132 BULLETIN 199, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



SCELOPORUS COUCHII Baird 



Sceloporus couchii Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1858 (1859), p. 254. — 

 Smith, Publ. Field Mus, Nat. Hist., zool. ser., vol. 26, 1939, pp. 240-246, 

 pi. 19, fig. 43. 



Lysoptychus lateralis Cope, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 11, 1888, pp. 397-398, 

 pi. 26, fig. 1 (San Diego, Duval Countv, Tex.; U. S. N. M. No. 14741). 



Sceloporus lateralis, Boulenger, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1890, p. 78. 



Type. — U.S.N.M. No. 2739 (9 specimens), cotypes; Lt. Darius 

 Nash Couch collector. 



Type locality. — Santa Catarina, Nucvo Le6n (specimens collected 

 by Lt. Couch were also at hand from ''Pesqueria Grande," Mexico). 



Range. — Central and northern Nuevo Le6n and eastern Coahuila. 

 In the United States, reported from southern Texas.^^ 



MERRIAMI GROUP 



Species. — One, with two subspecies. 



Range. — Southwestern Texas and adjacent Coahuila, 



KEY TO SPECIES OF THE MERRIAMI GROUP OF SCELOPORUS 



1. Anterior section of frontal usually divided; frontoparietals usually divided; 

 outer row of labiomental scales rarely terminating with the first scale wedged 

 between first infralabial and first postmental; head scales rugose; sub- 

 caudal surface distinctly banded; gular bars extensive, confluent medially. 



merriami annulatus (p. 133) 

 Anterior section of frontal rarely divided; frontoparietals rarely divided; outer 

 row of labiomentals terminating with the first scale wedged between first 

 infralabial and first postmental; head scales smooth; subcaudal surface 

 nearl}' or quite immaculate, not barred; gular bars short, usually separate 

 medially merriami merriami (p. 132) 



SCELOPORUS MERRIAMI MERRIAMI Stejneger 



Sceloporus merriami Stejneger, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 17, 1904, pp. 



17-20. 

 Sceloporus merriami merriami. Smith, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 50, 1937, 



pp. 83-86. 



Type.— v. S.'N.M. No. 33039; W. Lloyd collector. 



Type locality. — East Painted Cave, near mouth of the Pecos River, 

 Tex. 



Range. — The Rio Grande and its immediate tributaries from western 

 Brewster County to southeastern Val Verde County, Tex. The species 

 occurs on the bluffs along the Mexican side of the river, but no specific 

 records for either Coahuila or Chihuahua (in both of which states it 

 should occur) are known. 



" Except possibly for the type specimen of Lysoptychus lateralis, no specimen of S. couchii has ever, to our 

 knowledge, been taken in Texas. We consider it doubtful that the specimen came from there. 



