Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 
89 
5. Snout short, obtuse ; subdigital lamellae smooth ; two or three 
long pointed ear lobules ; twenty-eight to thirty-two scales round the 
body ; fronto-nasal in contact with frontal. Olive above, often with 
dark-brown longitudinal streaks or series of spots ; a dark-brown lateral 
band, edged interiorly by a whitish streak, beginning on the upper lip and 
passing through the ear. M. homalocephala Wieg. 
Snout rather elongated ; three to five short, obtusely pointed ear 
lobules ; subdigital lamellae smooth (perhaps occasionally unicarinate) ; 
thirty-six to forty-four scales round the body. Either pale-brown or 
olive above, each scale with a paler spot, the tail being pale yellow ; or 
dark-brown above, with three yellowish white bands, the tail being blue. 
M. quinquetaeniata Licht. 
6. Scales on the anterior border of ear not differentiated ; subdigital 
lamellae keeled or almost smooth ; twenty-eight to thirty-six scales round 
the body ; dorsals three carinate. Olive or brown above, with transverse 
dark-brown spots or bands, and three light bands along the back ; ventrally 
whitish ; sometimes uniformly olive-brown above. M . trivittata Cuv. 
Similar to homalocephala in scutellation and habit ; three short and 
rounded ear lobules ; thirty-six scales round the body. Olive above, 
with five black dorsal lines with a series of yellow dots between them ; 
a yellow band on each side, edged below by a broad black band ; lower 
surface metallic greenish-yellow. M. gruetzneri Pet. 
Two or three long pointed ear lobules ; subdigital lamellae smooth ; 
thirty scales round the body ; dorsals three to five carinate ; prefrontals 
in contact. Dark, with light-brown longitudinal streaks corresponding to 
the series of scales. M. peringueyi Boul. 
Two or three large, projecting, obtusely pointed ear lobules ; sub- 
digital lamellae sharply unicarinate ; dorsal scales feebly keeled. Olive 
above, with three yellowish-white dark-edged dorsal streaks, and a whitish 
dark-edged lateral band from upper lip to the groin. M. occidentalis Pet. 
7. The adpressed hind limb not reaching the axilla. 8. 
Adpressed hind limb reaching the axilla or beyond. 9. 
8. Thirty to thirty-four scales round the body ; three to five short- 
pointed ear lobules ; dorsals three carinate ; subdigital lamellae three 
carinate ; subocular inferiorly reduced but not much so, the lower labial 
border being at least half the total length of the scute. Olive or brownish 
above, often with small dark-brown spots, which may be arranged in 
longitudinal or occasionally transverse bands, sometimes with small pale 
spots, and occasionally with two or three thin pale dorsal bands or streaks ; 
a sharply defined whitish lateral streak, starting on upper lip and passing 
through the ear, almost invariably present. t M. varia Pet. 
Thirty-two to forty scales round the body ; dorsals mostly three 
carinate (some few may be five carinate) ; subdigital lamellae one to three 
carinate ; two to four short subtriangular ear lobules ; subocular not 
reaching the lip, or if so much narrowed inferiorly (more so than in varia) ; 
fronto-nasal broader than long. Usually dark-brown above, with a pale 
* This character not absolutely constant, 
f See note on the distribution of this species. 
2 
