14. BREMIAS. : 101 
Aralo-Caspian Desert. 
ab. 2 & yg. Desert of Kizil Kum. St. Petersburg Museum [E.], 
(As typical of E. intermedia.) 
19. Eremias arguta. 
Eremias arguta, Gray, Cat. p. 39. ; 
Lacerta _arguta, Pall. Reise, ii. p. 718; Daud. Rept. iii, p. 240. 
—— variabilis, Pall. Zoogr. Ross.-As. iii. p. 31; Licht. in 
Eversm. Reise, p. 14; Eversm. Nouv. Mém. Soc. Mosc. iii. 1834, 
p. 351, pl. xxix. 
— leucosticta, Licht. 1. c. p. 142. 
ies variabilis, Ménétr. Cat. Rais.’p. 62; Schreib. Herp. Eur. 
me irritans, Ménétr. 1. ¢. 
Lacerta deserti, Andrzej. Nouv. Mém. Soc. Mose. ii. 1832, p. 324. 
Eremias variabilis, Wiegm. Herp. Mex. p. 9; Dum. & Bibr. v. p. 292; 
Démid. Voy, Russ. Mér. iii. p. 339, Rept. pl. i. figs. 8,4; Stith, 
I. 8. Afr., Rept. pl. xlviii. fig. 2. 
Podarcis deserti, Eichw. Faun. Casp.-Cauc. p. 77. 
Podarces (Eremias) arguta, Strauch, Voy. Przewalski, Rept. p. 27. 
Eremias arguta, Kessler, Tr. St. Petersb. Nat. Soc. viii. 1878, p. 170; 
Boettger, in Radde, Faun. Flor. Casp.-Gieb. p. 54. 
Habit stout; head short, snout obtuse. Nasals swollen, the 
lower not in contact with the rostral; frontonasal separated from 
the rostral; two prefrontals, frequently with one or two small 
azygos shields between them; frontal feebly grooved anteriorly ; 
two large supraoculars, in contact with the frontal, bordered ante- 
riorly and posteriorly by several rows of granules; the length of 
the first supraocular is less than, or equals, its distance from the 
loreal ; interparietal small; no occipital; temporal scales granular, 
smooth ; enlarged tympanic shield frequently absent; no auricular 
denticulation; lower eyelid opaque; subocular not reaching the 
lip, resting on three or four labials; the two (rarely three) first 
labials in contact with the lower nasal; the three (rarely two) 
anterior pairs of chin-shields in contact. A more or less distinct 
transverse gular fold, connecting the ears; 25 to 30 gular scales on 
a line extending from the collar to the suture between the chin- 
shields ; collar slightly curved, perfectly free, with 9 to 13 plates. 
Dorsal scales granular, flat, smooth, surrounded by smaller granules, 
45 to 66 across the middle of the body. Ventral plates about as 
long as broad, forming more or less regular oblique longitudinal 
and slightly angular transverse series ; latter 31 to 35, the longest 
of which contain 16 to 20 plates. Preeanal scales small and irre- 
gular. The adpressed hind limb usually does not reach the axilla, 
very rarely reaches as far as the shoulder ; foot as long as the distance 
between the arm and the commissure of the mouth or the posterior 
border of the orbit, or, very rarely, the centre of the eye; an outer 
series of subtibial shields, which are usually not thrice the size of 
the others. 7 to 14 femoral pores on each side. Tail as long as 
or a little longer, sometimes even shorter, than the head and body, 
