50G 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1898 



Celestas enneagrammus Cope. 



GERRHONOTUS Wiegmann. 



Gerr/ionoiHS WiEGMANN, Isis von Oken, 1828, p. 379; Herpetol. Mex., 1834, p. 



29. — Wagler, Nat. Syst. Amphib., 1830, p. 158.— Dumeril and Bibhon, V, 



1839, p. 394.— Gray, Cat. Brit. Mus., 1st ed., 1845, p. 53.— Cope, Proc. Am. 



Phil. Soc, 1877, p. 96.— Bocourt, Miss. Sci. Mex. Repfc., 1878, p. 317.— Bou- 



LENGER, Cat. Brit. Mus., 2cl ed. II, 1885, p. 266. 

 Pterogasterus Peale and Green, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1830, p. 234. — Cope, 



Proc. Am. Phil. Soc, 1877, p. 96. 

 Ahronia Gray, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 1, 1838, p. 389; Cat. Liz. Brit. Mus., p. 53. 

 Elgaria Gray, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 1, 1838, p. 390; Cat. Liz. Brit. Mus., p. 54. 



Scales of body in compact dorsal aud ventral sheets, separated by a 

 lateral Interval of soft skin, and arranged in transverse series; those 

 of the tail in bony rings or whorls. Throat \Yithout fold ; external ears 

 distinct; head above ^vith rather regular plates. Limbs weak, short; 

 anterior scarcely smaller than posterior, all with five digits terminated 

 by short claws nearly concealed by a sheath of two scales. ISTostrils 

 lateral ; no femoral pores. 



Osteology. — A skeleton of the G. mulUcarinatus from the U. S. National 

 Museum furnishes the material for the osteology of this genus. 



The premaxillary has a well-developed spine and a truncate palatal 

 border. Its alveolar border is short, and it forms but a small part of 

 the inferior uarial border. Nasal bones not short in front, rather nar- 

 rowed by the maxillary and prefrontals on each side. Frontal narrow, 

 single, partly inclosing olfactory lobes of the brain below, but the 

 incurved lateral walls not touching. Parietal with small pineal fora- 

 men far behind coronal suture. Supraoccipital loosely articulated, and 

 separated by suture from exoccipitals. Prefrontal not tuberiferous, 

 produced posterior to middle of supraorbital border. Postfrontal cres- 

 centic, equally united with frontal and ])arietal. Postorbital splint- 

 shaped, with very slight contact with the jugal, and long contact with 

 the supratemporal. Jugal slender, reaching anteriorly the small lach- 

 rymal. Paroccipital narrowly exposed posteriorly, well produced 

 upward on the distinct parietoquadrate arch. Quadrate with one 

 deeply excavated conch, whicli is external. Vomers in close apposition 

 in front, separated by a fissure posteriorly; the anterior portion exca- 

 vated medially. Palatines descending from the plane of the vomers; 

 the vomerine and maxillary processes about equal; main plate rather 

 narrow. Palatine foramen large. Pterygoid contracting gradually into 

 posterior slender portion; basipterygoid well developed. Presphenoid 



