TEIID LIZATIDS OF THE GENUS CNEMIDOPHORUS 201 



femoral poies 17-2:3: tail elongate, tapering; caudal plates large, 

 ()l)li(liie, and with rather strong lateral longitudinal keels. 



Coloration distinctive: under surfaces sullused with more or less 

 red or pinkish, often dark spotted; gular region sometimes spotted 

 with dnslrs^; temporal region unicolor or with a few dark s[)ots or 

 bars; chest and abdomen never covered b}^ a continuous black sulfn- 

 sion; lower surfaces of tail unspotted, pinkish: upper surface of 

 tail pinkish distally. and often proximally as well: ventral color 

 continued high laterall}'; dark caudal markings absent, or indis- 

 tinct and confined to the dorsal and proximal region of the tail; 

 dorsal pattern with a more or less distinct tranverse element, this 

 better developed in adults; crossbars developed everj'where on back 

 in larger specimens; dark dorsal fields broken earl_y, seldom conflu- 

 ent longitudinally or transversely; dark dorsal spots roughly square 

 or rectangular, not noticeably rounded: disregarding crossbars, 

 stripes appear to be nearly uniform in width: round light spots 

 usually absent from the adult. 



The dorsal coloration of the young is well shown by three 

 specimens from Danzante Island (C.A.S. Nos. 52146-52148) in which 

 four pale dorsal stripes may be seen. In the interspaces there are 

 rows of black spots which may have a tendency to arrange them- 

 selves into transverse as well as longitudinal series. Both the spots 

 and the lines are always more distinct posteriorly and the limbs 

 are white spotted above. The dorsal part of the tail is uniformly 

 olivaceous in the young, but with development it becomes salmon, 

 especially at the tip. The sides of the young specimens are barred, 

 and often more or less striped longitudinally as well. It seems that 

 the character of this cross-barring and striping in tlie young greatly 

 influences the future color pattern. 



In most specimens, especially in adults, the pinkish color is not 

 confined to the caudal region, but is found as a suffusion in the 

 region of the femoral pores, in the preanal region, and even anterior 

 to these parts. 



Recently collected adults appear to be strikingly distinct and to 

 one familiar with them they are readily identifiable. (The red or 

 pinkish, however, often fades in preservatives.) Larger adults no 

 longer possess distinct white stripes, but have light brown ones in- 

 stead. This light brown color becomes increasingly dominant with 

 age, especially anteriorly, and it is evident that eventually this type 

 of change would produce a unicolored light brown lizard. The area 

 of the dark dorsal spots is much reduced in many large examples 

 and in a specimen from Magdalena Island (C.A.S. Xo. 55896) these 

 spots are small and confined entirely to the posterior third of the 

 back. A further development of this tendency has not been noted. 

 2.30G— 31 14 



