580 9. SC1NCIDJE 



EumecfS ski/tonianus var. brevipes COPE, Report U. S. Nat. Mus. for 

 1898, 1900, p. 643 (type locality, Fresno, California). 



Plestiodon ski/tonianus STEJNEGER & BARBOUR, Check List N. Amer. 

 Amph. Kept., 1917, p. 71; VAN DENBURGH & SLEVIN, Proc. Cal. 

 Acad. Sci. Ser. 4, Vol. XI, 1921, pp. 28, 40, 44, 52. 



Description. Body long and rounded, with long tail 

 and short legs. Nasal scute small, in contact with internasal, 

 postnasal, first labial, and rostral plates. Postnasal touching 

 nasal, internasal, anterior loreal, and first and second labial 

 plates. Anterior loreal forming sutures with postnasal, inter- 

 nasal (usually) f rontonasal, pref rental, posterior loreal, and 

 second and third labials. Posterior loreal larger than anter- 

 ior and bordered behind by two preoculars and first super- 

 ciliary. Four large supraoculars, first three touching long 

 frontal. Interparietal larger than either frontoparietal, but 

 very narrow posteriorly, and sometimes not separating parie- 

 tals. Parietals very large and followed by one or two pairs 

 of wide occipitals. Temporal plates very large. Upper 

 labials seven or eight in number, last largest. Symphyseal 

 very broad and followed by one or two wide azygous sub- 

 labials (postmentals), and several large, paired sublabials in 

 contact with infralabials. All scales on body, limbs and tail 

 similar in shape, very smooth, and strongly imbricate. Lower 

 caudals of median series greatly enlarged transversely. Upper 

 caudals about size of dorsals, larger than laterals, ventrals 

 and gulars. Twenty- four or 26 rows of scales encircling 

 middle of body. Ear-opening about size of a gular scale, 

 and feebly denticulate anteriorly. 



The color above is black or dark olive, with two bluish 

 gray or pale brown lines along each side. The upper of 

 these lines originates at the internasal plate, crosses the an- 

 terior loreal, pref rontal, supraocular, and parietal plates and 

 runs along the dorsal scales of the second and third rows 

 from the median line to and often for some distance along, 



