SPHENOMORPHUS 179 



Measurements of Sphenomorphus biparietalis Taylor. 



mm. 



Total length 70 



Snout to vent 35 



Snout to foreleg 11.5 



Tail 35 



Axilla to groin 21 



Width of head 5 



Foreleg 8 



Hind leg 11 



Variation. — Eleven other specimens are from various local- 

 ities in the Archipelago, as follows : Basilan, 1 ; Jolo, 4 ; Lapac, 

 1; Tawitawi, 1; Sangasanga, 1; Papahag, 2; Bongab, 1. 



The Basilan specimen is darker, and more heavily built; 

 the head is slightly broader; the scales are in thirty-six rov^s 

 about body; the prefrontals are broadly in contact; the throat 

 has black spots; and two frena'ls are present on the right side. 



The specimens from Jolo are lighter, and the two lateral 

 light lines more or less distinct. The type is from Lapac. Spec- 

 imens from the more southern part of the Archipelago have 

 from thirty to thirty-four scale rows about the body, and the 

 number of labials varies, being either five or six. 



Remarks. — This species seems to be very clearly differen- 

 tiated by the arrangement of the parietals which is different from 

 that in any other form in the Islands. The only Philippine 

 lizard in which the parietals approach this condition is the varia- 

 tion of Brachymeles vermis Taylor, found on Papahag near 

 Tawitawi. 



SPHENOMORPHUS MOELLENDORFFI (Boettger) 



Lygosoma (Homolepida) moellendorffl Boettger, Zool. Anz. 20 (1897) 

 162. 



Description of species. — (After Boettger.) Habitus slender, 

 somewhat short-legged ; distance between end of snout and fore 

 limb contained one and one-half times in distance from axilla to 

 groin ; snout short, truncate ; under eyelid scaled ; nostril in the 

 middle of a large nasal; no supranasals; two simple frenals 

 standing behind each other; frontonasal much broader than 

 long, forming a broad suture with rostral; prefrontals in con- 

 tact in the middle; frontal much shorter than frontoparietals 

 and interparietals together ; in contact with first two supra- 

 oculars; four supraoculars, first longest, second broadest; nine 



