DESCRIPTIONS OF THREE NEW LIZARDS FROM 

 CALIFORNIA AND LOWER CALIFORNIA, WITH 

 A NOTE ON PHRYNOSOMA BLAINVILLII. 



BY JOHN VAN DENBURGH. 

 PhRYNOSOMA FRONTALIS sp. nOV. 



The long-spined horned toad of California has been 

 sometimes called Phrynosoma curonatum Blain., some- 

 times P. bhuiivillii Gray. Dr. Stejneger has recently* 

 called attention to the fact that the latter name only can 

 be available, the form found at Cape St. Lucas (the type 

 locality of P. ccrronaliim) being distinct from that of Up- 

 per California. An examination of a very large series 

 of horned toads in the museums of the Leland Stanford 

 Junior University and the California Academy of Sciences, 

 not only confirms Dr. Stejneger's position, but shows that 

 there are in Upper California two distinct species, which 

 seem never to have been separated. These are: a south- 

 ern form, occupying San Diego County and extending 

 into Lower California at least as far as San Tomas, char- 

 acterized by the convex and almost smooth scales on the 

 head; and a northern one in which the head scales are 

 flat and roughened with small granules; both have the 

 head scales yellow with minute brown dots. In P. coro- 

 nattini the head plates are flat and rough, black or very 

 dark brown with light edges. 



I have learned from Mr. Boulenger, through the kind- 

 ness of Dr. Gilbert of Stanford University, that the type 

 of P. blainvillii has all the characters of the San Diego 

 form. P. blainvillii Gray is, therefore, not a synonym of 

 P. coronatmn Blain., and is the name of the species which 

 inhabits northern Lower California and San Diego County, 



* North American Fauna No. 7, p. 187, 1893. 

 2d Ser., Vol. IV. July 12, 1891. 



