Acanthodactylus. 65 



feebly denticulate ou each side, usually as in A. vulgaris, sometimes a 

 little more distinctly on the outer side of the fourth toe; 16 to 21 

 unicarinate, rarely tricarinate lamellae under the fourth toe. 



Upper caudal scales very oblique and diagonally keeled, those at the 

 base broader than long and often very obtusely keeled, lower smooth 

 in the basal part of the tail ; 20 to 26 scales in the fourth or fifth 

 whorl. 



Young from Egypt are still unknown,* but we may surmise from the 

 markings of the adult that they have 8 pairs of light longitudinal 

 streaks, with occasionally an unpaired one on the nape, and that the 

 tail is probably not red, as no trace of that colour is ever seen in the 

 adult. 



Adult grey, greenish grey, or fawn-colour above, with blackish 

 spots or a brown-black network and four dorsal and one or two lateral 

 series of round or oval longitudinal series of white, yellow, or orange 

 spots ; sometimes traces of a median light streak on the nape ; limbs 

 with round light spots. Lower parts white, throat, breast and sides of 

 belly sometimes speckled with grey. 

 Measurements (in millimetres) : 



Prom end of snout to vent . 

 „ „ „ fore limb 



Length of head 



Width of head . 



Depth of head . 



Pore limb 



Hind limb 



Foot . 



Tail 



The specimens from Palestine are referable to the typical form 

 from Egypt, dift'eriug only in the average larger size,t by which, along 

 with the rather stout habitus, they approach the var. hedriagse. The 

 ventral plates are identical, the dorsal scales are smooth and convex ; 

 the first supraocular is entire in 3 specimens, bisected in 2, and broken 

 up into 8-10 scales in one ; the subocular borders the lip in one 



* This is indeed very remarkable. Lataste, who failed to obtain any young 

 in Algeria, ascribed the fact to the early season at -which he collected. Anderson 

 met with the same failure in Egypt, and he suggested the paucity of eggs laid 

 by the female as a possible explanation why the young are so seldom observed ; 

 but surely there must be at least as many young as adults in existence, and 

 A. pardalis is quite abundant in the localities it frequents. 



t Peracoa records a male specimen measuring 81 millimetres from snout 

 to vent. 



VOL. II. 5 



