OCR Text |
Show 1874.] MR. W. T. BLANFORD ON TWO NEW LIZARDS. 659 Scales. Head covered above with convex scales, largest on the snout and occiput, and on the forehead between the eyes. Canthus rostralis rounded; nostrils lateral, oval, rather large, each in the middle of a single plate below the canthus. Rostral enlarged ; mental smaller than the rostral; laterals scarcely larger than the neighbouring scales ; posterior upper labials triangular, all the rest square. Chin, except near the lower labials, covered with very small convex scales ; scales of the neck equally small, subcorneal or mucronate, those of the lower surface in transverse rows. Sides of the neck with irregular longitudinal folds, bearing enlarged tubercular pointed scales ; there are also folds below the neck, but they are not ornamented with tubercles. Scales of the back and sides all small, submucronate, with the points compressed and directed backwards, in well-marked transverse rows except near the middle line of the back; no enlarged scales on the sides. Abdominal scales rhomboidal, a little longer than those of the back, arranged in transverse series. Scales of anterior portion of the fore limb like those of the abdomen, those on the posterior surface the size of the back scales; a few slightly enlarged scales on the outer surface of the forearm. In the hind limb, the scales are larger on the inner, smaller on the outer surface ; a row of large conical tubercles passes down the front of the tarsus, and large spinose tubercles are scattered over its outer surface-a few, smaller in size, occurring on the posterior portion of the thigh. Feet and toes covered beneath with keeled scales, the keels longitudinal on the soles of the fore feet, transverse on those of the hind feet. In the largest specimen, a male, there are eighteen femoral pores on one side, twenty on the other; but they are somewhat irregular ; in a younger specimen there are fourteen beneath each thigh, the two series coming close together in the praeanal region. Tail, when perfect, consisting of about twenty-three or twenty-four rings, the upper and lateral portion of each ring consisting of large spines, the points directed backwards; the lower portion, except towards the tip, is covered by rings of smaller nearly flat scales diminishing in size towards the base of the tail. Colour. Olive-grey, with small rather indistinct darker spots on the back ; lower parts and tail rather paler. Intestinal canal elongate. In a specimen measuring altogether 17 inches in length, of which the tail is 7, the whole length of the intestinal tract from the cardiac end of the stomach to the anus is 28 inches, the large intestines measuring 8 inches*. The largest specimen obtained measures 20-5 inches from nose to tip of tail, tail from anus 8-5, head 2, fore limb nearly 5, third toe of fore foot from the division between the third and fourth toes to the end of the claw P I , hind limb 6*1, third toe of hind foot 1*3. This species was found inhabiting the neighbourhood of Basrah * In a specimen of Centrotrachelus asmussi, Strauch, 18 inches long, the intestinal tract measures 40 inches. In Ayama, Stellio, and Phrynocephalus I find the intestinal tract always shorter than the body and tail: thus it is 7 inches long in an individual of Agama agilis measuring 10 inches. |