18. CNEMIDOPHORUS 53_1 



light to dark chocolate in the darker ones, and without mark- 

 ings except for the slight difference in the intensity of the 

 color on different parts of the head in the darker specimens. 

 The mottled pattern of the sides of the body is continued 

 onto the sides of the head. The lower labials are light 

 gray, purple or bluish black, the throat, breast and under 

 surface of the fore limbs entirely black or mottled with 

 black, gray or reddish. Posteriorly the black pigment be- 

 comes more and more restricted to the base of the scales, 

 the prevailing color being white or yellowish. The pos- 

 terior half of the belly and the under surfaces of the hind 

 limbs and tail may be entirely white or yellowish, but are 

 also frequently marked with black. 



"In very young specimens from Tucson there is another 

 light stripe on either side, extending from below the eye 

 and above the shoulder to the lateral abdominal region. 

 The ground color is jet black, the stripes pale orange yellow, 

 and there is a U-shaped mark of the latter color embracing 

 the parietal plate. There are light spots on either side of 

 the lowest lateral stripes but none between the upper four. 

 Dorsal pattern continued distinctly onto the base of the tail, 

 the extremity of which is uniformly light blue. Limbs 

 black above, spotted with lighter. Ventral surface white, 

 throat faintly mottled with darker. 



"Changes leading to the adult coloration appear very 

 early. Faint spots make their appearance between the four 

 dorsal stripes, the lowest stripe on either side breaks up into 

 light rounded spots similar to the other light spots adjacent 

 to them, and those on the limbs expand to restrict the ground 

 color to a network. But although even in the very young 

 specimens (body length 30-35 mm.) the throat is slightly 

 mottled with darker, it is not until a considerable size (body 

 length 60-70 mm.) has been attained that it begins to be 

 generally suffused with black. 



