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Show 216 DR. H. GADOW ON MEXICAN [June 6, Yucatan to the State of Vera Cruz, absolutely confined to the Atlantic Tierra Caliente, in forest-land; arboreal, or rather amongst shrub-like trees, the brown bark of which this curious-looking gentle lizard looks to for protection. It feeds upon insects. Lcemanctus.-The two Mexican species are excessively rare, perhaps because they live higher up in the trees, where it is then next to impossible to discover them. L. serratus is known from Campeche and the States of Vera Cruz and Oaxaca without localities. L. longipes, hitherto known from Jalapa only; all the more remarkable is the solitary specimen which I found amongst a collection sent to the Field Columbian Museum from the State of Colima. Anolis, with at least a dozen species in the Eastern or Western Tierra Caliente. A. nebulosus has the widest range in Mexico, from Tehuantepec to Jalapa, and to Ventanas on the west; I found it not only on the coast of Guerrero, but also on the Nevado de Colima, up to at least 7600 feet, together with A. lio-gaster. A. gciclovii at Tierra Colorada, in bush-land. The Anolis seem to spend most of their time on the lower branches of shrubs and trees or amongst the rank herbaceous vegetation, waiting for insects, and trusting to not being seen when basking. Especially when they have become excited by being pursued, the males stretch out their mostly beautifully-coloured gular sac. None of the Mexican species which I have observed displays any marked change of colour like the A. ccirolinensis, the " Chameleon " of the Americans. Tejid.e * are clearly a Neotropical family, with several dozen genera in South America. Of all these, only Ameivci and the closely-allied Cnemidophorus extend through and beyond Central America: Ameivci into the Eastern and Western hot-lands of Mexico and into the Antilles; Cnemidophorus through Mexico into the United States, where C. sexlineatus has spread over nearly the whole Union. This genus is entirely terrestrial, preferring sandy districts with bush-land ; only C. guttatus is a typical inhabitant of the lowland forests of Vera Cruz. The Mexican species avoid the high plateau, 5000 feet being about the upper limit. The only exception is made by C. guluris, which has been credibly recorded from Guanajuato, and of which I have examined specimens collected by Dr. Meek close to the town of Puebla, which lies at an altitude of more than 7600 feet, higher than the Valley of Mexico, where Cnemidophorus does not occur. Concerning distribution and variation, cf. my paper, " Evolution of the Colour-pattern and Orthogenetic Variation in certain Mexican Species of Lizards, with adaptation to their surroundings," Proc. Roy. Soc. vol. lxxii. p. 109 (1903). Ameivci undulcitci, the only species in Mexico, is an inhabitant Fiom tlie Aztec teco-ixin, i. c. Rock-lizard, tlie name of <Scelojporus torqucitus, misspelt and misapplied. The Zapotecs and Mazatecs call Cnemidophorus and Ameiva Zumbichi and Cachumbo. |
