Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Series 3, Volume 4 (Zoology)Various
Science
Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Series 3, Volume 4 (Zoology)
Various
Zoology -- Periodicals
_Description._--Head and body little depressed; nostril opening
much nearer to end of snout than to orbit; upper head shields
smooth, moderately large and slightly convex, interparietal
largest; frontal divided transversely; parietal and frontal
plates separated from enlarged supraoculars by a series of small
plates or granules; frontoparietal in contact with enlarged
supraoculars; superciliaries long and strongly imbricate; middle
subocular very long, narrow and strongly keeled; rostral plate
of moderate height but great width; labials long, low and nearly
rectangular; symphyseal large and pentangular; some series of
enlarged sublabials; gulars smooth, imbricate, often emarginate
posteriorly; ear-opening large, slightly oblique, with anterior
denticulation of smooth acuminate scales; scales on back
equal-sized, keeled, mucronate with slight denticulation, and
arranged in nearly parallel longitudinal rows; lateral scales
smaller and directed obliquely upward; upper and anterior
surfaces of limbs with strongly keeled and mucronate scales;
posterior surface of thigh with small, acuminate, keeled scales;
ventral scales much smaller than dorsals, smooth, imbricate, and
usually bicuspid; tail furnished with slightly irregular whorls
of strongly keeled and pointed scales which are much larger and
rougher above than below, where they are smooth proximally;
femoral pores 14-16; 9-12 dorsal scales equaling length of
shielded part of head; number of scales in a row between
interparietal plate and a line connecting posterior surfaces of
thighs varying from 43-48; males with enlarged postanal plates.
The color above is grayish, brownish, or greenish blue, with a
series of dark brown blotches on each side of the back. A pale
longitudinal band separates the dorsal from the lateral regions.
The sides are brownish or grayish, mottled with darker brown
and dotted or suffused with green or pale blue. The head is
usually crossed by narrow brown lines, more or less irregular in
distribution. A brown line connects the orbit and upper corner
of the ear, and is continued backward on the neck. There is a
large blue patch on each side of the belly, bordered internally
with black in highly colored males. The chin and throat are
blue, pale anteriorly and changing to black posteriorly, crossed
by narrow oblique black lines which converge posteriorly and
blend with the black patches on the throat and in front of the
shoulders in males. There is a white patch at each side of the
anus, and a yellowish white band along the series of femoral
pores.
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