NO. 7 HERPETOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS COCHRAN II 



grown individual (no. 81383) were collected at the same time as the 

 type. A field note follows : 



One of the interesting- fmds of tlie day was a small, very dark brown, finely 

 spotted lizard, probably a Sf^liacrodactyliis of which we obtained eight specimens 

 by quick work in turning over rocks and grabbing them before they could again 

 slip under cover. 



Variation. — The head scalation is similar in all the specimens, 

 except in no. 81378, in which hoth supranasals are abnormally divided 

 longitudinally, so that there are five subequal scales bordering the 

 rostral between the nostrils, instead of an enlarged pair separated by 

 a small scale, as in normal cases. The keels on the anterior gular 

 region are faint but definite in all but one specimen, no. 81377 ; in this 

 individual they are present on one or two transverse series of scales at 

 the middle of the throat and must be looked for carefully even at that 

 point. The crescentic grooves on the rostral plate are well marked in 

 all the specimens but one (no. 81380). The number of dorsal scales 

 in the standard distance varies between 11 and 13 depending on where 

 the count is made ; the middorsal scales are slightly smaller than those 

 on the flanks, but not otherwise dififerentiated in any way. The 

 ventral scales are likewise 11 to 13 in the standard distance, but are 

 more irregular in size than the dorsals, so that different counts may be 

 obtained by shifting a single scale-row in any direction. 



As to color variation it appears that little if any sexual dichroma- 

 tism appears in this species. Except for the nuchal crescent, three 

 of the males are almost devoid of pattern, but so is the largest fe- 

 male. The fourth male has a definitely spotted and reticulated dorsum, 

 intermediate between the remaining two females. The pattern is 

 most highly developed in one of these females, no. 81377 — there is 

 a dark stripe beginning at the nostrils, passing through the eye 

 and merging, with the crescentic nuchal marks, here greatly elabo- 

 rated. An anastomosing pattern of sepia lines covers the top of 

 the head, and this is broken up on the body into an irregular series of 

 spots and bars, which becomes more definite on the tail, where the 

 crossbars have acquired light centers. The nuchal marking on some of 

 the other specimens is not a true crescent ; it may be represented by a 

 pair of dark spots surrounded by an irregular indented parallelogram 

 of dark lines. The dark stripe on the side of the head is apparent only 

 in those specimens in which the pattern is well developed. 



Relationships. — In the key this species falls near oxyrhinus and 

 argivus, but differs from both of them in having the anterior gular 

 scales faintly keeled, and even more radically in size and in color 

 pattern. In fact, it cannot be said to be very close to any of the known 

 species of the genus. 



