CATALOGUE OF SHIELD REPTILES. 



39 



like fold, sometimes on one and sometimes on another part 

 of the body, with a central longitudinal ventral groove, 

 without any appearance of a lateral line. 



Fig. 21. 



Fig. 20. 



Baikia africana. 

 1. Baikia africana. B.M. 



Baikia africana, Gray, P. Z. S. 18G5, p. 451, f. 3, 4. 

 Hub. West Africa (Dr. Balfour Bailie. B.M.). 



Fam. IV. LEPIDOSTERNID.E. 



Head oblong, depressed, with a short horizontal keel in 

 front. Nostrils in shields, under the keel of the rostral 

 shield. Teeth conical, on the inner side of the raaxiBa. 

 Body cylindrical, covered with rings of oblong, four-sided 

 shields; the sternum with a disk formed of differently 

 shaped shields ; preanal pores distinct. 



Lepidosternidse, Gray, Cat. Tortoises Sfc. B. M. p. 73, 1844 ; 

 P. Z. S. 1865, p. 451. 



Tribe I. LEPIDOSTERNINA. 



Head conical, covered with symmetrical polygonal shields ; 

 the pectoral disk covered with many polygonal shields 

 placed in oblique lines ; the dorsal and lateral lines well 

 marked, broad, smooth, formed by the overlapping of the 

 narrow ends of the sections of the rings. America. 



Lepidosternina, Gray, P. Z. S. 18G5, p. 451 . 



1. LEPIDOSTERNON. 



Head conical, covered with three pairs of symmetrical 

 and a vertebral shield ; rostral shield large, broad, rounded 

 in front; the pectoral shield formed of regular, nearly 

 equal, symmetrical, rhombic or six-sided shields, sometimes 

 united into long shields which are not symmetrical. 



Lepidosternon, Wagler in Spix, Serp. Bras. p. 70. 

 Gray, Cat. Tort. SfC. p. 73; P.Z.S. 1865, p. 451. 



* Sternal plates of central series united into elongated bands. 

 Lepidosternon . 



1. Lepidosternon microcephalum. B.M. 



Head short, broad, the vertebral plate broader than long, 

 six-sided ; frontal short, broad, band-like ; parietal small, 

 square ; ocular higher than broad. 



Lepidosternon microcephalum, Wagler, Serp. Bras. p. 70, 

 t. 20; /,-..». t. 16. f. 1. 



Mutter, Tiedem. Zeitsch. 1832, iv. t. 22. f. 4. 



Bum. Sr Bibr. Erp. Gen. v. p. 505. 



Gray, Cat. Tort. $c. B. M. p. 73 ; P. Z. S. 1 865, p. 451. 



Gervais, Ann. Sci. Nat. 1854, f. 8-11 (skull). 

 " Lepidosternon macrocephalum, Mutter" A. Smith, Z. S. A. 



note, t. 5. 

 Amphislxena punctata, Neuwied, Abh. 

 Lepidosternon Maximilianus, Wiegmann. 



Hab. Brazil, Rio (Dr. Gardner, B. M.). 



The specimen in the British Museum has the shields on 

 each side of the central line of the sternal disk united into 

 an elongate shield, which is not symmetrical on the two 

 sides, and appears like an accidental peculiarity. 



In the Free Museum at Liverpool there are two speci- 

 mens of this species, obtained by Mr. Jobert in Brazil. 

 They are similar, but show that the sternal plates are liable 

 to coalesce and form larger plates in an unsymmetrical 

 manner. 



In the larger specimens the first series of sternal plates 

 on each side of the central line are united into longitudinal 

 shields, which are not of equal length. The series of plates 

 on the outer side of them are separate, but not quite sym- 

 metrical. 



In the other specimen, which is rather smaller, the first 

 series of sternal plates on the sides of the central line, and 

 the second series on the outside of it on the right side, and 

 second and third series on the left side, are united into 

 longitudinal parallel plates, which are of unequal length, 

 the two central ones being the longest, and tho two outer 

 plates on the left side much longer than the outer one on 

 the right side. 



The head-shields in both these specimens are exactly 

 alike, the central crown-shield being much broader than 

 long ; the hinder pair of frontal shields rather shorter than 

 the front pair, and narrower on the central edge by the 

 angular front edge of the crown-shield ; the two pairs of 

 occipital shields are shorter than broad, the hinder pair 

 being the smaller, and in one instance have coalesced on 

 one side with the plate of the front pair. 



They all have a brown spot on the centre of each of the 

 dorsal scutella. 



