AKTICLE III. 



A SYNOPSIS OF THE SPECIES OF THE TEID GENUS CNEMIDOPHOKUS. 



Br E. D. COPE. 



Read before the American Philosophical Society, Januaryfl, 1892. 



CNEMIDOPHOKUS Wagler. 



Natur. Syst. Amphib., 1830, p. 154 partim ; Wiegmann, Herp. Mexic, 1834, 9 ; Dum. Bibr., Erp. Gen., V, 1839, 123 ; 

 Gray, Catal. Liz. Brit. Mus., 1 Ed., 1845, 20 ; Boulenger, 2 Ed., II, 1885, 360. 



Scaly portion of tongae cordate behind, and non-retractile. Tail rounded. Teeth 

 longitudinally compressed. Head large, regular ; ventrals large ; frontoparietals and 

 parietals distinct. A collar-fold and femoral pores. 



This genus embraces many species of the IS'eotropical realm, exclusive of the 

 "West Indian region, where it is replaced by Amiva.* Five species enter the N^earctic 

 realm, and all but one of these are restricted to the Sonoran region. The C. sexlin- 

 eatus Linn, ranges the entire !N"earctic excepting the Hudsonian and Alleghenian 

 districts, and the northern parts of the Central and Californian. The following are 

 the characters of the species : 



I. Nostril between the nasal plates. Males with a spine on each side the preanal region. 



A. 10-12 longitudinal rows of ventral plates. 

 Brachial shields small, no post-antebrachials ; 5 parietals ; 4 supraoculars ; femoral pores 29-35 ; 

 olive, white-spotted C. murinus. 



A A. Ventral plates in 8 longitudinal rows. 

 Large brachials ; no post-antebrachials ; 5 parietals ; 4 supraoculars ; femoral pores 19 ; olive 



above with a lighter dark-edged dorsal band C. espeutii. 



Large brachials ; no post-antebrachials ; 5 parietals ; 4 supraorbitals ; femoral pores 18-24 ; olive 



with 5-9 light longitudinal stripes C. lemniscatus. 



Brachials very small ; black or blackish-brown with lines on the nape and spots on the outer side 



of the limbs C. nigricolor. 



*Dr. Steindachner describes (Annalen des K. K. Natur. Hofmus., Wien, 1891, p. 374) three species as Cnemi- 

 dophorus centropyx, iumbesanus and peruanus, with large keeled dorsal scales. The last two have but one frontopa- 

 rietal plate as in Dicrodon and Verticaria, and all three have the other external characters of those genera. The 

 characters of the teeth are not mentioned. 



