Scaptira. 361 



5. SCAPTIRA CUNEIROSTRIS. 



Podarces (Scapteira) cuneirosirls, Straucli, M<'1. Biol. Ac. St. 

 Pt'tersb. vi, 1867, p. 411. 



Smirifes (Eremias) cunelrostris, Peters, Moii. Berl. Ac. 1869, p. 60. 



Scapteira cunelrostris, Bouleug. Cat. Liz. iii, p. 116 (1887) ; Werner, 

 Jen. Deukschr. iv, 1910, p. 339, pi. vi, fig. 1. 



Head and body much depressed. Head about H to Ih times as 

 long as broad, its depth equal to the distance between the centre of 

 the eye and the tympanum, its length 3;\ to 3| times in length to 

 vent; snout much flattened, obtusely pointed, with swollen nasals and 

 projecting angular labial margin, as long as postocular part of 

 head ; canthus rostralis sharp, loreal region very concave. Pileus 

 twice as long as broad. Ear-opening partly concealed under an 

 oblique dermal fold. Neck as broad as the head. Hind limb reaching 

 the ear (female) or the eye (male) ; foot 1^ to 1^ times as long as the 

 head; fingers cylindrical, toes slender, compressed. Tail 1^ to If 

 times as long as head and body, much flattened at the base. 



Upper head-shields rather convex, smooth ; rostral forming a suture 

 with the frontonasal, separating the nasals ; frontonasal a little broader 

 than long ; prefrontals as long as broad oi- a little longer than broad, 

 forming a median suture ; frontal as long as its distance from the 

 rostral, H to If times as long as broad, narrow behind, grooved in 

 front, in contact with the supraoculars or separated from them by a 

 series of small scales * ; parietals as loug as broad or a little broader 

 than long, rounded behind and on the sides ; interparietal smaller 

 than the frontoparietals, followed by a series of 3 or a group of 4 or 

 5 small shields or granules separating the parietals f; 3 large supra- 

 oculars, forming sutures with each other, the first as loug as or a little 

 shorter than the second and in contact with the frontonasal, tiie second 

 loreal, and the first superciliary, sometimes also with the fi'outal ; 

 third supraocular followed by a granular area ; a series of granules 

 between the second and third supraoculars and the superciliaries, which 

 are 6 or 7 in number, first longest. Lower nasal broadly in contact 

 with the rostral, resting on the first and second upper labials ; anterior 

 loreal as long as the second ; subocular resting on the 5tli and 6th, 6th 

 and 7th, or 5th to 7th upper labials, J lower border straight. Temporal 

 scales granular, smooth, lower larger and sometimes obtusely keeled. 



* 2 to 6 scales in the specimens examined by me, 1 to 7 in those examined 

 by Werner. — Sometimes also a few granular scales between the first and second 

 supraoculars. 



t This appears to be normal, judging from Werner's notes on 1-t specimens, 

 but Straucli describes the occipital as represented by one granule. 



+ Exceptionally 4th and 5th, according to Werner. 



