TEIID LIZAI^DS OF THE GEXUS CNEMIDOPHOItUS 49 



1G4-448; Avidtli of licnd. 7~'2''\: hind 1('<2;, 3G-9o; supraoculars 4-5 in 

 1 spet-inien, four in (kS spccinicns, and .'5-4 in 1 specimen; supraocular 

 granules extending foiwaid to llu' anterior border of the fourth supra- 

 ocular in 53 specimens, and to the middle of the third supraocular in 

 17 specimens; frontoparietals four in 8 specimens, and two in (37 

 specimens; parietals six in 1:3 specimens, and five in 57 specimens. 



Vanation. — There is apparently a sexual dimorphism in the devel- 

 opment of the anal spurs of this lizard. Old males have these spurs 

 well developed, while spurs in the females and young are in a rudi- 

 mentary condition or are entirely absent. 



Specimens from Curacao are decidedly more like arubensis than 

 those from Bonaire, and these tAvo populations are almost distinct 

 enough to be given recognition as separate forms on the basis of a 

 difference in the femoral pores. 



The appearance of faint dorsal stripes has been observed only in 

 a few young specimens from Curasao and this suggests transition 

 from the typical unicolor condition of the young on Bonaire to the 

 more definite sort of striping usually seen in the young of arubensis. 

 The j)opulation on Curasao seems to be on the whole less melanistic 

 than that on Bonaire, but lighter colored specimens are found on 

 both islands. Therefore, the colorational differences do not seem to 

 be sufficient to serve as a basis of separation here. 



Tlie range in the number of femoral pores for 43 specimens from 

 Curacao is from 27 to 35, only one having the latter number. The 

 range for 19 specimens from Bonaire is from 31 to 44, only two 

 having less than 36 femoral pores. This gives an overlapping of 

 12.0 per cent and with the accumulation of more specimens this fig- 

 lu'e will no doubt be either increased or reduced. If it is decidedly 

 reduced, and if miiriniis is restricted to these islands, a new sub- 

 species may then be described from either Curacao or Bonaire. 

 After this, the validity of the suggested new form may be impaired 

 by the finding of a trifle more variation in the size of the external 

 longitudinal rows of ventral plates of certain specimens of murlnus 

 (on Curacao) or of at^hotsis. 



Dumeril and Bibron (1839, p. 12G) listed murlnus as having 18 

 longitudinal series of ventral plates, but the " 18 " is no doubt a 

 typographical error for '' 10 " or " 12." 



Range. — There is considerable question as to the actual distribution 

 of murlnus. All of the specimens with unquestionable locality data 

 examined by the writer are from Cuiacao and Bonaire in the Dutch 

 Leeward Islands off the northern coast of Venezuela. Because of 

 this and since there is the jiossibility of confusion with Jeninlscatus 

 on tlie basis of general appearance, or even with Amelva anieiva 

 amelva on the basis of the increasetl number of ventral plates (10-12) 



