Laeerta. 325 



No pterygoid teeth in the few specimens examined. 



23 to 30 (usually 25 to 27) scales and granules in a straight line 

 between the symphysis of the chin-shields and the median collar- plate ; 

 •gular fold very indistinct or totally absent ; collar not serrated, com- 

 posed of 7 to 10 plates (usually 9), which may be very small. 



Body covered with large flat, round, subtetragonal or subhexagonal, 

 •smooth or faintly keeled granules, which are larger, often much larger^ 

 on the back than on the sides ; 36 to 42 scales across the middle of 

 the body,* 2 and 3 or 3 and 4 transverse series corresponding to a 

 ventral plate, 22 to 29 in the middle of the back corresponding to the 

 length of the head. Ventral plates in 6 longitudinal and 25 to 29 

 transverse series ; the plates of the second row from the middle line 

 usually the broadest. Preanal plate rather large, sometimes preceded 

 by a smaller plate or a pair of smaller plates, and bordered by one or 

 two semicircles of scales or small plates. 



Scales on upper surface of tibia rhombic, rough, tubercular or 

 strongly keeled, as large as or a little smaller or a little larger than 

 largest dorsals. 22 to 25 lamellar scales under the fourth toe. 16 to 

 20 femoral pores on each side.f 



Caudal scales rather broad, truncate, oblique, the upper rather 

 strongly but obtusely keeled, the lower smooth, the median pair, 

 above and beneath, mostly broader than the others ; the whorls, 

 markedly longer and shorter alternately, well detached at the sides, 

 forming a serrated outline ; 18 to 24 scales in the fourth or fifth whorl 

 behind the postanal granules. 



Grey, brown, or oUve above,J usually a little darker on the sides 

 than on the back, uniform or with black spots or reticulations all 

 over or restricted to the sides or to the sides and the vertebral region ; 

 no dark vertebral line or series of spots ; the black spots on the sides 

 sometimes so crow^ded as to constitute the ground-colour, the true 

 ground-colour appearing as small light spots. Spots on the tail, if 

 present, often forming cross-bars, but never such regular annuli as in 

 L. oxyeephala ; in addition to these bars, sometimes a median series 

 of spots. Pale yeUow or greenish yellow beneath,§ without dark 

 spots ; blue spots may be present on the outer ventrals. 



Young uniform or with small dark and light spots. 



* Up to 4,5, fide Mehely. 

 t TJp to 25, fide Mehely. 



X Sometimes yellow or almost grass-green, according to Tomasini. 

 § Sometimes orange according to Tomasini, or pearl-grey or blue according 

 -to Mehely. 



