BRACHYMELES 243 



keels above at base, diminishing to two towards the middle, and 

 with a medium series of wide smooth plates underneath ; length 

 of tail much less than twice the length of body." 



Color (in alcohol) . — ''Above and on sides vandyke-brown, 

 shiny on the head, dull on body and extremities ; obscure traces 

 of blackish cross-bars on the back and of vertical bars of pale 

 spots, on sides of body and tail; a blackish postocular streak 

 below which on the temples a cluster of small whitish spots and 

 a few scattered ones on the side of neck; underside shiny, chin, 

 throat, lower neck, palm, soles, and posterior two-thirds of 

 tail blackish brown, each scale with a narrow pale edge; rest 

 of underside whitish." 



Measurements of Tropidophorus misaminius Stejneger. 



mm. 



Total length 219 



Tip of snout to vent 89 



Tip of snout to ear opening 18 



Width of head 12.5 



Vent to tip of tail 130 



Foreleg 26 



Hind leg ' 41 



Remarks. — The young differ in having the head shields 

 slightly rugose. The color is lighter brown with better-defined 

 crossbars ; there is a whitish streak between eye and ear instead 

 of spots; the chin and middle of throat whitish. Known only 

 from Malindang Mountain, 338 meters altitude, Misamis Prov- 

 ince, Mindanao. The type was collected by Dr. E. A. Mearns, 

 on May 25, 1906. Two other specimens were also collected, 

 one half grown and the other young. 



Genus BRACHYMELES Dumeril and Bibron 



Brachymeles Dumeril and Bibron, Erp. Gen. 5 (1839) 776; Gray, 

 Cat. Liz. (1845) 98; Cope, Ann. Report U. S. Nat. Mus. (1900) 

 621; Taylor, Philip. Journ. Sci. § D 12 (1917) 267. 



Senira Gray, Cat. Liz. (1845) 98; Cope, Ann. Report U. S. Nat. Mus. 

 (1900) 620. 



Palatine bones meeting on the median line of palate which 

 is toothless; lateral teeth conical; eye small, upper eyelid not 

 developed, lower one more or less transparent; ear distinct or 

 absent; nostril small, pierced in a small nasal or between first 

 upper labial and supranasal; postnasal sometimes present; 

 supranasals, prefrontals, frontoparietals, and interparietals 

 present. Body elongate, limbs short, rudimentary, or absent; 

 digits pentadactyl, tetradactyl, or wanting. 



