14. KllEMIAS. 101 



Aralo-Caspian Desert. 



a-b. 2 ^ vg. Desert of Kizil Kuru. St. Petersburg Museum [E.]. 



(As typical uf TJ. intennedia.) 



19. Eremias arguta. 



Eremias arguta, Gray, Cat. p. 89. 

 Lacerta arguta, PoU. Jieise, ii. p. 718; UaiuL Hcpt. iii. p. 240. 



variabilis, Pall. Zooffi: lioss.-As. iii. p. 31 ; Licht. in 



Eversin. Jieise, p. 14 ; Eversm. Nouv. Mem. Soc. Mosc. iii. 1834, 

 p. 351, pi. xxix. 



leucusticta, Licht. I. c. p. 142. 



Podarcis variabilis, Menitr. Cat. Mais. p. 62 ; Schreih, Her]}. Eur. 



p. 380. 



irritans, Menetr. I. c. 



Lacerta deserti, Andrzej. Now. Mem. Soc. Mosc. ii. 1832, p. 324. 

 Eremias variabilis, TJ'iei/m. Her]). Mex. p. 9; Dum. SfBibr. v. p. 292; 



Demid. Voy. Jiuns. Mcr. iii. p. 339, Rept. pi. i. figs. 3, 4 ; Smithy 



III. S. Afr., liept. pi. xlviii. fig. 2. 

 Podarcis deserti, Eichw. Faun. Casp.-Cauc. p. 77. 

 Podarces (Eremias) arguta, Strauch, Voy. Przewalsld, Bept. p. 27. 

 Eremias arguta, Kessler, Tr. St. Petersb. Nat. Soc. viii. 1878, p. 170; 



Boettger, iyi Itadde, Faun. Flor. Casp.-Geb. p. 54. 



Habit stout ; bead sbort, snout obtuse. Nasals swollen, the 

 lower not in contact with the rostral ; frontonasal separated from 

 the rostral ; two praefrontals, frequently with one or two small 

 azygos shields between them ; frontal feebly grooved anteriorly ; 

 two large supraoculars, in contact with the frontal, bordered ante- 

 riorly and posteriorly by several rows of granules ; the length of 

 the first supraocular is less than, or ec^uals, its distance from the 

 loi'eal ; interparietal small ; no occipital ; temporal scales granular, 

 smooth ; enlarged tympanic shield frequently absent ; no auricular 

 denticulation ; lower eyelid opaque ; subocular not reaching the 

 lip, resting on three or four labials ; the two (rarely three) first 

 labials in contact with the lower nasal ; the three (rarely two) 

 anterior pairs of chin-shields in contact. A more or less distinct 

 transverse gular fold, connecting the ears ; 25 to 30 gular scales on 

 a line extending from the collar to the suture between the chin- 

 Bhields ; collar slightly curved, perfectly free, with 9 to 18 plates. 

 Dorsal scales granular, flat, smooth, surrounded by smaller granules, 

 45 to 66 across the middle of the body. Ventral plates about as 

 long as broad, forming more or less regular oblique longitudinal 

 and slightly angular transverse series ; latter 31 to 35, the longest 

 of which contain 16 to 20 plates. Prasanal scales small and irre- 

 gular. The adpressed hind limb usually does not reach the axilla, 

 very rarely reaches as far as the shoulder ; foot as long as the distance 

 between the arm and the commissure of the mouth or the posterior 

 border of the orbit, or, very rarely, the centre of the eye ; an outer 

 series of subtibial shields, which are usually not thrice the size of 

 the others. 7 to ] 4 femoral pores on each side. Tail as long as 

 or a little longer, sometimes even shorter, than the head and body, 



