701 



SCINCID.E. 



SCINCID^E. 



702 



12. Chelomdea. Toes 2-2, unequal. Lower eyelid transparent. 



H" Toes short, thick, subequal. 



13. Omolepida. Toes 5-5, rather short, subequal. Lower eyelid 

 scaly. Ear deep, simple in front 



14. Podophis. Toes 5-5, short, subequal Lower eyelid scaly, 

 Froutaparietal single. 



**** Body and tail cylindrical, elongate. Limbs rudimentary or 

 wanting. Rostral rather produced; frontonasal very small, 

 lateral. Head half conical. 



15. SiapKot. Legs 4. Toes 3-3, very short, the middle longest 



16. Rhodona. Legs 4; fore legs rudimentary, undivided, clawless; 

 hinder with 2 short, unequal, clawed toes. 



1 7. Soridia. Legs none. 



b. Supranasal plates 2, rarely 4 or 6. 

 * Body fusiform. Tail tapering. Limbs strong. Supranasale 2. 



18. Plestiodon. Lower eyelid scaly. Scales large. Body fusiform. 

 Palate toothed. Frontoparietal double. 



19. Eumeces. Lower eyelid scaly. Scales large. Body and tail 

 elongate. Palate toothless. Frontoparietal double. 



20. Ototaurui. Lower eyelid scaly. Scales small. Body fusiform. 

 Palate toothless. Frontoparietal double. 



21. Uahtmya. Lower eyelid transparent 



** Body and tail elongate, subcylindrical. Legs 4, short. Toes 

 compressed, unequal. Supranasal 1 pair. 



22. Riopa. Toes 5-5, unequal. 



23. Hagria. Toes 5-4, unequal. 



24. Chiamela. Toes 4-4, unequal. 



*** Body and tail elongate, subcylindrical. Legs 4, very short. 

 Toes very short, subequal or rudimentary. Supranasals 1 pair. 



25. Senira. Toes 5-5, rounded, thick, very short. 



26. Erachymelei. Fore feet very short, with two very short toes ; 

 hinder tapering, undivided. 



** Body and tail elongate, subcylindrical. Legs 2, posterior, or 

 none. Supranasals 2 or 3 pair. 



27. Ophiodes. Legs 2, on side of vent, undivided. 



28. Anguis. Legs none external. 



II. Scales thick, bony, rugose, striated, or 1 or more keeled. Rostral 

 rounded in front. Body fusiform. Limbs 4, strong. Toes 5-5, 

 compressed. 



C. Tail compressed, keeled above. Scales of the tail keeled, spinose, 



of the body smooth. Head-shields rugose, closely applied to 

 the skull. Temples shielded. Lower eyelid scaly. Preanal 

 plates few, large. 



29. Tribolonotus. Tail with 4 spinose keels above, and spinose on 

 the sides. Preanal plates 2, large. 



30. Tropidofihorus. Tail with 4 spinose keels above, smooth on the 

 sides. Preanal plates 3, large, central triangular. 



31. Norbea. Tail with 2 close rows of keeled scales above, smooth 

 on the sides. Preanal plates single, square, very large. 



D. Tail rounded, tapering, rarely gpinose, not keeled above, thick, 



bony, rugose, or 3 or 5 keeled, rarely smoothish. 



* Supranasal shields none. 

 + Lower eyelid scaly. Toes 5-5. Nostril with a curved groove 



behind it. 



Toes short, thick, subequal. Scales rugose, unarmed. Orbit with 

 a series of plates beneath. 



32. Trachydotaurus. Tail short, thick, depressed, truncated. Body 

 fusiform. Scales very thick, rugose. Ears lobed in front. 



33. Cydodus. Tail moderate, round, tapering. Body fusiform. 

 Scales moderate, subequaL Ears lobed in front 



Toes elongate, compressed, unequal. Scales 1-5-keeled. 

 Orbits simple. 



34. fdlubotaurui. Tail short, depressed, spinose. Scales 1 -keeled. 



35. Eyr.rnia. Tail elongate, round, tapering, spinose. Scales 

 1 -keeled, dagger-pointed. 



36. Tropidolepitma. Tail elongate, round, tapering, armed. Scales 

 3- or 5-keeled, slightly toothed behind. Frontal short 



37. Lardella. Tail elongate, tapering, unarmed. Scales 2-keeled. 

 Frontal very long. 



tt Lower eyelid scaly. Toes 5-5. Nasal plate flat, without any 

 groove behind it. 



38. Ateuc/ioiaurut. 



t+t Lower eyelid transparent. Toes 4-5. Nasals (?). 



39. Heteropui. Tail and body elongate, subcylindrical. Scales 

 3-keeled. Legs weak. Ears (?). 



** SupranasaU 1 pair. Scales moderate, 3-5-keeled. 

 Palate toothed. 



40. Dana. Lower eyelid scaly. Toes dilated at the base. 



41. 7Wi'7a. Lower eyelid scaly. Toes compressed the whole length. 



42. Euprepii. Lower eyelid transparent Kara oblong, lobulated 



iu front, or covered with the scales of the temple. Toes compressed 

 the whole length. 



E. Tail round, tapering, unarmed, not keeled above. Scales minutely 

 striated, and sometimes 1 -keeled. Supranasals 2 pair. 



43. Microlepis. Body fusiform. Head depressed. Tail elongate, 

 compressed. 



44. Celestus. Body fusiform. Tail tapering. Head depressed. 

 Internasal and frontouasal united into 1 shield. Claws short. 



45. Camalia. Body fusiform. Tail tapering. Head square. Inter- 

 nasal and frontonasal separate. Claws broad, blunt. 



46. Diplor/loaus. Body and tail cylindrical, elongate. 



The species of this family are spread over nearly the whole world, 

 but they are found in greatest abundance in Australia. The locality 

 of certain Scincidai is far from being limited to any particular country 

 of the globe: Gongylus ocellatus, Seps chalcides, Anguis fragilis, and 

 Ophiwnorus miliarit live in the south of Europe and in the north of 

 Africa. The Plestiodon quinquelineatmn, which was believed to be 

 peculiar to North America, is found also in Japan ; the Isygosoma 

 Quoyi, L. Labittardieri, and many species of Eumeces are races 

 common to Oceania and Australia ; and, what is still more worthy of 

 the attention of naturalists, Ablepharus Kitaibelii exists iu Hungary, 

 Greece, and Australia, whilst A. Peronii is found in both the two last 

 countries equally, and also in the Mauritius and South America. 



Europe possesses Gonylyus ocellatus, Seps chalcides, Ablepkarus Mene- 

 itriesii, A. Kitaibelii, and A. Peronii, Anguw fragilis, and Ophiomorus 

 miliaris. 



Africa, with all these species except Ablepharus Menestriesii and 

 A. Kitaibelii, produces 18 others, among which Amphiglossus Goudotii 

 is a native of Madagascar, and Ablepharus Peronii and Leiolopisma 

 Telfairi are natives of the Mauritius. 



Seventeen species are peculiar to Asia, and three others, one of 

 which is also found in America and the other two in Polynesia. 



Fourteen Scincoidians are natives of America, and of America only; 

 and there are two others, one of which, Plestiodon lineatum, also 

 inhabits Asia, and the other, Ablepharus Peronii, Europe, Africa, and 

 Australia. 



Polynesia possesses 36 species, peculiar to itself, and to these must 

 be added Ablepharus Kitaibelii, which is found also in Europe and in 

 Asia ; A. Peronii, which occurs also in Asia, Africa, and America; and 

 Lygosomata Quoyi and L. Labillardieri, which belong alao to Asia. 



There is not a single Scincoidian whose geographical range is con- 

 fined to Europe. 



The genera Scincus, Sphenops, Amphiglossus, Leiolopisma, JSrachys- 

 topus, Ocelotes, Acontias, and Typhline, are peculiar to Africa; and 

 Tropidophonu, Champsodactylius, and Brachymeles, to Asia. The 

 genera Diploglossus, Ophiodes, and Gymnophthalmui, are composed of 

 American species exclusively ; and Tropidolopisma, Cyclodus, Trachy- 

 saurus, Ileteropus, Tetradactylus, Hemiergis, Chelomdes, Nessia, Evesia, 

 Prcepeditui, ifysteropus, Lialia, Leriita, and Dibamus, belong to 

 Polynesia. 



The sub-genus Gongylus, as well as the genera Heps, Anguis, and 

 Ophiomoria, are common to Europe and Africa. Eumeces and Lygo- 

 soma are spread over Asia, America, and Polynesia. Ewprepes is found 

 in Africa, Asia, and Polynesia ; Plestiodon in Africa, Asia, and America 

 and Ablepharui in Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and Polynesia. 



We now proceed to illustrate some of the forms of this numerous 

 group, from the division of Saurophthalms. 



Tropidophorus, Dum. and Bibr. (Leposoma, Cuv., not Spix). 

 T. Cocincinensis. Upper part of the body brown-yellow, or inclining 

 to olive, banded on the neck and back with much deeper brown, 



disposed so as to represent great M placed one after the other. On 

 the tail are spots, more or less large, of deep brown ; and there is a 

 row of whitish points along the lower region of the sides. 

 It is a native of Cochin China. (Dum. and Bibr.) 



Tropidophorus Cocincitiensig. 

 a, Head, seen from above ; t, profile ; mouth open to show the tongue. 



