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Description of Lacerta sicula paulae n. subsp. from the islet S. Ianni (about 3 km south of Maratea; Lucania; ltaly; Tyrrhenian Sea), a blue-bellied melanistic lizard very similar to the famous L. s. coerulea living on the Faraglioni rocks close to Capri. L. s. paulae is distinguished from L. s. coerulea by having a smaller size (maximum head and body length of 71 mm instead of 87), no scutum massetericum and a lighter dorsal ground colour.

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Description of Lacerta sicula klemmeri n. subsp. from the islet of Licosa (about 50 km south of Salerno, Campania, Italy, Thyrrhenian Sea), a blue-bellied, feebly melanistic, patternless, giant sicula-species, distinguished from the other strongly blue- bellied races of the same species as follows: L. sicula klemmeri n. subsp.: much !arger than L. s. paulae and L. s. salfii (maximum head and body length: 8 85 mm, S2 78 mm); dorsally reticulated or striated specimens lacking; less melanistic than L. s. coerulea, L. s. salfii and L. s. paulae; on the whole less cyanistic than L. s. coerulea and L. s. paulae; scutum massetericum always present; mid- body scales: 8 68-73 (69,8), S2 59-70 (64,5). L. sicula coerulea (EIMER) (islets Faraglione di Fuori and Faraglione di Mezzo, near the island of Capri, Prov. of Napoli, Campania): same size; dorsally reticulated or striated specimens present; more melanistic and, on the whole, more cyanistic than L. s. klemmeri; scutum massetericum almost always present; midbody scales: 8 67-79 (73,4), S2 67-71 (68,6). L. sicula paulae LANZA, ADRIAN! & RoMrTI (islet S. Ianni, 3 km south of Maratea, Lucania): much smaller than L. s. klemmeri (maximum head and body length: 8 71 mm, S2 66 mm); all the population is dorsally reticulated; more melanistic and, on the whole, more cyanistic than L. s. klemmeri; scutum massetericum almost always lacking or, if present, extremely small; midbody scales: 8 73-78 (75,7), 76 in the only known female. L. sicula salfii LANZA (islet Vivaro di Nerano, Gulf of Salerno, Campania): much smaller than L. s. klemmeri (maximum head and body length: 8 78 mm, S2 72 mm); all the population is dorsally reticulated; more melanistic than L. s. klemmeri; scutum massetericum always present; midbody scales: 8 65-73 (68,5), S2 61-70 (66,0). Some of the less cyanistic specimens of L. s. klemmeri (halfgrown ones!) look like ehe patternless and more cyanistic individuals of L. sicula mertensi WETTSTEIN, a feebly differentiated continental race inhabiting the region of Paestum, Giungano and Capac- cio in the Gulf of Salerno.

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The birth and development of the herpetology collection of theMuseo di Storia Naturale of the University of Florence are described. Early specimens, mainly turtles’ shells, date from the eighteenth century and are no longer found in the museum. At present the collection includes about 26,500 amphibians and 40,000 reptiles; it mostly increased at the end of 1800, due to Enrico Hillyer Giglioli’s work, and in the second part of the twentieth century, as a result of the studies of Benedetto Lanza and his colleagues. The most important specimens of the typical material are also mentioned.