GONYOCEPHALUS 131 



GONYOCEPHALUS SEMPERI (Peters) 



Lophyurus (Tiaris) semperi Peters, Mon. Berl. Ak. (1867) 16. 

 Gonyocephalus semperi Boulenger, Cat. Liz. Brit. Mus. 1 (1885) 289. 



Description of species. — (From No. 765, E. H. Taylor collec- 

 tion; collected at Bunawan, Agusan Province, Mindanao, 1912, 

 by E. H. Taylor.) Snout not as long as diameter of orbit ; nostril 

 slightly farther from orbit than tympanum; rostral large, 

 bordered by eight scales; nasal rather large, lateral, separated 

 from rostral and first labial by one scale; canthus rostralis 

 sharp, slightly projecting, continuous with superciliary edge, 

 which continues almost to posterior border of orbit; a curved 

 row of slightly enlarged scales below and behind orbit, with three 

 large postorbital scales extending to above tympanum ; forehead 

 much depressed with a median row of enlarged keeled scales de- 

 lineated by a curved row of slightly enlarged keeled scales, which 

 are separated from each other by seven or eight rows of small 

 scales; occipital scales irregular with two slight bony knobs 

 present, somewhat anterior to the beginning of the nuchal crest ; 

 tympanum large, more than two-thirds diameter of eye, separated 

 from orbit by a distance less than its diameter; twelve and 

 thirteen upper labials, the last small; bordered above by a row 

 of enlarged scales anteriorly ; separated from suboculars by two 

 scale rows; twelve and thirteen lower labials; mental narrow; 

 two diverging rows of chin shields, first pair in contact border- 

 ing mental ; first two or three pairs border labials ; balance sep- 

 arated from labials by from one to three scale rows; scales on 

 chin and neck small, rather equal, with no median prominent 

 row; a few scattered enlarged scales on temporal region and on 

 angle of jaw; gular pouch small; nuchal crest very low, not con- 

 tinuous with dorsal crest; a row of enlarged, somewhat keeled 

 or spiny scales run from shoulder to base of tail parallel with 

 dorsal crest; numerous enlarged scales on sides, arranged in 

 irregular vertical rows; scales on back minute, becoming larger 

 laterally; belly scales strongly keeled; front leg brought for- 

 ward, wrist reaches end of snout; hind leg brought forward 

 reaches tip of snout ; fourth finger longest ; a number of scattered 

 enlarged scales on thigh. 



Color in life, — Above greenish to olive brown with fairly dis^ 

 tinct transverse bars or blotches of darker^ brown across back, 

 which continue to tip of tail and encircle the tail ; one bar crosses 

 neck, and is usually more prominent than the others; arms, legs, 

 and digits barred with darker brown ; sides darker, the enlarged 

 scales usually yellow; head variegated brown, with a lighter 

 stripe across head in supraorbital region; labials yellowish 



