Chapter III: Part 3

This small hylid is abundant in the Tepalcatepec Valley to elevations of about 1000 meters; it was found infrequently on the coastal lowlands. Males call from bushes in and around flooded fields and ditches, from grasses and small herbs in the water and from vegetation overhanging small streams. The call consists of a series of short, high notes, somewhat reminiscent of a katydid's song. In the dry season occasional males were heard calling from irrigated fields near Apatzingan. In the daytime individuals were found in the axils of leaves of the elephant-ear plants (_Xanthosoma_).

In living individuals the dorsal color usually is uniform pale yellow; often the lateral white stripe is barely visible. The vocal sac is bright yellow, and the iris is pale gold. In some individuals there are scattered dark brown spots or flecks on the back and upper surfaces of limbs. Twenty males from Apatzingan have the following measurements: snout-vent length, 22.8-26.0 (25.0) mm., tibia length, 10.7-13.6 (12.6) mm.; head width, 7.2-8.0 (7.6) mm., head length, 7.1-8.1 (7.7) mm.

~Hypopachus caprimimus~ Taylor

_Hypopachus caprimimus_ Taylor, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull.,
26:526, November 27, 1940.--Agua del Obispo, Guerrero,
Mexico.

Buena Vista; Copuyo (6); Charapendo (3); Cofradia;
Jaramillo; Jungapeo; San Salvador; Tuxpan.

Specimens of _Hypopachus_ from the Balsas drainage in Michoacan have characters consistent with topotypic _H. caprimimus_. Eleven specimens from the southern edge of the Mexican Plateau all have the flanks darker than the dorsum, a distinct and continuous dark stripe from the occiput to the groin, a large dark spot in the inguinal region, and a pair of dark transverse stripes on the thigh and shank (Pl. 6, Fig. 1). With the exception of three specimens from Charapendo, all have a predominantly brown venter with round, cream-colored spots.

Peters (1954:8) referred specimens from Buena Vista and San Salvador to _Hypopachus oxyrrhinus_. He stated that the specimen (BMNH 1914.1.28.150) from San Salvador had flanks much darker than the dorsum and a well-defined continuous stripe from the occiput to the groin; this specimen has the characters of _H. caprimimus_. The specimen (BMNH 1914.1.28.151) from Buena Vista resembles _H. oxyrrhinus_ in some characters, but it is not like _H. oxyrrhinus ovis_ on the Mexican Plateau in Michoacan. The specimen has paired transverse stripes on the hind limbs as does _H. caprimimus_, and is here referred to that species.

In Michoacan this species has been collected in arid tropical scrub forest at elevations of 200 to 1800 meters in the northern foothills of the Sierra de Coalcoman, the Tepalcatepec and Tuxpan valleys, and on the lower slopes of the Cordillera Volcanica. Calling males have been found along streams. One specimen from Charapendo was regurgitated by a _Leptodeira maculata_.

~Hypopachus oxyrrhinus ovis~ Taylor

_Hypopachus ovis_ Taylor, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 26:520,
November 27, 1940.--Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico.

_Hypopachus oxyrrhinus ovis_, Shannon and Humphrey,
Herpetologica, 14:89, July 23, 1958.

Emiliano Zapata; 30 km. NW of Jacona (2); 10 km. NE of
Patzcuaro (2); Tangamandapio (16); 24 km. W of Zamora (16).

Thirty-seven specimens from the Mexican Plateau in northwestern Michoacan agree well with the diagnosis of _Hypopachus oxyrrhinus ovis_ by Shannon and Humphrey (1958). With the exception of one specimen from Tangamandapio, all have dark bellies extensively mottled or spotted with cream-color. Most of the specimens have some form of an irregular, usually broken, dark line from the occiput to the groin. In eight specimens there is no line or linear arrangement of spots; instead the dorsum is spotted or flecked with dark brown. The ground color of the dorsum and flanks varies from dull reddish brown to grayish brown; cream-colored spots are evident on the flanks and posterior surfaces of the thighs in all specimens (Pl. 6, Fig. 2).

In comparison with 14 specimens from Queseria, Colima (UMMZ 80001-2), individuals from the Mexican Plateau have a darker venter with bolder markings, and a more mottled dorsum.

In Michoacan this species has been taken between 1500 and 2200 meters on the Mexican Plateau, where it inhabits mesquite-grassland and cultivated areas.

~Rana dunni~ Zweifel

_Rana dunni_ Zweifel, Copeia, no. 2:78, July 15, 1957.--Lago
de Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico.

Lago de Patzcuaro (23); Rio de Morelia, near Undameo (8).

Aside from the type series of this species, there are in the Museum of Zoology at the University of Michigan six specimens taken from "tanks" at the limnological station at Patzcuaro by Paul S. Martin in 1948, and eight specimens found in shaded ditches along the Rio de Morelia by Robert R. Miller on April 4, 1957. The Rio de Morelia flows into Lago de Cuitzeo; this drainage is separated from Lago de Patzcuaro by a chain of hills about 2400 meters in elevation. Dr. Richard G. Zweifel has examined these specimens and has informed me that, although they differ slightly from typical _Rana dunni_, they are much closer to that species than to _Rana montezumae_.

~Rana megapoda~ Taylor

_Rana megapoda_ Taylor, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 28:310,
November 12, 1942.--Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico.

La Palma (8).

These specimens (USNM 113998-114005) are from the marshes along the southeastern shore of Lago de Chapala. Five females have snout-vent lengths of 124.0-138.1 (131.5), and one male has a snout-vent length of 110.2 mm. Two juveniles have snout-vent lengths of 49.7 and 56.3 mm. The coloration of the juveniles is more bold than that of the adults. The body proportions of these specimens agree with those presented by Zweifel (1957:80).

~Rana montezumae~ Baird

_Rana montezumae_ Baird, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia,
7:61, October 20, 1854.--Mexico City, Distrito Federal,
Mexico.

La Palma; 8 km. NW of Maravatio (10); Sahuayo; Tupataro (7).

This species probably is more abundant and widespread than is indicated by the few specimens listed above. It has been found only in the vicinity of permanent water on the Mexican Plateau and the mountains rising from the plateau at elevations of 1500 to 2000 meters. Its apparent absence from Lago de Patzcuaro cannot be explained, unless _Rana dunni_ replaces it there.

~Rana pipiens~ Schreber

_Rana pipiens_ Schreber, Der Naturforscher, Halle, 18:185,
1782.--Raccoon, Gloucester County, New Jersey.

Aguililla (2); Apatzingan (13); Arteaga; Axolotl (16);
Camachines (2); Capirio; Cascada Tzararacua (3); Cerro San
Andres (6); Charapendo (4); Ciudad Hidalgo; Coalcoman (17);
Cuitzeo (3); El Sabino (10); Jacona (3); 29 km. NW of Jacona
(8); Jiquilpan; La Orilla (3); La Palma (5); La Playa (4);
Lago de Chapala (3); Lago de Patzcuaro (6); Lombardia; Los
Conejos (67); Los Reyes (7); Macho de Agua; Maravatio;
Morelia (5); Opopeo (3); Patzcuaro (9); 26 km. S of
Patzcuaro (52); Puerto Hondo (3); Rio Duero, 14 km. E of
Zamora (13); Rio Tepalcatepec, 27 km. S of Apatzingan (2);
San Gregorio (38); San Jose de la Cumbre (5); Tangamandapio;
Zacapu; 18 km. W of Zamora (35).

Except on the Pacific lowlands, this species is abundant throughout the state. It has been collected from sea level to 2800 meters, the greatest altitudinal range of any amphibian in Michoacan. It has been found frequently in the Tepalcatepec Valley; it is not a distinctly highland species in southern Michoacan, as stated by Peters (1954:9). One specimen from Aguililla (UMMZ 119257) is an albino. In this specimen there is a faint pattern on the hind limbs; otherwise the entire body is creamy white; the eyes are pink.

~Rana pustulosa~ Boulenger

_Rana pustulosa_ Boulenger, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 5,
11:343, 1883.--Ventanas, Durango, Mexico.

Arteaga (4); 21 km. S of Arteaga; Cascada Tzararacua (3);
Coalcoman (3); 12 km. ENE of Dos Aguas (3); El Sabino (53);
Los Reyes (3); Tzitzio (4); Uruapan.

Although _Rana pustulosa_ seems to be absent from the Mexican Plateau in Michoacan, it has been collected at elevations of 850 to 2150 meters on the slopes of the Cordillera Volcanico and in the Sierra de Coalcoman. Usually the frogs are found along rocky streams, but at Coalcoman they were found in a hyacinth-choked old river channel, and at El Sabino, in irrigation ditches.

In most specimens the dorsum is dark olive-brown; in some it is pale olive-tan with dense dark brown mottling on the back and dark transverse bands on the hind limbs.

Thirteen tadpoles (UMMZ 94271) taken from a seepage pool by a stream near Uruapan closely resemble the description of tadpoles of this species given by Taylor (1942b).

REPTILIA

Testudines

~Chelonia mydas~ (Linnaeus)

_Testudo mydas_ Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 10:197,
1758.--Type locality restricted to Ascension Island by
Mertens and Mueller (1928:23).

_Chelonia mydas_, Brongniart, Bull. Sci. Soc. Philom., 2:89,
1800.

Beach between Rio Motin and Rio Colotlan (2); Maruata; Playa
Azul (4).

Green sea turtles are abundant along the coast of Michoacan. Laying females and fresh nests were found on August 6-12, 1950, July 14-16, 1951, and July 8-10, 1955. The general account of sea turtles on the coast of Michoacan that was given by Peters (1957) is supplemented here by my field notes on the actions of one female observed on the night of July 14, 1951, near Maruata by Donald D. Brand and I. Because of a full moon, visibility was excellent.

In the course of the day several _Chelonia_ were seen in the surf; shortly after dark the first turtle was observed on the beach. Several were observed to come out on the beach and crawl nearly to the strand line, only to return to the sea.

At 10:20 p. m. one turtle was seen about 15 meters from the water. We watched this turtle from some distance and observed that by 10:26 p. m. she had moved about ten meters to a bank of sand about two meters high. Ten minutes later she had climbed the bank and disappeared over the top into the brush. We moved closer and remained hidden below the bank. Although we could not see the turtle, we could hear her movements. Between 10:37 and 10:57 p. m. the turtle dug, often flipping the dry sand for a distance of about two meters. When this energetic digging ceased, we moved up the bank to see that she was facing inland and sitting in a depression about one and one-half meters in diameter and 30 centimeters in depth. She had cleaned out this depression in the past 20 minutes. Between 11:00 and 11:36 p. m. she dug the nest hole by first scooping sand with one hind flipper and then with the other; when sand was thrown by one flipper, there was a similar, but weaker, motion by the other flipper. At 11:36 p. m. she stopped digging. By crawling up behind the turtle we were able to examine the nest cavity, which measured 21 centimeters across the top and 38 centimeters deep. The diameter of the bottom of the hole was estimated to be about 50 centimeters. At 11:40 p. m. she released the first egg; a minute later she dropped the second. At 11:42 p. m. the third and fourth eggs were released; these were coherent, as were the fifth and sixth eggs released at 11:43 p. m. After this, as many as three eggs were dropped at a time. After laying about 60 eggs, she paused for a minute and then continued laying. By 11:55 p. m. she had laid 98 eggs; after this, the process of deposition slowed considerably. She dropped a fragment of an egg followed by normal eggs. At midnight she deposited a miniature egg about 20 mm. in diameter. This terminated the deposition. Immediately she began to cover the nest.

Within ten minutes after the last egg was deposited the nest had been covered. The turtle first had been seen at 10:20 p. m.; judging from its speed and its distance from the water, the turtle probably had been on land for about ten minutes. About 25 minutes were used in crawling from the water to the nesting site. One hour and 33 minutes were spent at the nesting site; of this time twenty minutes were taken for egg deposition. The turtle was not followed back to the water, but if the return trip took approximately the same amount of time as required to travel from the ocean to the nesting site, the total elapsed time from departure to return to the water was about two and one-half hours.

We collected the eggs as they were deposited. There were 106 eggs, each having a diameter of about 40 mm., plus one small egg and a fragment of another. The turtle had a carapace about one meter in length.

From our limited observations of sea turtles and their tracks on the beaches, and from the accounts of these animals by the residents of the coastal region, great numbers of sea turtles use these relatively uninhabited beaches for nesting grounds. However, the turtles do not go unmolested. The natives capture turtles and collect their eggs. Opened and emptied nests also showed signs of predatory activity on the part of other mammals. In the vicinity of Playa Azul several turtles were killed by dogs.

~Kinosternon hirtipes hirtipes~ Wagler

_Cinosternon hirtipes_ Wagler, Naturl. Syst. Amph., p. 37,
1830.--Mexico. Type locality restricted to Mazatlan,
Sinaloa, Mexico, by Smith and Taylor (1950b:25).

_Kinosternon hirtipes hirtipes_, Schmidt, Check list N Amer.
Amph. Rept., ed. 6, p. 89, 1953.

Eight km. W of Ciudad Hidalgo; Jiquilpan; La Palma; Lago de
Camecuaro (4); Lago de Cuitzeo (3); Lago de Patzcuaro (8);
14 km. E of Zamora (4).

One specimen from eight kilometers west of Ciudad Hidalgo (UIMNH 24707) is from the Rio Tuxpan, a tributary of the Rio Balsas; this is the only record for the species from the Balsas drainage. All others are from the lakes or rivers flowing into the lakes on the southern part of the Mexican Plateau. This species exists in Lago de Patzcuaro to the apparent exclusion of the abundant and widespread _Kinosternon integrum_.

~Kinosternon integrum~ LeConte

_Kinosternon integrum_ LeConte, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci.
Philadelphia, 7:183, 1854.--Mexico. Type locality restricted
to Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, by Smith and Taylor
(1950b:25).

Agua Cerca (3); Aguililla; Arteaga (8); Apatzingan (7);
Barranca de Herradero; Buenavista (20); Capirio (2);
Charapendo (3); Chupio; Coahuayana (2); Coalcoman (169);
Copuyo (4); El Sabino (8); Jacona; Jiquilpan (12); La Orilla
(2); La Playa (2); Lago de Cuitzeo (27); Las Higuertas;
Lombardia (3); Los Reyes (5); Morelia; Ojos de Agua de San
Telmo; San Pedro Naranjestila; Tacicuaro.

Excepting Lago de Patzcuaro, _Kinosternon integrum_ occupies all permanent and temporary ponds, lakes, and streams below 2200 meters throughout the state. At Coalcoman the species was in roadside ditches, small puddles, flooded fields, a hyacinth-choked ox-bow of the Rio Coalcoman, as well as in the Rio Coalcoman and its tributaries. Specimens from Arteaga and Barranca de Herradero were found in clear rocky streams; the one from Las Higuertas was found in a small muddy pond in pine-oak forest.

On August 26, 1960, James R. Dixon found a copulating pair in a pool at Capirio. The large series from Coalcoman contains juveniles and adults; these turtles formed the basis for the study of relative growth of plastral scutes in this species by Mosimann (1956).

~Geoemyda rubida perixantha~ Mosimann and Rabb

_Geoemyda rubida perixantha_ Mosimann and Rabb, Occ. Pap.
Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan, 548:1, November 9, 1953.--Eight
kilometers south of Tecoman, Colima, Mexico.

Apatzingan (2); Coahuayana; La Placita; Punta San Juan de
Lima.

These specimens have been discussed in detail by Mosimann and Rabb (1953). All are from the arid tropical scrub forest; those from the coastal regions were collected at elevations of less than 40 meters, and those from the Tepalcatepec Valley were collected at an elevation of 335 meters.

Crocodilia

~Crocodylus acutus acutus~ Cuvier

_Crocodylus acutus_ Cuvier, Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris,
10:55, 1807.--Santo Domingo.

_Crocodylus acutus acutus_, Mueller and Hellmich,
Ibero-Amerik. Stud., 13:128, 1940.

Boca de Apiza (2); Playa Azul (2).

The crocodile or "caiman" is abundant in the brackish lagoons along the cost of Michoacan; three large adults and several juveniles were observed at Estero Pichi at Playa Azul; others were seen at Mexiquillo and Maruata. Residents of the Balsas-Tepalcatepec Basin frequently have reported "caimanes" in the Rio Balsas and Rio Tepalcatepec, but the existence of the crocodile in these rivers has not been verified by specimens.

Sauria

~Phyllodactylus duellmani~ Dixon

_Phyllodactylus duellmani_ Dixon, Southwest Nat., 5:37,
April 15, 1960.--Rancho El Espinal, Michoacan, Mexico.

Fourteen km. SSW of Apatzingan; Capirio; Cafradia (3); El
Espinal (3).

This species is known only from the Tepalcatepec Valley, where it has been found in open arid situations from 180 to 500 meters. Specimens were found in the daytime in stumps, dead cacti, and the hollow branches of the legume, _Apoplanesia paniculata_. In life adults were pale gray or grayish tan above and creamy white below. A juvenile having a snout-vent length of 18 mm. had a pale orange tail with gray cross-bands. In the adults the tail was colored like the body. The specimen from 14 kilometers south-southwest of Apatzingan (KU 29764) and those from Cofradia (BMNH 1914.1.28.28-30) were not listed by Dixon (1960).

~Phyllodactylus homolepidurus~ Smith

_Phyllodactylus homolepidurus_ Smith, Univ. Kansas Sci.
Bull., 22:121, November 15, 1935.--Five miles southwest of
Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.

El Ticuiz (2); La Placita; Ostula (2); Pomaro; San Pedro
Naranjestila.

These specimens have been referred to _Phyllodactylus homolepidurus_ by James R. Dixon (_in litt._), who is currently studying the American members of the genus. Geckos of this species have been found in tropical semi-deciduous forest in the coastal lowlands to elevations of 500 meters. Most specimens were found beneath the bark of standing dead trees or stumps. Two individuals from El Ticuiz (UMMZ 115102) in life were dark gray above with brownish tubercles; the belly was a dusty cream-color. Apparently this species does not enter the Tepalcatepec Valley, where _Phyllodactylus lanei_ is abundant.

~Phyllodactylus lanei~ Smith

_Phyllodactylus lanei_ Smith, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull.,
22:125, November 15, 1935.--Tierra Colorado, Guerrero,
Mexico.

Apatzingan (13); 21 km. S of Arteaga: El Sabino (53); La
Playa; Ostula (2); Rio Marquez, 10 km. S of Lombardia (8);
16 km. N of Tafetan.

This widespread species has been taken at elevations of less than 1100 meters in the Balsas-Tepalcatepec Basin, where it occurs in riparian situations in the foothills. Specimens have been collected in tropical semi-deciduous forest at Ostula and in oak forest south of Arteaga; both of these localities are on the Pacific slopes of the Sierra de Coalcoman, a region inhabited by _Phyllodactylus homolepidurus_. Both species have been collected at Ostula.

A juvenile from 21 kilometers south of Arteaga (UMMZ 118933) had alternating black and white bands on the tail. In life most of the lizards are dull ashy gray or grayish tan above and white below. According to Dixon (_in litt._), one specimen from Apatzingan (UMMZ 115102) resembles _Phyllodactylus magnus_ in scutellation, but it lacks the distinctive yellow venter of that species.

Apparently _Phyllodactylus lanei_ is restricted to rather mesic environments in the Balsas-Tepalcatepec Valley and surrounding foothills; in the more open arid environments on the floor of the valley it seems to be replaced by _Phyllodactylus duellmani_.

~Phyllodactylus paucituberculatus~ Dixon

_Phyllodactylus paucituberculatus_ Dixon, Southwest. Nat.,
5:40, April 15, 1960.--Rio Cupatitzio (= Rio Marquez), 6.5
miles south of Lombardia, Michoacan, Mexico.

Rio Marquez, 10 km. S of Lombardia (6).

Two of these specimens (UMMZ 112692-3) were discussed in detail by Dixon (1960:40) in his description of the species. On August 25, 1960, Dixon collected four additional specimens at the type locality, a conglomerate cliff along the Rio Marquez. These will be reported by him in his forthcoming study of the genus.

~Anolis dunni~ Smith

_Anolis dunni_ Smith, Copeia, no. 1:9, May 10, 1936.--Agua
del Obispo, Guerrero, Mexico.

Arteaga (3); 19 km. S of Arteaga.

Three females from Arteaga (UMMZ 119075) have snout-vent lengths of 41, 41, and 44 mm. In life the pale grayish brown dorsum was marked with dark brown; the belly was white, and the throat was pale pink. All have a dark interorbital bar and dark vertical bars on the upper labials. In two specimens there are only scattered dark flecks on the dorsum; in the third there is a dark postorbital stripe, a dark lateral stripe, and four narrow transverse bands on the body. A male from 19 kilometers south of Arteaga (UMMZ 119076) having a snout-vent length of 49 mm. had in life a tan dorsum, a broad white stripe from the ear to the groin, scattered small white spots on the dorsum, and indistinct pale cream-colored spots on the posterior surfaces of the thighs. This male has the dark labial bars, but lacks the dark interorbital bar, found in the females. The large rose-pink throat fan extends to about the middle of the belly. In all of the specimens the middorsal scales are keeled and much smaller than the smooth pavementlike or slightly imbricate ventrals. All have two gulars in contact with the mental, five scales between the nasals, five scales (not including the first labials) in contact with the rostral, and four rows of loreals. In these characters these specimens agree well with _Anolis dunni_ from Guerrero, as diagnosed by Davis (1954b).

Previously _Anolis dunni_ has been reported only from the vicinity of Agua del Obispo, Guerrero, a locality situated at an elevation of about 900 meters in pine-oak forest in the Sierra del Sur. All known close relatives of _Anolis dunni_ occur only in Guerrero: _A. taylori_ Smith and Spieler from Acapulco, _A. gadowi_ Boulenger from Tierra Colorado, _A. liogaster_ Boulenger, and _A. omiltemanus_ Davis from Omiltemi. The present specimens from elevations of about 900 meters in riparian stream vegetation and oak forest represent the northern known limits of this group of _Anolis_.

~Anolis nebulosus~ (Wiegmann)

_Dactyloa nebulosa_ Wiegmann, Herpetologia Mexicana, p. 47,
1834.--Mexico. Type locality restricted to Mazatlan,
Sinaloa, Mexico, by Smith and Taylor (1950b:66).

_Anolis nebulosas_, Bocourt, Mission Scientifique au Mexique
et dan l'Amerique Centrale. Reptiles, livr. 2:77, 1873.

Acahuato (3); Agua Cerca; Apatzingan (4); Araparicuaro (3);
29 km. S of Ario de Rosales (3); 20 km. S of Arteaga (2);
Barranca de Bejuco; Cascada Tzararacua (5); Cerro Tancitaro
(13); Cheran; Chupio (5); Coalcoman (10); Cofradia; Dos
Aguas (10); 18 km. E of Dos Aguas (3); El Diezmo; El Sabino
(43); El Ticuiz; Jiquilpan (2); La Orilla; La Placita; La
Playa (3); Los Conejos (2); Los Pozos; Nogueleras (2);
Ostula; 8 km. W of Patzcuaro (2); 8 km. NE of Patzcuaro;
Playa Azul (3); Rio Cachan; Rio Marquez, 10 km. S of
Lombardia; Rio Tepalcatepec, 27 km. S of Apatzingan; San
Juan de Lima (6); San Pedro Naranjestila; Temazcal; Tuxpan
(2); Tzitzio; Uruapan (74); 11 km. N of Uruapan (2); Volcan
Jorullo; 16 km. E of Zacapu (2); 18 km. W of Zamora;
Ziracuaretiro.

Even with the abundance of material the assignment of a specific name to these anoles is only tentative, for definite determination between _Anolis nebulosus_ Wiegmann and _A. nebuloides_ Bocourt is uncertain. Bocourt (1873:75) distinguished _A. nebuloides_ from _A. nebulosus_ by the following characters: (1) head scales keeled, not smooth; (2) snout narrower; (3) ear opening larger; (4) supraorbital semicircles separated by a row of small scales and not in contact; (5) dorsal scales larger and subequal in size to the belly scales. Boulenger (1885:77) used the same characters; Smith and Taylor (1950b:58) in their key to the Mexican species of _Anolis_ stated that the dorsal scales are slightly smaller than the ventrals in _A. nebulosus_ and markedly smaller in _A. nebuloides_. Smith (_in litt._) stated that the characters of the relative sizes of the dorsal and ventral scales were incorrect in that key.

The application of the above criteria to specimens from Michoacan has not resulted in the recognition of two species. The majority of the specimens have the supraorbital semicircles separated by at least one small scale; the head scales, with the exception of those on the snout in a few individuals, are smooth; the dorsal scales are only slightly smaller than the ventrals. In other characters of scutellation the specimens are highly variable. The males in life have an orange throat fan. Anoles of this kind have been found in Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit, and southern Sinaloa. Near Oaxaca, Oaxaca, specimens were collected that superficially resemble those from Michoacan and farther north. These have low keels on the snout scales, dorsals somewhat larger than the ventrals, and a pink throat fan. In ten males from Oaxaca the size of the dorsal scales relative to that of the ventrals is 1.00:0.83; the same ratio for 25 males from Michoacan is 1.00:1.08. In both samples there are specimens in which the dorsal and ventral scales are about equal in size.

Investigations by Richard E. Etheridge on the osteology of _Anolis_, including those species here being considered, have revealed relatively constant differences in the parasternalia and in the caudal vertebrae. The application of Etheridge's findings to anoline systematics must await the completion of his study.

The carination of the scales on the snout _versus_ smooth scales there seems to be the only significant character given by Bocourt that distinguishes _A. Nebuloides_ from _A. nebulosus_. The difference in the color of the throat fan, which is apparent only in living individuals, is more striking. Obviously more than one species is represented, as is borne out by the differences in the color of the throat fan and in the osteology, but there is uncertainty about the correct name for each species. On the strength of Bocourt's diagnosis of keeled snout scales in _A. nebuloides_, I am applying that name to the population in Oaxaca and _A. nebulosus_ to the specimens from Michoacan. As arranged here, the two species can be distinguished, as follows:

_A. nebulosus._--Dorsal scales only slightly smaller than
the ventral scales; snout scales usually smooth; throat-fan
bright orange in adult males.

_A. nebuloides._--Dorsal scales somewhat larger than the
ventral scales; snout scales having a low keel; throat-fan
pink in adult males.

With respect to geographic distribution, _A. nebulosus_ has been collected from southern Sinaloa southward to Michoacan. The lizards here referred to _A. nebuloides_ have been taken only in pine-oak forest on the mountain slopes near Oaxaca City. Zweifel and Norris (1955:233) reported anoles with pink throat-fans from southern Sonora; possibly those specimens are _A. nebuloides_; I have not examined them. I have seen several preserved specimens from the vicinity of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca. Although they probably belong to this group, those specimens differ from both _A. nebulosus_ and _A. nebuloides_ in their larger size, relatively larger head, and much larger throat fan.

Aside from the minor variation in scutellation, specimens of _Anolis nebulosus_ from Michoacan vary greatly in coloration. Usually the females have some form of a broad middorsal pale-colored band. In life this is dull yellow, tan, or orange. Two females from Dos Aguas are strikingly different; one (UMMZ 119521) has a broad middorsal orange stripe that is scalloped laterally and bordered by gray. The other (UMMZ 119081) has a narrow middorsal cream-colored line. Males usually are unicolor brown or olive-tan; sometimes the middorsal region is darker. Some individuals have dark cross-bands or chevrons on the dorsum. One male from Dos Aguas (UMMZ 119080) has a cream-colored lateral stripe.

In Michoacan _Anolis nebulosus_ occurs from sea level to elevations slightly in excess of 2100 meters, usually in areas of dense cover, whether this be herbaceous, viney, or woody, ordinarily on the ground as well as in bushes and trees. One was in a bromeliad growing about ten meters above the ground. In the arid Tepalcatepec Valley anoles of this species are most frequently found in the tangled growth along streams. Above Uruapan they were found in pine-oak forest, and on the Mexican Plateau between Zamora and Zacapu they were found in a bunch grass-scrub oak association.

~Anolis schmidti~ Smith

_Anolis schmidti_ Smith, Publ. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., zool.
ser., 24:21, January 30, 1939.--Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico.

La Placita; San Juan de Lima.

Peters (1954:11) reported on the specimen from La Placita; another was secured at San Juan de Lima in 1956. The latter (UMMZ 115078) is a male having a snout-vent length of 43.0 mm. and a tail length of 70.5 mm. The dorsal ground color is pale tan; there are five pairs of irregular dark brown dorsolateral blotches. In life the throat fan was pale orange. These specimens agree with those from Colima described by Duellman (1958c:10). The distribution of _Anolis schmidti_ seems to be restricted to the coastal lowlands from Michoacan to Nayarit.

~Basiliscus vittatus~ Wiegmann

_Basiliscus vittatus_ Wiegmann, Isis von Oken, 21:373,
1828.--Mexico. Type locality restricted to Veracruz,
Veracruz, Mexico, by Smith and Taylor (1950b:72).

Apatzingan (9); Capirio; Coahuayana (5); El Cerrito; El
Sabino (2); El Ticuiz; La Placita (3); Maruata (2); Motin
del Oro; Ostula; Playa Azul (3).

This species has been found only on the coast and in the low Tepalcatepec Valley. In the latter area it is restricted to riparian situations along the larger streams. The lizard is abundant in the mangrove swamps bordering the brackish lagoons on the coast. In July, 1955, scores of individuals were seen around Estero Pichi at Playa Azul. Adults, especially the large males, are exceedingly wary and difficult to collect. At all localities where they were found, the lizards were most often seen in dense bushes, where they are well camouflaged. Individuals of all sizes were observed to run across the surface of the ponds.

~Iguana iguana rhinolopha~ Wiegmann

_Iguana rhinolopha_ Wiegmann, Herpetologia Mexicana, p. 44,
1834.--Mexico. Type locality restricted to Cordoba,
Veracruz, Mexico, by Smith and Taylor (1950b:72).

_Iguana iguana rhinolopha_, Van Denburgh, Proc. Acad. Nat.
Sci. Philadelphia, 1897:461, January 18, 1898.

Apatzingan (8); Capirio (3); El Cerrito; El Ticuiz (2); La
Placita; La Playa (2); Maruata; Playa Azul; Rio Cachan.

Like the preceding species, this lizard is always found near water. It does not ascend the foothills of the Sierra de Coalcoman, but in the Balsas Basin it reaches elevations of 800 meters at La Playa. Large adults are often seen in the large trees making up the gallery forests along rivers. From high perches the lizards drop into the water with a terrific splash. Bright green juveniles were abundant in bushes along the Rio Tepalcatepec in July, 1955.

~Ctenosaura pectinata~ (Wiegmann)

_Cyclura pectinata_ Wiegmann, Herpetologia Mexicana, p. 42,
1834.--Mexico (by inference). Type locality restricted to
Colima, Colima, Mexico, by Bailey (1928:25).

_Ctenosaura pectinata_, Gray, Catalogue of the lizards...
British Museum, p. 191, 1845.

Apatzingan (27); between Ario de Rosales and La Playa;
Barranca de Bejuco; Capirio (2); Coalcoman (4); El Espinal;
El Sabino (2); El Ticuiz; Jazmin (2); La Huacana; La Placita
(8); La Playa (3); Limoncito; Lombardia; Motin del Oro;
Playa Azul; Rio Cancita, 12 km. E of Apatzingan (2); Rio
Marquez, 10 km. S of Lombardia (2);? Uruapan; Volcan
Jorullo.

_Ctenosaura pectinata_ is a common lowland species that ascends the slopes of the Sierra de Coalcoman and the Cordillera Volcanica to elevations of about 1050 meters (approximating the lower limits of the oak forest). The record from Uruapan (USNM 10234, collected by Duges) is doubtful.

These large lizards are most easily observed on rock fences along roads. Near Apatzingan innumerable individuals can be seen in mid-morning. Later in the day, as the sun rises higher in the sky, the lizards retreat to the shade of the crevices in the fences. The abundance of these lizards in the Tepalcatepec Valley, together with evidence gathered from the natives of the valley, indicates that these lizards are seldom used for human consumption there. On the other hand, several people in Coalcoman consider the "iguana negra" (local name for _Ctenosaura_) to be a delicacy and serve it at every opportunity. In early July, 1951, brilliant green young of the year were collected at La Playa and at Coalcoman.

~Enyaliosaurus clarki~ (Bailey)

_Ctenosaura clarki_ Bailey, Proc. U. S. Natl. Mus., 73:44,
September 26, 1928.--Ovopeo (= Oropeo), Michoacan, Mexico.

_Enyaliosaurus clarki_, Duellman and Duellman, Occ. Pap.
Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan, 598:1, February 16, 1959.

Twelve km. SSW of Apatzingan; Capirio (7); Cofradia (3); El
Espinal (2); 32 km. E of Huetamo; Jazmin (5); Oropeo (10);
Rancho Nuevo; Rio Cancita, 12 km. E of Apatzingan (8);
Tepalcatepec (3); Zicuiran (6).

This species is known only from the low areas of the Balsas-Tepalcatepec Basin between elevations of 200 and 510 meters. It is commonly found in the open arid tropical scrub forest dominated by _Prosopsis_ sp., _Apoplanesia paniculata_, and _Cercidium plurifoliolatum_. Continued collecting in the Tepalcatepec Valley has borne out the suggestions of Duellman and Duellman (1959) concerning the distribution and abundance of this lizard. Also, continued collecting in Colima and on the Pacific coast has failed to reveal the presence of _Enyaliosaurus_ there.

~Phrynosoma asio~ Cope

_Phrynosoma asio_ Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia,
16:178, September 30, 1864.--Colima, Colima, Mexico.

Apatzingan (4); San Salvador.

In Michoacan this species has been obtained only in the Tepalcatepec Valley and on the northern slopes of the Sierra de Coalcoman between 300 and 700 meters. Apparently the lizard is absent from the coastal lowlands of Michoacan and Guerrero. The distribution of this species, therefore, is discontinuous. One population inhabits the lowlands of Colima and the Balsas-Tepalcatepec Basin inland to northern Guerrero and Morelos; a southern population inhabits the Plains of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca.

A juvenile from Apatzingan (USNM 47739) has a snout-vent length of 40.0 mm. and a tail length of 19.5 mm.

~Sceloporus aeneus aeneus~ Wiegmann

_Sceloporus aeneus_ Wiegmann, Isis von Oken, 21:370,
1828.--Mexico. Type locality restricted to Tres Cumbres,
Morelos, Mexico, by Smith and Taylor (1950b:137).

_Sceloporus aeneus aeneus_, Smith, Occ. Pap. Mus. Zool.
Univ. Michigan, 361:6, December 15, 1937.

Angahuan; Araparicuaro (2); Capacuaro (2); Carapan (11);
Cheran (11); 18 km. WNW of Ciudad Hidalgo (10); Cuseno
Station; Jerahuaro; Los Conejos (36); Macho de Agua (7);
Opopeo; Paracho (2); Patzcuaro (4); Pino Gordo; 18 km. W of
Quiroga (2); Tancitaro (49); Uruapan (14); 16 km. NW of
Zacapu (5); between Zacapu and Zamora (2); 13 km. E of
Zinapecuaro; 14 km. SE of Zitacuaro (14).

This small terrestrial species inhabits the pine and fir forests of the Cordillera Volcanica between elevations of 1850 and 3100 meters; apparently it is absent from the Sierra de Coalcoman. It seems to prefer rather open coniferous forests in which there is a more or less continuous cover of grasses on the ground. On warm sunny days the lizards can be observed scurrying about in the grass; in the early hours of the day, or on cold days, they are found beneath stones, logs, or dead clumps of bunch grass.

~Sceloporus asper~ Boulenger

_Sceloporus asper_ Boulenger, Proc. Zool. Soc. London,
1897:497, October, 1897.--La Cumbre de los Arrastrados,
Jalisco, Mexico.

Apatzingan (3); 10 km. E of Dos Aguas; Uruapan (41).

This strictly arboreal lizard is abundant in the mixed broad-leafed forest near Uruapan. The lizards are exceedingly wary and can be approached only with difficulty. In life males have pale blue bellies; the throat is pale pink. The pale gray dorsum marked with irregular darker gray blotches blends well with the color of the tree trunks on which the lizard lives. The one specimen from Dos Aguas was found on a pine tree; it provides the only record for the species from the Sierra de Coalcoman.

~Sceloporus bulleri~ Boulenger

_Sceloporus bulleri_ Boulenger, Proc. Zool. Soc. London,
1894:729, April, 1895.--Las Cumbre de los Arrastrados,
Jalisco, Mexico.

Acuaro de las Lleguas (13); Barolosa (9); Dos Aguas (61); 10
km. NE of Dos Aguas (5).

Heretofore this species has been known only from a few specimens from scattered localities in the Sierra Madre Occidental in southwestern Jalisco and Sinaloa. The collection of a large series of these lizards in virgin pine forest at elevations of more than 2000 meters in the Sierra de Coalcoman now makes possible an analysis of variation in the species.

Superficially _S. bulleri_ resembles _S. torquatus_, but _S. bulleri_ is smaller, has more dorsal scales, fewer scales in the dark collar, and fewer femoral pores. In 88 specimens of _S. bulleri_ there are 36-41 (38.7) dorsal scales and 2 or 3 (2.6) middorsal scales in the collar, as compared with 28-31 (29.3) dorsal scales and 3 or 4 (3.4) middorsal scales in the collar of 26 specimens of _S. torquatus_ from Uruapan. In 20 adult males of _S. bulleri_ there are 13-15 (14.3) femoral pores, and 13-16 (14.4) in 11 females; 13 males of _S. torquatus_ have 14-21 (17.3) femoral pores, and 13 females have 15-21 (16.7). Seventeen adult males of _S. bulleri_ have snout-vent lengths of 72-91 (82.0); ten females, 71-87 (75.7). In comparison, 13 adult males of _S. torquatus_ have an average snout-vent length of 88.9 mm., and 13 females, 88.5 mm. In _S. bulleri_ there is little variation in the head scales. The frontal is in contact with the interparietal in 63, and not in 24, specimens; the median frontonasal is in contact with the frontal in 13, and not in 74, specimens. In 39 specimens there are two canthals, and in 48 there is one; in 29 specimens there are three preauriculars, and in 58 there are four.

In life adult males have a pale blue tail, bright blue belly patches, a purplish blue throat, and pale blue lines on the sides of the head and neck.

This species was obtained at four localities in the high mountains of the Sierra de Coalcoman. In this mountain range _Sceloporus bulleri_ apparently replaces _S. torquatus_, a species that is widespread in the Cordillera Volcanica and on the Mexican Plateau. At Dos Aguas and at Acuaro de las Lleguas the lizards were abundant in the tall pine forest, where they were found on standing pine trees, on pine logs, and on rock outcroppings.

~Sceloporus dugesi intermedius~ Duges

_Sceloporus intermedius_ Duges, La Naturaleza, 4:29,
1877.--La Noria, near Zamora, Michoacan, Mexico.

_Sceloporus dugesii intermedius_, Smith, Univ. Kansas Sci.
Bull., 24:663, February 16, 1938.

Cojumatlan (6); Jiquilpan (11); Lago de Camecuaro; Lago de
Chapala; Morelia (23); Patzcuaro (84); Quiroga (35); Sahuayo
(4); Tacicuaro (2); Tangamandapio (17); Tangancicuaro (9);
Zacapu (4); Zamora (11); Zinapecuaro (9).

This lizard is strictly an inhabitant of the Mexican Plateau, where it is found in rocky places, sometimes in pine-oak forest, but more frequently in mesquite-grassland. It is a terrestrial species, and is most often seen on rock fences at elevations of 1500 to 2200 meters.

This species differs from _S. bulleri_ and _S. torquatus_ in having two rows of supraoculars, instead of one; also it has more dorsal scales. Twenty-six specimens of _Sceloporus dugesi intermedius_ from Tangamandapio and Tangancicuaro have 44-48 (45.7) dorsal scales, as compared with an average of 38.7 in _S. bulleri_ and 29.3 in _S. torquatus_. In life _Sceloporus dugesi intermedius_ has a dull greenish gray dorsum; in males the belly patches are bright blue bordered medially by black, and the throat is bluish gray. The largest specimen examined is a male having a snout-vent length of 80 mm.

~Sceloporus gadowae~ Boulenger

_Sceloporus gadoviae_ Boulenger, Proc. Zool. Soc. London,
1905, 2:246, October 7, 1905.--Mezquititlan, Guerrero,
Mexico.

Chupio; El Sabino (77); La Playa (6); Rio Marquez, 10 km. S
of Lombardia (11).

Although this species has a rather extensive range in the Balsas-Tepalcatepec Basin in the state of Michoacan, Guerrero, Morelos, and Puebla, it is only locally abundant in that area. Usually these lizards are found on rocky cliffs in which there are many crevices for cover. _Sceloporus gadowae_ is abundant on a conglomerate cliff along the Rio Marquez south of Lombardia. Although the closely related _S. pyrocephalus_ is abundant in the stream valley and in the hills above the cliff, _S. gadowae_ has been found only on the cliff; few individuals of _S. pyrocephalus_ have been observed on the cliff. A similar situation was discovered on a much more extensive conglomerate cliff along the Rio Balsas near Mexcala, Guerrero. Near Tehuitzingo, Puebla, where _S. pyrocephalus_ was not found, _S. gadowae_ was found on conglomerate cliffs. Probably there is strong competition between the two species; possibly this has resulted in the restriction of _S. gadowae_ to isolated cliff-habitats within the extensive range of the more widespread _S. pyrocephalus_.

In Michoacan _Sceloporus gadowae_ has been found along the lower slopes of the Cordillera Volcanica at elevations from 250 to 1050 meters. All of the localities from which this lizard is known lie in the arid tropical scrub forest.

~Sceloporus grammicus microlepidotus~ Wiegmann

_Sceloporus microlepidotus_ Wiegmann, Herpetologia Mexicana,
p. 51, 1834.--Mexico. Type locality restricted to Mexico,
Distrito Federal, by Smith and Taylor (1950b:120).

_Sceloporus grammicus microlepidotus_, Smith and Laufe,
Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci., 48:332, December, 1945.

Angahuari; Apo (10); Atzimba (3); Carapan (5); Cerro San
Andres (17); Cerro Tancitaro (18); Corupu; Cuseno Station
(2); Jacona; Jerahuaro (10); Macho de Agua; Mil Cumbres; 46
km. E of Morelia; 60 km. E of Morelia (2); Opopeo (14);
Patzcuaro (30); Puerto Hondo (19); San Gregorio (41); San
Jose de la Cumbre (8); Sierra Patamba; Tancitaro (233);
Tupataro; Undameo; Uruapan (180); between Zacapu and Zamora;
24 km. SE of Zitacuaro; between Zurumbeneo and Cerro
Garnica.

This small species of _Sceloporus_ is an ubiquitous inhabitant of the coniferous forests from 1550 to 3100 meters in the Cordillera Volcanica. Usually it is seen on tree trunks, but occasionally on the ground. Near the lower limit of the altitudinal distribution of the species, as at Uruapan, individuals sometimes are found on broad-leafed trees. Apparently _Sceloporus heterolepis_ replaces _S. grammicus microlepidotus_ in the Sierra de Coalcoman.

~Sceloporus heterolepis~ Boulenger

_Sceloporus heterolepis_ Boulenger, Proc. Zool. Soc. London,
1894:731, April, 1895.--La Cumbre de los Arrastrados,
Jalisco, Mexico.

Araparicuaro; Cerro Barolosa (6); Dos Aguas (13); Los
Conejos; 11 km. N of Uruapan (3).

Although Michoacan has not previously been included in the range of this lizard, it was first collected in the state by Gadow in 1908 (BMNH 1914.1.28.69 from Araparicuaro). The description of _S. heterolepis_ given by Smith (1939:197) can be supplemented by data on the 23 specimens now in the collections of the Museum of Zoology at the University of Michigan. All have two canthals; there are 55 to 71 (63.6) scales in the middorsal row; 1 to 3 rows middorsally are somewhat enlarged and bordered on either side by a row of larger scales bearing high keels. There are 14 to 20 (16.2) femoral pores. Eight adult males have snout-vent lengths from 49 to 61 (58.0) mm. and tail lengths from 57 to 74 (66.0) mm.; four adult females have snout-vent lengths from 52 to 57 (55.2) mm. and tail lengths from 60 to 66 (63.5) mm. The smallest of eight juveniles has a snout-vent length of 28 mm. and a tail length of 32 mm. The dorsum in adults is pale grayish brown; there are three irregular chevron-shaped dark marks and a triangular dark brown mark above the insertion of the hind limbs; on the tail are dark brown rings. There are scattered faint blue flecks on the flanks and narrow transverse dark lines on the lower limbs. Males have pale bluish green belly patches and an orange-salmon-colored throat; the belly in females is pale orange-tan. The juveniles have a more contrasting color pattern; the dark chevrons on the dorsum are bordered posteriorly by pale gray.

In Michoacan this species has been obtained in pine and pine-fir forests from 1800 to 2700 meters. On Cerro Barolosa and at Dos Aguas, both in the Sierra de Coalcoman, the lizards were found beneath the bark of dead, standing pines. In the Sierra de Coalcoman _Sceloporus heterolepis_ seems to fill the niche of the small arboreal _Sceloporus_ in the coniferous forest in southwestern Mexico, a position held by _S. grammicus microlepidotus_ in the Cordillera Volcanica; the latter species does not occur in the Sierra de Coalcoman. Five specimens of _Sceloporus heterolepis_ are known from the Cordillera Volcanica, whereas 603 of _S. grammicus microlepidotus_ have been collected there. The ecological relationships that exist between the two species in the Cordillera Volcanica are not known.

Insofar as is known, _Sceloporus heterolepis_ reaches the southern limits of its range in the Sierra de Coalcoman and in the western part of the Cordillera Volcanica. Other records for the species are from the Sierra Madre Occidental in Jalisco. Langebartel (1959) described _Sceloporus shannonorum_ from the mountains near the Durango-Sinaloa border; the single specimen of _S. shannonorum_ differs significantly from _S. heterolepis_ only in having fewer dorsal scales (48). The acquisition of additional material, especially from Nayarit and northern Jalisco, probably will provide a basis for showing that these two populations are conspecific.

~Sceloporus horridus oligoporus~ Cope

_Sceloporus oligoporus_ Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci.
Philadelphia, 16:177, September 30, 1864.--Colima, Colima,
Mexico.

_Sceloporus horridus oligoporus_, Taylor, Univ. Kansas Sci.
Bull., 24:520, February 16, 1938.

Aguililla; Apatzingan (50); Arteaga (2); Capirio (2);
Cascada Tzararacua; Charapendo (4); Coahuayana (3);
Coalcoman (32); 19 km. S of Corralito; 27 km. E of Dos
Aguas; El Sabino (55); El Ticuiz; Huetamo (2); Jazmin;
Jungapeo (2); La Orilla (2); La Placita; Limoncito (3);
Playa Azul (5); Tzitzio (8); Uruapan (4); Volcan Jorullo
(2); Ziracuaretiro; Zirimicuaro (13).

All of the specimens from Michoacan seem to be typical _S. horridus oligoporus_; none has more than six femoral pores.

Characteristically this species is found in open arid scrub forest; it reaches its greatest abundance in rocky areas in which there are scattered leguminous trees and bushes. It has been found in these low trees and bushes almost as frequently as it has been found on the ground; none has been seen in large trees or far above the ground. Altitudinally, this species ranges from sea level to about 1600 meters.

~Sceloporus melanorhinus calligaster~ Smith

_Sceloporus melanorhinus calligaster_ Smith, Proc. U. S.
Natl. Mus., 92:360, November 5, 1942.--Acapulco, Guerrero,
Mexico.

Aguililla; Apatzingan (18); Barranca de Herradero; Capirio
(19); Coahuayana (4); Coalcoman (2); Cofradia (4); El
Cerrito; El Sabino (33); El Ticuiz (3); La Placita (6);
Lombardia (4); Playa Azul; Rio Marquez, 10 km. S of
Lombardia (2); Rio Marquez, 13 km. SE of Nueva Italia (4);
Salitre de Estopila; San Juan de Lima (2); Santa Ana;
Tzitzio; Ziracuaretiro.

Smith (1942a:360) diagnosed _Sceloporus melanorhinus calligaster_ as having fewer femoral pores than the other subspecies of _S. melanorhinus_ and as having the lateral belly patches in the males confluent in the midline. Examination of forty specimens from the Tepalcatepec Valley and the coastal regions of Michoacan does not substantiate this diagnosis. The number of femoral pores varies from 15 to 22 (18.9); 14 individuals (35%) had 20 or more femoral pores. Smith (_loc. cit._) stated that _S. melanorhinus_ in Oaxaca had 18 to 27 (21.6) femoral pores and that 77 per cent of the specimens had more than 20 femoral pores. Of the 24 males examined from Michoacan, 18 have the lateral belly patches separated in the midline. Usually they are separated by no more than one scale, but in some individuals they are separated by two or more scales. Although the above data minimize certain differences between the northern and southern populations of this species, certain of the color pattern characters seem to be diagnostic of the subspecies inhabiting the Pacific lowlands from Guerrero to Nayarit. Large adults of _S. m. calligaster_ have only a faint dorsal pattern, which in the subspecies _melanorhinus_ and _stuarti_ consists of a series of large, dark, interconnected triangles on the back. This pattern is present in young and small adults of _S. m. calligaster_; furthermore, in this subspecies the ventral coloration of the males differs from that found in the more southern populations. Adult males of _S. m. calligaster_ have a black throat, that changes to brilliant blue posteriorly, and a large white spot medially on the chin. This spot is present in some specimens from Oaxaca and Chiapas, but, if present, it is much smaller and less distinct than in specimens from Michoacan. In _S. m. calligaster_ the chest and midventral area are orange to salmon-color.

A male from Lombardia in life was colored as follows: Dorsum grayish tan bearing faint bluish gray flecks; chest deep salmon-orange, this color continuing down midventral area to the somewhat paler groin; belly patches pale blue fading to pale green laterally; throat black anteriorly enclosing a white spot; throat blue posteriorly and bluish green posterolaterally.

Individual lizards were observed to change in dorsal color from a pale ashy gray to a rather dull brown. Normally, inactive individuals and those observed on overcast days were dull brown.

_Sceloporus melanorhinus calligaster_ is found in trees in riparian situations in the lowlands to elevations of about 1500 meters. It does not inhabit the arid tropical scrub forest in the Tepalcatepec Valley or on the coast, but in those areas is found in the gallery forests along streams and rivers. The lizards are wary and live high in the trees; they are especially difficult to locate in the rainy season, when the trees are in full leaf.

~Sceloporus pyrocephalus~ Cope

_Sceloporus pyrocephalus_ Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci.
Philadelphia, 16:177, September 30, 1864.--Colima, Colima,
Mexico.

Acahuato (2); Apatzingan (142); Arteaga (4); 26 km. S of
Arteaga (4); Capirio (6); Chinapa; Chupio; 19 km. S of
Corralito (5); El Sabino (220); Jazmin (3); La Placita (8);
La Playa (14); La Salada (6); Lombardia (5); Nueva Italia
(14); Ojos de Agua de San Telmo (2); Oropeo (3); Ostula;
Punta de San Telmo (3); Rio Cancita, 14 km. E of Apatzingan
(13); Rio Marquez, 10 km. S of Lombardia (10); Rio Marquez,
13 km. SE of Nueva Italia (3); San Juan de Lima (2); Santa
Ana (2); Tafetan (2); Tepalcatepec (2); Tzitzio (6); Volcan
Jorullo (3).

This small species is extremely common in the Tepalcatepec Valley and noticeably less so on the coast. It is usually found on the ground in rocky areas, but males frequently have been seen on the trunks of low trees in the scrub forest. Altitudinally, it ranges from sea level to slightly more than 1000 meters. The sexes are readily distinguished in the field (Oliver, 1937; Smith, 1939; Duellman, 1954b). In the dry season only males were observed in the Tepalcatepec Valley, but in the rainy season both sexes were found in approximately the same numbers.

~Sceloporus scalaris scalaris~ Wiegmann

_Sceloporus scalaris_ Wiegmann, Isis von Oken, 21:370,
1828.--Mexico. Type locality restricted to Mexico, Distrito
Federal, by Smith and Taylor (1950b:137).

_Sceloporus scalaris scalaris_, Smith, Occ. Pap. Mus. Zool.
Univ. Michigan, 361:2, December 15, 1937.

Carapan (2); Cheran; Ciudad Hidalgo; Huingo (3); Jacona (3);
Jiquilpan (2); Lago de Camecuaro (2); Lago de Chapala; Lago
de Cuitzeo (5); Morelia (4); Patzcuaro (4); Querendaro;
Quiroga; Tacicuaro (5); Tarecuaro; Zacapu (4); Zamora (4);
Zinapecuaro (11).

This small terrestrial species does not seem to be abundant anywhere in the state. It sometimes is found in open pine, oak, or pine-oak forest, but usually it is observed in areas supporting bunch grass. In such places the lizards sun and forage on the open ground and quickly take refuge in the large clumps of grass. Altitudinally, the species ranges from 1550 to 2300 meters. Although _Sceloporus scalaris scalaris_ has been found in association with _S. dugesi intermedius_, _S. spinosus_, and _S. torquatus_, it does not seem to form any close ecological association with any of these species. In the pine forests of the Cordillera Volcanica _S. s. scalaris_ is replaced by _Sceloporus aeneus aeneus_, another small terrestrial species that occurs in great abundance throughout the coniferous forests of the Cordillera Volcanica.

~Sceloporus siniferus siniferus~ Cope

_Sceloporus siniferus_ Cope, Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc.,
11:159, 1869.--Pacific side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
Type locality restricted to Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico, by
Smith and Taylor (1950b:134).

_Sceloporus siniferus siniferus_, Smith and Taylor, Bull. U.
S. Natl. Mus., 199:134, October 26, 1950.

Twenty-six km. S of Arteaga; Barranca de Bejuco (2);
Coahuayana; El Ticuiz (2); La Mira; La Orilla (2); La
Placita (9); Maruata; Ojos de Agua de San Telmo; Ostula (4);
Playa Azul (6); Pomaro (2); Puerto de las Higuerita; Santa
Ana (3).

This small terrestrial species inhabits the dense arid tropical scrub forest on the coast and lower foothills of the Sierra de Coalcoman to elevations of about 150 meters. It also occurs in the lower Balsas Valley, but it has not been found in the scrub forest of the broad Tepalcatepec Valley. Perhaps the large number of _Sceloporus siniferus_ on the coastal lowlands is responsible for the small number there of _S. pyrocephalus_, another terrestrial species of about the same size. The latter is abundant in the Tepalcatepec Valley, where _S. siniferus siniferus_ has not been found. _Sceloporus siniferus siniferus_ is a fast runner and difficult to collect; consequently, the small number of specimens available is not indicative of its abundance.

~Sceloporus spinosus spinosus~ Wiegmann

_Sceloporus spinosus_ Wiegmann, Isis von Oken, 21:370,
1828.--Mexico. Type locality restricted to Puebla, Puebla,
Mexico, by Smith and Taylor (1950b:116).

_Sceloporus spinosus spinosus_, Martin del Campo, Anal.
Inst. Biol. Mexico, 8:262, 1937.

Cojumatlan (2); Huetamo Road; Lago de Cuitzeo (4); Maravatio
(8); Tupataro (2).

Although this species is widespread on the southern part of the Mexican Plateau, it is uncommon in Michoacan. It has been collected only in rather open situations in the mesquite-grassland on the plateau between 1500 and 2300 meters, where it has been found in association with _Sceloporus dugesi intermedius_ and _S. scalaris scalaris_. Most specimens of _Sceloporus spinosus spinosus_ have been observed on rock fences. In this habitat the species is the larger member of a pair of species, the smaller of which is _Sceloporus dugesi intermedius_.

~Sceloporus torquatus torquatus~ Wiegmann

_Sceloporus torquatus_ Wiegmann, Isis von Oken, 21:369,
1828.--Mexico. Type locality restricted to Mexico, Distrito
Federal, by Smith and Taylor (1950b:126).

_Sceloporus torquatus torquatus_, Cope, Proc. Amer. Philos.
Soc., 22:402, 1885.

Angahuan (31); Araparicuaro; Capacuaro (3); Carapan (11);
Cerro Tancitaro; Cheran; Ciudad Hidalgo; Cojumatlan;
Copandaro (2); Corupu (4); Cuseno Station (9); El Alamo;
Jacona (6); Jiquilpan (2); Jungapeo (3); Lago de Camecuaro;
Lago de Chapala; Lago de Cuitzeo (3); La Palma (2); Los
Conejos (3); Los Reyes (3); Maravatio (9); Morelia (17);
Paracho (3); Patzcuaro (27); Pino Gordo; Querendaro (2);
Quiroga; Sahuayo (3); San Jose de la Cumbre; San Juan de
Panangaricutiro; Tacicuaro (10); Tancitaro (200);
Tangamandapio; Tangancicuaro (3); Temazcal (2); Tupataro
(5); Uruapan (136); Zacapu; Zinapecuaro (10); Zirimicuaro
(12); Zitacuaro.