60 BULLETIISr 15 4, UNITED STATES NATIOISrAL MUSEUM 



A series of 1028 si:)ec'imens of dcppil has been examined. Data 

 on a representative series of TOO examples are as follows: Hody 

 24r-8G mm.; tail, 54-207; total lenojtli, 8G-288; width of head, 

 4.0-12.5; length of hind leg, 20-55; supraoculars 3 in 012 speci- 

 mens, 3-4 in 40 specimens and 4 in 48 specimens; supraocular 

 granules extending forward to the anterior border of the fourth 

 supraocular in 1 specimen, to the middle of the third supraocular 

 in 601 specimens, to the anterior border of the third supraocular in 

 46 specimens, to the middle of the second supraocular in 9 specimens 

 and to the anterior border of the second supraocular in 2 specimens. 



Varkifhn.—G'Ailov; (1903, p. 113) called attention to the fact that 

 not over 6 per cent of depiyil have less than 9 longitudinal light 

 lines on the body. The occurrence of a 6-lined specimen is very 

 rare, but 8-lined ones are found more frequently. Gadow (1906, 

 p. 295) wrote that "the greatest number of stripes occur in old 

 specimens, and this fact is not due to the others having been weeded 

 out, since many-striped young are not relativel}^, but positively, 

 rare." The writer finds that the young and the adults usually shoAv 

 the same number of stripes and sees no reason why more slioidd be 

 found in adults. However, it is just ]^()ssil)le that Gadow confused 

 young, six-lined specimens of gular'is witli those of deppii. 



Abnormalities in the striping frequently occur in Nayarit, Jalisco 

 and Colima for here the usual dorsal stripes, although often dis- 

 tinct, frequently combine to produce a single, widened, heavy, con- 

 spicuous middorsal line. This aberration is seldom seen elsewhere. 

 As maintained elsewhere (p. 58), regional variation in the number 

 of stripes is common, but has little taxonomic significance because of 

 its repetitive character. 



Gadow (1906, p. 309) listed the supraoculars of 152 specimens as 

 normally three, but said that there were 10.0 percent of exceptions. 

 This is close to the writer's figure of 9.7 ]Hn-cent, which is based on 

 700 examples. 



Range. — The many-lined race runner occurs in the lower levels 

 along the Mexican coast southward from Nayarit and Vera Cruz, 

 and is found in Central America as far south as Costa Rica. It 

 probably does not extend inland above an elevation of 4,000 feet. 



The report of deppil from Caracas, Venezuela, given by Boul- 

 enger (1885), and copied by others, was probably based on a young 

 specimen of lemniscatus. 



The available records are presented below in an alphabetical 

 series by countries, and under them by the largest political sub- 

 divisions. 



COSTA RICA.— Prov. of Alajuela {Sam Mateo, Cope, 1894, p. 

 199, A.M.N.H.). Comarca de Puntarenas {Tirives, U.S.N.M.). 



