OCR Text |
Show 1906.] IN MEXICAN LIZARDS. 367 mottled with blackish. Although much black pigment may become deposited, it is always restricted to the deeper strata, so that the under parts never appear dark. The light stripe behind the tail is invariably broken up. The under surface of the tail is white to yellowish flesh-colour. Remarks upon the Pattern prevailing in various Loccdities. Cuernavaca (text-fig. 83 0, D).-The 6 principal stripes remain intact, except in specimens with many yellow spots on the rump, when stripe 1 is broken into white beads; and in some old males the black cross-bars invade the stripe 3. Even in the oldest specimens the black and brown cross-bars are mostly confined to their respective fields. In one handsome male the upper chest is mottled pink and blue. Cuautla.-None reaches the stage in which the stripes are anywhere destroyed. The largest male shows no cross-bars, only double spots. Jojutla.-Striped ; nowhere with white spots. Ixtla and Iguala (text-fig. 83 E, F, G).-In old males the stripes are very dull; black and light cross-bars encroach upon the stripes, producing tiger-bars; with or without numerous small white spots on rump and thighs. Rio Balsas (text-fig. 83 A).-The stripes vanish into the ashy-brown or olive-grey ground-colour, which becomes studded with numerous small black spots on the back. On the flanks and sides of the trunk short irregular black bars alternate with grey or whitish short bars. There are no whitish spots on rump, thigh, or tail. These Balsas specimens, in their isolation, are remarkable for their general coloration and pattern, combined with a rather high number of femoral scales and pores. Chilpancingo.-Pale grey and black tiger-bars combined with vanishing first and second stripes are rather prevalent. Pale small spots are restricted to the hind limbs. The number of femoral pores is rather low. TESSELL ITUS-GcYOlip. Specimens examined:- C.perplexus. 2, Brit. Mus., 72 and 69 mm.; from Bernalillo Co., N e w Mexico. G. tessellatus. 2, Brit. Mus., 56 and 92 mm.; from Arizona or N e w Mexico ? 1, Brit. Mus., 82 mm.; from Julian Mountains, Cal. (C. stejnegeri.) 1, Field Mus., 93 mm.; from El Paso. (C. multi-scutatus.) C. maximus. 2, Brit. Mus. C.melanostethus. 2, Brit. Mus. ; Fort Lowell, Arizona. 2, Field Mus. ; Lerdo, Durango-Coahuila. (C. variolosus.) |