dibamid.t:. 435 



cranii ; no arches ; no infraorbital foramen ; pr.Tmaxillary double. 

 Limbs absent, the hind pair represented, in the male, by a pair of 

 flaps on the sides of the anal opeiiinfr ; no rudiments of the sternal 

 apparatus. Jiody vermiform, covered with cycloid imljricate scales. 

 No osteodermal plates. Eyes concealed under the skin. No car- 

 opening. No pra^anal pores. 



A single genus, which ap])cars to stand in the same relation to 

 the Scincidce as Amiiella to the Anyiiidce. 



1. DIBAMUS. 



Dibaraus, Dn7n. ^- Bibr. v. p. 833 ; Gray, Cat. p. 1 29. 

 Typhloscincus, Peters, Man. Berl. Ac. 1804, p. 271. 

 Rhinophidiuni, Steindachn. Novara, Rept. p. o2. 



Snout normally covered by three large shields, viz. the rostral, 

 and a labial on each side, which, however, may fuse into a single 

 shield. Nostril pierced in the rostral, with a straight horizontal 

 suture behind it. Limbs totally absent in the female, the hind pair 

 represented in the male by two flap-like rudiments. 



New Guinea, Moluccas, Celebes, Nicobars. 



1. Dibamus novae-guinese. 



Dibamus uovaj-guiueje, Gray, Cat. p. 129. 

 Dibamus no\ re-giiiuefe, Dum. ^' Bibr. v. p. 834 ; Schley. Handl. 



Dierk. ii. p. 32 ; Peters <^' Doria, Ann. Mus. Genova, xiii. 1878, 



p. '6m. 

 T} phloscincus martensii, Peters, Mon. Berl. Ac. 1864, p, 271, pi. — . 



tig. 1. 



Snout conical, obtuse, slightly projecting. Four enlarged shields 

 on the head besides the rostral and labials, viz. a frontal, an inter- 

 parietal, and an. ocular on each side ; interparietal shield largest ; 

 the length of the frontal and iuter[mrietal together does not exceed 

 the length of the rostral ; eye scarcely distinguishable through the 

 ocular ; a narrow, elongate, trapezoid mental ; a very large sublabial 

 on each side. Scales equal, 22 to 26 round the middle of the body. 

 Praeanal scales very small. Tail very short, obtuse. Uniform 

 purplish bro«'n. 



Total length 165 millim., tail 18, 



New Guinea, Moluccas, Celebes. 



M. A. Linden [C.]. 

 Marquis G. Doria [P.]. 

 Dr. Bleeker. 



2. Dibamus nicobaricns. 



Rhinophidiuni nicobaricum, Steindachn. Novara, Rept. p. 53. 

 Typhloscincus uicobaricus, Steind. I. c. p. 94, pi. iii. tigs. 6-8. 

 Dibamus nicubaricu.-, Stoliczka, Journ. As. Soc. Beiig. xlii. 1873, 

 p. 168 ; 'Theobald, Cat. Rept. Brit. Ind. p. 69. 



2f2 



