70 ME. G. A. BOULENaEE ON LIZARDS 



" Schwest.erarten," agreeing in the most important morphological characters and 

 conforming to the same primary pattern of coloration. 



The onlv important difference resides in tlie longer liead, which is If times as long 

 as broad in the specimen before me (pileus nearly twice as long as broad, parietal 

 shields nearly twice as long as broad), a difference, however, not greater than between 

 two extreme specimens of the var. tiliguerta of L. muralis, or even of the typical form 

 in the wide sense. I am also far from convinced that this character wonld hold good 

 if put to the test of a considerable material (which has not been the case) ; in fact, 

 if Schreiber's figure of one of the type-specimens of i. oertzeni is to be at all trusted, 

 the shape of the liead may be absolutely the same as in a typical L. danfordii 

 (leno-th 20, width 14, parietals barely once and a half as long as broad). 



Another character to which undue importance has been accorded by both Werner 

 and Mehely is the number of longitudinal rows of ventral plates, supposed to be 6 in 

 L. danfordii and 8 in i. anatolica. However, I have already pointed out that there 

 may be 8 series in the types of L. daiifordii, and G or 8 is given as the number in 

 L. oertzeni, which is united with L. nnatolica by Mehely. There is no constancy in 

 another character appealed to by the latter author, viz., the presence of a detached 

 portion of the rostral between it and the nostril, an anomaly which may occur in 

 any species of Lacerta, and which, besides, is not shown by \¥eruer's male specimen. 

 The divided anal * is also inconstant, and is besides shown by one of the types of 

 L. danfordii, the very one figured by Giinther when first describing the species. 



The continental specimens have 53 to 60 scales across the body, S longitudinal and 

 27 to 29 transverse series of ventrals, and 15 to 21 femoral pores on each side. 

 Those from the S. Sporades (Rhodes, Simi, Samos, Nicaria) have, according to Boettger, 

 G2 to 66 scales, 6 or 8 longitudinal rows of ventrals, and 15 to 21 IVmoral pores. 

 There are sometimes 6 anterior upper labials, as in the type of L. anatolica f . 



The type-specimen of i. anatolica is described as greyish above, with grey reticulation 

 and two series of black spots witli a tendency to form a network ; a blackish lateral 

 baud with a series of whitish ocellar spots ; below this a second series of less distinct 

 ocellar spots ; limbs with large white, dark-edged, round spots and small black dots ; 

 sutures between the labials black ; lower parts with black dots. This coloration agrees 

 very closely witli that of young speciaieus of L. danfordii. Boettger describes his 

 Nicaria adult specimens {L. oertzeni) as bluish grey above, with three longitudinal 

 bands of black spots, and the lower parts uniform bluish tinged with orange, and the 

 young as quite black above, with lour pale green longitudinal streaks, the outer 

 broken up into spots. There is, therefore, much variation in the markings of tlie 

 specimens referred to L. anatolica by Mehely, Avho also figures some covered with 

 round whitish spots, and with dark cross-bars on the tail, and observes that, although 



* Which Sehreiber incorrectly describes as a very small aiiiil. 



t Out of 5 specimetis from the same locality, described later by Werner, 4 have .3 anterior upper labials, 

 as iu the typical L. danfurdii. 



