HERPETOLOGY OF PORTO RICO. 



605 



No. iHlSa) on March 2(5, were isabella-colored with dusky spots on 

 back and upper side of legs, the tail siraihir l)ut more ochraceous; 

 the scapular band less extensiv^e than in tlie Luquillo specimens, and 

 without white edges, in two specimens jet black with pure white spots; 

 in the third, the scapular band was merely indicated, the great differ- 

 ence being in the color of the head including chin and throat and part 

 of the neck which were uniform, unspotted, orange-ochraceous, 

 approaching ochraceous-rufous, the black ej^eball shining through the 

 skin as greenish spots; ])reast, belh^, and legs underneath, pale dral), 

 and underside of tail, ochraceous. The fourth specimen (No. 27145; 

 L. S., No. 9056) was entirely different; the whole upper surface was 

 tawny olive with dusky irregular spots; on the shoulder, traces of the 

 black shoulder band with the white spots; the head was of the same 

 ground color as the rest of the upper surface, but with markings of a 

 similar pattern as tig. 52; throat and chin with very distinct irregular 

 dusky spots. 



In the specimens collected in the white clay hills about 8 miles 

 east of Ponce on April 10 (Nos. 27306-12) two similar t^pes of colora- 

 tion are also easily distinguishable, namely, those with uniform yellow 

 head without dusky markings but with the tail spotted like the l)ack, 

 and those with an unspotted ochraceous tail but a 

 drab-colored head with a pattern, like ffg. 52, and 

 longitudinal dusky marks on the back. In all these 

 specimens the scapular band is limited to a black 

 median spot. 



Habitat. — Sj)Jiserodactylus grandisquamis, which 

 is the form with the largest scales, is confined to 

 Porto Rico and Vieques. On the east it is repre- 

 sented in St. Thomas and the other Virgin Islands 

 by 8. macrolepis^ with smaller scales, while on the 

 west a form with still smaller scales is found on 

 Mona Island. 



As earh' as 1863 Reinhardt and Luetken recorded 

 a large-scaled individual from Vieques and it has 

 since been recorded from Porto Rico by various 

 authors as 8. macrolejtls. Mr. A. B. Baker in 1S99 

 collected several specimens near Isabella Segunda on 

 Vieques, where we also secured a few in 1900. We also collected a 

 large series in Luquillo, a small town on the main island just oppo- 

 site, and later on some near Ponce, on the south side. I have also 

 examined four specimens in the Hamburg Museum, collected by Mr. J. 

 Michaelis at Arecibo in 1900. It thus seems to occur all around the 

 island near sea level; it is probably confined to the lowlands, as we 

 did not see it nor hear of it in the higher altitudes. 



Fig. 52.— Sph^erodac 

 tylus grandisqua- 

 Mis. 2} X natural 

 size. Color pattern 

 of head and shoul- 

 d e r . No. 27312, 



r.s.x.M. 



