KEPTILIA. 5 



except near the base below, keeled, and ending in a short spine posteriorly ; those near the base 

 scarcely larger than the back scales, those behind very little smaller, all in verticils. There 

 is a double fold below the neck, several at the side of the neck, and one which passes above 

 the shoulder and down the side. 



The general colour is pale yellowish, mixed with dusky black. The head above is 

 straw-coloured, with a few black scales scattered over the upper surface and irregular vertical 

 dusky bars on the side. Anterior portion of the back and upper part of forelimbs dusky, with 

 transverse rows of pale spots, sometimes forming tolerably marked bars, especially on the 

 shoulders and upper parts of the fore legs ; hinder part of the back and sides straw-colour, 

 speckled with black. Tail pale yellowish at the base, sometimes with indications of crossbands ; 

 hinder portion brown. Lower parts uniform pale yellow, except the chin and throat, which are 

 dusky, more or less mottled, or speckled with pale yellow. The young is much paler in colour, 

 with a pinkish tinge, and the scattered black scales on the back are few in number, and form 

 rather irregular transverse lines. 



There are twelve to fourteen maxillary teeth on each side of the upper jaw, and three 

 pairs of conical teeth in front ; the outer pair the largest. In the lower jaw there are twelve 

 to thirteen teeth along each side, and two pairs of more elongate pointed teeth in front. 



All the larger specimens are eviscerated. Dr. Stoliczka in his diary mentions that, at 

 Karghalik, he found this species living in holes in sand, and that, on a low bush, he saw one 

 specimen which, when pursued, took to the ground immediately. I have never seen any 

 other Stelllo wliich had similar habits, though probably, from its habitat, S. aralensis may 

 resemble the present species. All the other species of the genus are, as a rule, rock lizards, living 

 on the rocks, and taking refuge in clefts and under stones. S. nuptus in Persia is sometimes 

 found on old walls of hardened mud, but with the exception of S. aralensis, I have never 

 heard of any species inhabiting level ground and living in holes, as, from Dr. Stoliczka's note, 

 is, I infer, the case with the present form. 



S. stoliczkanus differs much from all known species. The arrangement of the scales 

 on the body is quite distinct in S. nuptus 1 and S. melanura* which belong, indeed, to a 

 different section of the genus. S. tuberculatus, 3 S. agrorensis 3 and S. day anus * are stouter 

 forms ; the first two are at once recognised by their more strongly keeled dorsal scales, the 

 much greater difference between the dorsal and lateral scales, and the smaller size of the latter, 

 and S. day anus differs in having strongly keeled dorsal and lateral scales, in the numerous large 

 scales scattered over the sides, and the larger scales on the limbs, besides other distinctions 

 in each case. None of the three species have the spinose scales on the sides of the neck so 

 developed as in S. stoliczkanus. S. himalayanus has the central dorsal scales smooth, besides 

 other distinctions. 



S. caucasicus 6 and S. microlepis 6 are also distinguished by stouter form and broader 

 heads, by the presence of a large cluster of enlarged scales in the middle of each side, and of 

 an oval patch of thickened scales in the middle of the abdomen in both sexes. The scales in 



1 DeFilippi : Giomale del I. E. 1st Lomb. vi, (1843) ; Eastern Persia, ii, p. 317. 



2 Laudakia (Plocederma) melanura, Blyth : Jour. As. Soc. Bengal, 1854, xxiii, p. 738 ; S. melanurus, Anderson : Proc. As. 



Soc. Bengal, 1871, p. 189. 



3 Vide ante. 



4 Stoliczka : Jour. As. Soc. Bengal, 1872, xli, Pt. 2, p. 113. 



4 Eichwald : Zool. Spec, iii, p. 187 ; Fauna Casp. Cauc., p. 80 ; Eastern Persia, ii, p. 322, PI. xx, fig. 1. 

 6 Eastern Persia, ii, p. 326, PI. xix, fig. 2. 



B 



