OCCASIONAL PAPERS OF THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES No. 32, 4 pages, 2 figures. December 31, 1961 A NEW SPHENOMORPHID LIZARD FROM PALAWAN ISLAND, PHILIPPINES By Walter C. Brown Menlo College, Menlo Park, California and Natural History Museum, Stanford University and Angel C. Alcala Silliman University , Philippine Islands The sphenomorphid lizards are represented by more than 60 nominal species in the Oriental and Australian zoogeographic regions. Only 2 of the species previously recorded, however, Lygosoma( Sphenomorphus) scu tiro strum Peters (1873, p. 743) from eastern Australia and Lygosoma (Sphenomorphus) cophias Boulenger (1908, p. 67) from Malay Peninsula, lack an external ear opening, its position being marked by a scale-covered depression. Three specimens of a third, undescribed species, belonging to this group were taken by members of the Stanford-Silliman Expedition to Palawan Island during the period March -May, 1961. Two specimens were collected from beneath rotting logs on the forest floor and one was found in the stomach of a snake. The Stanford-Silliman Expedition to Palawan Island was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Illustrations were prepared by Mr. Walter Zawoski of the Stanford Research Institute. Lygosoma (Sphenomorphus) palawanensis Brown and Alcala, new species. (Figures 1 and 2.)
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