LACERTILIA. 349 



with the quadrate. Clavicles are present when the limbs are 

 developed. The tongue is flattened. 



Fam. 1. Geckonidae (Ascalabota). With amphicoelous vertebrae, with 

 persistent notochord, and a cartilaginous septum, without bony temporal 

 arches ; parietals separate ; clavicles dilated, loop-shaped proximally ; 

 eyelids as small folds not moveable (except Aelurosaurus and Ptenopus), 

 but the eye is covered with a transparent membrane (possibly the 

 nictitating membrane) behind which the eyeball moves ; pleurodont ; 

 tongue protrusible ; in some genera the vestibule of the membranous laby- 

 rinth is much enlarged and, perforating the bone, projects as a bag behind 

 the ear or at the side of the neck ; many have adhesive (by production 

 of numerous vacuums) digits, by which they can climb smooth vertical 

 surfaces ; they are oviparous (Naultinus is said to be viviparous), with 

 hard-shelled eggs ; they are quite harmless, mostly nocturnal, found 

 in the hotter parts of all regions ; about 50 genera, 270 species, no extinct 

 forms known. Ptychozoon Kuhl, of the Malay Islands and Peninsula 

 has cutaneous expansions of the head, body, limbs and tail, which pro- 

 bably act as a parachute ; the digits are webbed. Alphabetical list of 

 genera : 



Aeluronyx, Seychelles, Madagascar ; Aelurosaurus, E. Indies, ? Aus- 

 tralia ; Agamura, Persia ; Alsophylax, Turkestan, Persia ; Aristeliiger, W. 

 Indies, C. Amer. ; Calodactylus, S. India ; Ceramodactylus, Persia, Arabia ; 

 Colopus, S. Afr. ; Chondrodactylus, S. Afr. ; Dactychilikion, S. Afr. ; 

 Diplodactylus, Australia ; Ebenavia, Madagascar ; Eurydactylus, New 

 Caledonia ; Gecko, Japan, China, E. Indies, New Guinea and neighbour- 

 ing islands ; Geckolepis, Madagascar ; Gehyra, E. Indies, Australia, 

 Mexico, islands of Indian and S. Pacific oceans ; Gonatodes, trop. Amer., 

 E. Indies ; Gymnodactylus, borders of Mediterranean S. Asia, Aust., Pac. 

 Islands, Trop. Amer. ; Hemidactylus, S. Eur., S. Asia, Afr., trop. Arner., 

 Polynesia ; Heteronota, Australia ; Homonota, S. Amer. ; Homopholis, S. 

 Afr. ; Hoplodactylus, S. Pacific Islands, S. India ; Lepidodactylus, E. In- 

 dies, Polynesia, S.W. Australia ; Luperosaurus, Phillipines ; Lygodactylus, 

 Africa, Madagascar ; Microscalabotes, Madagascar ; Naultinus, New 

 Zealand ; Nephrurus, Australia ; Oedura, Australia ; Pachydactylus, Africa ; 

 Perochirus, Phillipines, Carolines, New Hebrides ; Phelsuma, Madagascar, 

 Mauritius etc. ; Phyllodactylus, trop. Amer., Australia, Afr., islands of 

 Mediterranean: Phyllopezus, Brazil; Pristurus, N.E. Afr., S.W. Asia ; 

 Ptenopus, S. Afr. ; Ptychozoon, E. Indies ; Ptyodactylus, N. Afr., S.W. 

 Asia, Sind ; Rhacodactylus, New Caledonia ; Rhoptropus, S.W. Afr. ; 

 Rhynchoedura, Australia ; Spathoscalabotes, E. Indian Archipelago ; 

 Sphaerodactylus, W. Indies, C. Amer., Colombia ; Stenodactylus, N. Afr., 

 S.W. Asia, Sind ; Tarentola (Platydactylus) (Fig. 192), W. Afr., borders of 

 Mediterranean, W, Indies ; Teratolepis, India ; Teratoscincus, Persia, 

 Turkestan ; Thecadactylus, trop. Amer., islands of Torres Straits. 



Fam. 2. Eublepharidae. Similar to foregoing except that the vertebrae 

 are procoelous, the parietals fused, and there are functional eyelids. 

 Psilodactylus Gray, W. Afr. ; Eublepharis Gr., S. Asia, Cent. Amer., S. 

 North- Amer. ; Coleonyx Gr., C. Amer. 



Fam. 3. Uroplatidae. Resembling the Geckonidae except that the 

 nasal bones are fused, the interclavicle is small, and the clavicles are not 

 dilated. Uro plates Gr., Madagascar. 



Fam. 4. Pygopodidae. Snake-like, with scales ; fore-limbs absent, 



