244 BULLETIN 15 4, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Habitat and iiabifs. — Uiifortuiiately, information concerning the 

 detailed distribution of pictus is not at present available, and ap- 

 parently nothing is known about its habits, Monserrate is a volcanic 

 island which is only 4 miles long and 2 miles wide. The highest 

 elevation is 734 feet and the surface is very rocky, but on the north 

 side there is a small bight Avith a short strip of sand beach near its 

 northwestern point. 



Affinities. — The Monserrate Island race runner is very closely 

 related to hyperythi^s, from which it is evidently derived. It 

 differs from this parent form only in the absence of the dorsal 

 longitudinal striping and in the fading or loss of the lateral stripes. 

 As indicated in the discussion of hyperijtJiriis., the dorsal stripes are 

 sometimes lost in that form as an abnormality. From this to jnotus 

 is but a step (see figure 33). Moreover, the geographical location 

 of pictus is within but a few miles of the general range of hypenj- 

 tJirus. Pictus differs from caerideus and danhevmae in the same 

 way that it does from hyperythrus. It is possible, but seems im- 

 probable, that pictus was derived from caeruleus. This point is 

 further elaborated in the summary of the hyperythrus group (p. 24G). 



CNEMmOPHORUS HYPERYTHRUS DANHEIMAE Burt 



SAN JOSE ISLAND RACE RUNNER 



1895. Verticaria sericea Van Denbuegh, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 2, vol. 5, 

 p. 132 (type locality, "San Jose Island, Gulf of California, Mexico"; typo 

 specimen," C.A.S. No. 435).— Cope, Amer. Nat., vol. 30, 1896, p. 1U17.— 

 BouLENGEB, Zool. Kec. for 1895, vol. 32, " Reptillia," 1896, p. 19.— Cope, Ann. 

 Rep. U. S. Nat. Mus. for 1898, 1900, p. 564. — Van Denburgh and Slevin, Proc. 

 Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 4, vol. 4, 1914, p. 148. — Stejnegek and Barbour, Check 

 List N. A. Amph. and Rept., 1917, p. 65. — Dickerson, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. 

 Hist., vol. 41, 1919, p. 472. — Schmidt, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. 46. 

 1922, p. 681.— Van Denburgh, Occas. Pap. Calif. Acad. Sci., vol. 10, 1922, p. 

 571. — Nelson, Mem. National Acad. Sci., vol. 21, 1922, p. 114. — Stejneger and 

 Barbour, Checli List N. A. Amph. and Rept., ed. 2, 1923, p. 69. — Burt, Proc. 

 Biol. Soc. Wash., vol. 42, p. 154. 



1906. Cnemidopliorus hyperythrus (part) Gauow, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 307. 



1907. Cnemidopharus scricctis Ditmars, Reptile Book, p. 186. 



1929. Cnemidophorus hyperythr'us danhemiae Burt, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 

 vol. 42, p. 154 (new name for C. serioetis Van Denburgh, 1895, preoccupied 

 by C. gularis sericcus Cope, 1892). 



Diagnosis. — The San Jose Island race runner differs from 

 hyperythrus by having the ground color of the sides very light, pale 

 sepia or reddish gray, and in distinct contrast to the ground color 

 of the back which is dark gray to black. In Jiyperythrus there is 

 usually no sharp contrast between the ground color of the back and 

 sides, although the actual composition of that ground color and its 



2^ The type specimen of this species was destroyed by the great San Francisco fire of 

 April, inoo. 



