.B RARY OF THE UNIVERSITY Of ILLINOIS 53O5 Return this book on or before the Latest Date stamped below. A charge is made on all overdue books. University of Illinois Library - flovio jot 52 952 M32 I r OF OMEtfN OF Volume 24 CHICAGO, SEPTEMBER 19, 1939 No. 7 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM SOUTHWESTERN ASIAWE LIBRARY OF THE BY KARL P. SCHMIDT 0 CT 6 - 1939 CURATOR OF REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS UNIVERSITY OF ILLJN01 Field Museum's interest in the herpetological fauna of south- western Asia dates from the arrival of a small collection of lizards and snakes obtained by Dr. Henry Field in Iraq and Trans-Jordan in the course of the Marshall Field North Arabian Desert Expedition of 1928. The fact that this collection of twelve specimens, obtained incidentally in the course of an archaeological survey, included a new species of poisonous snake, conspicuous by reason of its size and by the fact that it has horn-like knobs over the eyes, is impres- sive evidence that this part of the world, so long known in history, is still relatively unexplored zoologically. As a natural result, Dr. Field, enthusiastically seconded by Mr. Richard A. Martin, engaged in much more extensive zoological collecting in the course of the Field Museum Anthropological Expedition to the Near East in 1934. Their efforts resulted in the collecting of some 1,900 specimens of amphibians and reptiles. No opportunity has been neglected to add to our collections from this region. Yusuf Lazar, an Assyrian, who had been employed as a zoological and botanical collector in Iraq on the Near East Expedition, has continued collecting in subsequent years; 208 specimens of reptiles collected through his efforts have been presented to Field Museum by Dr. Field. Dr. Field and Mr. Martin have been constantly helpful in geographic and other ques- tions in the course of the preparation of the present work. I am indebted also to Mr. H. W. Parker, of the British Museum (Natural History), for advice on various taxonomic problems. The map showing the localities mentioned is the work of Mr. Paul Wong. Friends of Dr. Field and of the Museum have contributed to the growing collection from the region as a whole. Among these especial mention may be made of Dr. Walter P. Kennedy, of the Royal College of Medicine, Baghdad; the late Wing-Commander No. 449 49 y Library 50 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 A. R. M. Rickards; Mr. E. S. Fraser of the Nairn Overland Trans- port Company, at Rutba, Iraq; Dr. Calvin W. McEwan, of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, who collected in Hatay; and Dr. Ernst Herzfeld, former director of the Oriental Institute Expedition at Persepolis, Iran, who obtained a considerable number of specimens of amphibians and reptiles. During the past twelve years the Iraq Petroleum Company has rendered valuable assistance to members of Museum expeditions, and two members of its staff, Dr. P. Y. Shuwayhat and Dr. P. S. Manasseh, have sent specimens of reptiles to the Museum. Dr. Georg Haas, of Hebrew University, Jerusalem, has been in active correspondence with Field Museum since 1936, and numerous additions to the herpetological collections have been received from him by gift and exchange. In the systematic list of the collection which follows, the collectors are Dr. Henry Field and Mr. Richard A. Martin, except as other- wise stated. We are indebted to the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California for the loan of a small collection from the border of the Persian Gulf, which has been included in the present report, adding three species to the list. The total collection here reported includes 114 species, and amounts to 2,302 specimens, of which six are salamanders, 989 frogs and toads, 961 lizards, 319 snakes, and 27 turtles. The localities from which specimens have been received are shown on the accompanying map. Recently accepted spellings of place-names have been used to conform, where- ever possible, to those adopted by the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names of the Royal Geographical Society, London. The following names must be noted: Hatay, formerly Sanjak of Alexandretta, and now part of the Republic of Turkey; Iran= Persia; Iraq= Mesopotamia; Kish=Tell el Uhaimir; and Shah Abdul Azim=Rayy. Geographical names in brackets have been inserted to elucidate the text. Aside from the fact that the basic zoological exploration of southwestern Asia is still far from complete, the herpetological fauna of this region is of great biological interest and importance. There are complicated problems in zoogeography, involving faunal relations with Europe, central Asia, the Oriental region, and Africa, and exhibiting the interaction of animal communities adjusted to desert, savanna, forest, and mountain habitats. No less interesting are the more strictly ecological relations with the environmental factors (see Agama stellio picea, for example), and the evolutionary 51 52 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 implications of the structural adaptations, which, especially in the desert forms, exhibit notable parallelisms with snakes and lizards from desert regions in other parts of the world. With glimpses of so much of biological interest, it is disappointing to find that even the identification of species in the present list is of necessity provisional in many genera. Much fundamental taxonomic study, depending on the assembly of adequate collections, remains for the future; this will involve, in particular, the partition of wide-ranging forms into subspecies correlated with geographic factors. CAUDATA Neurergus crocatus crocatus Cope. Neurergus crocatus Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1862, p. 343, 1862— Urmia, Persia (now Rizaiyeh, Iran). IRAQ: Aqra, 6 (19627-32). The type locality, presumably in the Lake Urmia (Rizaiyeh) drainage, is not more than 140 km. distant from Aqra, and while our specimens are from the Tigris drainage, their correspondence with the original description in details of coloration is so close that they clearly represent typical crocatus. All our specimens are females. The largest measures 167 in total length, tail 90, arm 29, leg 30, width of head 14.6, length of head to gular fold 18. The toes of the appressed hind limb reach nearly to the elbow of the forelimb. A half-grown specimen, with three gill rami (longest 5 mm.) on one side and only one on the other, measures 81, tail 42, arm 12, leg 13. While the agreement in structural characters with Neurergus strauchii Steindachner is close, the radical difference in color pattern and the much more elongate body in strauchii (in which the appressed limbs barely meet) indicates that the two forms are distinguishable, though the type locality of strauchii, Lake Van in eastern Anatolia, is not far from the range of true crocatus. Werner records crocatus from Buldur (?Burdur), in western Anatolia, but I infer that his specimens are more like strauchii than like our crocatus, and may well represent a distinct form. Nesterov's Neurergus crocatus der- jugini and N. c. microspilotus, from the mountains south of our area, are more directly allied to crocatus crocatus in body form than to strauchii, but both are quite different in color pattern from our specimens, and apparently represent distinct geographic forms. Wolterstorff (1926, p. 1) still considers the type locality of crocatus to be unknown. This was omitted by Cope merely as an 1939 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM ASIA — SCHMIDT 53 oversight; Dunn records the type from "Ooromiah" (= Urmia), Persia (1917, p. 27) ; this is now known as Lake Rizaiyeh, Iran. SALIENTIA Bufo viridis viridis Laurenti. Bufo viridis Laurenti, Synopsis Kept., p. 27, pi. 1, fig. 1, 1768 — Vienna. Bufo viridis viridis Mertens, Senckenbergiana, 8, p. 258, 1926. HATAY: Amuq Plain, 1 (25351, C. W. McEwan). IRAN: Isfahan, 15 (21018); Shah Abdul Azim, 12 (21019). IRAQ: Amara, 76 (19838-63); Baghdad, 12 (21138, 26396-8, Yusuf Lazar); Balad Sinjar, 1 (19870); Halfaya, 5 (19864); Tall Afar, 270 (juv.) (19865-9); Tell Asmar, 5 (19837). The specimens here listed are readily distinguishable from the few European specimens at hand, but it is obvious that a compre- hensive revision of this species into geographic races will require a detailed study of large series from the great area over which it ranges. The problem may be compared to the similarly unsolved partition of Rana pipiens in North America. There are no con- spicuous differences between specimens from Iran and Iraq. Hyla arborea savignyi Audouin. Hyla savignyi Audouin, Descr. Egypte, Kept., Suppl., pi. 2, fig. 13, 1812 — Syria (presumed). Hyla arborea savignyi Mertens, Abh. Ber. Mus. Magdeburg, 3, p. 356, 1924. HATAY: Amuq Plain, 1 (25350, C. W. McEwan). IRAN: Persepolis, 1 (21025). IRAQ: Amara, 5 (19871-5); Baghdad, 28 (20872, Field and Martin; 22683, 25137, Yusuf Lazar). The single Persian specimen exhibits no appreciable difference from those from Baghdad. Rana ridibunda ridibunda Pallas. Rana ridibunda Pallas, Reise Russ. Reich, 1, p. 458, 1771— Gurev, north coast of the Caspian Sea. ANATOLIA: Kayseri (Kaisarieh), 1 (25907, L. Forcart). HATAY: Amuq Plain, 3 (25352^, C. W. McEwan). IRAN: Isfahan, 6 (21024); Persepolis, 29 (21026); Shah Abdul Azim, 40 (21017-18, 21021); Yezd-i-Khast, 74 (21022-23). IRAQ: Amara, 270 (19748-71); Baghdad (vicinity of), 9 (26394-5, 26399, Yusuf Lazar); Balad Sinjar, 11 (19778); Diana, 8 (19784); Haditha, 16 (19773); Halfaya, 11 (19772); Mosul, 5 (19774); Sandur, 5 (19780); Tall Afar, 41 (19775-7, 19779); Zakho, 31 (19781-3). 54 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 It is disappointing to be unable to reach a satisfactory conclusion as to the distinctness of Rana ridibunda susana from the study of this large series. The leg-length character proposed by Boulenger (1905, p. 552) in describing susana is subject to great variation; the difference between individuals from a single locality may be fully as great as that between Boulenger 's specimens from Susa (Shush), Iran, and the specimens referred by him to Rana ridibunda ridibunda. In our series from Amara, which is geographically not far distant from Susa, and in the lower Tigris-Euphrates lowland, the length of the tibia relative to that of the body (t/b) varies from 0.46 to 0.51 in both sexes; and as this is slightly lower than the same proportion in specimens from northeastern Iraq (0.48-0.56, male; 0.46-0.53, female), there is some correspondence to Boulenger's distinction of the two forms; but the overlap of variation in the two series is much too great to warrant the distinction of a named form. That the relative length of the tibia changes with age is clearly shown in the series from Persepolis, assorted according to size: Sex Number of Range Extremes specimens in size t/b Male 4 80-90 0.49-0.50 Male 6 72-76 0.51-0.55 Female 4 108-121 0.45-0.48 Female 6 84-95 0.49-0.55 The large size of the specimens from Persepolis is not matched elsewhere. The largest male and female specimens from northeastern Iraq measure respectively 77 and 81 in body length; in the large series from Amara, the maxima are 78 and 93. SAURIA Stenodactylus sthenodactylus Lichtenstein. Ascalabotes sthenodactylus Lichtenstein, Verz. Doubl. Mus. Berlin, p. 102, 1823. Stenodactylus sthenodactylus Flower, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1933, p. 760, 1933. IRAQ: Rutba, 4 (19676-9). These differ considerably from Egyptian specimens, but as for so many other species, the definitive partition into geographic forms must await the study of extensive collections. Alsophylax tuberculatus Blanford. Bunopus tuberculatus Blanford, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (4), 13, p. 454, 1874 — Bahu Kalat, Mand, and near Bampur, Baluchistan. 1939 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM ASIA— SCHMIDT 55 SYRIA: Damesin's Camp, 1 (19739). This specimen is referred to tuberculatus only on the precedent of Procter's record from Mesopotamia and Angel's from Syria. The range from Baluchistan to Syria, without differentiation, is somewhat improbable. Alsophylax blanfordii Strauch. Bunopus blanfordii Strauch, M6m. Acad. Sci. St. Petersbourg, (7), 35, p. 61, pi. 1, figs. 13, 14, 1887— Egypt (in errore). ARABIA: Al Jubail, 70 km. north of Bahrein Island, 2 (MVZ 25620-1, R. P. Miller). These specimens greatly extend the known range of blanfordii, which was known only from Bent's specimens from the Hadhramaut. It is evident that the type locality "Egypt" is erroneous, and that the cotypes, obtained from a dealer in terrarium specimens, really came from Arabia. The larger specimen, a female, measures 115, body 48.4, tail 66.6, length of head 12.8, width of head 9.5, arm 19, leg 26. The smaller specimen is a male with broken tail. It measures 40.5 from snout to vent, and has 12 preanal pores. Gymnodactylus scaber Heyden. Stenodactylus scaber Heyden, in Riippel, Atlas Reise nord. Afrika, Kept., p. 15, pi. 4, fig. 2, 1827— vicinity of Tor, Sinai. Gymnodactylus scaber Dumeril and Bibron, Erp. gen., 3, p. 421, 1836. IRAQ: Aqra, 1 (19684); Baghdad, 71 (19681-2, 19694, 20866-71, 22685, 22688, Field and Martin; 25139-47, 25150-1, Yusuf Lazar); Diyala, 4 (25148-9, 25152-3, Yusuf Lazar); Halfaya, 1 (19683); An Nasiriya, 7 (22690). Gymnodactylus kotschyi Steindachner. Gymnodactylus kotschyi Steindachner, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien, 63, Abt. I, p. 329, pi. 1, fig. 1, 1870 — Syros Island, Cyclades (restr. by Mertens and Miiller, 1928). HATAY: Amuq Plain, 1 (25338, C. W. McEwan). Gymnodactylus kirmanensis Nikolsky. Gymnodactylus kirmanensis Nikolsky, Ann. Mus. Zool. Acad. Sci. Petrograd, 4, p. 381, 1899 — Mons Ku-i-tuftan (Kuh-i-Taftan), in Sargado, and eastern Kirman. IRAN: Persepolis, 1 (21007, Ernst Herzfeld). 56 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 Pristurus rupestris Blanford. Pristurus rupestris Blanford, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (4), 13, p. 454, 1874 — Muscat, and Island of Karrak (?Kharg) near Bushire, Persian Gulf. ARABIA: Aden, 8 (18220, A. R. M. Rickards). These specimens may well be from the Hadhramaut instead of from the Aden region, as only part of Rickard's collection was specifically labeled. Phyllodactylus elisae Werner. Phyllodactylus elisae Werner, Verb. Zool. Bot. Ges. Wien, 45, p. 14, pi. 3, fig. 1, 1895 — ruins of Nineveh, near Mosul, Iraq. IRAQ: Baghdad, 2 (19695-6); Mosul, 2 (19702-3). Ptyodactylus hasselquistii hasselquistii Donndorff. Lacerta hasselquistii Donndorff, Zool. Beytr., 3, p. 133, 1789. Ptyodactylus hasselquistii Boettger, Ber. Senck. Ges., 1879-80, p. 194, 1880, ARABIA: Aden, 4 (18221, A. R. M. Rickards). IRAQ: Haditha, 2 (19699-700). PALESTINE: Jerusalem, 1 (26881, Georg Haas). SYRIA: Between Iraq Petroleum Company's Stations T-l and T-2, two (19697-8). Our series of this species is inadequate for any effective contribu- tion to its partition into geographic races. Flower (1933, p. 764) comments on its extraordinarily sedentary habits, which contribute to its geographic variations. Hemidactylus flaviviridis Riippell. Hemidactylus flaviviridis Riippell, Neue Wirbelthiere Abyssinien, Amphibien, p. 18, pi. 6, fig. 2, 1835 — Massaua Island, Eritrea. IRAQ: Baghdad, 7 (22687, 22691, 25154-7, Yusuf Lazar; 28307, W. P. Kennedy); Tell Asmar, 1 (19692). Hemidactylus turcicus Linnaeus. Lacerta turcica Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., p. 202, 1758 — Turkey. Hemidactylus turcicus Boettger, Ber. Offenb. Ver. Naturk., 1876, p. 57, 1876. HATAY: Amuq Plain, 1 (25339, C. W. McEwan). IRAQ: Baghdad, 10 (22686, 25158-61, 28312, Yusuf Lazar). Agama adramitana Anderson. Agama adramitana Anderson, Contr. Herpetol. Arabia, p. 31, 1896 — Hadhra- maut. ARABIA: Aden (or inland from Aden), 5 (18203-7, A. R. M. Rickards; 1850, British Museum). 1939 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM ASIA — SCHMIDT 57 Agatna agilis Olivier. Agama agilis Olivier, Voy. Emp. Ottoman, 4, p. 394, pi. 29, fig. 2, 1804— Baghdad, Iraq. iRANt Daria-i-Namak, 7 (20985-6, 20988); Isfahan, 1 (20989); Yezd-i-Khast, 62 (20987, 20990). Males usually lack the dorsal pattern, and have a varying amount of blue on the belly and throat. A few of the males have peculiarly coarse dorsal scales. Females lack the blue color and have the con- spicuous dorsal pattern. Agama caucasica Eichwald. Stellio caucasicus Eichwald, Zool. Spec., Rossiae Polon., 3, p. 187, 1829 — Baku. Agama caucasica Boulenger, Cat. Liz. Brit. Mus., 1, p. 367, 1885. IRAQ: Asshur (Sharqat), 1 (19644); Diana, 3 (19641-3). Agama microlepis Blanford. Stellio microlepis Blanford, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (4), 13, p. 453, 1874 — Kush- Kizard, north of Shiraz, Iran. Agama microlepis Boulenger, Cat. Liz. Brit. Mus., 1, p. 366, 1885. IRAN: Shah Abdul Azim, 13 (20972-84). Agama nupta De Filippi. Agama nupta De Filippi, Giorn. Inst. Lomb., 6, p. 407, 1832 — Persepolis. IRAN: Persepolis, 4 (20997-21000). Agama pallida Reuss. Agama pallida Reuss, Mus. Senck., 1, p. 38, pi. 3, fig. 3, 1834 — Upper Egypt. IRAQ: Baghdad, 1 (19639); Euphrates, west bank, 1 (21915, P. A. Jarvis); Rutba, 14 (11359-60, 19662-73). SYRIA: Horns, 2 (19674-5). TRANS-JORDAN: Jebel Ashqaf (el Ashaqif), 1 (19661); Umm Wu'al, 1 (11068, Henry Field). Agama persica Blanford. Agama persica Blanford, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1881, p. 674, pi. 49, 1881 — Deh Bid and Kazerun, Iran. IRAQ: Amara, 1 (19654); Baghdad, 3 (20864, 25762-3, Yusuf Lazar) . TRANS-JORDAN: Qasr-el-Burqu', 1 (11069, Henry Field). Agama ruderata Olivier. Agama ruderata Olivier, Voy. Emp. Ottoman, 4, p. 395, pi. 29, fig. 3, 1804 — Persia and northern Arabia. IRAQ: Balad Sinjar, 2 (19652-3); Tall Afar, 4 (19648-51). HATAY: Amuq Plain, 2 (25343-4, C. W. McEwan). 58 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 Agama sinaita Heyden. Agama sinaita Heyden, in Rlippell, Atlas Reise nord. Afrika, Kept., p. 10, pi. 3, 1827— Sinai. ARABIA: Aden, 7 (18208-14, A. R. M. Rickards); Hadhramaut, 2 (18450-51, A. R. M. Rickards). SINAI PENINSULA: 1 (3907, British Museum). Agama stellio stellio Linnaeus. Lacerta stellio Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., p. 202, 1758 — Delos, Cyclades, and Egypt (restr. to Delos, Mertens & Miiller, 1928, p. 26). Agama stellio Boulenger, Cat. Liz. Brit. Mus., 1, p. 368, 1885. HATAY: Amuq Plain, 8 (25345-9, 25361, C. W. McEwan). IRAQ: Aqra, 1 (19640). PALESTINE: Rehovot (Rethoboth), 1 (26883, Georg Haas). SINAI PENINSULA: Mount Sinai, 2 (3908-9, British Museum). TRANS- JORDAN: Hammam-es-Sarakh near Qasr Hallabat, 1 (11070, Henry Field); Moab, 1 (1588). Flower has pointed out some of the geographic variations of this species, which become of increased importance in view of the dis- tinctness of Agama stellio picea. It is evident that the partition of the wide range remaining to A. s. stellio affords an attractive taxo- nomic problem. Three eggs from Amuq Plain contain mature embryos. The eggs range in size from 24 x 15 to 27 x 15 mm. An embryo measures 76, body 32. Agama stellio picea Parker. Agama stellio picea Parker, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lend., 1935, p. 137, pi. 1, 1935 — Black Lava Desert of Trans-Jordan (32° 10' N. Lat., 36° 40' E. Long.). TRANS-JORDAN: Qasr-el-Burqu', 5 (19655-9). Our specimens agree in detail with Parker's description. His speculations on the functional relations of the remarkable coloration of this form with its environment are discussed by Klauber (1939, p. 65). The fundamental ecological importance of the heat economy of desert reptiles has only lately been appreciated. Phrynocephalus arabicus Anderson. Phrynocephalus arabicus Anderson, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6), 14, p. 377, 1894 — plateau of the Hadhramaut. ARABIA: Hadhramaut, 1 (184552, A. R. M. Rickards). The single specimen is typical of this well-defined species. 1939 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM ASIA — SCHMIDT 59 Phrynocephalus scutellatus Olivier. Ago/me scutellata Olivier, Voy. Emp. Ottoman, 5, p. 196, pi. 42, fig. 1, 1807 — Mt. Sophia, near Isfahan, Iran. Phrynocephalus scutellatus Mocquard, Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, 16, p. 15, 1910. IRAN: Yezd-i-Khast, 187 (20991-6). I have followed Mocquard in adopting the name scutellatus in place of olivieri auct. Other authors have regarded Olivier's Agame scutellata as not properly binomial; but comparison with other descrip- tions in the same work seems to warrant Mocquard's conclusion. Aporoscelis benti Anderson. Aporoscelis benti Anderson, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6), 14, p. 376, 1894 — near Makulla, Hadhramaut. ARABIA: Wadi Du'an, near Hajarain, Hadhramaut, 2 (18202, 18449, A. R. M. Rickards). Uromastix microlepis Blanford. Uromastix microlepis Blanford, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1874, p. 656, pi. 53, 1874— Basra, Iraq. ARABIA: Al Jubail, 70 km. north of Bahrein Island, 1 (MVZ 25622, R. P. Miller). IRAN: Tehran, 2 (20885-6). The specimens from Tehran are flat trade skins, purchased in the market. The distinction of this species from aegyptius by the absence of enlarged lateroventral tubercles in microlepis, becomes difficult when these tubercles are reduced or few. The relations between the two forms require further study. Uromastix aegyptius Forskal. Lacerta aegyptia Forskal, Descr. Anim., p. 13, 1775 — Egypt. Uromastix aegyptius Anderson, Zool. Egypt, Amph. Kept., p. 129, pi. 14, 1898. IRAQ: Baghdad, 4 (19485-8); Rutba, 1 (11357, E. S. Fraser). Uromastix loricatus Blanford. Centrotrachelus loricatus Blanford, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1874, p. 660, 1874 — Bushire, Iran. Uromastix loricatus Boulenger, Cat. Liz. Brit. Mus., 1, p. 409, pi. 32, 1885. IRAQ: 1 (19645, W. P. Kennedy). This specimen is probably from the same source, some fifty miles west of Baghdad, as the one recorded by Dr. Kennedy (1937, p. 748). 60 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 Varanus griseus Daudin. Tupinambis griseus Daudin, Hist. Nat. Kept., 8, p. 352, 1803. Varanus griseus Boulenger, Cat. Liz. Brit. Mus., 2, p. 306, 1885. IRAQ: Baiji, 1 (28306, W. P. Kennedy). TRANS-JORDAN: Qasr el Hallabat near Zerka, 1 (11071, Henry Field). The vivid juvenile pattern is present in the specimen from Qasr «1 Hallabat. The sandy coloration of the adult, in a typical desert pattern, is well shown in the plate in the "Zoology of Egypt." Diplometopon zarudnyi Nikolsky. Diplometopon zarudnyi Nikolsky, Ann. Mus. Zool. Acad. Sci. Petrograd, 10, p. 277, figs. 1-3, 1907 — Nasrie, Arabistan, Iran. ARABIA: Al Jubail, 70 km. north of Bahrein Island, coast of Persian Gulf, 1 (MVZ No. 25623, R. P. Miller). This specimen has scattered brown spots on the dorsum. The annuli number 178+ 17, with 54 segments in an annulus at mid-body. The dorsal and ventral longitudinal grooves are well defined. Pachy- calamus, to which Boulenger refers zarudnyi, lacks the dorsal line, and it seems preferable to retain Diplometopon pending a more comprehensive revision of the family. The head shields and preanal plates of the Al Jubail specimen are closely similar to those of the type. Apathya cappadocica urmiana Lantz and Suchow. Apathya cappadocica urmiana Lantz and Suchow, Zool. Anz., 106, p. 294, 1934 — west of Lake Urmia (Rizaiyeh). IRAQ: Aqra, 1 (19745). This specimen has 60 dorsal scales across the middle of the back, and thus agrees closely with specimens described by Mertens from Mardin (Mertens, 1924, p. 362). Iraq specimens, with dorsal scales 60-68, are thus intermediate between the types of urmiana, in which they number 52-57, and the typical form, in which they are 65-75. The presence of eight rows of ventrals apparently ties our specimen directly to the eastern subspecies, though Mertens reports six rows in his specimens from Iraq. The Aqra specimen measures 182.5, tail 122. Acanthodactylus tristrami iracensis subsp. nov. Type from Haditha, Iraq. No. 21679 Field Museum of Natural History. Adult male. Collected May 24, 1934, by Henry Field and Richard A. Martin. 1939 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM ASIA— SCHMIDT 61 Diagnosis.— Distinguished from Iristrami tristrami and tristrami orientalis by larger and fewer dorsal scales, 45-46 across the back instead of 58-65 and 48-56, apparently by a less vivid color pattern, and by the more sharply pectinate toes. Description of type. — Habitus lacertiform, head and body de- pressed, shorter than the tail; the length of the head to the posterior border of the parietals contained 4.5 times in the length from snout to anus; a feeble concavity in the anterior border of the frontal; snout pointed, with fairly distinct canthus; nasals feebly swollen; the tip of the fourth toe reaches the ear opening. Suture between the nasals short; frontonasal a little broader than long; frontal long, narrowed behind; frontoparietals much larger than the interparietal ; no occipital; parietals with a raised ridge along their posterior and lateral borders; bordered laterally by a large anterior and a small posterior temporal ; two large supraoculars, preceded by a group of three shields on each side representing the first supraocular; six superciliaries, separated from the oculars by a partly double row of granules; two nasals extensively in contact with the upper border of the first labial ; anterior loreal much smaller than second; subocular broadly bordering the lip; temporals small, rounded; a small but distinct tympanic shield; auricular denticu- lation very feeble. Nuchal scales granular, passing gradually into the larger, smooth, flat, and imbricate dorsals, which number 46 across the body; scales smooth on base of tail; 10 longitudinal and 27 transverse rows of ventrals; the outer rows much narrowed; a median series of five anals; nine scales in the collar; 27 scales from collar to chin shields; five pairs of chin shields, the anterior three in contact; femoral pores 22-22; lamellae beneath the fourth toe 23. Brown above with obscure light dorsolateral spots, paler beneath; sides of head and neck with vertical dark bars. Measurements. — Length 135, body 53, head to posterior border of ear 13.5, arm 19, leg 34. Notes on paratypes.—Nos. 21677, 21678, and 21680, all from the type locality, exhibit no important variation. No. 21677 is a gravid female, measuring 53 mm. from snout to vent, with black vermicu- lation on the dorsal ground color; the two smaller male specimens have obscure light spots in a dorsolateral row on each side. Remarks. — The specimens from Papworth's Area, due south of Rutba, recorded below as Acanthodactylus tristrami orientalis, 62 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 resemble the present form in coloration and in their more elongate snout, and are thus intermediate between orientalis and iracensis. Presumably the shorter-snouted form from Damesin's Camp, Syria, is typical of orientalis. Acanthodactylus tristrami orientalis Angel. Acanthodactylus tristrami orientalis Angel, Bull. Inst. Egypte, 18, p. 109, 1936 — Palmyra, Tell Abiad, Ain Zahra, and Deir ez Zor. IRAQ: Papworth's Area (south of Rutba), 2 (19723-4). SYRIA: Damesin's Camp (northeastern Syria), 4 (19741-4). These specimens agree with Angel's diagnosis of orientalis in having 48 to 51 dorsal scales across the body; they thus reinforce the distinctness of this form from tristrami, which has dorsal scales 58-65. There are differences of coloration between our Syrian and Mesopotamian specimens, and in the four specimens from Damesin's Camp the snout is shortened, the labial border of the first upper labial being shorter than that of the second. Obviously much remains to be learned about the distribution of the numerous forms of Acanthodactylus in southwestern Asia. Acanthodactylus boskianus asper Audouin. Lacerta aspera Audouin, Descr. Egypte, Rept., Suppl., p. 173, pi. 1, fig. 9, 1829— Egypt. Acanthodactylus boskianus var. asper Lataste, Ann. Mus. Geneva, (2), 2, p. 496, 1885. ARABIA: Aden, 4 (18222, A. R. M. Rickards, 1932); Shabwa (Hadhramaut), 1 (18453, A. R. M. Rickards, 1932). IRAQ: Haditha, 6 (19730); Rutba, 1 (28117). SYRIA: Between Iraq Petroleum Company's Stations T-l and T-2, 1 (19704). The specimen from the Hadhramaut has larger dorsal and espe- cially lateral scales, the laterals and dorsals across the body numbering only 22, with nine between the hind limbs. The Syrian specimen has 36 dorsals, the Rutba specimen 40, and the dorsals vary from 35 to 40 in the Aden series. This variation, however, is matched in Boulenger's much larger series, in which the minimum dorsal scale count of 23 is connected, in south Arabian specimens, with the higher counts. Two specimens from Haditha have the subocular narrowly bordering the lip on one side only. 1939 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM ASIA — SCHMIDT 63 Acanthodactylus boskianus euphraticus Boulenger. Acanthodactylus boskianus var. euphraticus Boulenger, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (9), 3, p. 550, 1919— Ramadi, Iraq. Acanthodactylus boskianus euphraticus Angel, Bull. Inst. Egypte, 18, p. 110, 1936. IRAQ: Tall Afar, 2 (19735-6). These specimens fall within the limits of variation for this form established by Boulenger and Angel. Acanthodactylus schreiberi syriacus Boettger. Acanthodactylus boskianus var. syriacus Boettger, Ber. Senck. Ges., 1879-80, p. 69, 1880— Haifa, Palestine. Acanthodactylus schreiberi syriacus Wettstein, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien, (math, natur.), 137, Abt. I, p. 781. PALESTINE: Rehovot (Rethoboth), 1 (26882, Georg Haas). Acanthodactylus robustus Werner. Acanthodactylus robustus Werner, Zool. Anz., 81, p. 240, fig. 2, 1929 — Bir Molusi (Meloza), Iraq; Schmidt, Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser., 17, p. 225, 1930. IRAQ: Jebel Enaze, 1 (11072, Henry Field, 1928). This specimen has been described in detail in the paper cited above. Acanthodactylus cantoris arabicus Boulenger. Acanthodactylus cantoris var. arabicus Boulenger, Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 43, p. 154, 1918 — southern Arabia. Acanthodactylus cantoris arabicus Parker, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (10), 8, p. 521, 1931. ARABIA: Adena Sailan, Wadi Beihan, 2 (18456, 18458, A. R. M. Rickards, 1932); Hadhramaut, 1 (18454, A. R. M. Rickards, 1932); Wadi Irma, near Shabwa, western Hadhramaut, 1 (18455, A. R. M. Rickards, 1932) ; Wadi Sa'ad, between Beihan and Nisab, 1 (18457, A. R. M. Rickards, 1932). These specimens tend toward arabicus in their low number of dorsal scales, but reach a considerably larger size than any reported by Boulenger or Parker. The dorsal scales across the body range from 35 to 40; the length from snout to anus in the single female specimen is 66 mm., two males measuring 68 and two 74. Ophisops elegans elegans Me'ne'tries. Ophisops elegans Menetries, Cat. Rais. Obj. Zool. Voy. Caucase, p. 63, 1832 — near Baku, Transcaucasus, U.S.S.R. Ophisops elegans elegans Lantz, Bull. Mus. Georgie, Tiflis (Tbilisi), 6, p. 34, 1931. 64 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 IRAN: Darya-i-Namak, 3 (21015); Tehran, 1 (21014). IRAQ: Balad Sinjar, 2 (19737-8) ; Diana, 25 (19746) ; Sulaimaniya, 7 (19747); Tall Afar, 4 (19731-4). SYRIA: Damesin's Camp, 9 (19740). TRANS-JORDAN: Moab, 2 (1587, Basel Museum). The specimens from Diana appear to have somewhat smaller temporal scales than the series from other localities. Ophisops elegans ehrenbergii Wiegmann. Amystes ehrenbergii Wiegmann, Arch. Naturg., 1, pt. 2, p. 6, 1835— Syria. Ophisops elegans ehrenbergii Miiller and Wettstein, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien, 142, Abt. I, p. 142, 1933. ANATOLIA: Erjias Dagh, 2 (2056, 0. H. Tellalina, 1903). HATAY: Amuq Plain, 1 (25340, C. W. McEwan, 1936). I venture to retain this subspecies provisionally, though it has been synonymized with the typical form by Lantz (1931, p. 34). Ophisops elegans schlueteri Boettger. Ophisops schlueteri Boettger, Ber. Senck. Ges., 1879-80, p. 176, pi. 3, fig. 3, 1880— Cyprus. CYPRUS: 4 (1855, British Museum). Boulenger's reference of specimens from Mount Hermon to this subspecies suggests a problem for further study. His use of the con- cept "variety" and the system of subdivision of species into geo- graphic subspecies in modern practice are often incompatible. Ophisops blanfordi sp. nov. Ophisops elegans var. mizolepis Boulenger, Monog. Lacert., 2, p. 216, 1921. Type from Halfaya, 20 miles east of Amara, Iraq. No. 19721 Field Museum of Natural History. Adult male. Collected April 28, 1934, by Henry Field and Richard A. Martin. Diagnosis. — Distinguished from Ophisops elegans by its single postnasal, and small temporal scales. Description of type. — Habitus lacertiform, snout obtusely pointed, tail twice the length of head and body. Upper head shields smooth; nostril between two large slightly protuberant nasals, with a single postnasal; frontonasal wider than long; pref rental suture two-thirds the length of the frontonasal; frontal in contact with three supra- oculars; three superciliaries on each side, separated from the two large supraoculars by a row of granules; interparietal elongate, as long as the frontoparietals; parietals bordered by two enlarged temporals on each side, the anterior twice as long as the posterior; 1939 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM ASIA — SCHMIDT 65 four supralabials anterior to the subocular; three shields between the subocular and the auricular, which is large; first vertical and lowermost horizontal temporal rows of scales four-five; dorsals across back at mid-body 22; ventrals in eight longitudinal (the outer rows much narrowed) and 25 transverse rows; collar attached at middle; 16 gulars from collar to chin shields; a moderately enlarged preanal; femoral pores 10-11. The general color is brownish gray, with obscure light dorsolateral lines, paler beneath. Measurements. — Total length 144, tail 98, width of head 8, length of shielded part of head 11, arm 17, leg 31. Notes on paratypes. — The paratypes, all from the lower Tigris- Euphrates Valley (91 specimens, 19716-21, 19876, and 22692), are invariable in having a single postnasal, and 90 of the 91 have the third postsubocular in contact with the auricular. In the specimens referred to elegans elegans, eight exhibit this contact on both sides, one has it on one side and not on the other, and in 40 specimens these scales are separated by a lower auricular scale from the enlarged auricular. The dorsal scales, exclusive of the narrow outer row of ventrals, vary from 22 to 28, averaging 25. The temporals are smaller than in elegans elegans; the scales in the row between the first post- subocular and the enlarged temporal, number 3 in two, 4 in thirteen, and 5 in five specimens. Remarks.— Malcolm Smith has shown (1935, p. 380) that Stoliczka's name meizolepis, based on an Indian specimen, is not applicable to the form in the Tigris-Euphrates Valley, which was referred to mizolepis by Boulenger (1921, p. 216). This slightly but constantly distinct form is thus left without a name, which I have supplied above. It is named for W. T. Blanford in allusion to his early recognition of the form (he also confused it with meizolepis), and in recognition of his fundamental herpetological work in south- western Asia. Pending demonstration of intergradation with Ophisops elegans elegans, I place it as a distinct species. Eremias guttulata guttulata Lichtenstein. Lacerta guttulata Lichtenstein, Verz. Doubl. Mus. Berlin, p. 101, 1823 — Egypt. Eremias guttulata guttulata Wettstein, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.- natur.), 137, Abt. I, p. 782, 1928. IRAQ: Haditha, 1 (21676). TRANS-JORDAN: Qasr-el-Burqu', 3 (19727-9, Henry Field, 1928). This form may readily be distinguished from the Irani (Persian) specimens recorded below as watsonana by its more elongate snout. 66 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 Ereniias guttulata watsonana Stoliczka. Eremias (Mesalina) watsonana Stoliczka, Proc. Asiatic Soc. Bengal, p. 86, 1872 — between Karachi and Sukkur, Sind. Eremias guttulata watsonana Smith, Fauna Brit. India, Kept. Amph., 2, p. 389, 1935. IRAN: Isfahan, 7 (21013, 21681); Shah Abdul Azim, 2 (21011-12); Yezd-i-Khast, 33 (21010). Ereniias brevirostris Blanford. Mesalina brevirostris Blanford, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (4), 14, p. 32, 1874 — Kalabagh, Punjab, and Tumb Island, Persian Gulf. Eremias brevirostris Boulenger, Cat. Liz. Brit. Mus., 3, p. 89, 1887. IRAQ: Papworth's Area, 2 (19725-6); Rutba, 27 (19722, Field and Martin; 11358, E. S. Fraser). I take this opportunity to restrict the type locality of this species to Kalabagh, Punjab. Specimen No. 11358 has only two pairs of chin shields in contact. Our specimens do not appear to be Eremias brevirostris var. microlepis of Angel. Eremias velox persica Blanford. Eremias persica Blanford, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (4), 14, p. 370, 1874 — near Isfahan, and Rayin, southeast of Kerman. Eremias velox persica Smith, Fauna Brit. India, Kept. Amph., 2, p. 383, 1935. IRAN: Yezd-i-Khast, 15 (21009). Mabuya aurata aurata Linnaeus. Lacerta aurata Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., p. 209, 1758 — Jersea anglorum, Cypro. Mabuya aurata aurata Mertens, Abh. Ber. Mus. Magdeburg, 3, p. 376, 1924. IRAQ: Tall Afar, 2 (19690-91). Mabuya aurata septemtaeniata Reuss. Euprepis septemtaeniatus Reuss, Mus. Senck., 1, p. 47, pi. 3, fig. 1, 1834 — Massowa (Massaua). Mabuya aurata septemtaeniata Mertens, Abh. Ber. Mus. Magdeburg, 3, p. 377, 1924. IRAN: Isfahan, 1 (21016). IRAQ: Amara, 9 (19685-6) ; Baghdad, 75 (19687, Field and Martin; 25081-25136, Yusuf Lazar); Diyala Liwa, 1 (22689, Yusuf Lazar); Halfaya, 2 (19688-89). The single specimen from Isfahan has 34 scales around the body, and differs in coloration from the Baghdad series in having the belly lineate and the posterior part of the back without pattern. 1939 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM ASIA — SCHMIDT 67 Mabuya brevicollis Wiegmann. Euprepis brevicollis Wiegmann, Arch. Naturg., 3, p. 133, 1837 — Abyssinia. Mabuia brevicollis Boulenger, Cat. Liz. Brit. Mus., 3, p. 169, 1887. ARABIA: Abian Hills, near Lahej, 2 (1859, British Museum); Kureba Wadi Du'an, Hadhramaut, 2 (18461-2, A. R. M. Rickards, 1932). Mabuya tessellata Anderson. Mabuia tessellata Anderson, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1895, p. 636, pi. 36, fig. 2, 1895— (?) near Aden. ARABIA: Aden, 2 (18223^, A. R. M. Rickards, 1932). Mabuya vittata Olivier. Scincus vittatus Olivier, Voy. Emp. Ottoman, 3, p. 103, 1804 — sands west of Rosetta. Mabuya vittata Wettstein, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), 137, Abt. I, p. 783. HATAY: Amuq Plain, 2 (25341-2, C. W. McEwan, 1936). Both specimens have 31 scales around mid-body. Ablepharus brandtii festae Peracca. Abkpharus festae Peracca, Boll. Mus. Torino, 9, No. 167, p. 8, 1894— Es-Salt and Dscherasch (Terash), Trans-Jordan. IRAQ: Baghdad, 1 (28309, W. P. Kennedy, 1937). Reference to Blanford's account of his Ablepharus pusillus from Basra (1876, p. 391, pi. 27, fig. 1) and to Peracca's description of A. festae from Trans-Jordan (1894, p. 8), clearly supports the sub- specific differentiation of the Mesopotamian form; as in so many other instances, this must be stated as a problem for further investi- gation. Our specimen agrees with festae in having only 18 scales around mid-body, and differs from Blanford's figure of pusillus in having a much more elongate body. Boulenger and Proctor have referred specimens from the Euphrates to brandtii, with no reference to Peracca's species. Eumeces schneideri princeps Eichwald. Euprepis princeps Eichwald, Bull. Soc. Nat. Moscou, 2, p. 303, 1839 — Talysch region, Transcaucasus, U.S.S.R. Eumeces schneideri princeps Mertens, Abh. Ber. Mus. Magdeburg, 3, p. 384, pi. 12, fig. 4, 1924. HATAY: Amuq Plain, 1 (25355, C. W. McEwan, 1936). IRAQ: Balad Sin jar, 38 (19636); Rutba, 1 (19633); Tall Afar, 39 (19634-5, 19637-8, 19680). 68 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 In spite of the studies on this form by Mertens (1920, 1924, 1924a) and Taylor (1936), the status of schneideri and the related forms is far from settled. I am inclined to agree with Taylor in placing the type locality of schneideri as "Egypt"; but Mertens' reference of specimens from northern Iraq to the eastern subspecies (whatever its name) is obviously correct. Whether or not the single specimens from Rutba and from the Amuq Plain belong here is less certain. The series from the Mosul region tends to be completely uniform in dorsal coloration; the Rutba specimen has the bright golden spots familiar in Egyptian specimens. The Hatay specimen differs in having decidedly larger scales on the forearm, four across the arm as viewed from in front instead of five, as in the remaining series. Without specimens of pavimentatus, the slender, longitudinally lined form of Syria and Palestine, or Egyptian material, I can offer no further opinion on this question. In our series twenty-two specimens have the 26 scales around the body and nineteen have 28. The nuchal formula varies from 1-2 to 4-6, as often different on the two sides as alike, the counts 3-4, 4-4, and 4-5 occurring in eight specimens each. Counting the two sides separately, a single nuchal occurs twice, 2 nuchals eight times, 3 twenty times, 4 thirty-six times, 5 eighteen times and 6 twice. Taylor states that the normal scale count in the specimens examined by him is 24; this does not correspond with Anderson's statement that the scales in this species are 26-28 in Egyptian specimens. Eumeces schneideri variegatus subsp. nov. Type from Persepolis, Iran. No. 21008 Field Museum of Natural History. Collected August 30, 1934, by Henry Field and Richard A. Martin. Diagnosis. — Allied to Eumeces schneideri, from which it is dis- tinguished by its vermiculate or mottled pattern, and its more numerous nuchals. Distinguished from Eumeces zarudnyi in having only four auricular lobules and no lateral line. Description of type. — Habitus lacertiform; head little broader than neck; limbs moderate, overlapping by the length of the fingers when adpressed; tail slender, longer than head and body. Rostral followed on the upper surface of the head by a pair of supranasals, in contact; a median frontonasal, in contact with the anterior loreal on each side; a pair of large pref rentals, in contact; frontal six-sided, elongate, in contact with three supraoculars on each side; supra- 1939 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM ASIA — SCHMIDT 69 oculars five; frontoparietals a little smaller than the interparietal, which broadly separates the parietals; nuchals six-six; two loreals behind the rather large nasal; six superciliaries; eight upper and eight lower labials with an additional smaller postlabial above and below; three enlarged temporals, followed by a vertically elongate post-temporal; auricular lobules four on each side; two postmentals, followed by transverse rows composed successively of two, three, five, and eight scales. Twenty-six scales around the body; 66 dor- sals to a point opposite the posterior face of the thigh; the two median rows enlarged; median scale row beneath tail enlarged for most of its length; 11 lamellae beneath third finger, 14 beneath fourth toe. Back brown, with vermiculate darker markings, some of which are arranged in vertical rows, while the mid-dorsal spots tend to form longitudinal lines; under surfaces paler brown. Measurements. — Total length 205, body 82, tail 123, arm 22, leg 32.5. Remarks. — While more definitive discrimination of this form depends on the collection and study of additional material, it appears to be well distinguished from its nearest geographic allies, Eumeces schneideri princeps and E. zarudnyi. Scincus arabicus sp. nov. Type from near Shabwa, Hadhramaut, Arabia. No. 18460 Field Museum of Natural History. Collected in 1933 by A. R. M. Rickards. Diagnosis. — A Scincus with thirty scales around the body, rostral broadly in contact with frontonasal, six supraoculars, and poorly developed digital fringes; apparently allied to Scincus scincus, from which it is separated by the high number of scales around the body. Description of type. — A stout-bodied Scincus, with lateroventral angulation extremely developed; limbs broadly overlapping when adpressed. Rostral strongly produced, with sharp horizontal edge, broadly in contact with the frontonasal; supranasals small, but larger than the very small nasals; a pair of pref rentals, their suture shorter than the frontonasal; frontal expanded anteriorly, narrowed between the supraoculars; six supraoculars; four superciliaries, the anterior longest; frontoparietals separated by the interparietal, which meets the frontal in a point; parietals broken into small transverse scales, three on the left, two on the right; postnasal small, followed by two elongate loreals; four subocular and one postocular; temporals indistinguishable from body scales; eight upper and seven 70 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 lower labials; two postmentals, followed by transverse rows of two, three, five, and nine scales; 30 scales around body, 58 dorsals from interparietal to a point opposite posterior face of thigh; two much enlarged preanals; 10 lamellae beneath third finger and 10 beneath fourth toe. Pale brown above, each scale with a small dark brown spot at its posterior border; uniform yellowish beneath. Measurements. — Total length 82, body 48, tail 34, arm 14, leg 15.5. Notes on paratype. — A second specimen, No. 18459, from Wadi Beihan, also collected by the late Wing-Commander Rickards, agrees very closely with the type. Remarks. — It is unfortunate that no adult specimens are avail- able to make possible a more complete description of arabicus. Scincus conirostris Blanford. Scincus conirostris Blanford, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1881, p. 677, fig. 1, 1881 — Tangyak, 7 miles south of Bushire. IRAQ: Baghdad, 2 (20863, 20865). The two specimens lack field numbers, and it is impossible to state where, in the environs of Baghdad, they may have been collected. It is not unlikely that geographical races of this wide- ranging form may prove distinguishable. Chalcides ocellatus ocellatus Forskal. Lacerta ocellata Forskal, Descr. Anim., p. 13, 1775 — Egypt. Chalcides ocellatus ocellatus Wettstein, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.- natur.), 137, Abt. I, p. 784, 1928. ARABIA: Aden, 2 (18225-26, A. R. M. Rickards). PALESTINE: Jerusalem, 1 (26884, Georg Haas). Chalcides sepsoides Audouin. Scincus sepsoides Audouin, Descr. Egypte, Kept., Suppl., p. 180, pi. 2, figs. 9, 10, 1827— Egypt. Chalcides sepsoides Flower, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1933, p. 790, 1933. PALESTINE: Jaffa, 1 (26885, Georg Haas). Chamaeleo chamaeleon chamaeleon Linnaeus. Lacerta chamaeleon Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., p. 204, 1758 — Africa and Asia. PALESTINE: Jerusalem, 2 (22385-86, Georg Haas). Chamaeleo calcarifer Peters. Chamaeleo calcarifer Peters, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1870, p. 110, 1870 — Bembatuka, Madagascar (in errore). ARABIA: Aden, 1 (18201, A. R. M. Rickards). 1939 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM ASIA — SCHMIDT 71 Chamaeleo calyptratus Dume"ril. Chamaeleo calyptratus Dumeril, Cat. Meth. Kept., p. 31, 1851. ARABIA: El Khubar, 1 (1847, British Museum). SERPENTES Typhlops vermicularis Merrem. Typhlops vermicularis Merrem, Tent. Syst. Amphib., p. 158, 1820 — Greek Islands (restr. by Mertens and Muller). HATAY: Amuq Plain, 2 (25336-7, C. W. McEwan). IRAN: Shah Abdul Azim, 1 (20943). IRAQ: An Nasiriya, 1 (622730, Yusuf Lazar). PALESTINE: Benyamina, 1 (28572, Georg Haas). Leptotyphlops macrorhynchus Jan. Slenostoma macrorhynchus Jan, Arch. Zool. Anat. Phys., 1, p. 190, 1862 — Senaar. Leptotyphlops macrorhynchus Corkill, Snakes and Snake Bite in Iraq, p. 8, 1932. IRAN: Persepolis, 1 (21033, Ernst Herzfeld, 1934). IRAQ: Baghdad, 2 (26355-6, Yusuf Lazar). Eryx jaculus jaculus Linnaeus. Anguis jaculus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., p. 228, 1758 — Egypt. Eryx jaculus jaculus Zarewsky, Ann. Mus. Zool. Acad. Sci. Petrograd, 20, p. 375, 1915. IRAQ: Baghdad, 1 (19498); An Nasiriya, 7 (22723-29, Yusuf Lazar). PALESTINE: Jordan Valley, 2 (21911-2, P. Y. Shuwayhat). Eryx jaculus familiar is Eichwald. Eryx familiaris Eichwald, Zool. spec., Rossiae Polon., 3, p. 176, 1831. Eryx jaculus familiaris Zarewsky, Ann. Mus. Zool. Acad. Sci. Petrograd, 20, p. 376, figs. 8, 9, 1915. IRAQ: Sulaimaniya, 1 (19624). The single specimen available from northern Iraq is insufficient material to form an opinion as to the validity of Zarewsky 's par- tition of the species jaculus. Rostombekov (1928) carries this partition farther, describing a subspecies urmianus, which, if valid, may prove to include the form in northern Iraq. Natrix tessellata Laurenti. Coronella tessellata Laurenti, Syn. Kept., p. 87, 1768 — Karst region (Ostmark). Natrix tessellata Bonaparte, Iconogr. Fauna Ital., 2, fasc. 11, pi., 1834. 72 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 IRAN: Isfahan, 4 (20914-15, 20931, 20941); Persepolis, 12 (20899- 901, 20916-21, 20925, 20937-38); Shah Abdul Azim, 29 (20902-13, 20942-45, 20951-58); Tehran, 5 (20946-50). IRAQ: Balad Sinjar, 8 (19594, 19598-99, 19604-7, 19609); Diana, 1 (19622); Halfaya, 58 (19513-70); An Nasiriya, 3 (22720-22, Yusuf Lazar). PALESTINE: Jordan Valley, 2 (19581, 21908, P. Y. Shuwayhat). In the Halfaya series the extremes and averages for the number of ventrals and caudals in 25 specimens of each sex are as follows: Extremes Average Ventrals Male 163-178 170.2 Female 162-174 167.4 Caudals Male 64-75 69.6 Female 53-70 60.9 The scale counts of 15 males and 12 females from Shah Abdul Azim and Tehran, Iran, are as follows: Extremes Average Ventrals Male 170-181 176.1 Female 168-174 170.7 Caudals Male 70-80 74.7 Female 65-71 67.5 These exhibit an increased average number of both caudals and ventrals. The specimens from Persepolis and Isfahan differ from both of the above series. Our specimens are too few to afford con- clusive data as to the probable extent of the difference. In nine males and seven females the scale counts are as follows: Extremes Average Ventrals Male 176-183 179.1 Female 173-184 177.4 Caudals Male 63-71 67.7 Female 61-67 63.5 These specimens have a higher number of ventrals, in both sexes, than the series from Shah Abdul Azim; but the caudals are fewer and are in better agreement with the Halfaya specimens. The reversal of the relative numbers of ventrals in the sexes is noteworthy. Coluber jugularis asianus Boettger. Zamenis viridiflavus var. asiana Boettger, Ber. Senck. Ges., 1879-80, p. 151, 1880. Coluber jugularis asianus Miiller and Wettstein, Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien (math.-natur.), 143, Abt. I, p. 142, 1933. 1939 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM ASIA— SCHMIDT 73 IRAN: Shah Abdul Azim (20948). IRAQ: Amara, 1 (19504); Diana, 2 (19619, 19623); Halfaya, 4 (19511, 19515, 19545, 19567); Zakho, 3 (19612-14). PALESTINE: Benyamina, 1 (28580, Georg Haas). Ventrals in the present series range from 194 to 203 in males, and from 199 to 203 in females; caudals from 102 to 114 in males, and from 92 to 107 in females. The total length of the largest specimen (No. 19619, male) is 1,700, tail 465. I do not find any noteworthy differences between specimens from northeastern Iraq and from the Amara region. The single specimen from Iran has only 92 caudals and has 11 lower labials on each side. Coluber najadum Eichwald. Tyria najadum Eichwald, Zool. Spec., Rossiae Polon., 3, p. 174, 1831 — Baku, Transcaucasus. Coluber najadum Mertens and Muller, Abh. Senck. Ges., 41, p. 46, 1928. IRAQ: Baghdad, 1 (22693); Balad Sinjar, 1 (19603). PALESTINE: Mount Scopus (near Jerusalem), 1 (28583, Georg Haas); Miqve Yisrael, 1 (28584, Georg Haas). The four specimens listed above are females; ventrals range from 213 to 225, caudals from 122 to 134; upper labials eight; lower labials 10, except in the Baghdad specimen, which has nine; oculars two- two in all; anterior temporals invariably two; posterior temporals one to three. The Baghdad specimen has more numerous half-bars on the sides of the neck than the remaining specimens. Coluber rhodorachis Jan. Zamenis rhodorachis Jan, in De Filippi, Viagg. Pers., p. 356, 1865 — Iran. Coluber rhodorhachis Parker, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (10), 8, p. 516, 1931. ARABIA: Aden, 1 (18218, A. R. M. Rickards). IRAQ: Diana, 1 (19618). The single specimen from Aden, a male, has 19 scale rows; 228 ventrals; 132 caudals; nine upper and 10 lower labials; oculars two- two, and temporals two-two and two-three. The female specimen from Iraq has 243 ventrals and 115 caudals; upper labials nine, lower labials 10; oculars one-two; and temporals two-two and two- three. Coluber rogersi Anderson. Zamenis rogersi Anderson, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (6), 12, p. 439, 1893 — Lower Egypt. Coluber rogersi Flower, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1933, p. 810, 1933. 74 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 IRAQ: Rutba, 3 (11361, E. S. Fraser; 19508, Field and Martin; 21914, P. S. Manasseh). SYRIA: Between Horns and Palmyra, 2 (19588, 19592). These specimens extend the range of Coluber rogersi to the north. The ventrals, in the five males, range from 200 to 207, caudals from 88 to 104; the upper labials are uniformly nine; a single preocular in two specimens, 2 in three; postoculars two; temporals 2-2 in three, 2-3 in two; the largest specimen measures 745, tail 200. Coluber ventromaculatus Gray. Coluber ventromaculatus Gray, Ulus. Indian Zool., 2, pi. 80, fig. 1, 1834 — Bengal. ARABIA: Al Jubail (70 miles north of Bahrein Island), 1 (MVZ 25624). IRAN: Yezd-i-Khast, 1 (20939). IRAQ: Baghdad, 12 (19494-95, 19501, 19505-7, Field and Martin; 22695, 26357-58, 28316-18, Yusuf Lazar); Kish, 2 (11064-65, Henry Field); An Nasiriya, 23 (22696-717, Yusuf Lazar). No differences are discernible in the Arabian and Persian speci- mens. The series is uniform in coloration and in scale characters. Ventrals vary in eleven males from 196 to 217, caudals in eight males from 97 to 112; in six females the ventrals range from 210 to 222, and caudals from 93 to 104. Lytorhynchus diadema Dume'ril and Bibron. Heterodon diadema Dum&il and Bibron, Erp. G6n., 7, p. 779, 1834 — Algeria. Lytorhynchus diadema Peters, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1862, p. 272, pi., fig. 1, 1862. IRAQ: Baghdad, 1 (20859). The single specimen available is a female with dorsal scales 21- 19-15, ventrals 192, anal divided, caudals 44, upper labials eight, lower labials 11, oculars two-two, temporals two-three and two-four; the total length (with tip of tail wanting) is 450, tail 60. The darker dorsal blotches, 34 on the body and eight on the tail, are about as long as the lighter interspaces. Were it not that this form, like so many others in southwestern Asia, is in need of comprehensive taxonomic study, I should be inclined to refer the Baghdad specimen to Lytorhynchus gaddi Nikolsky, from Iran. 1939 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM ASIA — SCHMIDT 75 Lytorhynchus kennedyi sp. nov. Type from between Horns and Palmyra, Syria. No. 19586 Field Museum of Natural History. Adult male. Collected May 21, 1934, by Henry Field and Richard A. Martin. Diagnosis. — Allied to L. diadema, but with widely spaced black dorsal crossbars; preoculars three on each side; 10 lower labials. Description of type. — Relatively short and stout-bodied for Lytorhynchus, head short and eye large; rostral enlarged with verti- cal projecting lateral edges, projecting backwards so that the inter- nasal suture is very short, one-third that of the pref rentals; frontal five-sided, as long as its distance from the end of the snout; parietals large, extending downward at the anterior border to a point opposite the middle of the eye; nasal large, divided, nostril nearer its upper border; a small quadrangular loreal, as long as high, upper labials seven-eight; lower labials 10-10; preoculars three-three; post- oculars two-three; temporals two-two on each side; dorsal scales smooth, 21-19-13; ventrals 166; anal divided; caudals 35. Pale yellowish gray above, with 22 black crossbars on the body and eight on the tail. The crossbars, extending to the first or second scale row, cover one and one-half to two dorsal scales, the inter- spaces six or seven; small black spots are present on the first and sec- ond scale row on each side midway between the transverse bars; ventrals entirely without markings; head marked with a transverse black mark from eye to eye, connecting with a longitudinal mark on the frontal and on the parietal suture, continuing and broaden- ing on the neck for the length of eight scales, and eight scales wide posteriorly. Measurements. — Total length 380, tail 55. Remarks. — The distinctive coloration described above is shown in the plate of L. diadema in Snakes and Snake Bite in Iraq (Corkill, 1932, pi. 10). It may be pointed out that the difference between kennedyi and diadema corresponds closely to that between Phyllor- hynchus browni and P. decurtatus of the Arizonan deserts on the opposite side of the world. Phyllorhynchus closely parallels Lytor- hynchus in its modified rostral shield. The new form bears the name of Dr. Walter P. Kennedy, of the Royal College of Medicine, Baghdad, who has contributed important material to our collections. Elaphe nummifera Reuss. Coluber nummifer Reuss, Mus. Senck., 1, p. 135, 1834 — Egypt. PALESTINE: Jordan Valley, 1 (21913, P. Y. Shuwayhat); Kefar Jehoshua (east of Haifa), 1 (28581, Georg Haas). 76 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 Both specimens are females; the dorsal scales are 23-23-17, ventrals 211 and 215, anal divided, caudals 85 and 79, upper labials nine, lower labials 10-10 and 10-11, oculars two-two and two- three, temporals one-three and two-three in one, two-three on each side in the other. Elaphe ravergieri Me'ne'tries. Coluber ravergieri Me'ne'tries, Cat. Rais. Obj. Zool. Voy. Caucase, p. 69, 1832 — Georgia. IRAQ: Diana, 1 (19621); Zakho, 2 (19616-17). The Diana specimen is incomplete, but has the dorsal scales in 23 rows in agreement with the two from Zakho. Of these, the male has ventrals 207, caudals 101, upper labials nine, lower labials 11, oculars two-two, and temporals two-three; the female has 220 ventrals, tail imperfect, upper labials nine, lower labials 10, oculars three-two, and temporals two-two. The Diana specimen measures 1,255, tail 310. Elaphe caudaelineata Giinther. Zamenis caudaelineatus Giinther, Cat. Colubrine Snakes Brit. Mus., p. 104, 1858 — Shiraz, Iran. IRAN: Persepolis, 4 (20922, 20924, 20926, 20936, Ernst Herzfeld). The four specimens from Persepolis are entirely distinct from the specimens of ravergieri discussed above. The dorsal scale formula is 21-21-15 instead of 23 or 25-23-17. Ventrals and caudals in the single male, 193 and 101; in three females 201-213 and 87-93. The lineate pattern of the tail is distinctive. The largest specimen, a female, measures 855, tail 195. Spalerosophis microlepis Jan. Spalerosophis microlepis Jan, in De Filippi, Viagg. Pers., p. 356, 1865 — Laristan and Shiraz (here restricted to Laristan). IRAN: Persepolis, 2 (20923, 20929, Ernst Herzfeld). The two specimens, both male, are in close agreement. Both have the dorsal scale formula 37-43-23; the ventrals are 240 and 241; anal undivided; caudals 101 in No. 20929, with a complete tail; upper labials 14-15 in both; lower labials 16-14 in one, 15-15 in the other; scales about eye 13 in one, 12 in the other; temporals seven- seven and six-eight. No. 20929 measures 1,005 in total length, tail 270. 1939 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM ASIA — SCHMIDT 77 Spalerosophis schirazianus Jan. Periops parallels var. schiraziana Jan, in De Filippi, Viagg. Pers., p. 365, 1865— Shiraz. IRAN: Shah Abdul Azim, 9 (20908, 20912-13, 20951, 20960-62); Tehran, 3 (20894, 20908, 20959). In the present series of six specimens of each sex, the dorsals at mid-body are 25 in two, 27 in eight, and 29 in two; ventrals in males 224-237; in females 236-245; caudals in five males 80-89; in five females 80-87. The upper labial count 12 occurs twelve times, 13 eleven times, and 14 once; lower labials 13 or 14; ocular ring com- posed of six to 10 scales; anterior temporals three-five, those of second row four to six. The largest specimen, a female, measures 1,222, tail 215. The species is well distinguished from the so-called diadema of Iraq, but may be more closely allied to the true diadema (of north- western India). Trinomial designation is reserved for further study. Spalerosophis cliffordii Schlegel. Coluber cliffordii Schlegel, Physion. Serp., 2, p. 163, 1837 — Tripoli. IRAQ: Baghdad, 4 (19580, 20857, Field and Martin; 28314-15, Yusuf Lazar); Balad Sinjar, 1 (19596); Halfaya, 1 (19625); Kish (Tell el Uhaimir), 2 (11066-67, Henry Field); An Nasiriya, 2 (22718-19, Yusuf Lazar). The reference of specimens from Iraq to cliffordii instead of to diadema auct. is made necessary by the recognition of schirazianus from Iran, inserted between the type locality of diadema (Bombay), and the Iraqi (Mesopotamian) area. It is by no means a completely satisfactory allocation. The alternative is to give a new name to the form in the Euphrates Valley, and it is preferable to reserve the proposal of additional names for a more comprehensive revision, pending which trinomials are avoided. It seems clear that Spalero- sophis is more nearly allied to Elaphe than to Coluber. Rhynchocalamus arabicus Schmidt. Rhynchocalamus arabicus Schmidt, Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser., 20, pp. 9-10, 1933— Aden. ARABIA: Aden, 1 (18219, A. R. M. Rickards). Additional material of this species is much to be desired. Rhynchocalamus melanocephalus Jan. Homalosoma melanocephalum Jan, Arch. Zool. Anat. Phys., 2, p. 34, 1862 — Beirut. Rhynchocalamus melanocephalus Glinther, Zool. Rec., 2, p. 152, 1865. 78 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 PALESTINE: Jaffa, 1 (26890, Georg Haas); Jerusalem, 1 (28575, Georg Haas). The two specimens at hand differ notably in the development of the rostral, which separates the internasals in the specimen from Jaffa, and fails to do so in the one from Jerusalem. The probability that the development of the rostral is associated with burrowing habits suggests that this difference may have a geographic or eco- logical correlation. Ventrals in the Jaffa specimen, a female, num- ber 222, caudals 60; the specimen from Jerusalem, a male, has ventrals 195, caudals 60; a loreal is present in both. Eirenis collaris Me'ne'tries. Coluber collaris MSnetries, Cat. Rais. Obj. Zool. Voy. Caucase, p. 67, 1832 — Bechemerbak, near Caspian Sea. Eirenis collaris Jan, Arch. Zool. Anat. Phys., 2, p. 257, 1863. IRAQ: Baghdad, 1 (20858); Tall Afar, 1 (19626). PALESTINE: Jordan Valley, 1 (21910, P. Y. Shuwayhat). The two from Iraq, both male, have ventrals 184 and 196, and caudals 60. The ventrals and caudals are 187 and 60 in the single female from Palestine. The latter has a very small loreal, absent in the two former. Eirenis coronella coronella Schlegel. Calamaria coronella Schlegel, Physion. Serp., 2, p. 48, 1837 — Moorea and Syria (here restricted to Syria). Eirenis coronella Barbour, Proc. New Engl. Zool. Club, 5, p. 89 (cited for combination only). SYRIA: Horns, 1 (19593); between Horns and Palmyra, 3 (19585, 19590-91). TRANS- JORDAN: Jebel el Ashaqif, 1 (19582); Mafraq, 1 (19577). The series above listed exhibits little variation, and appears to represent a well-defined form. The dorsal scales are 17 on the neck (only as far as the sixth ventral), 15 at mid-body, and reduce to 13 anterior to the anus. Ventrals in three males 126, 130, 131, in four females 143, 146, 149, 151; caudals in males 39, 39, and 48, in females 37, 42, 42, and 45; upper labials uniformly 7-7, lower labials 8-8 in five, 8-7 in one, 7-7 in one; oculars 1-2 in five, preocular single on one side in one, postocular single on one side in another; temporals 1-1; length of largest male 255, tail 55; of largest female 295, tail 55. All are plainly banded. I regard Jan's Eirenis fasciatus from Lake Tiberias as probably identical with this form. Boulenger's coronella does not seem to 1939 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM ASIA— SCHMIDT 79 correspond to coronella of Schlegel at all (cf. Eirenis lineomaculata, below). Barbour's series of Eirenis from Petra and Mount Sinai (Barbour, 1914, p. 89) have 15 dorsal scale rows, but the ventrals range from 140 to 158 (not sexed). The difficulties in allocating specimens correctly to this species emphasize the necessity for a revision of the genus. Eirenis coronella fraseri subsp. nov. Type from Rutba, Iraq. No. 11364 Field Museum of Natural History. Adult male. Collected, 1930, by E. S. Fraser. Diagnosis. — An Eirenis with a short body and broad head, with 15 scale rows, distinguished from Eirenis coronella by distinctly higher number of ventrals in both sexes and by the obscurity of the transverse bands and nuchal collar. Description of type. — A stout-bodied small snake with head distinctly widened in temporal region. Portion of rostral seen from above about as long as the internasal suture, which is a little shorter than the prefrontal suture; frontal as long as its distance from the tip of the snout, shorter than the parietals; nasal single, a small loreal; preocular single; seven upper and eight lower labials; two postoculars; temporals one-one; anterior chin shields much larger than the pos- terior, which are scarcely distinguishable from the adjacent scales; dorsals smooth, 15-15-13; ventrals 141; anal divided; caudals 36 (tail incomplete). Pale yellowish brown above, lighter beneath, with extremely obscure darker transverse bands above. Measurements. — Body length 231, tail (incomplete) 49. Notes on paratypes. — Four additional specimens from Rutba, also collected by E. S. Fraser, one from Papworth's Area, 25 miles south of Rutba, collected by Henry Field and Richard A. Martin, and two (from the same collectors) from between Horns and Palmyra, Syria, are available as paratypes. The difference between this series and what I have interpreted as true coronella is evident when the scale counts are assorted to sex: c. coronella c. fraseri Ventrals Male 126-131 139-146 Female 143-151 152-158 The number of specimens available is too small for more definitive characterization of the forms in question. I should be inclined to identify fraseri with modesta (Martin, 1838, p. 82), but for the description of the head coloration, which corresponds to that of 80 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 collaris, and the complication of Boulenger's assignment of this name to a form with 17 scale rows (1920, p. 348). The new form is named for E. S. Fraser, of the Nairn Overland Transport Company, at Rutba. Eirenis decemlineata Dume>il and Bibron. Ablabes decemlineatus Dumeril and Bibron, Erp. Gen., 7, p. 327, 1854 — no locality. Eirenis decemlineaius Miiller, Verh. Naturf. Ges. Basel, 6, p. 595, 1878. PALESTINE: Between Jaffa and Haifa, 2 (26886-87, Georg Haas). The male specimen, No. 26887, is without dark lines, while the female, No. 26886, is lineate. The dorsals are 17-17-15 in both, and both have upper labials seven, lower labials eight, oculars one-two, and temporals one-two. The ventrals and caudals in the male are 168 and 82; in the female 169 and 70. Eirenis rothi Jan. Eirenis rothi Jan, Arch. Zool. Anat. Phys., 2, p. 259, 1863 — Jerusalem. PALESTINE: Kafr Juri, 7 miles north of Jerusalem, 1 (26888, Georg Haas). The single male has dorsal scales 15-15-15, ventrals 166, anal divided, caudals 50, upper and lower labials seven, oculars one-two, temporals one-one, and a small loreal on each side. Total length 295, tail 57. Eirenis lineomaculata sp. nov. Type from Jordan Valley, Palestine. No. 21909 Field Museum of Natural History. Adult male. Collected, 1934, by P. Y. Shuwayhat. Diagnosis. — Distinguished from Eirenis coronella by having seventeen scale rows, a lower number of ventrals, no loreal, and dorsal spots arranged as alternate longitudinal dashes. Description of type. — A stout-bodied snake with neck as wide as head, head pointed, and rostral moderately developed. Portion of rostral seen from above longer than the internasal suture, which is about half as long as that between the pref rentals; frontal longer than its distance from the tip of the snout, nearly as long as the parietals; nasal undivided, elongate, in contact with the single preocular; no loreal; upper labials seven-seven; lower labials eight-eight; two postoculars on each side; temporals one-two on each side; dorsal scales smooth, 17-17-15; ventrals 119; anal divided; caudals 38. Pale brown above, lighter uniform yellowish brown below; back with four rows of dark brown spots, those of the median rows strongest, with a tendency to be juxtaposed anteriorly, becoming 1939 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM ASIA — SCHMIDT 81 alternate posteriorly; each of the scales involved in these spots, viewed under a magnifier, is seen to have a light median shaft bordered by dark pigment stronger than in the remainder of the spot, producing a sharply lineate appearance; a well-marked nuchal collar extends obliquely forward to the first ventral, narrowing below and not closed on the throat; a dark subocular spot on the second to fourth labials is matched by a smaller one on the third and fourth lower labials; obscure dark markings on the head shields; sixth upper labial, first temporal, upper second temporal, and adjacent border of parietal dark-bordered. Measurements. — Total length 217, tail 45. Notes on paratype. — A single specimen, No. 25335, collected by C. W. McEwan in the Amuq Plain, Hatay, agrees with the type in coloration and other essential characters. A female, with 118 ventrals and 22 caudals. Remarks. — Our material is inadequate for the solution of the taxonomic problems in Eirenis; the present form agrees closely with the Palestinian series described by Boulenger (1894, p. 264) under the name coronella. Eirenis iranica sp. nov. Type from Tirak Mart Mountains, near Shah Abdul Azim, Iran. No. 20950 Field Museum of Natural History. Adult male. Col- lected September 6, 1934, by Henry Field and Richard A. Martin. Diagnosis. — Distinguished from Eirenis condoni by fewer ventrals and the absence of a loreal, and from E. brevicauda by the longer tail and scales in 17 rows. Description of type. — A stout-bodied snake with head slightly wider than neck; snout pointed; rostral scarcely visible from above; internasals about as long as pref rentals; frontal with a straight anterior border, as long as the parietal suture; nasal undivided, elongate, extending to the preocular, in contact with the first two labials; the single preocular widely separated from the frontal; two postoculars; temporals one-two on each side; parietal extending downward on the sides, making a contact with the lower postocular; anterior chin shields longer than posterior; dorsal scales smooth, 17-17-15; ventrals 159; anal divided; caudals 76. Grayish brown above, paler beneath, without markings, except for irregular small dark spots on the sides of the neck and dark margins on the upper and lower labials. Measurements. — Total length 398, tail 104. 82 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 Remarks. — The species appears to be well distinguished from Eirenis condoni from Shiraz, which has ventrals 169-173, and from E. brevicauda, which has the dorsal scales in 15 rows and caudals only 38-41. Nikolsky's species Eirenis bicolor, from eastern Iran, has 15 scale rows and 202 ventrals; and his E. transcaspica is excluded from iranica by the same characters. Boulenger has revived the name modesta of Martin (type locality, Euphrates Valley) for the specimens with 17 scale rows which he had formerly referred to collaris; but since Martin's description specifically mentions the characteristic head coloration of collaris, I am inclined to interpret modesta as a strict synonym of collaris. The present form appears to be excluded from modesta in any case, by the absence of a loreal. It may be repeated, as is obvious from the list of species above, that the genus Eirenis requires comprehensive revision in the light of modern geographic taxonomy. Tarbophis fallax mcewani subsp. nov. Type from Amuq Plain, Hatay (formerly Sanjak of Alexandretta). No. 25330 Field Museum of Natural History. Adult male. Col- lected in 1936 by C. W. McEwan. Diagnosis. — A subspecies of Tarbophis fallax, distinguished from fallax fallax by its longer tail and fewer dorsal spots; from syriacus by the longer tail, greater number of ventrals, and larger number of dorsal spots; and from fallax iberus by its divided anal and lower number of ventrals. Description of type.— Head distinct from neck, snout bluntly pointed, body moderately slender. Rostral little visible from above; internasals smaller than prefrontals; frontal sub triangular, as long as its distance from the end of the snout; nasal rectangular, semi- divided; loreal elongate, narrowly entering the eye below the pre- ocular; the single preocular broadly in contact with the frontal; two postoculars; parietals rather small; temporals two-three-four on each side; upper labials seven-eight; lower labials ten-ten; dorsal scales 19-19-15, smooth; ventrals 195; anal divided; caudals 67. Pale brown above, with about 34 dark mid-dorsal blotches which tend to be connected on the sides with vertical or oblique narrower lines extending to the dark venter; chin light; top of head uniform glossy brown; dark nuchal band six scales behind parietals, seven scales long; dark dorsal spots two or three scales long. Measurements of type. — Total length 610, tail 105. Notes on paratypes. — In two additional males (25331-32) and two females (25328-29) from the type locality, all collected by Dr. 1939 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM ASIA — SCHMIDT 83 McEwan, the ventrals are respectively 200, 197, 200, and 197, and the caudals 72, 63, 65, and 59. The scaling of the head is uniform. The dorsal spots range from 30 to 36. Remarks.— Boulenger's list of specimens of fallax (1896, Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus., 3, p. 49) includes one from Xanthus which may belong with the present form, judging from its high number of caudals. If this guess should prove correct, Tarbophis fallax mcewani is to be expected from intermediate localities, and must be thought of as intervening between T. f. fallax of the Balkan Peninsula and T. f. iberus of the Caucasus. Boulenger's figures for caudals in eight Dalmatian specimens range from 48 to 55. The new form is named for Dr. Calvin W. McEwan, of the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, whose efforts added the important collection from the Amuq Plain to our material. Tarbophis fallax syriacus Boettger. Tarbophis vivax f. syriaca Boettger, Ber. Senck. Ges., 1879-80, p. 166, 1880 — Jaffa. Tarbophis fallax syriacus Mertens, Senckenbergiana, 6, p. 184, 1924. PALESTINE: Kiriath Anawim, 1 (28585, Georg Haas); Rehovot (Rethoboth), 1 (28586, Georg Haas). SYRIA: Chouit Araya (12 km. from Beirut), 1 (28304, Yusuf Lazar). The two Palestinian specimens, both females, agree in having 185 ventrals, eight upper and 10 lower labials, temporals two-four, and 19 dorsal scale rows. No. 28585, with a complete tail, has 65 caudals. The number of dorsal spots is 24 and 26 on the body. These specimens obviously agree with Boulenger's Tarbophis savi- gnyi, which Mertens has correctly referred to Tarbophis fallax syriacus. Barbour and Amaral, regarding Boettger's syriacus as composite, restrict the type locality to "Southern Syria and adjacent Lower Egypt"; but Mertens (1922, p. 181) cites only a single type, with the unequivocal type locality Jaffa. Tarbophus fallax iberus Eichwald. Trigonophis iberus Eichwald, Zool. Spec., Rossiae Polon., 3, p. 175, 1831 — Tiflis. Tarbophis fallax iberus Mertens and Miiller, Abh. Senck. Ges., 41, p. 50, 1928. IRAN: Shamar Mountains, near Shah Abdul Azim, 1 (20956); Tehran, 2 (20968, 20970). In No. 20968, a female from Tehran, the dorsals are in 19 rows, ventrals 218, anal entire, caudals 69, upper labials eight-eight, lower labials 11-11, oculars one-two, temporals three-three and three-four, total length 220, tail 39. 84 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 The specimen from the Shamar Mountains is a male with dor- sals 19, ventrals 216, anal entire, caudals 65, upper labials eight- eight, lower labials 11-10, oculars one-two, and temporals two-five. It measures 601, tail 103. The specimens obviously agree most closely with iberus. Tarbophis nigriceps Ahl. Tarbophis nigriceps Ahl, Arch. Naturg., 90, Abt. A, Heft 5, p. 246, 1924 — central Mesopotamia. IRAQ: Rutba, 1 (11367, E. S. Fraser). The single female is noteworthy for its coal black belly and black head. The dorsal scale formula is 19-19-15; ventrals 187; anal divided; caudals 55; upper labials nine-nine; lower labials 10-10; oculars one-two; temporals two- two; and total length 380, tail 65. The number of dorsal dark bands is 18 on the body, five on the tail. The agreement in coloration with Ahl's description is striking, and I have little hesitation in regarding the species as fully distinct. It agrees most closely in scale characters with Tarbophis fallax syriacus of Palestine. Tarbophis martini sp. nov. Type from Baghdad, Iraq. No. 28319 Field Museum of Natural History. Adult female. Collected in 1937 by Yusuf Lazar. Diagnosis. — A Tarbophis similar to the fallax formenkreis in coloration, distinguished by having the dorsal scales uniformly in 21 rows and by a greater number of ventrals; the loreal enters the eye, and the anal may be entire or divided. Description of type. — Head very large in the temporal region, body stout, tail slender; rostral scarcely visible from above, inter- nasals smaller than pref rentals; frontal sub triangular, the anterior angles truncate at their contacts with the preoculars, shorter than its distance from the tip of the snout; parietals relatively small; nasal rectangular, semidivided; loreal elongate, entering the eye; a single preocular; two postoculars; temporals two-four-four and three- five-five; upper labials eight-seven; lower labials 10-11; dorsal scales 21-21-15, smooth; ventrals 235; anal divided; caudals 67. Pale brown above, with about 39 darker brown mid-dorsal blotches, irregularly connected with vertical or oblique narrow bars on the sides; belly dark, chin white. Measurements of type. — Total length 876, tail 136. 1939 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM ASIA— SCHMIDT 85 Notes on paratypes. — A considerable series, all from Baghdad (several collected by Yusuf Lazar near Dr. Kennedy's house), attests the uniformity in scale characters of Tarbophis martini. Nos. 19493, 19497, and 19499-500 were collected by Henry Field and Richard A. Martin, Nos. 22694, 26348-49, and 28303 by Yusuf Lazar. All have 21 scale rows at mid-body. In two males the ventrals are 226 and 232 and the anal is single; caudals 74 and 67. In six females the ventrals range from 226 to 242; the anal is single in one, divided in five; caudals 65-72. Remarks. — This is the Iraqi form referred to iberus by various authors; it is well distinguished from that form by its higher number of dorsal scales, and more frequently divided anal. It is readily distinguishable from Tarbophis cyprianus, which also has 21 dorsals, by its much higher number of ventrals. There is at present no evidence of intergradation between these 21-rowed forms and the 19-rowed fallax series. The new form is named in honor of Richard A. Martin, Curator of Near Eastern Archaeology in Field Museum. Tarbophis guentheri Anderson. Tarbophis guentheri Anderson, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1895, p. 656, pi. 36, fig. 3, 1895 — Aden and the Hadhramaut. ARABIA: Aden, 1 (18216, A. R. M. Rickards). The single female has dorsal scales 21-21-13; ventrals 226; anal entire; caudals 70; upper labials nine; lower labials 12; oculars one- two; temporals two-three; total length 807, tail 146. Tarbophis rhinopoma Blanford. Dipsas rhinopoma Blanford, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (4), 14, p. 34, 1874 — Kaman, Iran. Tarbophis rhinopoma Boettger, in Radde, Fauna Flora Caspi-Gebietes, p. 72, 1886. IRAN: Persepolis, 1 (20928, Ernst Herzfeld). The juvenile specimen is a female; dorsal scales 21-23-17; ven- trals 251; anal entire; tail incomplete; upper labials 10-9; lower labials 12; oculars two-three; temporals four-four and five-four. Malpolon monspessulana insignitus Geoffrey. Coluber insignitus Geoffroy, Descr. Egypte, Hist. Nat., 1, p. 151, 1827 — Lower Egypt. Malpolon monspessulana insignitus Mertens and Miiller, Abh. Senck. Ges., 41, p. 51, 1928. IRAN: Shah Abdul Azim, 1 (20963). IRAQ: Diana, 1 (19620); Zakho, 3 (19610-11, 19615). 86 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 PALESTINE: Tel Aviv, 1 (28576, Georg Haas). TRANS- JORDAN: Mafraq, 1 (19578). The six specimens examined are remarkably uniform in scale characters. One has 19 scale rows at mid-body, reducing to 15; four have the scale formula 17-15; and one reduces to 17-15-13. Ventrals in two males are 168 and 174; in four females 174, 175, 175, and 179; caudals in males 77 and 86, and in females 74, 79, 87, and 89. There is little, if any, difference between the sexes in these characters. Malpolon moilensis Reuss. Coluber moilensis Reuss, Mus. Senck., 1, p. 142, pi. 7, fig. 1, 1834 — Moilah, Arabia. Malpolon moilensis Parker, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (10), 8, p. 522, 1931. IRAQ: Baghdad, 3 (20860-62). The three females available are remarkably uniform in scale characters. All have dorsal scales 17-17-13; ventrals 167; and upper labials eight-eight. The caudals are 55, 55, and 57; lower labials 11-11 in two, 11-10 in one; oculars one- two in two, one-three on one side and two-two on the other side in the third; temporals two- three in two, two-four in the third. Taphrometopon lineolatum Brandt. Coluber (Taphrometopon) lineolatum Brandt, Bull. Acad. Sci. St. P6tersbourg, 3, p. 243, 1838— Caspian coast. Taphrometopon lineolatum Peters, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1861, p. 48, fig., 1861. IRAN: Tehran, 1 (20971); Yezd-i-Khast, 1 (20940). The specimen from Yezd-i-Khast is a male, measuring 540, tail 120, with dorsals 17-17-13, ventrals 174, anal divided, caudals 75, upper labials nine-nine, lower labials 11-11, oculars one- two, and temporals two-three. The female from Tehran measures 535, tail 129, and differs only in having ventrals 175 and caudals 83. Psamophis schokari Forskal. Coluber schokari Forskal, Descr. Anim., p. 14, 1775 — Yemen. Psammophis schokari Boulenger, Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus., 3, p. 157, 1896. ARABIA: Aden, 1 (18217, A. R. M. Rickards). IRAN: Persepolis, 1 (20934, Ernst Herzfeld). IRAQ: Amara, 1 (19574); Rutba, 1 (19509). PALESTINE: Tel Aviv, 1 (28582, Georg Haas). Psammophis schokari, with its vast geographic range, from Senegal to Sind, exhibits a great amount of variation in scale characters and coloration, and will repay a detailed study, even though its great 1939 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM ASIA— SCHMIDT 87 powers of active locomotion and association with habitat conditions relatively recently established afford less expectation of partition into subspecies than in less vagile forms. The specimens here listed fall within the limits of ventrals and caudals in Boulenger's list. Hydrophis cyanocinctus Daudin. Hydrophis cyanocinctus Daudin, Hist. Nat. Kept., 7, p. 383, 1803 — Coromandel. ARABIA: Bahrein Island, 2 (28310-11, W. P. Kennedy). The two specimens differ conspicuously in coloration, the bands in one encircling the body, while in the second they are confluent dorsally and ventrally and irregular on the sides. The ventrals number about 330, the dorsals 30-40-40. Vipera lebetina euphratica Martin. Vipera euphratica Martin, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1838, p. 82, 1838 — Euphrates Valley. IRAQ: Balad Sinjar, 5 (19595, 19597, 19600-2). The fine series of specimens collected by Dr. Field and Mr. Martin is uniform in scale characters. The ventrals in the two males are 174 and 177; in three females 169, 172, 174; caudals in males 44 and 47; in females 40, 44, and 44; upper labials 10 or 11; lower labials 13 or 14; the largest specimen measures 1,270, tail 150. With no other available material of Vipera lebetina in the broad sense, no opinion is offered on the further partition of this form. The trinomial is used in view of the restriction of Vipera lebetina lebetina to Cyprus and Milos by Mertens and Miiller (1928, p. 52). Vipera palaestinae Werner. Vipera palaestinae Werner, Zool. Anz., 122, p. 313, figs. 3, 4, 1938 — Haifa, Palestine. PALESTINE: Ain Harod, 1 (28579, Georg Haas). The single male specimen available agrees best with Werner's description of Vipera palaestinae; I can offer no further comment on Werner's partition of the lebetina group, which fails to define euphra- tica. Our specimen has 161 ventrals, anal entire, 38 caudals, upper labials 10-10, lower labials 11-12, scales between oculars five, scales around eye (exclusive of supraocular) 11-12. Pseudocerastes field! Schmidt. Pseudocerastes fieldi Schmidt, Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser., 17, p. 227, pi. 2, text fig. 2, 1930— Bair Wells, Trans-Jordan; Flower, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., (10), 6, p. 224, 1930. IRAQ: Rutba, 2 (19834). 88 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 TRANS-JORDAN: Bair Wells, 2 (11061-62, Henry Field); Urn Wu'al 1 (11063, Henry Field). In addition to the type (11061) and two paratypes collected by Dr. Field on his expedition of 1928, we have received one complete and one fragmentary specimen of this species from Rutba. The complete specimen, a female, has dorsal scales 21-23-17; ventrals 136; caudals 36; upper labials 12-12; lower labials 16-15; total length 720, tail 85. It seems evident that Pseudocerastes fieldi is quite as likely to be the Biblical adder (Hebrew shephiphori) of Genesis xlix : 17 as Aspis cerastes (Cerastes cornutus auct.), as supposed by Tristram (Nat. Hist. Bible, ed. 3, p. 273, 1872). I find no recent record (of specimens collected) of cerastes for Palestine, though Flower lists it from both Palestine and Trans-Jordan (1933, p. 830). Bodenheimer's reference to this species (1935, p. 190) distinguishes it from Aspis cerastes with the supposition that fieldi has "only one horn between the eyes," which is quite erroneous. It may well prove that P. fieldi has been much confused with the horned Aspis. Pseudocerastes persicus Dume'ril and Bibron. Cerastes persicus Dumeril and Bibron, Erp. Ge"n., 7, p. 1443, pi. 78b, fig. 5, 1854— Persia. Pseudocerastes persicus Boulenger, Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus., 3, p. 501, 1896. IRAN: Aminabad, 1 (20933). The single specimen is much damaged. The dorsal scale rows are 23; caudals 48; upper labials 13; lower labials 15; scales about eye, 17. Aspis cerastes Linnaeus. Coluber cerastes Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., p. 217, 1758 — "Oriente"; here restricted to southern Judaea. ARABIA: Al Jubail, 70 km. north of Bahrein Island, 1 (MVZ, R. P. Miller). A single badly mangled specimen, without horns. Echis carinatus Schneider. Pseudoboa carinata Schneider, Hist. Amphib., 2, p. 285, 1801 — India. Echis carinata Wagler, Syst. Amphib., p. 177, 1830. IRAN: Persepolis, 1 (20927, Ernst Herzfeld). The specimen is a juvenile female, measuring only 200 mm., tail 23; the dorsal scales are 27-35-21; belly injured; caudals 32; upper labials 11-11; lower labials 15-14; scales in ring about eye, 16. 1939 REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM ASIA— SCHMIDT 89 TESTUDINATA Clemmys caspica caspica Gmelin. Testudo caspica Gmelin, Reise durch Russland, 3, p. 59, pis. 10, 11, 1774 — Hircania. Clemmys caspica Wagler, Icon. Amphib., pi. 24, 1830. IRAN: Persepolis, 8 (21035-42, Ernst Herzfeld). IRAQ: Ba'adri (northeast of Mosul), 5 (19708-10, 19712-14); Halfaya, 4 (19705-7, 19785). No significant difference is discernible between specimens from Persepolis and those from Iraq. ^ Testudo graeca Linnaeus. Testudo graeca Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., p. 198, 1758 — Santa Cruz, western Barbary. HATAY: Amuq Plain, 5 (25356-60, C. W. McEwan). SYRIA: Horns (between Horns and T-4), 1 (19715). Testudo graeca is said by Flower (1933, p. 745) to fall into at least four well-marked subspecies. These do not seem to have been defined, and as it is to be hoped that Major Flower may publish something on this topic, our specimens may stand for the present simply as graeca. Testudo zarudnyi Nikolsky. Testudo zarudnyi Nikolsky, Ann. Mus. Zool. Acad. Sci. Petrograd, 2, p. 307, pi. 17, 1897. IRAN: Yezd-i-Khast, 3 (21027-9). These specimens extend the range of Testudo zarudnyi westward. They exhibit the flaring corners of the carapace which appear to dis- tinguish this species from graeca, in spite of Boulenger's remarks about zarudnyi on the occasion of describing Testudo buxtoni (1920, p. 251). Trionyx euphraticus Daudin. Testudo euphratica Daudin, Hist. Nat. Kept., 2, p. 305, 1802. Trionyx euphraticus Geoffrey, Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, 14, p. 17, 1809. IRAQ: Baghdad, 1 (19492). REFERENCES AHL, ERNST 1924. Neue Reptilien und Batrachier aus dem Zoologischen Museum Berlin. Arch. Naturg., 90, Abt. A, Heft 5, pp. 246-254. ANDERSON, JOHN 1896. A Contribution to the Herpetology of Arabia. With a preliminary list of the reptiles and batrachians of Egypt. London, R. H. Porter. 222 pp. ANGEL, F. 1936. Reptiles et batraciens de Syrie et de Me'sopotamie re'colte' par M. P. Pallary. Bull. Inst. Egypte, 18, pp. 107-116. BARBOUR, THOMAS 1914. 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Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser., 17, pp. 221-229, figs. 1, 2, pi. 2. 1933. A New Snake from Arabia. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser., 20, pp. 9-10. SMITH, M. A. 1935. Reptilia and Amphibia. Sauria, in The Fauna of British India, ' including Ceylon and Burma. London: Taylor and Francis, xiii+440 pp., 93 figs., 1 pi., 2 maps. 92 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — ZOOLOGY, VOL. 24 TAYLOR, E. H. 1936. A Taxonomic Study of the Cosmopolitan Scinroid Lizards of the Genus Eumeces, etc. Univ. Kans. Sci. Bull., 23, pp. 1-643, figs. 1-84, pis. 1-43. TRISTAM, H. B. 1873. The Natural History of the Bible . . . .London, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, iv+518 pp., illus. WOLTERSTORFF, WlLLY 1926. Uber Triton crocatus Cope. Zool. Anz., 67, pp. 1-6, fig. 1. THE LIBRARY OF THE OCT6-1939 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINO& UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA