96 LIZARDS OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 



toe, eighteen under fourth toe and an equal number under fourth 

 finger; digits wider at tips than at base; preanal pores in a 

 short angular series, fifteen altogether, the median ''keystone" 

 scale triangular; five rows of scales in front of anus slightly- 

 enlarged ; three tubercles on each side of base of tail ; eye slightly 

 nearer ear than end of snout; orbital diameter contained about 

 one and one-half times in length of snout; width of head double 

 the length of snout to orbit. 



Color in life. — Above gray to ultramarine with numerous 

 bright orange spots covering head, back, sides, and tail; below 

 bluish gray with dimmer orange spots. 



Measurements of Gekko gecko (Linnaeus). 



mm. 



Total length 295 



Snout to vent 145 



Tail 150 



Snout to orbit 18 



Snout to foreleg 58 



Axilla to groin 70 



Width of head 35 



Length of head 46 



Width of body 30 



Foreleg 47 



Hind leg 64 



Variation. — This widely distributed species shows considerable 

 variation. Boulenger * gives the range of preanal pores as thir- 

 teen to twenty-four, which is larger than was found in the sixty- 

 six specimens from various Philippine localities studied. In 

 these the pores ranged from twelve to fourteen, save in three 

 specimens, two of which had fifteen, and one seventeen. The 

 presence of pores in the females has not been recorded, at least 

 in recent years. Here the perforated preanal scales are some- 

 what fewer than in the males, averaging eleven or twelve; in 

 a single female (No. 1610, Palawan, Bureau of Science collection) 

 all the pores were absent save one. None of the other scales 

 showed depressions. 



The arrangement of scales about the nostril varies consider- 

 ably. There are three arrangements that are common, namely : 

 (a) the "prenasar' scales are in contact medially behind the 

 rostral and in contact with the first labial below; (b) the pre- 

 nasals are separated by a single large scale which also separates 

 the supranasals ; (c) prenasals are separated by a very small scale 



* Loc. cit. 



