K ., n Mr. V F Sionson, of the 

 Museum lN.it- Hist.), has 



Ldiv compared the types of the 

 1V , 0 n.xa for me. and comments 

 Lij* eomm.) u By dlTCCJ compan- 

 S of the types I have checked 

 ,h,se differences ;md most of them 

 ,o b.eak down. All three of 

 Mil syntypes ol nuictooi-yi have 

 nnooth scales and I can only assume 

 ,|,„i Ramsay : > rid GgUby were misled 

 L the striated colour pattern on some 

 J mc scales. The prealial scales are 

 Hers slightlv enlarged m both species 

 u , i n .your specimen), and I Ban 

 h , ul no significant difference in 

 colouration, both agreeing wiih your 

 specimen, although the type of Wiru- 

 $Uj y Jfl IS a hltlc faded. The largest 

 UJ ouf syntvpes of imurooi-yi has the 

 frontal nearlv as long as the fronto- 

 Ddiietal compared with a frontal i 

 ,he length of ibC frontoparietal in the 

 am of icirmhiayhi. However, in one 

 Of i| lc smaller syntypes of »WCC00e?i 

 the frontal is only 7D'. ; the length 

 of fhe frontoparietal, although in 

 ilns specimen the minute Intel panel., I 

 is absent, presumably EuSCtl with the 

 lmnlopaiiet.il. i his leaves only two 

 .icniticiuit differences, the propor- 



tionally larger head and shorter tail 

 ol icirutUu fy/((" 



All eleven complele specimens, of 

 tmcCOVfiyi to the National Museum 

 have been measured, and the tail 

 length was found to vary from 52. 1 > 

 to 65.<Ki ol the total length, wiUi 

 a mean of 5<J,3. From the measure- 

 ments quoted by Uoulcnger. 1897, ioi 

 the type of letnuhH Of/tf, and by Ram 

 sa\ and Ogilby for the types of 

 nninnat.yi. the percentage of tail lo 

 total length respectively arc 53 and 

 57.3. None of out specimens has a 

 head as large as thai reported foi 

 the type of ivirtutailylu. 



From the above, it would seem th.o 

 furlher specimens will prove that the 

 two species are in fact .synonvms. 

 and will be known as ( nrlia tcim- 

 ctMtylti (O'Shaughnessy). 



Tire discovery of this genus within 

 Victoria raises interesting points on 

 |(S distribution. With the exception 

 of the species under discussion. 

 ( arlta is apparently confined to humid 

 and subhumid tropical or subtropical 

 climates. Storr, l l .'64. says ihat it has 

 spread south and west from the well- 

 watered northern and eastern fringes 



January. 1971 



