TEIID LIZAKDS OF TSE GKXUS CNEMIDOrHOEUS 3 



Stiecker (1928?^), after much field experience, lias recently ex- 

 pressed the >"iew that " all of the lizards of the <2;enus CneniklopJioms 

 are exceediniily \"aiial)le and sometimes the same species differs 

 greatly in color accordinir to the locality in which it is found." 



During the pro<>-ress of this study it has become apparent that the 

 i>roblem of briniiinn- order into the existing" taxonomic confusion of 

 (' iiemidophorus is not as hopeless as many have sui)[)osed. A surpris- 

 ingly large amount of material has accumulated in museums — much 

 of this the result of recent collecting. Tiierefore, very large series of 

 most of the species and subspecies have been available. The situa- 

 tion met has been so strikingly similar to that ex})ressed by Prof. 

 Asa Gray (1863) in reviewing the revision of the oaks (genus 

 Querciis) by the famous botanist, I)e Candolle. that one must regard 

 his words as being fully as applicable to animals as to plants. It 

 was found that "Where specimens were few, as from countries little 

 explored, tlie work was easy, but the conclusions of small value. 

 The fewer the materials, the smaller the likelihood of forms interme- 

 diate between any two * * * Where, however, specimens abound 

 * * * here alone were data fit to draw conclusions from."' 



It is believed that the present study brings the understanding of 

 the genus CnemhloplioiHs up to date. However, as new series of 

 specimens become available, and additional geographical localities 

 come to be represented, modifications of the ideas of relationships 

 here expressed, and readjustments of the ranges, are inevitable. The 

 writer has been forced to link many forms as sub-species, and, as 

 must have been expected, a reduction in the number of forms recog- 

 nized, rather than an increase, has been necessary. In fact no new 

 species have been found. It is true that nothing can be gained by 

 the '"lumping'' of doubtful forms, but, on the other hand, much 

 confusion results from the retention of indefinable species and 

 subspecies in the hope that future collections will prove them to be 

 distinct. Certain differences in tliis genus, such as melanism or the 

 type of mesoptychial scutellation, seem to be largely environmental 

 in nature, and this kind of character subjects a widespread species 

 to seemingly endless variation, as well as to confusing geogi'ai)hic 

 repetiti(m. The writer has prepared this work in conformity to the 

 general principle stated by Blanchard (1921), namely, that "ap- 

 parent constancy throughout a definite geographic range is suffi- 

 cient to warrant the recognition of a name." Intergradation, as 

 evidenced by a significant degree of mor[)liological approach or over- 

 lap, when confined to a point or line of geographical contact between 

 the two or more diverging i)o|)uIati(ms concerned, has been the 

 criterion for the recognition of subspecies. However, some modi- 

 fication of this idea must be used in the treatment of insular races 



