Lacerta, 221 



plate. Ventral plates in 24 to 31 transverse series (24 to 30 in males, 

 28 to 31 in females).* Preanal rather large, bordered by one or two 

 semicircles of small plates. 



Scales on upper surface of tibia smaller than dorsals ; 18 to 27 

 femoral pores on each side, usually 20 to 25 f ; 30 to 36 lamellar scales 

 under the fourth toe, in one specimen 27. 



Caudal scales truncate or very obtusely pointed, more or less strongly, 

 rarely feebly, keeled, more or less oblique, the whorls subequal or 

 longer and shorter alternately ; 34 to 42 scales in the fourth whorl 

 behind the postanal granules. 



Coloration extremely variable in the specimens from the main island 

 of Malta. Males greyish olive with a darker lateral band, or with the 

 sides speckled with blackish, with or without a vertebral series of 

 small blackish spots, or reticulate all over with brown or black, the 

 network enclosing roundish yellow or green spots ; on the posterior 

 part of the back the dark markings may form wavy transverse bars. 

 Some females with a whitish, black-edged dorso-lateral streak, others 

 uniform olive-grey without markings. The head is sometimes uniform 

 olive-brown above and on the sides, sometimes much spotted with 

 black.J The lower parts are white, yellow, orange, or red, unspotted 

 or with black spots which may form regular longitudinal series along 

 the rows of ventral plates, and the throat is often marbled with black ; 

 outer ventral shields with blue spots, or entirely blue. Black and white 

 spots sometimes form annuli on the tail. The young is covered with 

 dark and light spots, with a dark lateral band edged above and below 

 with whitish. 



The lizard from Linosa, of which I have seen living specimens, is 

 on the whole intermediate between that from Malta and that from the 

 Filfola Eiock. In one of the male specimens the top of the head and 

 a broad median dorsal stripe are of a slightly reddish brown, the 

 sides are black with round, greenish yellow spots ; outer row of ventral 

 shields black and blue ; belly pale pink with a longitudinal series of 

 large black spots on the second row of shields ; chin and throat 

 yellowish white with large spots or marblings. In another male a 

 black network extends over the whole back, whilst in further indivi- 

 duals of the same sex the upper parts are black with small light 



* There is less difference between the'sexes in this respect than in the typical 

 form and most of the varieties of L. muralis, with the exception of the vars. 

 Ulfordi, bedriagss and sardoa. 



t A male from Malta has a row of " pseudopores " in addition, as is frequent 

 in the var. sardoa. 



J These markings may recall those of the typical form or of the vars. bruegge- 

 manni, tiliguerta or irilvneata, sometimes in a very striking manner. 



