Eremias. 277 



Head and body rather strongly depressed. Head 1* to 1| times as 

 long as broad, its length 3| to 4^ times in length to vent in males, 



4 to 5 times in females, its depth equal to the distance between the 

 centre of the eye and the tympanum ; snout pointed, with the nasal 

 shields strongly swollen, as long as the postoculav part of the head ; 

 canthus rostralis sharp, loreal region feebly concave ; a more or less 

 distinct concavity in the middle of the upper surface of the snout, 

 e.vtending to the middle o£ the frontal shield. Pileus 1| to If times 

 as long as broad. Neck as broad as the liead. Hind limb reaching 

 the collar or between the collar and the ear, rarely the ear, in males, 

 the elbow, the axil, the collar, or a little beyond, in females ; foot 

 li to ] I times the length of the head ; toes moderately slender, not 

 compressed. Tail 1| to 1| times the length of head and body. 



Up[;er head-shields smooth, convex, s(mietimes slightly rugose in 

 old specimens. Rostral usually* in contact with the fi'ontonasal, 

 which is as long as broad or a little broader ; prefrontals as long as 

 broad, or usually a little longer, forming a suture in the middle, 

 rarely with a small azygos shield between them+ ; frontal as long as 

 or a little shorter than its distance from the end of the snout, H to 2 

 times as long as broad, usually much broader in front than behind ; 

 parietals as long as broad or a little longer ; interparietal as large as 

 or smaller than the frontoparietals, rarely larger, in contact with an 

 occipital J which is much shorter but sometimes quite as broad. First 

 and fourth supraoculars small or broken up into granules ; 6 to 8, 

 rarely 5, sviperciliaries, first longest, separated from the two large 

 supraoculars by one or two series of granules in front, 2 to 5 behind, 

 rarely one throughout. Three nasals, lower in contact with the rostral 

 and the first upper labial, posterior small and very rarely excluded 

 fi'om the nostril ; anterior loreal 2 to 3 times as deep as long, excep- 

 tionally divided into two, as long as or a little shorter than the second ; 

 usually 4, sometimes 5, upper labials anterior to the subocular, which 

 is keeled below the eye, and largely borders the mouth, its lower 

 border much shorter than the upper; temporal scales small, granular, 

 loAver larger ; a small tympanic shield often present ; no auricular 

 denticulation. Lower eyelid with a semitransparent disc formed of 



5 to 8 scales, 2 or 3 of which are sometimes large. 



* 8 exceptions (single specimens from Kharg-eh, Hehian, Foggaret es Zona, 

 2 from Wed Saret-El Golea, 3 from El Golea-Fort Miribel) out of 47 specimens. 



t Single specimen from Khargeh and Natron Valley, 2 specimens from Giza. 



X Except in the type of S. lichtensteinii, in which a small shield separates 

 them, and in a specimen from Wed Saret-El Golea, in which the parietals meet 

 on the median line. 



