OCR Text |
Show 1895.] BATRACHIANS F R O M WESTERN SOMALI-LAND. 531 REPTILES. CHELONIANS. 1. PELOMEDUSA GALEATA, Schoepff. A single young specimen (Mount Kuldush, 18.12.94). On the left side, the pectoral shield reaches the median line, whilst on the right the humeral and abdominal shields are narrowly in contact. The specimen is therefore intermediate between the typical form and P. gehafice, Riipp. LIZARDS. 2. PRISTURUS FLAVIPUNCTATUS, Riipp. Milmil, 27.7.94. 3. PRISTURUS CRUCIFER, Val. Between Hargeisa and Milmil, 22.7.94. 4. HEMIDACTYLUS ISOLEPIS, sp. n. (Plate XXIX. fig. 1.) Head scarcely depressed, twice as long as broad; snout longer than the distance between the eye and the ear-opening ; forehead with a very slight concavity ; ear-openiug very small, roundish. Body and limbs moderate. Digits moderately dilated, free, with rather short distal joints; 5 lamellae under the thumb, 6 or 7 under the fourth finger, and the same number under the toes. Head covered with convex granules, largest on the snout; rostral subquadrangular, not twice as broad as deep, with median cleft above; nostril pierced between the rostral and four scales, the upper of which is largest and in contact with its fellow behind the rostral; 8 upper and 7 lower labials; symphysial large, pentagonal, twice as long as the adjacent labials ; four chin-shields, median pair largest and forming a suture behind the symphysial. Body covered with equal, rounded, imbricate, smooth scales, about 65 round the middle of the body. Male with an angular series of six praeanal pores. Tail cylindrical, tapering, covered with uniform scales similar to but a little larger than those on the body. Pale brown above, with dark brown irregular spots and scattered white dots; a dark brown streak on each side of the head and neck, passing through the eye. millim. Total length 78 Fore limb Head 12 Hind limb Width of head 6 Tail .... Body 28 A single male specimen. Turfa, 13.8.94. This species is closely allied toH. homceolepis, Blanf., from Socotra (P.Z.S. 1881,p.464), which differs in the much smaller dorsal scales, and to which specimens from Somali-land have been referred by Boettger. H. tropidolepis, Mocq., from Somali-land, appears, from 34* millim. 13 16 38 |