78 Lacertidse. 



Lacerta viridis. Tar. mo^or, part., Werner, Sitzb. Ak. Wien, ex, 1, 

 1902, p. 1071. 



Lacerta viridis strigata, Nesterov, Ann. Mus. Zool. St. Petersb. xvii, 

 1912, p. 76; Nikolsky, Herp. Caucas. p. 45 (1913). 



This is undoubtedly the most primitive form of L. viridis, probably 

 directlr derived from L. agilis, var. exigua. Like the latter it has, 

 when young, a light vertebral streak, of which not even traces ever 

 occur in the typical form of L. viridis, and the ventral shields are in 

 6 or 8 longitudinal rows. When adult it often so closely resembles 

 the var. major, that, even up to quite recently, it has been confounded 

 with it, through neglect of the two principal characters that have 

 been adduced in favour of their distinction, viz. the size of the occipital 

 shield and the number of scales across the body. The confusion is 

 excusable, as there is a complete passage between the two forms, which 

 must render the naming of certain specimens somewhat arbitrary. 



Head as in the typical form, 1^ to If times as long as broad, the 

 pileus 2 to 2i times as long as broad, its length 3f to 4 times in length 

 to vent in males, 4^ to 4^ times in females. The hind limb reaches 

 the shoulder or the collar in males, the wrist, the elbow, or the axil 

 in females ; foot 1 to If times as long as head. Tail If to 2^ times as 

 long as head and body. 



The rostral enters or merely touches the nostril. The occipital is 

 always much shorter than the interparietal, ^ to -t, rarely f , its length 

 very rarely exceeding its width.* Granules are nearly always present 

 between the supraoculars and the superciliaries, and sometimes form a 

 complete series ; their number varies from 2 to 12.t First supraocular 

 constantly in contact with the second loreal, which often forms a suture 

 with the second upper labial. 4 anterior upper labials, rarely 5 or 3 J ; 

 subocular much narrower beneath than above. First upper temporal 

 longer than second ; temporal shields usually small, but variable, 18 

 to 38 in number, § sometimes with a masseteric, which may be large or 



* In the young usuaEy mucli narrower than the interparietal. Totally 

 absent in a female from Erivan in the Lyons Museum. In a male from 

 Borshom the interparietal is produced between the frontoparietals and reaches 

 the frontal. 



+ Kessler had already observed that they may be reduced to 2 or 3. I 

 have noted their complete absence in a female from Erivan, in the Lyons 

 Museum. 



J 3 on the right side in a specimen from Erivan, 5 on both sides in two 

 specimens from Isfahan, on the right side in single specimens from Ano-ora, 

 Lake Homs, east of Mount Hermon, and Merom, on the left side in one from 

 Elisabethpol and in one from Merom. 



§ I count 18-38 in the Syrian specimens, 18-36 in the others. 



