NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 305 



lington, Emil Fischer, M.D., Isaac C. Price, Jos. G. Richardson, 

 M.D., M. W. McAllister. 



Prof. H. J. Clark was elected a correspondent. 



On favorable report of the Committee, the following paper was 

 ordered to be published : 



Sixth Contribution to the HERPETOLOGY of Tropical America. 



BY EDWARD D. COPE, A.M. 



LoxoPHOLis RUGiCEPS Cope, gen. et sp. nov. 



Fam. Ecpleopodidas. The scales imbricate, arranged in oblique rows or 

 quincuncially ; the exposed portion triangular, strongly keeled. Prefrontals, 

 frontoparietals, parietals and interparietal plates distinct. Lateral and gular 

 scales like dorsal ; ventral broad, smooth ; no gular collar, no lateral fold. 

 Toes 5 — 5, all unguiculate. ? Femoral pores. Eyelid with transparent disc. 



This genus differs from Cercosaura only in the squamation, which is of a 

 character entirely different from that of any other genus of the group except 

 Tretioscincus Cope, where the scales are also arranged after the type of the 

 Scincidffi. 



Char, specificux. — Tall moderately long, limbs well developed. Canthus ros- 

 tralis a right angle, lores straight, top of head flat. Two loreals or preoculars 

 between nasal and eye. Four superciliaries. Four supraorbitals. Internasal 

 long as broad, prefrontals largely in contact. Frontal twice as long as broad, 

 angulate before and behind. Fronto-parietals and the large inter-parietal 

 longer than broad; parietals rounded externally. Labials five, long and narrow, 

 third and fourth under orbit, with a narrow series of scales between. Inferior 

 labials five, narrow ; a large syniphyseal; behind this a still larger mental, 

 behind which follow on each side a row of three large and two small infrala- 

 bials, of which the first two pairs are in contact. Temporal scales keeled. 

 Auricular opening large, a half disc, the truncation behind. Twenty rows of 

 lance-triangnlar scales on back and both sides, and four rows of smooth ab- 

 dominal scales, which are broader than long. Six large pra;anal plates, five 

 reaching the margin, the two outer narrow, the median short. Scales of the 

 limbs large-keeled. No pores on the femur in the specimen. Caudal scales 

 like those of the back of Pantodactylus, — i. c, elongate parallelogrammic. in 

 whorls and keeled; keels stronger below than above. The hind limb laid for- 

 wards will reach the wrist of the anterior when appressed. Inner fingers and 

 toes very small; lengths of fingers 1 — 2 — 5 — 3 — 4 ; of toes 1 — 5 — 2 — 3—4. 



The plates of the top of the head are rugose, with longitudinal stric-e, which 

 are not close, and more or less interrupted. 



In. Lin. 



Total length (end of tail lost) 4 5-5 



Length head to vent .. 18 2 



" axilla 7-2 



" " ear 4 



" hind limb 6-6 



" " foot 3-5 



•' fore limb 4-8 



Color above yellowish-brown, with a narrow blackish band on each side 

 from the upper margin of the meatus to near the end of the tail A median 

 pair of bands appear near the rumj), and continue half the length of the tail, but 

 are very indistinct. The upper and lower labial plates with a continuous 

 transverse black band through the middle of each. Throat, belly and tail be- 

 low unspotted, yellow. 



Hahitat. — This Saurian is a native of the Magdalera River region. New Gre- 

 nada, whence it was brought by Schulte Buckow, naturalist, and presented to 



1868.] 



