﻿170 Transactions. — Zoology. 



NOEBEA ISOLATA. Sp. nOV. 



Head depressed, witli a large saucer-shaped hollow on the crown ; shields 

 even, minutely granular ; rostral squarish ; nasal lateral, squarish ; inter-nasal 

 large, squarish, slightly emarginate on the posterior edge ; fronto-nasal 

 distinct ; frontal elongated, tapering behind ; eye-brow shields large 4-4, 

 orbits granular, upper eyelid with a row of six scales ; temples covered with 

 scales ; scales of the body rounded posteriorly, those of the back slightly 

 rugose ; those of the throat and belly smooth and polished. Pre-anal shield 

 single, large, four-sided. Tail elongated, tapering, anterior half flattened above 

 and below, with a row of keeled scales on each of the upper edges ; posterior 

 half much compressed. Limbs rather short, strong, and compressed. Front 

 feet with the second and third toes equal, first longer than the fourth. Hind 

 feet with the third toe rather longer than the second, first longer than the 

 fourth. Claws 5-5. 



Length from muzzle to tail, 1 inch ; of tail, 1-35 inch. 



Colours. — Above blackish brown, below blackish grey ; minutely dotted all 

 over with black ; scales of the inner surface of the thighs margined with 

 yellowish white. 



This specimen is in the Colonial Museum, and is said to have been brought 

 from White Island in the Bay of Plenty, but I have not yet been able to find 

 out who obtained it. It differs from the genus Norhea, as described by Dr. 

 Gray in the " Catalogue of Lizards in the British Museum," p. 101, London, 

 1845, in the remarkable depression on the top of the head, in the upper eye- 

 lid being furnished with a row of scales, and in the scales of the back being 

 slightly rugose posteriorly. The only other known species of this genus is 

 N. Brookei, from Borneo. 



Family Gechotidce. 

 Naultinus elegans. 



Na,ultinus elegans, Gray, " Diefi". N.Z.," Vol. IL, p. 203. Hoplodactylus 



elegans, Fitz. 



Li this species the toes are very slender, and the scales on the front of the 

 head are convex in the adult, although flat in the young. In the female the 

 enlarged scales at the root of the tail, on either side of the vent, are much 

 less developed than in 'punctatus. Both sexes have a small transverse patch 

 of pre-anal pores, but no femoral pores. In colour this species varies from 

 bright green to yellow ; in spirits they are often purple, but, according to 

 Mr. Buller, this colour is caused by the spirits. They are generally more or less 

 spotted on the back and head, the spots being sometimes surrounded with 

 black and sometimes not. The average length is about 4-5 inches, of which 

 the tail occupies~rather more than half. 



