424 sciNciD^. 



middle of the body. PrsDanals not enlarged. Digits very short. 

 Tail half as long as head and body. Brown above, yellowish in- 

 feriorly, each scale with darker centre. 



millim. 



Total length 102 



Head 9 



Width of head 6 



Body 59 



Ceylon. 

 a. Ad. Ceylon. G. H. K. Thwaites, Esq. [P.]. (Type.) 



24. ACONTIAS *. 



Aeontias, Cuv. R. A. ii. p. GO ; IVat/kr, Si/st, Amph. p. 196 ; Wiegm. 



Hei-p. Mex. p. 11; Dum. ^ Bibr. v. p. 80l ; Gray, Cat. Liz. 



p. 127 ; Gunth. Bept. Brit. Ind. p. 96. 

 Nessia, Grny^ Ami. iV. If. ii. 1839, p. 336, cmd Cat. -p. 126 ; Gimth. I. c. 

 Evesia, Gray, II. cc. pp. 336, 127. 

 Tetrapedos, Jan, Arch./. Nat. 1860, p. 69. 



Palatine bones not meeting on the median lino of the palate, 

 which is toothless. Teeth conical. Eye small, with transparent 

 lower eyelid ; upper eyelid not developed. Ear hidden or just dis- 

 tinguishable. Nostril pierced in the large rostral shield, with the 

 posterior border of which it is connected by a long straight hori- 

 zontal suture ; no supranasals ; no pra)frontals or frontoparietals. 

 Body much elongate ; limbs rudimentary or absent. 



South Africa, Madagascar, Ceylon. 



Synopsis of tlie Species. 



I. Several scales border the anal cleft anteriorly ; posterior border 



of the mental shield not reaching to below the anterior border 

 of the orbit. 



A. Interparietal broader than the frontal. 



Limbs present, tridactyle 1. hurtonii, p. 425. 



Limbs present, bud -like 2. monodactylas, p. 425. 



Limbs absent 3. Icujardii, p. 426. 



B. Interparietal narrower than the frontal ; limbs absent. 



30 to 32 scales round the body 4. liolomelas, p. 426. 



18 scales round the body 5. Jiildebrandtii, p. 427. 



II. A single, very large pra3anal plate ; limbs absent. 



A. Snout obtusely rounded, moderately projecting beyond the 

 labial margin ; 16 to 2U scales round the middle of the body. 



First supraocular not larger than the two 



others together ; lower surfaces yellowish 6. meleagris, p. 427. 



* Aconiias rubro-caudatus, Graudid. Eev. et Mag. de Zool. xsi, 1869, p. 342. — 

 Madagascar. 



