OCR Text |
Show 1880.] MR. O'SHAUGHNESSY ON A NEW UROMASTIX. 445 5. Description of a new Species of Uromastix. By A. W . E. O'SHAUGHNESSY, Assistant in the Natural-History Departments of the British Museum. [Eeceived May 18, 1880.] (Plate XLIII.) Among some Lizards transmitted by Dr. Kirk from Zanzibar is a very remarkable new species of tbe genus Uromastix, the type specimen of which is now in the British-Museum collection. The peculiar shape of the tail and the extreme development of the upper caudal scutes distinguish it immediately from the other species at present known, five in number, viz. U. ornatus, Riipp., spinipes, Merr., acan-thinurus, Bell, fasciatus, Menetr., and microlepis, Blanf. I proceed to give the following description of this well-marked sixth species. UROMASTIX PRINCEPS, sp. n. (Plate XLIII.) Head short and broad, covered above with numerous small irregular- shaped scales, much as in U. acanthinurus and other species; the scales on the muzzle and the two central series between the supraorbital regions are, however, larger, and there are two large plates, a polygonal posterior and a narrow oblique anterior one, between the nasal plate and the upper anterior part of the orbital region on each side ; also a series of very large infraorbital plates; the posterior upper labials but slightly enlarged or projecting downwards. Rostral broad, double the size of the mental-the rest of the scales of the head offering no points of difference from U. acanthinurus or U. microlepis, excepting that those on the temporal region are flat and smooth instead of being convex. Sides of the neck with some puckers, but without any larger pointed scales or tubercles. Neck, back, and sides covered uniformly with very small, convex, rounded or feeblv pointed scales ; the scales on the lower surface of the body are much larger, rhomboidal, and arranged in transverse series. Scales on the fore limb large, smooth, becoming still larger near the carpal region; no tubercular scales. O n the upper and anterior part of the thigh the scales are large, smooth and regular, not spinose, a few large conical scales occurring behind and continuing at the knee and down the front of the tarsus, the inner surface of which is covered with rather large plain scales, similar to but larger than those of the foot; the other parts of the hind limb are covered with very small scales. No femoral or praeanal pores in the specimen examined. The tail is broad, flattened, and much shorter than in the other species of Uromastix, resembling in shape the tail of the genus of Skinks named Silubosaurus by Gray. Its upper surface is covered with very large spinose shields, projecting in a long curved point in the four middle shields of each of the 10 or 11 transverse rows, and forming a still larger series of more strongly curved or hooked appendages on each side of the tail ; thus there are six longitudinal |