti'al caudal plates 

 are more oftiMi smooth in nigiocolor, and the back, although some- 

 times indistinctly s})otted. is iinstrii)ed, usually nearly unicolor, and 

 pi'edominatingly grayish oi' l)lackish. Certain old adults on Los 

 Koquesare uniform dark brown above, instead of black. 



I nlike ceitain h ni n'/scdtiis, with which ni<j)'icolof is most likely 

 to be confused, thei'c is nexci' a more or less distinct, wide, bluish 

 or grayish middorsal band i)resent. Instead the gi'ouud ])attern of 

 the back and sides of tii</j icolor is characteristically dexoid of 

 contrasts. 



NUp'tcolor may l)e distinguished from mur'n>uH and ariihenx'ix by 

 the absence of large, round, light spots on the sides and by the smaller 

 size; in addition, it differs from the former of these, murhmH, by 

 the possession of 8 rows of ventral ))lates instead of 10 or 12. 



Desert pf'i(»i. — Snout rathei' blunt to moderately pointed: nostril 

 usually in suture between antci'ioi- and postei'ior nasals: anterior 

 nasal not in contact with second u})[)er labial; supraoculars 4: 



