244 
Annals of the Transvaal Museum 
DESCRIPTION OF A NEW VARIETY OF A SOUTH 
AFRICAN LIZARD OF THE FAMILY GECKONIDAE 
By G. P. F. van Dam. 
With i plate. 
Pachydactylus capensis Smith var. nov. tigrinus. Plate V. 
Head oviform, distinct from neck, snout a little longer than the diameter 
of the orbit. Ear-opening oval, oblique. Body depressed. Limbs moderate; 
digits short, slender, but broader at the end than the base, the dilated terminal 
part with four lamellae inferiorly. Tail depressed, the basal portion annulate, 
thick in its basal half, thinning in the terminal half, which becomes finely 
pointed. Snout covered with convex, slightly keeled scales, which are about 
as large as those on the back; hind part of head covered with small slightly 
keeled granules ; neck behind the head covered with small granules and larger 
subconical tubercles; naso-rostrals in contact, rostral broader than high; 
8-9 upper labials and 6-7 lower labials. Back with irregularly arranged various 
sized, slightly imbricate and slightly keeled scales, granules absent or only a 
very few scattered ones present; abdominal scales moderate, smooth, in- 
creasing in size from throat to groin. Upper surface and sides of tail with 
imbricate slightly keeled scales; lower surface of tail with imbricate smooth 
scales. Colour: greyish-brown and blackish-brown above, with six well- 
defined whitish (yellowish when alive) narrow transverse bands on the back 
as follows: one behind the head, one between the shoulders, two over the 
body, one in front of the hind legs, one near the base of tail, sometimes the 
band in front of the hind legs is broken up into spots ; a dark brown or blackish 
streak on the sides of the head, passing through the eye, supraciliaries yellow- 
ish; sides of head and body, upper parts of legs, and tail spotted with white 
or yellowish. 
Types, eight specimens T. M. Cat. Lizards, Nos. 4301-4308, in the Trans- 
vaal Museum. They were taken amongst rocks at Brak Riv. (Blinkwater), 
Zoutpansberg Dist., N. Transvaal, by G. P. F. van Dam, June, 1920. 
The Transvaal Museum also possesses another 27 specimens from N’jelele 
Riv., Zoutpansberg Dist., N. Transvaal. 
millim. 
millim. 
Total length 
92 
Fore limb ... 
15 
Head 
13 
Hind limb... 
19 
Width of head 
10 
Tail 
... 40 
Body 
• •• 39 
This variety is closely related to P. capensis var. formosus (see Ann. Trans- 
vaal Mus. vol. iv. No. 3, p. 135), from which it differs in having the dorsal 
scales slightly keeled, instead of being very strongly keeled; they also differ in 
colour and markings. 
