212 Lacertich'e. 



species A\ill follow under the respective ill-deftued varieties into whicli 

 the species may be divided. 



Body moderately depressed. Head feebly depressed, It, to l-^- times 

 as long as broad, its depth eqvial to the distance between the anterior 

 corner of the eye and the tympanum, its length o| to 4| times in 

 length to vent in males, 4 to 4| times in females ; snout obtusely 

 pointed, with the nasals sometimes a little swollen, with sharp canthus 

 and concave loreal region, as long as or a little longer than the post- 

 ocular part of the head ; a lanceolate concavity on the upper surface 

 of the snout, extending on the frontal shield ; a sharp keel below the 

 eye, on the freno-ocular and subocular shields. Pileus 2 to 2 j times as 

 long as broad. Neck as broad as the head. The hind limb reaches the 

 ear or between the shoulder and the ear in males, the axil, the shoulder, 

 or the collar in females ; foot 1^ to If times as long as the head ; digits 

 feebly compressed. Tail If to 2^. times as long as head and body. 



Upper head- shields smooth or feebly rugose ; nostril pierced 

 between 2 or 4 shields ; nasals forming a suture behind the rostral ; 

 frontonasal broader than long ; prefrontals as long as broad or a little 

 longer than broad, forming a median suture, rarely separated by an 

 azygos shield ; frontal as long as or a little longer than its distance from 

 the end of the snout, ll- to 2 times as long as broad, much narrower 

 behind than in front, the lateral borders concave ; parietals as long as 

 broad or a little longer than broad ; interparietal narrow and elongate, 

 usually in contact with a small or very small occipital, which is rarely 

 a little broader ; sometimes the two shields are separated by the inter- 

 parietals meeting on the median line, or by tlie intercalation of one or 

 two small shields ; in one specimen only the occipital is absent. 4 

 supraoculars, first small and in contact with the frontal, second and 

 third equal or second a little the longer, fourth as large as or a little 

 larger than the first ; 4 superciliaries, rarely 5, second longest ; a com- 

 plete series of granules between the svipraoculars and the superciliaries. 

 Two superposed postnasals ; anterior loreal shorter than the second ; 

 4, very rarely 3, upper labials antei'ior to the subocular, which is much 

 narrower beneath and nearly always* bordering the mouth, sometimes 

 very narrowly, its lower border ,5 to ^ the length of the upper. Two 

 large upper temporals, anterior the longer and usually in contact with 

 the fourth supraocular ; temporal scales small, j smooth or feebly 

 keeled ; a large tympanic shield, sometimes opercle-like. 



* Only one exception (male from Ang-ora), in wliicli it forms an angle wedged 

 in between the fouith and fifth vipper labials. 



t According to Boettger, there are 50 to 55 scales in t\\o, specimens from 

 Eastern Transcaucasia. I count 34 to 63 in those from Angora, as against 

 27 to 50 in those from Smyrna ; 54 in the type specimen from Baku. 



