REPTILES FROM THE RIVER TAJ AN. 



13 



Mr. Lindbolm measured specimens of G. longipes and obtained 

 the following data 



S ? 



Length of fore limb ^_ a ^ ( ,_a ^ 



Length of head and body — 0*48 to 0-51 ; average 0'50 0"49 to 9"51 ; average O'oO 



Length of hind limb n nn , n m „ 



t z ?— n — a a u ^ = 0,(59 to °' 73 5 average 071 0'65 to 070 : average 0"68 



Length ot head and body > s > s 



The comparison with the corresponding data of G. microlepis- 

 shows the difference in the length of limbs*. Besides G. lon- 

 gipes has 12 to 15 supralabials, and the first pair of chin-shields 

 almost always forming a suture behind the mental ; on one 

 specimen only out of 14 these plates are separated by two small 

 scales. As to the size of the tubercles of the head, neck, and ; 

 back, the scaling of the throat and belly, the number of femoral 

 and prseanal pores, the two species seem to agree. 



There is a vevy interesting gradation in the characters of 

 scaling between the three species G, microlepis, G. fedtschenkoi, 

 and G. caspius. G. microlepis has the smallest and the most 

 numerous scales, its tubercles are relatively feebly developed ; 

 G. fedtschenkoi forms the link between the foregoing and G. cas- 

 pius, which has the largest and the least numerous scales, and 

 very strongly developed tubercles. The following table con- 

 tains the most important distinctive characters of these three 

 species : — 



G. microlepis. Gr. fedtschenkoi f. G. caspius J. 



Tubercles of the temple ... moderately conical. conical. trihedral. 

 Before the ear-opening 2 or 3 small tubercles. 2 or 3 small tubercles. 1 large tubercle. 



On the neck slightly conical scales, moderately prominent very prominent large 



trihedral tubercles. trihedral tubercles. 



Tubercles of the back moderate, prominent, large, prominent, not very large, very promi- 



not spinose. spinose. nent, often spinose. 



Gular scales extremely small. very small. small. 



Number ot scales in a lineal 

 between the apex of the j 



mental or the suture of Y 136 to 144. 123 to 131. 100 to 111. 



the chin-shields and the | 

 anal cleft J 



Number of ventral scales') 



across the middle of the [ 35 to 38. 30 to 33 §. 24 to 29. 



belly 3 



Suprafemorals on the inner ~) small, smooth, or in- moderate, distinctly large, strongly keeled, 

 side of the thigh 3 distinctly keeled. keeled. 



Number of femoral and | § 27 to 29 II. 



prseanal pores ) s 11 



* Nikolski attributes as a distinctive character to G. longipes the greater diameter 

 of the eye, which he supposes to be longer than the distance from eye to nostril ; 

 with this statement Mr. Lindbolm does not agree. 



f Material : 2 $ from Samarkand. 



X Material: 2 £ from Shemakha (Caucasus); 5 spec. (2 <?, 1 2 juv.) from 

 Sangatshaly near Baku (Caucasus) : 3 spec. (1 $ , 2 $ ) from Askhabad (Transcaspia), 

 1 $ from Anau (Transcaspia), and the ^ described here from the river Taj an. 



§ 24 to 34 ventral scales and 30 to 37 pores, according to Nikolski, Fauna of. 

 Russia. Reptiles I., Petrogi ad 1915, p. 78. 



|| The maximum is 30, according to Nikolski, Joe. cit. p. 74. 



