SYSTEMATIC ACCOUNT OF THE SPECIES. 121 
17. SPHAERODACTYLUS ELEGANS MacLeay. 
Plate 2, fig. 3. 
Salamanquita de la Virgen. 
Diagnosis: — A tiny species with sharply defined cross-bands which do 
not meet across the belly, and a coral-red tail on which the cross-bands become 
mere spots on its upper surface. The dorsal scales are tiny granules, the ven- 
trals extremely small and smooth. 
Description: — Adult M. C. Z. 7,921. Cuba: San Diego de los Bafios, 
April, 1910. Thomas Barbour. 
Snout rather pointed, the distance from the tip to the eye being about 
equal to the distance of the latter from the ear opening; rostral rather large 
with a long median cleft behind; nostril between the rostral, first supralabial, 
a small postnasal and a distinctly larger supranasal which is separated from its 
fellow on the opposite side by a single median scale not very much smaller 
than one of the supranasals, these three scales border the rostral above; four 
large supralabials, (on one side the third is divided, a common occurrence), 
the fourth supralabial below the centre of the eye; a spine on the superciliary 
margin above the centre of the eye; head above and on the sides covered with 
minute granular scales, slightly larger and flatter on the snout; scales of back 
very minute and granular; mental larger than rostral; two large and one small 
infralabial to below the centre of the eye; two small pentagonal chin-shields 
bordering mental between the large first infralabials followed by smaller flat 
scales which decrease in size and become extremely small on middle of throat; 
scales of chest and belly small, rounded, slightly imbricate; scales on upper 
surface of tail granular, below flatter with a median series of enlarged flat trans- 
verse plates. 
Colour (in life): —Slaty gray above, rather light in tone; the head with 
two narrow bands between the eyes of much darker slate, the nape with two, 
the neck with two, and the body between fore and hind limbs with six cross- 
bands. On the tail there are five bands but the three hinder ones are simply 
spots. The distal three fifths of the tail is unmarked. The tail, distally where 
unbanded and wholly below, is rosy pink. The belly is pinkish gray. The 
bands on the head extend to the chin but do not quite meet. 
Dimensions: — Total length 34 mm. 
Tip of snout to vent 17 mm. 
Vent to tip of tail 17 mm, 
