Lacerta. 237 



Var. NIGRIVENTRIS. 



Podarcis nniralis, var. nigriventris, Bonap. Icon. Faun. Ital., Anif. 

 (1836). 



Lacerta mtiralis neapolitana, var. nigriventris, Bedriaga, Arch. f. 

 Nat. 1879, p. 277, aud Abh. Senck. Ges. xiv, 1886, p. 229 (part.). 



Lacerta iiiuralis fusca, var. nigriventris, Bedriaga, Arch. f. Nat. 

 1879, p. 288, pi. xvi'i, fig. 3. 



Lacerta imiralis neapolitana, var. ventromaculata, part., Bedriaga» 

 Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 1879, p. 205. 



Lacerta muralis, \a.i'. Jiaviundata, Bedriaga, t.c, p. "218. 



Lacerta muralis, var. nigriventris, Bouleug. Tr. Zool. Soc. xvii, 19U5, 

 p. 384, pi. xxii, figs. 4-6, and pi. xxviii, fig. 1. 



Lacerta muralis, var. nigriventris, part., Schreib. Herp. Eur., ed. 2, 

 p. 411 (1912). 



This variety hardly deserves to be separated from the preceding, 

 and it would perhaps be preferable to unite them. 



Head 1} to If times as long as l)road, more or less depressed, its 

 depth equal to the distance between the anterior border or the centre 

 of the eye and the tympanum. Hind limb reaching the shoulder or 

 the collar in males, the axil in females. Foot not more than 1| times 

 the length of the head, sometimes but slightly longer than the head. 



Eostral not entering the nostril* ; frontal as long as its distance 

 from the end of the snout or a little shorter ; occipital often as long as 

 and sometimes much broader than the interparietal ; series of granules 

 between the supraoculars and the superciliaries incomplete,t the first, 

 or the first and second, superciliaries in contact with the second supra- 

 ocular! ; temporal scales granular, the tympanic and masseteric 

 shields distinct ; upper temporal shield, if distinct, not in contact 

 with the fourth supraocular§ ; usually four upper labials anterior to 

 the subocular.]] 



20 to 29 scales between the symphysis of the chin-shields and the 



* Forming a suture with the frontonasal in one specimen. Another is remark- 

 able in having two superposed postnasals. A female from Ariccia has 3 fronto- 

 nasals, the median the largest and in contact with the frontal. 



t Complete in one specimen from Ariccia. 



X In the tyi^e of var. jiaviundata the granules are reduced to 3 or 4; even to 

 2 in a female from Ariccia. 



§ Three exceptions among the Rome specimens ; also in the S. Stefano 

 specimen. 



II 5 on each side in 3 specimens, on one side in 8. 



