110 Lacertidse. 



1. Ventrals in 10 to 14 straight longitudinal and 29 to 31 transverse 



series ; collar not serrated, formed of 7 to 12 plates ; parietals 

 more or less bent down on the temple, which is granulate, with 

 more or less distinct masseteric shield. 

 90 to 110 scales across middle of body ; ventrals in 10 or 12 

 longitudinal series; rostral usually touching the nostril; 

 scales covering the lower eyelid extremely small and 

 granular, those in the centre scarcely, if at all, differentiated. 



L. csssaris, Xehrs, p. 115. 



78 to 106 scales across middle of body; ventrals in 12 or 14 

 longitudinal series ; rostral not touching the nostril. 



L. galloti, D. & B., p. 118. 



2. Ventrals in 16 to 20 longitudinal series, the series discontinuous 



or oblique, and 33 to 36 transverse series ; two or three large 

 upper temporals, first in contact with fourth supraocular ; collar 

 formed of 10 to 17 plates. 



79 to 93 scales across middle of body ; collar entire or feebly 

 serrated; temple granulate, with more or less distinct 

 masseteric shield ; rostral not touching the nostril. 



L. stehlini, Sehenkel, p. 121. 

 84 to 100 scales across middle of body ; collar strongly serrated ; 

 temple covered with large, irregular, polygonal shields; 

 rostral entering the nostril . . . . L, simonyi, Stdr., p. 124. 



Were we to attach to the temporal lepidosis the same importance 

 as claimed for it by Prof. v. Mehely in dealing with the lizards of 

 the L. muralis type, we should divide the Gallotia section into two 

 groups : one, including L. atlantica, csesaris, and galloti, in which the 

 parietal shield descends to the side of the temple, the other with 

 L. simonyi and its close ally L. stehlini, in which the first upper 

 temporal is large, extends to the upper surface of the head, and joins 

 the fourth supraocular. It seems, indeed, that in this case, as 

 suggested by the above-named author, the anterior upper temporal, 

 which conforms to the L. agilis-ocellata type in L. simonyi and stehlini, 

 has in the other species actually fused with the parietal — a view which 

 derives support from the fact that, occasionally, in L. galloti, a short 

 ■cleft is present in the parietal exactly in the position which the 

 suture between the two shields would occupy, thus explaining why, 

 in this species, unlike most others, the last upper tempoi'al is large 

 as compared to those preceding it. 



From this point of view, then, L. simonyi is more primitive than 

 L. galloti, as it undoubtedly also is in the serrated collar and the 

 temporal lepidosis generally. On the other hand, the increased 

 number of ventral plates and the larger size show a further 

 ■departure from the hypothetical ancestral form, which I assume to 

 have been related to L. viridis and L. ocellata, and to have possessed 



