14. EREMIAS. 83 



Supraoculars bordered internally by a 

 series of granules ; 19 to 23 femoral 

 pores 24. vermiculata, p. lOG. 



1. Eremias nitida. (Plate IV. fig. 1.) 



Eremias nitida, Giinth. Ann. ^- Mag. N. H. (4) ix. 1872, p. 381. 



Head rather elongate ; snout obtuse. Nasals not at all swollen, 

 the lower in contact with the rostral on a very small point ; fronto- 

 nasal much broader than long, separated from the rostral by the 

 long suture of the upper nasals ; two pryefrontals ; frontal feebly 

 grooved anteriorly ; two large supraoculars, with a few small scales 

 in front and behind, and a series of granules on their outer border ; 

 a single scale between the loreal and the anterior supraocular ; inter- 

 parietal twice as long as broad, quite as long as the suture betwiioa 

 the frontoparietals ; a small occipital ; a small shield may be present 

 between the latter and the interparietal; a band-like shield borders 

 the parietal externally, and another, curved one the ear supero- 

 anteriorly ; temporal scales granular, smooth ; no auricular denti- 

 culation ; lower eyelid scaly ; subocular bordering the lip, between 

 the fifth and sixth upper labials ; the three anterior pairs of chin- 

 shields in contact. Gular scales increasing gradually in size towards 

 the collar; latter slightly curved, perfectly free, formed of 9 or 

 10 plates. Dorsal scales rhomboidal, juxtaposed, keeled, 42 across 

 the middle of the body. Ventral plates in straight longitudinal 

 and transverse series, all much broader than long ; in six lon- 

 gitudinal series, the median pair narrower than the two others ; 

 27 to 29 transverse series from the collar-fold to the prteaual 

 region. Praeanal scales small and irregular, the postero-median a 

 little larger than the others. The hind limb reaches between the 

 collar and the ear ; foot as long as the distance between the an- 

 terior border of the orbit aud the fore limb; a single series of 

 large sub tibial plates. 12 or 13 femoral pores on each side. Tail 

 more than twice as long as head aud body ; all the caudal scales 

 strongly keeled. Upper surface of head, limbs, tail, and a band 

 along the middle of the back brown ; a fine paler brown line sepa- 

 rating the latter from the sides, which are black, with two longi- 

 tudinal white lines ; limbs with round paler spots ; lower surfaces 

 white, limbs and tail pinkish. 



millim. raillim. 



Total length 137 From end of snout 



Head 10 to vent 41 



Width of head 6 Fore limb 14 



From end of snout Hind limb 2Q 



to fore limb ... . 17 Tail 96 



West Africa. 



A transition-form between Eremias aud Nucras. 



a-h. Yg. W. Africa. (Types.) 



g2 



fe 



