102 The Philippine Journal of Science isis 



or 11 superciliaries ; a rather large scale inserted between the 

 prefrontal and the first supraocular; 6 lower labials; mental 

 twice as wide as high, followed by a very large unpaired chin 

 shield; 2 or 3 pairs of enlarged chin shields behind the latter; 

 auricular opening large, tympanum not deeply sunk; hind leg 

 equal to the distance from the foreleg to the snout; adpressed 

 hind leg fails to reach the elbow of adpressed foreleg; toes 

 somewhat compressed, with transverse, smooth lamellae, 14 

 under the fourth toe; heel bordered by several enlarged scales; 

 40 rows of smooth scales around the body, largest on the ventral 

 side; tail somewhat longer than head and body, slightly com- 

 pressed, tapering to a sharp point. 



Color in life. — Body above variegated yellowish "brown, with 

 a median row of narrow, quadrangular, chocolate-brown spots, 

 continuing in a median line from the head to the sacral region; 

 2 or 3 narrow indistinct brownish lines on either side of the 

 median spots; a wide dark brown lateral line begins on the 

 snout, continues through the eye along the side to the hind leg, 

 more or less dove-tailed with the lighter dorsal color covering 

 the entire side of body ; tail of somewhat lighter color with 

 irregular darker blotches on the sides; arms and legs mottled 

 above; ventral surface yellowish white with small brown spots, 

 largest and most numerous under the tail. 



Measurements. — Total length, 98 millimeters; snout to vent, 

 44; width of head, 7; foreleg, 10.5; hind leg, 15- 



Remarks. — This form is closely allied to Lygosoma decipiens 

 Boulenger and to Sphenomorphus steeri Stejneger. Specimens 

 of both species are at hand for comparison. From the former 

 it differs in markings, the width of the head, the size of the 

 preanals, and in the number of scales rows; from S. steeri it 

 differs chiefly in size. Several specimens of this species from 

 the type locality agree in essential details, save that the nasals 

 are separated in about one half of the specimens and form a 

 suture in the others. This species is common on the low moun- 

 tains near Bunauan. 



Sphenomorphus palustris sp. nov. 



Diagnosis. — Frontoparietal divided; 6 supraoculars, the last 

 2 divided; lower eyelids scaly; ear opening large, round; tym- 

 panum not deeply sunk ; frontal slightly longer than the parietal 

 region; 40 scale rows around the body; side of head barred 

 with white. 



Type. — No. 1687, Bureau of Science collection ; Bunauan, Agu- 



