These turtles were found on the forest floor, in small sluggish streams,
and in pools in the forest. One adult male had, in life, the top of the
head yellow with black spots; the stripes on the head and neck were red.
Specimens were obtained both in the dry and rainy seasons. The local
name for both species of _Kinosternon_ is _pochitoque_.
=Kinosternon leucostomum= Dumeril and Bibron
Chinaja, 3; 15 km. NW of Chinaja, 1; 20 km. NNW of Chinaja, 2.
Individuals of this turtle were found on the forest floor and in small
sluggish streams. In life most specimens had a tan or pale brown head
with pinkish tan stripes on the head and neck. All individuals were
obtained in February and March. No ecological differences between this
species and _K. acutum_ were evident.
=Staurotypus triporcatus= (Wiegmann)
Paso Subin, 1.
This species is represented in the collection by one complete shell
found on the bank of the Rio Subin. The carapace has a length of 292 mm.
The local name is _Guao_. Natives stated that this turtle was not
uncommon in clear rivers and lakes, a habitat suggested for the species
by Stuart (1958:19).
=Dermatemys mawi= Gray
Chinaja, 1; Rio San Roman, 4.
The record from Chinaja is based on a carapace found in a chiclero camp,
where the turtle evidently had been brought for food. The four specimens
from the Rio San Roman were obtained from edges of deep pools in clear
water. In adult males the top of the head was reddish orange in life.
One of the specimens from the Rio San Roman currently is living in the
Philadelphia Zoological Gardens. The local name for this turtle is
_tortuga blanca_; it is sought for its meat.
=Geoemyda areolata= (Dumeril and Bibron)
Chinaja, 2.
Two specimens were obtained from dense forest at Chinaja. The local name
is _mojina_.
=Pseudemys scripta ornata= (Gray)
Paso Subin, 1.
One subadult was obtained from clear water in the Rio Subin. The stripes
on the head and neck were yellow; there was no red "ear" on the side of
the head. The stripes on the forelimbs were orange, and the ocelli on
the carapace were red. The local name is _jicotea_.
=Coleonyx elegans elegans= Gray
Toocog, 1.
One adult male having a snout-vent length of 89 mm. was found beneath a
log in the forest. Locally this gecko is known as _escorpion_; the
natives believe it to be deadly poisonous. The use of the name
_escorpion_ seems to be restricted to lizards thought to be venomous.
Nearly everywhere in Mexico and Central America some species of lizard
carries this appellation. In El Peten I heard the name used only for
_Coleonyx elegans_ and _Thecadactylus rapicaudus_; in the lowlands of
Guerrero, Mexico, the name is applied to geckos of the genus
_Phyllodactylus_. The venomous lizards of the genus _Heloderma_ in the
lowlands of western Mexico are called _escorpiones_. In the mountains of
southern Mexico various skinks of the genus _Eumeces_, as well as
lizards of the genus _Xenosaurus_, carry the same appellation. _Abronia_
in the mountains of Mexico and _Gerrhonontus_ throughout Mexico and
Central America likewise are called _escorpiones_. Although many people
in various parts of Middle America consider most lizards poisonous,
there is a unanimity of opinion concerning the venomous qualities of the
various kinds of _escorpiones_. I know of only two other lizards in
Middle America that are so uniformly regarded in native beliefs; these
are _Enyaliosaurus clarki_ in the Tepalcatepec Valley in Michoacan,
called _nopiche_, and _Phrynosoma asio_ in western Mexico, called
_cameleon_.
=Sphaerodactylus lineolatus= Lichtenstein