382 Zoological Society : — 



M.P., who has done so much to make known the zoology of West- 

 ern Africa, and formed such a fine collection of insects, especially of 

 Coleoptera. 



M. Auguste Dumeril, in the * Revue et Mag. de Zoologie ' for 

 1851, describes and figures a Nocturnal Lizard, which had been re- 

 ceived from Senegal, under the name of Stenodactylus caudicinctus 

 (p. 478, t. 13). 



M. A. Dumeril observes that the slender-toed Geckotians are 

 easily divided into two genera, — the Gymnodactyles having slender 

 toes, which are smooth on the edge and with small centrical plates 

 beneath ; while the Stenodactyles have each side of the toes fringed 

 with small teeth, and the lower surface granular. 



I cannot consider this an accurate account of the typical Steno- 

 dactyles, or, at least, of the toes of the long-known species on which 

 the genus Stenodactylus of Cuvicr was established ; for in that ani- 

 mal, as is well shown in Savigny's figure in the large work on Egypt, 

 the underside of the toes is furnished with a series of plates as in 

 the Gymnodactyles, but instead of the plate being entire on the edge, 

 as in Gymnodactylus, it is deeply dentated on the outer margin, which 

 caused me, in my ' Catalogue of Lizards in the British Museum,' to 

 form a tribe for it in the family GeckotidtB, under the name Steno- 

 dactylina, which is thus characterized : — 



" E. Toes cylindrical, tapering, toothed on the sides, lower surface 

 with denticulated cross plates" (I. c. p. 177). 



The Lizard from Senegal, which M. A. Dumeril has referred to 

 this genus, does not agree with this character. It, indeed, has the 

 under surface of its cylindrical tapering toes covered with small 

 acute scales, like the soles of its feet ; and therefore I think that it 

 must be formed into a distinct genus, which will form an anomalous 

 group among the Night Lizards, or GeckotidcB, characterized by this 

 peculiarity in the toes. 



The Senegal Lizard cannot be properly referred to the genus Ste- 

 nodactylus for another reason : the true Stenodactyli have the 

 external appearance of the AgamtB, so much so that Geoifroy, on 

 Savigny's plate, calls it U Agame ponctue ; and M. Audouin, in his 

 ' Explanation of Savigny's Plates,' referred it to the genus Trapelus, 

 under the name of 2\ Savignii ; while the Senegal Lizard is a typical 

 Gecko in all outward characters except the toes, so much so that 

 when it was first seen it was thought to be an Eublepharis, erro- 

 neously said to come from Africa. 



I propose to call this genus 



PsiLODACTYLUS, g. U. 



Toes short, subcylindrical, tapering, covered with flat scales above, 

 and, like the palms, with small rough granules beneath ; thumb like 

 toes, but shorter ; all clawed. Tail cylindrical, covered with flat 

 scales, annularly plaited, with a series of larger scales on the edge of 

 the folds ; beneath covered with subequal, flat, square scales. Pre- 

 anal pores in a short angular line. Head depressed, covered with 

 polygonal shields ; labial shields low, broad ; upper and lower rostral 



