LEPIDODACTYLUS 73 



Variation. — Table 5 shows clearly the variations in a series 

 of specimens of nearly equal size. Twenty-five specimens were 

 taken, and all are females. All except two were taken on Little 

 Govenen Island. These all show the characteristic zigzag mark- 

 ings, and usually three short longitudinal stripes are present 

 between the shoulders; the series of yellow spots are present 

 on all specimens taken ; the three scales' between the supranasals 

 are frequently replaced by a single large scale; there is also 

 variation in the arrangement of the chin scales, but the three 

 pairs following the mental are usually largest. There is slight 

 variation in the comparative length of the snout ; sometimes the 

 diameter of the eye is contained less than twice in the eye-to- 

 snout distance. The regenerated tails are flatter, and have a 

 sharper, more prominent, serrated edge than those of normal 

 specimens. 



Remarks. — Not a single male specimen was found.* This is 

 especially surprising in view of the fact that so large a series 

 was taken and in such a restricted locality. No explanation 

 seems possible save that the males have different habits than 

 the females and occupy some habitat that could not be discovered. 

 All specimens seen were captured, so it could not be explained 

 by their greater agility in escaping capture. 



Little Govenen is an extremely small island lying less than a 

 kilometer from the southwest coast of Basilan. It contains only 

 a few hundred square meters of land and rises to an elevation of 

 about 15 meters. On my first visit twelve specimens of this 

 species were taken on the bare rocks that jut from one side 

 of the island. Examination showed that apparently all of these 

 were females, and later a special trip was made to the island 

 for the purpose of discovering the males. On this trip the entire 

 island was searched and eleven specimens were taken ; these too 

 were females. Later two more specimens were found on Bubuan 

 Island and these also were females. 



Many of the specimens contained partly developed eggs and 

 the sex of these could not be questioned ; certain other specimens 

 were dissected by myself, and others by Dr. E. S. Ruth, of the 

 University of the Philippines, who pronounced all of them fe- 

 males. 



This is another species "closely allied to L. lugubris/' but it 

 differs from the latter in several points. There is a much larger 

 series of preanal scales (pores in males?) ; there are nearly twice 



* Of fifteen specimens of Lepidodactylus luguhris listed by Boulenger, 

 Cat. Liz. Brit. Mus. 1 (1885) 165 and 166, only one is a male. 



