A NEW GENUS AND SPECIES OF LIZARD FROM FLORIDA. 



By Leonhard Stejneger, 



Curator, Division of Reptiles and Batrachians, U. S. National Museum. 



The North American fauna is not rich in skinks compared with the 

 rest of the world. The hite Prof. E. D. Cope recognized no less than 

 79 genera in the family Scincidse, of which only four are represented 

 on the continent north of Panama and only two within the confines 

 of the United States, namely, Leiolopisma and Eumeces. Hitherto 

 not a single form was known from North America correspondmg to 

 the many degraded types so frequent in the Old World, in which the 

 limbs have been reduced to mere stumps with a greatly diminished 

 number of digits. 



The discovery of such a form in Florida is therefore highly interest- 

 ing and significant. The fact that this small worm-like creature has 

 been overlooked so long may be due partly to its burrowing habits, 

 but it can scarcely be doubted that the animal is very rare. Mr. 

 A. G. Reynolds, who has generously donated the unique specimen 

 to the National Museum, and for whom the species has been named, 

 states expressly that a search for others was made in the same 

 locality without results. 



NEOSEPS, new genus. 



Diagnosis. — Nostril between two nasals; supranasals present; 

 palatine bones separated on the median line of the palate; no fronto- 

 parietals; eyelids movable; lower eyelid with a large transparent 

 disk; ear hidden; fore feet with one, hind feet with two toes. 



TyjJe. — Neoseps reynoldsi. 



This genus is probably nearest related to Sphenoscincus, which 

 occurs in eastern Persia, Afganistan, and the northwestern corner of 

 India. Sphenoscincus tridactylus has three toes on all feet and difi'ers 

 in many other respects, but it bears a certain strong outward resem- 

 blance to the Florida species here described. The true relationship 

 of the latter, however, must remain undecided until the acquisition of 

 more material shall allow a closer anatomical examination to be made. 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. 39— No. 1773 

 Proc.N.M.vol.39— 10 3 33 



