REPTILIA. 265 



tions of humus and fallen leaves in the cavities and depressions so very common 

 in the sharply eroded aeolian limestone of the island. 



Sphaerodactylus difficilis, sp. nov. 



A new species, belonging among those having large, strongly keeled, and 

 imbricate scales above, being without granular scales along the vertebral line, 

 and having the breast scales smooth. Thus it is evidently related to S. notatus 

 Baird and its allies. Its nearest ally is indeed S. notatus; and from this species 

 it may be separated at once by its much greater adult size, longer tail, entirely 

 different type of coloration, and by the somewhat larger dorsal scales, which at 

 first sight recall those of S. grandisquamis and S. macrolepis. This similarity 

 was so striking that two of the four specimens in hand were labeled by Garman 

 S. macrolepis, although they had smooth breast scales, not keeled, and came from 

 Puerto Plata, San Domingo, instead of the Virgin Islands. He identified other 

 similar Haitian specimens as S. nigropunctatus. 



The typical series consists of four specimens, two collected by Mr. M. A. 

 Frazar, in December 1881, at Puetro Plata, San Domingo; the other two from 

 Santiago de la Vega, San Domingo, caught by Mr. A. H. Verrill in 1908. 



Type: — No. 7,834, M. C. Z. Santiago de la Vega, San Domingo. A. Hyatt 

 Verrill, collector. 



Snout rather rounded, not conspicuously pointed; distance of eye from tip 

 of snout and ear opening almost equal; rostral moderate, with conspicuous 

 median groove, nostril between rostral, first supralabial, two small postnasals 

 and a larger supranasal, which is separated from its fellow of the other side by 

 two small median scales ; three large supralabials, followed by one much smaller 

 (the same on both sides), a prominent supraciliary spine over the middle of the 

 eye; head above and on sides covered with small, elongate, juxtaposed, keeled 

 scales, those on snout enlarged; scales on back large, imbricate, keeled, about 

 12 to 13, equaling in size the distance from snout to ear; mental large, nearly 

 same size as rostral; two very large infralabials followed by a small one to below 

 centre of eye; two small, squarish chin-shields behind mental, followed by flat 

 smaller scales, which extend all over throat, becoming quite small, but always 

 flat and not granular; larger and smooth on lower neck and chest, scales of 

 abdomen larger, but seldom exceeding in size those of back; limbs with smaller, 

 keeled, imbricate scales ; similar on upper surface of tail, but smooth below, and 

 with some widened to form rather irregular transverse plates. 



Length of body snout to vent, 28 mm. Length of tail, 31 mm. Total 

 length, 59 mm. 







