178 



LIZARDS OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 



Description of species. — (From the type,, No. 1991, Bureau of 

 Science collection ; collected at Lapac, Sulu Archipelago, Sep- 

 tember 28, 1917, by E. H. Taylor.) Head short; snout trun- 

 cate, rostral rather small,, forming a board straight suture with 

 frontonasal; latter wider than deep, minutely in contact with 

 frontal; prefrontals large, barely separated, touching minutely 

 first supraocular; frontal much longer than broad, scarcely 

 as wide as supraocular region, in contact with two supraoculars ; 

 frontoparietals large, distinct, touching three supraoculars; in- 

 terparietal small, longer than wide; parietals nearly rectan- 

 gular, broadly in contact with each other behind interparietal; 

 a second pair of parietals between first pair and last supra- 

 ocular; this pair much smaller, in contact with frontoparietals, 



the last supraocular, and one or two 

 small temporals; no nuchals; nostril 

 pierced in a single nasal, which is 

 followed by one f renal ; latter followed 

 by two preoculars, between first super- 

 ciliary and second labial, the lower 

 largest; behind this a row of seven 

 subequal scales, separating labials 

 from orbit; six upper labials, third, 

 fourth, and fifth below eye; six lower 

 labials; temporals slightly enlarged; 

 mental small, followed by a broad post- 

 FiG. 22. sphenomorphus bipariet- mental ; two palrs of chin shields, both 



cdis Taylor, from Sulu; a, head, ^ n • • • j^ j^ i n 



dorsal view ; b, head, lateral view ; broad, first pair m contact broadly ; 



x4- ear opening large, round; tympanum 



not deeply sunk; limbs weak, failing to meet when adpressed 

 by considerable distance; thirty-two scale rows around body, 

 those on belly largest; lateral rows in straight longitudinal 

 lines; preanal scales not enlarged; third and fourth toes of 

 almost equal length, ten smooth lamellae under each; scales 

 on underside of tail not enlarged ; ear much nearer foreleg than 

 end of snout. 



Color in life. — Above brownish, many of the scales flecked 

 with whitish; a more or less distinct, light, dotted line from 

 behind eye along side; below this a stripe of slightly darker 

 brown flecked with white; below cream; underside of tail 

 flecked with brown; upper and lower labials with light spots; 



