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Show REPTILES. 11 PROCTOTRETUS FITZINGERII. PLATE V.-Fro. 1. Capite squamis la!vibus, non imbricatis; margine anterim·e aurium granuloso; squamis supmlabialibus ovalibus, in serie unica dispositis; squamis dorsalibus parum carinatis, postice obtusis. Facie posterim·e femorum pra?cipue granulosa sed portione, caudam versus, squamis majoribus, rlwmboideis imbricatis tecta. Proctotretlts Fitzin!Jerii, Bibr. I. c. p. 1!86. Habitat, Patagonia. DESCRIPTION.- General form thick and robust, the head short being nearly as broad as it is long. The muzzle slightly rounded. Scales of the bead flat, small and numerous. Two scales only behind the rostral and between those which are pierced by the nostrils. Those over the nose and around the occipital scales being larger and more regularly arranged than the others. The ear is large, oval, the anterior margin having, towards the upper part, about three small, oval, granular, very slightly projecting scales. Temples covered with small, rounded or slightly hexagonal scales, which are scarcely imbricated. A single range of rather broad oval scales between the orbit and the upper lip. Scales of the sides of the neck, and above and bebin!l the shoulder small, granular. The trunk thick; scales of the back very small, imbricated, very slightly carinated, and not pointed behind ; those of the under parts smooth and rhomboidal. The legs are short and robust. The anterior pair, placed against the side do not extend backwards more than halfway to the thigh. The posterior pair do not quite reach the arms. The posterior face of the thighs is covered with granular scales, excepting a large patch near the groin rising to near the upper surface of the thigh, which are imbricated and rhomboidal, similar to those of the inferior surface of the thigh. The scales of the upper part of the toes are smooth, those beneath have one or two slight carinre. This species varies very much in colour; three or four tolerably distinct varieties may be noticed, but they often pass more or less into each other. As I have only one of these varieties in my possession, I quote the following description from Mons. Bibron's account of the specimens in the French Museum. V ar. A. Les parties supericures sont grises, ou bien d'un brun marron plus ou moins clair. ll regne au lODO' du COU et du dos quatre series de taches noires, bordees de blanc en arriere. La queue et 0 les membres offrent des bandes transversalcs anguleuse, d'un teint marron noir3.trc, alternant avec des bandes semblables mais de couleur blanche. Lcs regions infc'hieurcs aussi soot blanches, excepte Ia gorge, qui est parcourue par des raies conflllentcs brunes. D'autres raies d'un brun marron soot imprimccs verticalement, sur les levres. Var. B. Cette varietc se distingue de la precedente, en ce .que le dessus de ses mem~~cs est ponctue de noiratre, et que les quatre series de taches qUl ornent le do~ de la premwre variete soot appliquees ici sur un fond fauve jaunitre. Puis la gorge est verdatrc et lc ventre noir, marbre de blanc. |