TEIin LTZAKDS OF THE GENUS CNEMIDOrnORUS 81 



other at certain stages in the life history all three subspecies have 

 been frequentl}- confused as a glance at their respective tables of 

 synonymy will show. 



Diagnosis. — Structurally the G-lined race runner is distinguished 

 by its possession of four supraoculars, the absence of enlarged poly- 

 gones or scutes on the postantebrachiuni, and its relatively small 

 size. It retains a striped pattern throughout life and there are 

 usually six, distinct, light lines on the back, although at times, 

 especially in young examples, one or two, more or less faint and 

 wavy, dorsal stripes may appear near the middorsal line. The third 

 or upper lateral pair of stripes are placed closer to the stripes be- 

 loAV them on each side than to each other and usually a more or less 

 widened, yellowish, dull streak takes the place of a middorsal stripe. 

 The ground color of the back varies, but it is usually brown, black- 

 ish, or olivaceous; the upper sides are often decidedly lighter than 

 the back in western specimens, in which case the tAvo lateral fields 

 are in sharp contrast on each side, the lower lateral remaining darker. 

 The latter condition is not seen in guJarls or perplexus. The under 

 surfaces are usually white, although sometimes they stain to black- 

 ish in preservatives, but they are never blue-black as in many speci- 

 mens of gularis. Field spots are always absent in sexlineatus. 



Description. — Snout blunt, rounded; nostril anterior to nasal su- 

 ture; anterior nasal usuall}- in contact with first upper labial, rarely 

 with second; supraoculars normally 4; granules often not extend- 

 ing past the posterior border of the third supraocular; frontopar- 

 ietals usually 2 ; parietals normally 3 ; anterior gulars rather 

 small, uniform, or with enlarged medio-lateral or median patches; 

 posterior gulars smaller; mesoptychial scales moderate, largest cen- 

 trally, larger rows 2-7; postmesoptychial granules fine, some us- 

 uall}^ on edge of posterior gular fold. 



Body moderately stout; ventral scutes arranged in 8 longitudinal 

 and 28-38 transverse rows; dorsal granules moderately fine (east) 

 to coarser (west); limbs w^ell developed; brachials 4-8; antebra- 

 chials 2-5 ; brachials and antebrachials usually continuous at a point 

 of contact; postantebrachium with small or slightly enlarged gran- 

 ules; femorals 4—8; tibials 2-4; femoral pores 12-30; tail elongate, 

 tapering; caudal plates large, oblique, with moderate or weak longi- 

 tudinal keels laterally. 



Coloration moderately distinctive, variable ; ventral parts purplish, 

 blue, greenish, yellowish, immaculate white or brownish; tail light 

 below, and darker, usually olivaceous, above; dorsum lined at all 

 ages; stripes normally 6, with the vestige of an additional pair usually 

 showing anteriorly on each side in a line extending along the lower 

 edge of the tympanum and ending abruptly behind it; middorsal 



