502 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1898. 



Measurements. — Total length, 6GS mm.; head and body, 185 mm.; to 

 angle of mouth, 18 mm. 



The coloration is also peculiar, as already pointed out in the color 

 table, this specimen being the only example of group K. The ground 

 color of the anterior half of the body above the lateral fold with the 

 head above the mouth is black; each scale, except some of those of the 

 vertebral line, with one or more white centers, No vertical bands ante- 

 riorly; cephalic plates with white spots on thin borders. From the 

 middle of the length of the body the black rapidly fades to brown, and 

 the light spots disappear, while the edges of the scales are paler than 

 their centers. About the middle third of the length of the body a 

 black stripe appears, which covers the adjacent halves of the third 

 and fourth rows of scales above the lateral fold, and extends thence 

 with sharply defined borders to near the end of the tail. Below this 

 band the color is uniform straw colored. Belly, throat, and chin the 

 same. 



The only specimen which resembles this one in color is Oat. No. 

 10581, from Florida, already mentioned, which has one lateral stripe. 

 But it has also a median dorsal stripe, and the anterior half of the 

 body and head are straw colored, as in the striped forms generally. 



It is only the existence of Cat. No. 10581 that has restrained me from 

 regarding the form compressus as a distinct species. And that speci- 

 men has the normal form of body and tail and of scales. It is possible 

 that that specimen is a hybrid between the two subspecies compressus 

 and ventralis. 



OpMsaurus ventralis compressus Cope. 



CELESTUS Gray. 



Cehstus Gray, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., II, 1837, p. 288; Cat. Liz. Brit. Mus., 1st 



ed., 1845, p. 117.— Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Pliila., 1868, p. 123. 

 Siderolampriis Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1860, p. 368. 



No lateral tegumentary fold. Digits 5-5. Prefrontal and inter- 

 frontonasal plates fused. 



This genus is regarded as not distinct from Diploglossus by some 

 authors. In the latter the iuterfrontoiiasal and the two prefrontals 

 are not united, and the character is, in my estimation, amply sufficient 

 to separate it from Celestus. The latter is related to it as Mesaspis is 

 to Gerrohonotus, and both these genera exhibit the first stage of the 

 fusion of cephalic plates which terminates in the simple condition seen 

 in Anniella and other genera. 



