LACERTAE 



CHAP. 



Indian Islands, and through Central America into the warmer 

 parts of the United States. 



Tupinambis (" Teju "). The skin of the back is smooth, 

 covered with small scales ; with large scales on the top of the 

 head. The skin on the neck is generally thrown into two ir- 

 regular transverse folds. The long and narrow tongue is capable 

 of being telescoped into a sheath at its base. The lateral teeth 

 J are compressed and tricuspid in the young, but the later genera- 

 tions of teeth have obtuse crowns in the adult. T. />'////,//?*, is 



FIG. 141. Tupinambis nigropunctatus. x ^. 



the largest member of the whole family ; it reaches a length of a 

 yard, most of which, however, belongs to the tail. The general 

 colour is bluish black, with pale or whitish -yellow spots on the back, 

 flanks, and tail, combining into more or less transversely arranged 

 bands. The limbs are black, with many and tiny yellow dots. 

 The ground-colour of the under parts is reddish yellow, with 

 irregular black bars. This species inhabits the greater part of 

 South America, east of the Andes, from Uruguay to the West 

 Indies. T. nigropunctatus is confined to the Continent, and lacks 

 the dark cross-bands on the belly, which is uniformly yellowish 

 or speckled with black. 



