88 



E. WADE 



Table 1 Variation (sample size, range, mean, and one standard deviation [SD]) in ventral and subcaudals in the species of Macroprotodon. 





M. 



cucullatus 



M. mauritanicus 



M. abubakeri 







Males 



Females 



Males 



Females 



Males 



Females 



Character: 















Ventrals 















Sample size 



23 



28 



44 



39 



16 



15 



Range 



153-163 



163-182 



162-178 



168-193 



159-175 



172-185 



Mean 



158.17 



177.57 



170.55 



183.51 



167.5 



180.33 



SD 



3.25 



4.04 



3.99 



4.56 



5.54 



3.72 



Subcaudals 















Sample size 



22 



28 



44 



34 



15 



15 



Range 



42-54 



39-53 



46-59 



43-54 



45-50 



41-51 



Mean 



48.41 



44.57 



57.91 



48.38 



49.7 



45.27 



SD 



2.86 



3.35 



2.79 



2.81 



1.76 



3.08 



Ventrals + subcaudals 















Sample size 



22 



28 



44 



34 



15 



15 



Range 



196-217 



207-226 



212-235 



222-241 



209-224 



213-237 



Mean 



207.05 



216.36 



222.45 



231.65 



216.74 



225.7 



SD 



5.2 



5.49 



5.5 



5.51 



5.74 



6.23 



Table 2 Variation in character states the species of Macroprotodon. 



M. cucullatus 



M. mauritanicus 



M. abubakeri 



Sample size: 

 Character: 



Labial-parietal contact (L/R) 



+/+ 



+/- or -/+ 



-/- 

 Posterior infralabials (L/R) 



3/3 



3/4 or 4/3 



4/4 or more 

 Posterior maxillary teeth 



3 



4 



4/5 or 5/4 



5 

 Nuchal collar 



Entire 



Divided 

 Partially melanocephalic 



Melanocephalic 

 'Pale' collar 



Present (uninterrupted) 



Present (interrupted) 



Absent 

 Intermediate or indeterminate 



Obscured 

 Postorbital streak 



Short 

 Interrupted or fragmented 



Entire 



Embraces last supralabial 



Obscured or part, absorbed 



51 



1 (1.96%) 

 



50 (0.98%) 



5 (9.8%) 

 

 46 (90.2%) 







24(47.1%) 



2 (3.9%) 

 25 (49%) 



1 ( 1 .96%) 

 30 (58.8%)* 



5 (9.8%) 

 15 (29.4%) 



5 (9.8%) 



1 (2%) 

 24(47.1%) 



4 (7.8%) 

 17(33.3%) 







13 (25.5%)** 

 30 (58.8%)*** 



2 (3.9%) 

 8(15.7%) 



83 



74 (89.2%) 

 7 (8.4%) 



2 (2.4%) 



46 (54.4%) 

 14(16.9%) 

 23 (27.7%) 



83(100%) 

 

 

 



3 (3.6%) 

 78 (93.4%) 







2 (2.4%) 



81 (97.6%) 

 



2 (2.4%) 

 



22 (2.4%) 



63 (75.9%) 



3 (3.6%) 

 17 (20%) 



82 (98.8%) 

 1 (1.2%) 



31 



13(41.9%) 



3 (9.7%) 



14 (42.2%) 



2 (6.5%) 



1 (3.2%) 



28 (90.3%) 





 30(100%) 

 

 



22(71%) 

 6(19.4%) 



1 (3.2%) 



2 (6.5%) 



20 (64.5%) 

 10 (32.3%) 











1 (3.2%) 







5(16.1%) 

 26 (83.9%) 

 27(87.1%) 







* Laberal portions in most cases more forwardly situated and often united to the 'V'-mark; 

 *** highly variable in shape (see p. 89). 



occasionally rather short but never less than two supralabials in length; 



the pattern essentially three characters, the nuchal collar, the 

 interspace between it and the head pattern elements (the 'pale 

 collar' ) and the postorbital streak presented states which were useful 

 in the differentiation of the taxa: these are summarised in Table 2. In 

 some individuals, from north west Algeria in particular, there occurs 

 a bar, more or less at the level of the mouth, connecting the posterior 

 head pattern elements to the nuchal collar. The state of the forward 

 position of the lateral portions of the nuchal collar (i.e. occupying 



the space of the 'pale collar') still serves to distinguish the taxa but 

 there is some reduction in reliability where it has been used to 

 differentiate some individuals of M. cucullatus from the eastern 

 Hauts Plateaux + southern Tunisia from the populations further west 

 and the mauritanicus complex to the north. 



The V-mark is an inverted V or Y-shape which commences from 

 around mid-frontal its posterior 'arms' extending, entire or frag- 

 mented to the last supralabials, or further. The state where it either 



