OP^ RECENT CROCODILIANS. 167 



to this animal that Cuvier considered Adanson's West-African specimen a variety of 

 this species. 



Dumeril & Bibron evidently considered the African and the .American animals 

 the same species; and we a short time ago received from M. Braconier, of the Jardin 

 des Plantes, a skeleton of the African species under the name of AUkjator palpe- 

 brosus, var. 



A. Head shelving on the sides. Nuchal scnfella in a single cross series, cervical scutella 



Jive pairs; dorsal scutella highly keeled, irregular, in six series; the lumbar 

 scutella in two longitudinal series; the gular and two outer lateral series of 

 ventral scutella keeled. The flat upper disk at the base of tail broad and strongly 

 crested. Paleosuchus, Gray,Ann. & Mag. N. H. x. 330. 



1. Caiman tkigonatus. (Rough-bached Alligator.) 

 Crocodilus trigonatus, Schn. Amph. 161. 6. Tiedemaniij Amph. 66, t. 67. 

 Crocoililus palpebrosus, var. 2, Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. 40, t. 3. f. 1. 



Caiman triyonatus, Gray, Cat. Tortoises &c. B. M. 66; Ann. & Mag. N. H. x. 330, 1862. 

 Alligator palpebrosus, Brvihl, Skel. Krok, t. 19. f. 8. 

 Champsa trigonata, Natterer, Beitr. t. 26 (good). 



Hub. Tropical America. 



The largest specimen in the British Museum is rather above 4 feet long. The young 

 specimens have the lateral ventral shields keeled. 



B. Head flat, and erect on the sides. Nuchal scutella many, in two cross series; 



cervical scutella three pairs; dorsal scutella slightly keeled; the lumbar 

 scutella in four longitudinal series; the gular, the ventral, and the lateral 

 abdominal scutella keeled. The flat upper disk at the base of the tail elongate. 

 Aromosuchus, Gray, Ann. & Mag. N. H. x. 330. 



2. Caiman palpebrosus. (Banded Alligator.) 



Brown ; tail black-banded. 



Crocodilus palpebrosus, vax., Cuvier, Oss. Foss. v. t. 1. f. 6-17 and t. 2. f. 2. 



Champsa palpebrosa, Natterer, Beitr. t. 27 (good). 



Caiman {Jacaretinga) moschifer, Spix, Bras. t. 1 (skull). 



Caiman palpebrosus, Gr&y, Cat. Tortoises &c. B. M. 67; Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. x. 330, 1862. 



Crocodilus palpebrosus, Tiedem. Nat. Amph. t. 6. 



Alligator paljjebrosus, Merrem, Syst. 35. Gray's Syn. Eept. 63. 



Hab. Tropical America. 



Natterer figures the head of a species under the name of C. gibbiceps ; but 1 do not 

 see how it differs from the above, except that the head is a little higher — perhaps a 

 sexual distinction. Dr. Strauch regards C. gibbiceps as the same as C. palpebrosus. 



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