. Bonner zoologische Monographien. Zoology. 123. Map 24. Distribution of A. aureus. Discussion A. aureus is isolated from the other species of the scutellatus group with the exception of A. dumerili with whom it is found in sympatry in northern Mau- ritania and Rio de Oro. Even though it is separated from A. scutellatus by the dumerili populations, it seems to be most like the former. Some specimens from Fort Gouraud in Mauritania present a peculiar combi- nation of characters. Their color pattern corresponds to aureus. Their dorsals are very large and keeled while the ventrals are arranged in
. Bonner zoologische Monographien. Zoology. 123. Map 24. Distribution of A. aureus. Discussion A. aureus is isolated from the other species of the scutellatus group with the exception of A. dumerili with whom it is found in sympatry in northern Mau- ritania and Rio de Oro. Even though it is separated from A. scutellatus by the dumerili populations, it seems to be most like the former. Some specimens from Fort Gouraud in Mauritania present a peculiar combi- nation of characters. Their color pattern corresponds to aureus. Their dorsals are very large and keeled while the ventrals are arranged in 14 rows. There are four entire supraoculars as we find in aureus. These specimens lead us to suspect that aureus is not only a coastal species but also reaches as far inland as Fort Gouraud where it is found in sympatry with A. dumerili. Recently, I was able to examine the specimens collected by J. A. Valverde and his collaborators and deposited in the Estaciön Biolögica de Donana in Sevilla. This collection clearly shows that aureus and dumerili are two different species since no intermediate populations were found. We also see that although aureus is predominantly a coastal species, it is found in very limited numbers in the interior; as we go further east it is substituted by dumerili populations. The dumerili populations coincide with those from northern Mauritania in that they, too, are intermediate between the typical subspecies and A. d. exiguus. A clinal variation in body size has been found in aureus. In fact, the snout- —vent length increases descending to the Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Bonn, Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut und Museum Alexander Koenig
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