NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA

NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA,

Description of

New Genera and

Species of Wortli

American

Lizards in the

Mnsenm

of the Smithsonian Institution.

BY SPENCER

F.

BAIRD.

Family IGUANID^.

EtJPHRYNE, Baird.

— Body very heavy aad clumsy. Tail shorter than the body; verythickandconical. Scales verysmall, but imbricated and angular throughout. A median dorsal band of about 20 rows,andalargepatch on

%he sides of scales larger than the rest. Infra-orbitals inaseries of small, nearlyequalplates. Supra-cephalicplates allsmall, least

on

theouterpartof the supra-orbital region.

Upper

labialsrectangular,notimbricated. Posterior molars with five cusps; palatetoothed.

Claws

verythick

and

stout,anterior

much

the longer.

Euphryne

obesus,Baird.

— Widthofheadnearly equalto distancefrom noseto ear. Tail shorterthanthebody. Generalcolor of theyoung,olive green,with livebroadtransverse bars abovefromhead to baseoftail, and aboutas many oathetail;these rings yellow,dottedwith red. Beneath pea green dotted with black. With increasing age, the bands become obsolete and disappear, the generalcolorbecomingreddish olive.

The

largest

and

heaviest of

American

Iguanidce,

sometimes

exceedinga foot inlength.

Abundant

inthecanons oftheColorado, ofCalifornia, collectedb}^

-Maj.

Thomas,

Mex.

Boundary

Survey,

and

Lt. Ives'Expedition.

Type

No.^41*72 Crotapkytusreticulatus,Baird.

—

Infra-orbitalchaininaseries of 6 or8nearly equalplates. Scales

on

the gularfold

much

smallerthan those

between

the fore legs.

Above

ashy gray, with ahexagonal reticulation of lighter,the in- tersticeshere

and

there

dark

brown.

Chin and

throat reticulated. Neither black collarnor light spots.

More

closely related to CrotaphytuscoUaris, than to Crotaphytus (^Gambelia)wislizenii.

Hah.

— Laredo and

Ringgold Barracks, Tex. Mex.

Boundary

Survey. J.H.

Clark

and A.

Schott.

Type

2692.

Utasymmetrica^Baird.

—

^{Larger dorsal scales in four regular series,}

two

^on

either sideofthe

median

smallerones.

Head

short,depressed,one

and

ahalf timesas wideas deep. Tailone

and

a halftimes the

head and

body. General color light

brown

above, the belly white. Sideswith

broad

transverse

bands

of blackish. Size of U. ornata.

Hah.—

Fori

Yuma,

Cal. Mex.

Boundary

Survey. A. Schott.

Type

No.2760.

Utaschottii,Baird.

—

^Dorsal scales

and

size as inthe last.

Head

pointed, narrow, nearlyor quite as highas wide. General color nearlyblack,scarcely lighterbeneath.

Back

with small blue spots. Tail

banded

laterallywiththe same.

Hah.

—

^{Sta.Madelina, Cal. Mex.}

Boundary

Survey. A. Schott.

Type

No.

2761.

Uma,

Baird.

—

Earsdistinct. very longinfra-orbit'] plate. Palatewithout teeth. Outerfaceofupperlabialsplane

and

broadly v cal; thelabials

them-

selves

much

imbricated,

and

veryoblique. Scalesof

body above

equal,

much

smallerthanventral ones. Inter-orbital spacewith

two

seriesof plates.

Claws

very long, slender

and

straight. Sides with a

round

black spot. Tail?

(brokenoff.)

Uma

^notata,Baird.

— Headabouttwo-fifthsthehead andbody. Abovelight peagreen, spotted withdarkergreen. Beneathwhite. Head and bodyabout twoinches long.

Hah. — Mohave

Desert. Lt. Williamson,Dr.A. L.

Heermann. Type

No.4124.

HolbrooMa

approzimans, Baird.

—

^{Similarin size}

and

general character to//.

maculata. Tailshorter than body.

Two

smallvertical indigo black patches

on

the side of belly,entirely visiblefrom'

below

; with a light blue areola.

1858.]

254 TROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OP

Central point of bellyaboutopposite themiddlepoint

between

the

two

patchse.

No

light stripeonside of neck.

Upper

parts

and

sides gray, sprinkledwith whitish.

Head

broad, very convex above.

Hind

foot about one-third the

head and

body.

Hah.

— LowerRio Grande. Mex. BoundarySurvey, andLt. Couch.

Sceloporusfloridanus,Baird.

—

Cephalicplatessmooth. Threeseriesofsupra- orbitals,abroadcentral one,

and

anexternal

and

internalofvery smallplates.

Scales large, rough. 33 oblique

rows

of dorsal scales from

head

to anns.

Scales

on

insideof tibia carinated. Free portion of longesthindtoe exceed- ingthecephalic plates. Colorabove greenishyellow,withtwo broad yellow stripes, fivescales apart.

Back

withdistincttransverseblackishbars.

Larger

than S. undulatus.

Pensacola,Fla. Dr. Jeffries,U.S. N.

Type

No. 2874.

Sceloporus ornatus, Baird.

—

Dorsal scalesinabout 64oblique series,with but slight carination,mucronation

and

denticulation.

Femoral

pores 12.

A

well

marked

black cervical collar, complete above,

and

margined with yellowish.

Colordark green above, nearlyblack towards the

median

line.

Back

with email yellowishspots.

Patos,Coahuila,Lt.Couch.

Type

No.2845.

Sceloporuslongipes,Baird.

—

^SimilartoS. occidentalism ingeneral characters of shape, coloration

and

smoothnessof the scales

on

inside oftibia.

Limbs and

tail

much

lengthened. Freeportion ofhindtoelongerthanthe cephalicplates.

The

hindleg aslongasthe

body and

neck.

Hind

footcontainedabout

two and

ahalftimesinthe

head and

body.

FortTejon, Cal.

John

Xantus.

Type

No.4358.

Sceloporus coucJm,Baird.

—

General appearanceofS.marmoratus,Hall.

Cepha-

lic plates smooth. Scales very small.

About

80 oblique dorsal

rows

from

head

totail.

Femoral

pores 25. Color

above

dark green,with

two

lateral light stripes, separated by 18

rows

of scales.

Back

with irregular spots.

Sideswith awhite

band

from groin.

An

obsolete dark indigo patchon each side thebelly,widely separated below. Sides of

jaw banded

transverselywith blue

and

whitish.

A

subcircular indigopatchin frontof shoulder, surrounded

by

lightblotches.

Hab.

—

^SantaCaterina, N.Leon.Lt.Couch.

Type

No. 2739.

AnoliscooperijBaird.

—

^{Cephalic plates smooth.} Inter-orbital ridgesrunning tothe side of therostrum,posterior to the nostrils

which

are ratherlateral.

Digital pallets inconspicuous.

A

few central dorsal

rows

of scales abruptly largerthantherest,butthelateralall

much

smallerthanthe ventral. General colorgrayish above. Less thanA.carolinensis

.

^a6.—

California. Dr.J. G. Cooper.

Type

No.4165.

Family GECKOTIDJE.

SphcRriodactylusnotatus,Baird.

—

Scaleson

back and

sides large,equal, strongly carinated; those onbelly smaller,smooth, hexagonal.

Above

light brownish yellow,uniformlydotted

above

with reddish brown,

most

distinct

on

thehead, leastso

on

the belly.

Ilab.—Key

West,Fla.,Prof. Agassiz

and

Prof.

W. H.

B.

Thomas. Type

No.

3215.

Stenodactylusvariegatus,Baird.

— Head verybroad. Hind foot contained six timesinhead andbody. Above brownishyellow,with irregularsmallblotches of lightreddishbrown, sometimesinbroadtransversebands. Edgesof eyelids and whole undersurfaceopaquewhite.

Hah.

—

Rio

Grande and

Gila Valleys. Mex.

Boundary

Survey. A.Schott.

Type

3217.

Family XANTUSIDiE.

General form lacertian.

No

crests nor spines.

Head

with very large,

[Dec.

NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 255

polygonalplates. Scalesof

back

small,granular; those of belly large, square, intransverse series.

Tongue

broad,linear,not retractile,firmlyattached ex- cept attip,

which

isonlyslightlynotched,thebase not emarginate. Surfaceof tongue with aseriesofoblique convergingridges

on

each side. Teethsimple, pleurodont. Digitswithoneseriesoftransverse

smooth

lamellaebeneath,

Xantusia,Baird.

— Bodyslender; cylindrical. Femoral pores. Three folds on the throat, the anterior connecting the ears inferiorly and encircling the head. Pupilvertical. Noeyelids.

Xantusiavigilis, Baird.

— Hindleg extended forwards,reachesthe first gular fold,andiscontained about 2| timesinhead andbody. Claws small. Color above dark brownish yellow, varied with blackish spotsonsingle tubercles.

Young

vermiculated with yellowish

on

a

brown

ground.

A

^{yellowishline}

on

each sideof theneck,with

two

othersonthe nape,

making

four parallel ones.

Under

parts whitish.

Head and body

about

two

inches long.

Hah.—

FoitTejon, Cal.

John

Xantus.

Type

No.3063.

Family LACERTID^.

CnemidophorusinornatuSjBaird.

—

Scales

on

the gularfold, smallerthan those

on

the breast anteriorly,

and

scarcely larger than those

on

the middle of the chin. Scales of

back

tubercular

and

elevated.

Hind

feet abouttwo-fifths the

head and

body. General color light greenish olive, paler beneath.

No

lines OD thebody.

New

Leon. Lt.Couch.

Type

No.3032.

Cnemidophoi'usoctolineatus^Baird.

— Gular fold asinthe last. Hind foot not

two-fifthsthehead

and

body. Scales of

back

depressed. Generalcolor light greenisholive, paler beneath.

Back

witheight equidistant

and

approximated lightlines.

JIab.— New

Leon. Lt.

Couch. Type

No,3009.

Family ZONURID^.

Geirhonotuswebbii,Baird.

—

Tail 2} timesthe

head and

body. Scalesstrongly carinated. Dorsalscalesin48 transverserows.

Body

encircled

by

26

rows

of scales, of

which

12 are ventral.

Hind

feet longer than

from

snout to ear.

Above

leaden olivaceous brown, lighter beneath.

Back

with ten or twelve blackishbars,borderedinfront

by

brownish orreddishyellow,

Ilab.—Near San

Diego,Cal. Dr.

Webb. Type

No.3078.

Gerrhonotusinfernalis,Baird.

—

^Dorsalscales carinatedin16 longitudinal

rows

;

ventral in12. Nasal plateincontact withthe2dlabial only. Tail twice as longas

head and

body. 51 transverse rowsof scalesfrom

head

totail. Color clear lightolive,with8crossbars ofdusky.

Beneath

yellowish,

marbled

faintly withdull olive.

Head

^plain.

Ilab.

—

^{Devil's River, Tex.} Mex,

Boundarv

Survey. Dr, Kennerly.

Type

No. 3090.

GerrhonotusoUvaceus,Baird.

— No single frontal, Aseries of three pairs of plates between the vertical and rostral,becoming successively smaller. Two

post-nasals;oneloral. 39transverse

rows

of scales

on back

from

head

totail.

12 longitudinal

rows

above;the 6 central, strongly carinated. Color darkolive green, with aseriesof faint

dusky

bars. Beneath greenish white.

Ilab.

— Near SanDiego. Mex, BoundarySurvey, A, Schott. TypeNo.3096.

Lipidosternon floridanum^ Baird.

— Body as thick asa large goose quill. No

limbs.

A

large pentagonal plate onthe

head

above,encircled

by

nine others, therostrum endingina

broad

horizontal crescent,overhangiogthe

mouth. No

earsnorvisible eyes. Tailcontained18 timesin thebody,

much

depressed,its

upper

surfacewithlarge tubercles. Color whiteinalcohol.

Micanopy, Florida. Dr, J.B. Barratt.

Type

No.3202,

1858.]

256 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OP

Family SCINCID^.

Plestiodonleptogrammus^ Baird.

— Two post-nasals, the posterior one behind andabove the much smaller anterior. Colorblack, with five narrow, white lines,thetwolateral along the middleof single rows. Medianlightlinenot bifurcated.

PlatteRiverValley. Lt.Warren,Dr.

Hay

den.

Type

No.3119.

Plestiodon inornatus,Baird.

— Two post-nasals of equal size, one above the other. Hindlew applied threetimes forwards, reachingtheear.

//a5.—Sand

Hillsof Platte. Lt.Warren, Dr.

Hayden. Type

No. 3110.

Plestiodon tetrafframmus, Baird.

— Onepost-nasal plate; post-frontal andinter- nasals separated by the post-nasal. Five supra- orbitals. Dorsal scales of equalwidth. Lightolivegreen above;sideswithtwoyellowishlines,separated bysixrowsof darkerolive scales. Upper labials pure yellowish. Bodyen- circledby about28rowsofscales. Nodorsalstripe.

Ifab

— Lower

Rio Grande. Dr. Berlandier, Lt. Couch.

Type

No. 3124, Plestiodonegregius^Baird.

— One post-nasal plate; post-frontalandinter-nasals separatedbythe post-nasal. Fourupperlabials. Ears verysmall. Twocen- tral dorsal rows largest. Bodycylindrical. Color reddish ash,with two or three white lines on each side, margined with dusky,sometimesa third; all these alongthe centres of singlerowsof scales. Upperlateral lines separated by twoplainrows. Bodyencircled by about22 rowsofscales.

//a6.—

Indian Key,Fla. G.

Wurdemann. Type

No. 3128,

Plestiodonseptentrionalis^Baird,

— Onepost-nasal platewhichdoesnot separate the inter-nasalsandpost-frontals. Coloraboveolive,withfour equidistantand equaldarkstripeson adjacenthalfrowsof scales. Two narrowwhitelineson aachside,traversing the centres of singlerows, and marginedaboveand below byblack. Upperlaterallightstripesseparated bysixrowsofscales. Beneath lightgreenish.

Hah.

—

Minnesota

and

Nebraska. Rev. S,

W. Manney, 'Type

1356.

Eemarks

onthelower Cretaceous beds of

Kansas and

Nebraska, together

with

descriptions of

some new

species ofCarboniferous fossils

from

the valley of

Kansas

river.

BY

F. B.

MEEK AND

^E, V.

HAYDEN.

The

CretaceoussystemasdevelopedinNebraska, isclearly divisible intofive distinctformations,

which

have, for the sake ofconvenience, been

numbered

1,2,3,&c.,from the base upwards.

Although

atfirstentertaining

some

doubts asto

whether

No. _1, or the lowest formation,

might

not beolderthanCreta- ceous,

we

always placeditprovisionally, inour published sections, intheCre- taceoussystem.

More

recently, aftera carefulreview of the subject,

we became

satisfiedfromthe

modern

affinitiesof

numerous

dicotyledonousleaves foundin thisformation, that

we

hazardedlittle in regardingitas a settledquestionthat itcouldnotbeolderthan Cretaceous,

and

so expressed ourselves inour paper readbeforethe

Academy

of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia,March, 1858.

The

reference ofthisformationto the Cretaceous,however,

was

not without

some

exceptionsgenerallyadmitted, forProfessorJulesMarcou,inhis

work on

the "

Geology

of North America," page143,refersittothe

New Red

^Sandstone,

and

inasubsequentpublication,- he placesitintheJurassic; while

some

in- vestigatorsin thiscountryalso inclined to theopinionthatit

must

be Triassic.

Inthemidstof these conflicting opinions, althoughsatisfied

we were

right,

we

wished, in orderto

remove

all doubts from the

minds

of others, tohavethe opinionof

some good

authorityin fossilbotany,(a department of palseontolo-

*]N"otespour server aunedescriptiongeologique desMontaguesRochenses,page20.

[Dec.