200 Laceriidie. 



PseiidopMops, Jerdon, Proc. As. Soc. Beng. 1870, p. 71. 

 Gynrnops (non Cuv.), Blanf. Journ. As. Soc. Beng. xxxi.x, 1870, 

 p. 351. 



Chondrojyhiops, Blanf. op. cit. xlii, 1873, p. 144. 



Head-sbields normal. Nostril pierced between two, 

 three or fonr nasals, well separated from tlie first upper 

 labial- Lower ejelid fused with the upper, with a very 

 large transparent disc. Collar feebly defined or absent 

 in the middle. Dorsal scales rhombic, imbricate, and 

 strongh^ keeled, usually large. Ventral plates imbricate, 

 smooth. Digits more or less compressed, with sharply 

 keeled lamella? inferiorly. Femoral pores. Tail long, 

 cvlindrical. 



South-Bastern Kurope, Soutli-AVestern Asia and India, 

 North Africa. 



The only character distiuguishiug this genus from the preceding is 

 the fusion of the lower eyelid with the upper — a state of things which 

 conveys the appearance of an absence of the eyelids, as believed by all 

 earlier authors.* But, as I explained in 1887, what was supposed to 

 be the cornea of the eye of Ophiops is the transparent disc of the 

 lower lid, which is neither more nor less developed than in Cabrita. 

 Although united with the upper, the lower eyelid is, however, not 

 absolutely immovable. On touching the transpai'ent disc in 0. 

 occidental ii<, which I had alive, I observed this to be at once lowered, 

 the upper half of the eye being then covered by the granular portion 

 of the lid. 



In all the species the parietal foi'anien is present and pterygoid teeth 

 are absent. 



Ccdwita is clearly the connecting linl: l)etween lizards with normal 

 eyelids and Op)hwps, and tJie Indian forms of Ijoth these genera are 

 closely allied to one another, as is particularly striking when we 

 compare 0. jerdonii and 0. heddomii with Cahrita jerdunii, or O.micro- 

 lepis with G. leschenatdtii Although these species are certainly derived 

 from the same original stock, tlie e.visting forms must be left out of 

 consideration as regards direct descent, for the lack of tlie occipital in 

 Cabrita jfrdonii and the striation of the upper head-shields in G. 



* " Palpebra inferior nulla, siiperioris tantummodo rudinienta," Menetries. — 

 " Oculi palpebi'is destituti, capsnla oculari instructi," "Wiegmann. — "Pas de 

 panpi(>res," Diinn'ril and Bihron. — "Eyelids none," Ciiinther. 



