MONOGRAPH 



OF THE 



LAC'ERTID.E. 



4. PHILOCHORTUS. 



Latastia, part., Bouleng. Cat. Liz. iii, p. 54 (1887). 

 Philochortue, Matschie, Sitzb. G-es. Nat. Fr. Berl. 1893, p. 30; 

 Bouleng. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1917, p. 145. 



Head-sluelds normal, save for the occasional absence 

 of the interparietal. Nostril pierced between two shields 

 and bordered by the first upper labial or narrowly- 

 separated from it. Lower eyelid scaly, often more 

 or less transparent in the middle. Collar well marked. 

 Back with two to six longitudinal series of large plate- 

 like scales ; ventral plates feebly imbricate, with trun- 

 cate posterior border, smooth. Digits more or less 

 compressed, with smooth or keeled lamellar scales 

 inferiorly. Femoral pores. Tail long, cylindrical. 



Southern Arabia, Eritrea, Somaliland. 



This genus differs from Lacerta and Latastia m the longitudinal 

 series of enlarged plate-like scales on the back, an approximation to 

 the condition in Poromera, Tachydromus, and Holaspis. 



In all the species the parietal foramen is absent, and a few small 

 teeth are usually present on the pterygoids. 



The subdigital lamellae vary according to individuals ; they are 

 usually smooth or with two series of obtuse tubercles ; sometimes, 

 VOL. n. 1 



