DESCRIPTION OF UTA MEARNSI, A NEW LIZARD FROM 



CALIFORNIA. 



By Leonhard JStejneger, 



Curator of the Department of Reptiles and Jiafrachians 



The accidental nature of reptile collecting is well illustrated by the 

 discovery of this very conspicuous and distinct species in a region 

 which has been visited before by some of our best collectors. 



The trenchant character of the distinctions between the present spe- 

 cies and its nearest ally inhabitiiig the Cape St. Lucas region empha- 

 sizes the gap between the Cape region proper and the rest of the Lower 

 California peninsula. 



This discovery, moreover, is quite important, inasmuch as it bridges 

 over the supposed difference between Ufa thalnssina and the other spe- 

 cies of the genus Uta. Boulenger,in 1885,* established the genus Fetro- 

 sanrus for that si)ecies because of its small caudal scales, the smooth 

 ness of the dorsal granules, and the absence of denticulation on the 

 border of the jmsterior gular fold. The present species, however, has 

 the caudal scales large, keeled, and spinose, in fact, exactly as in the 

 typical si)ecies of the genus Uta; the dorsal scales are larger, more 

 convex, nearly tubercular on the sides, thus api»roaching the other 

 Utas, while the question of denticulation to the collar is one essentially 

 of degree only. However, the species which I am dedicating to its 

 discoverer, Dr. E. A. Mearns, IT. S. A., naturalist of the International 

 Boundary Commission (United States and Mexico), is undoubtedly 

 nearly related to U. tholassina and more so than to any of the other 

 species of the genus. 



UTA MEARNSI, new species. 



Biagnosis. — Dorsal scales uniform, small, smooth; edge of gular fold 

 v.'ithout enlarged scales; four or five very long and pointed scales on 

 anterior border of ear-opening; tail with large, strongly keeled, spinose 

 scales; scales on arms and legs strongly keeled. One well-marked 



* Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum, ii, p. 205. 

 Proceedings of the U. S. Natioual Museum, Vol. XVII— No. 1020. 

 [Advance sheets of this paper were published November 30, 1894.1 



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