150 LIZARDS OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 



VARANUS NUCHALIS (Gunther) 

 PLATE 10, FIG. 1 



Hydrosaurus nuchalis Gunther, Proc. Zool. Soc. London (1872) 145, 



pL 8; (1873) 165. 

 Hydrosaurus marmoratus (non Wiegmann) Gunther, Proc. Zool. 



Soc. London (1873) 165. 

 Varanus nuchalis Boulenger, Cat. Liz. Brit. Mus. 2 (1885) 315; 



Taylor, Philip. Journ. Sci. § D 12 (1917) 371. 



Description of species. — (From No. 1511, Bureau of Science 

 collection.) Teeth acute,, compressed. Snout slightly depressed 

 at tip, with slight elevations above nostrils, and a slight groove 

 betv^een elevations; rostral small, pentagonal, larger than ad- 

 jacent labials; separated from nostril by six scales; scales on 

 head usually irregularly pentagonal; two scales border rostral 

 behind; eight scale rows between nostrils; latter longitudinally 

 oval, the distance between nostril and end of snout contained 

 more than twice in distance of nostril to eye; six transversely 

 elongated scales in supraocular region, separated from super- 

 ciliary edge by three rows of small scales; supraocular groups 

 separated from each other by seven rows of very unequal scales ; 

 occipital region level, temporal regions vertical to it; a rather 

 prominent temporal angle ; about twenty scale rows across occip- 

 ital region; temporal scales small, equal, sixteen or seventeen 

 rows from angle of mouth to temporal-occipital edge; about 

 thirty labials border edge of both jaws; nostril separated from 

 labials by three scale rows ; f renal region depressed ; a noticeable 

 groove behind nostril delineates the frenal region, which is 

 separated from labials by two rows of somewhat enlarged scales ; 

 mental larger than rostral; a prominent longitudinal groove 

 on chin beginning shortly behind mental ; tympanum large, 

 superficial, its diameter slightly smaller than length of eye; 

 scales on neck large, scattered, larger than scales on back or 

 occipital region ; about eight rows on neck between an imaginary 

 line drawn backward from occipito-temporal edge ; scales separ- 

 ated from each other by areas of skin covered with minute 

 granules; keels on nuchal scales sometimes evident; scales on 

 back and tail strongly keeled ; a prominent skin fold on neck ; 

 scales on belly elongate, arranged in regular transverse rows, 

 about seventy-eight rows from axilla to groin, some of the scales 

 with slight keels ; scales on tail arranged in transverse rows. 



