12. SCELOPORUS 353 



Description. — Head and body much depressed. Nasal 

 opening a little nearer to end of snout than to orbit. Upper 

 head-plates smooth and usually somewhat convex, supra- 

 oculars often slightly imbricate. Frontal divided trans- 

 versely. Parietal and frontoparietal plates not separated 

 from large supraoculars. Latter very broad, as also the 

 strongly imbricate superciliaries. Middle subocular very 

 long, narrow, and strongly keeled. Rostral plate much 

 broader than high. Labials long but very low, inferior 

 dightly larger than superior. Symphyseal large, and fol- 

 lowed by several plates larger than gulars and separated 

 from lower labials by from one to three rows of narrow 

 sublabials. Gular region with scales smooth, flat, bi- or 

 tricuspid, and strongly imbricate, as are also those on belly. 

 Ear-opening large, nearly vertical, and protected by a series 

 of long acuminate scales. Back with nearly parallel longi- 

 tudinal rows of equal-sized scales with no keels or very 

 obtuse ones and points which scarcely protrude beyond the 

 serrate posterior outline. Some specimens with scales more 

 strongly keeled and pointed. Scales of sides pointed 

 obliquely upward, and changing gradually from smoother 

 dorsals and smaller smooth ventrals, becoming keeled and 

 strongly pointed. No longitudinal dermal folds. Upper 

 surfaces of limbs provided with strongly keeled and pointed 

 scales. Scales on posterior surface of thigh large, acuminate, 

 strongly keeled and pointed. Upper and lateral caudal 

 scales nearly smooth, or keeled, but with very long points. 

 Femoral pores varying in number from 12 to 16 on each 

 thigh. Six to 12 dorsal scales equaling length of shielded 

 part of head. Number of scales in a row from the inter- 

 parietal plate to a line connecting posterior surfaces of thighs 

 varies from 31 to 37; average in 15 specimens, 33.6. Males 

 with enlarged postanal plates. 



In the very young the back is crossed by numerous dark 



