Zsivny Viktor (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 30. (Budapest 1936)

Fejérváry, G. J.: Notes on a very little-known lizard: Lacerta princeps Blanf., with description of the male specimen preserved in the Vienna Natural History Museum

of the Imp. Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, which previously had been, together with some other Lizards, erroneously referred by A. M. NIKOLSKI (14, p. 281) to L. muralis LAUR. Finally, in 1920, G. A. BOULENGER (3, p. 95—97) described a second adult female specimen, also originating from near Shiraz, and thus almost being a „topotype" of the species. This specimen was presented, by F. H. WITHERBY, to the British Museum, whilst the type is still preserved in the Indian Museum, Calcutta. The type was dealt with, merely on ground of BLANFORD'S description, also by J. DE BEDRIAGA (1, p. 123—127)

1 who made an analysis of BLANFORD'S, lepidotical terminology, which was unusual and therefore rather confusing. BOULENGER'S description of the species in his „Catalogue" (4, p. 18—19) likewise derives from BLANFORD'S, for at that time the British Museum did not possess the specimen mentioned above, so that until 1910, the Calcutta Museum's specimen was, of L. princeps, the only one available to science. Therefore, any reference to the species before 1910 and after 1876, must have relied on allopsy, and not on autopsy. Under such circumstances it does not appear to be without serious herpetological interest to point out the fact that, in July 1931, the writer of the present lines quite accidentally lit upon a comparatively large Lacerta entering the group of the „Massive Lizards", which decorated one of the museum cases in the Herpetological Laboratory of the late Court Museum of Natural History in Vienna. Dr. O. v. WETTSTEIN, Curator of Herpetology in the mentioned museum, told the inquiring writer, who was immediately struck with the strange and suggestive aspect of the specimen, that it belongs to L. princeps, though originally it was not labelled as such. On his last visit to Vienna, at the end of October '31, the writer of the present paper returned to the Natural History Museum, and asked Dr. v. WETTSTEIN kindly to conform with his desire to examine and describe the specimen. Dr. v. WETTSTEIN most liberally acceded to such request, and so the author was given the unmatched opportunity of reporting on the first male specimen of the grown stage of Lacerta princeps BLANF. Before proceeding to the description intended, and to specific comparisons, as well as to inferences bearing upon the relational conditions of the species, the writer wishes to express his heartfelt 1 Comprising German translation, together with English citation (in footnote) of BLANFORD'S original text of 1876.