254 TTROPELTIDjE. 



291. Uropeltis grandis. 



Uropeltis philippinus, Cur. Reyne An., 2nd ed., ii, p. 76 ; Dum. Sf 

 Bibr. Erp. Gen. vii. p. 161, pi. Hx, fig. 2 ; Peters, UropeU. p. 20; 

 Jan, Icon. Ophid. p. 46, 1. 9, pi. ii, f. 1. 



Uropeltis grandis, Kelaart, Prodr. ii, p. 15 ; Oiinth. Rept. B. I. p. 188 ; 

 Theob. Cat. p. 132 ; Beddome, A. M. N. H. (5) xvii, 1886, p. 9. 



Uropeltis saffragamus, Kelaart, 1. c. p. 15. 



Uropeltis pardalis, Kelaart, 1. c. p. 16. 



Snout acutely pointed; rostral convex, much produced pos- 

 teriorly, nearly as long as the frontal; nasals forming a suture 

 behind the rostral. Diameter of body about one twentieth of the 

 total length. 19 scales round the middle of the body, 23 behind 

 the head. Ventrals not twice as large as the contiguous scales, 

 129-147 : subcaudals 6-9. Caudal disk longer than the shielded 

 part of the head. Dark brown or blackish above, with or without 

 yellow spots ; yellow beneath, with or without dark brown spots. 



Total length 18 inches. The largest species of the family. 



Hab. Ceylon (Central Provinces). 



Genus RHINOPHIS, 

 Hemprich, Grundr. d. Naturg. p. 119, 1829. 



Eye in the ocular shield. No mental groove. No supraocular ; 

 no temporal. Tail ending in a large convex rugose shield, which 

 is neither truncated nor spinose at the end. In all the species the 

 nasals are separated by the rostral. 



Of the six species, five are from Ceylon and one from Southern 

 India. 



Synopsis of the Species. 



A. Caudal shield as long as shielded part of 



head. 



a. Rostral strongly keeled, half as long as 



shielded part of head, 

 a'. Diameter of body 37 to 39 times in total 



length ; ventrals 217-223 R. oxyrhynchus, p. 255. 



V. Diameter of body 47 to 49 times in total 



length ; ventrals 236- 246 R. punctatm, p. 255. 



b. Rostral not half as long as shielded part of 



head. 

 a'. Diameter of body 24 to 34 times in total 



length ; ventrals 153-172 ; 17 scales 



round middle of body R. planiceps, p. 255. 



b'. Diameter of body 26 to 30 times in total 



length; ventrals 190-204; 17 scales 



round middle of body R. trevelyanus, p. 256. 



c'. Diameter of body 30 to 38 times in total 



length; ventrals 182-214; 15 scales 



round middle of body R. sanguineus, p. 256. 



B. Caudal shield much shorter than shielded 



part of head R. blythii, p. 256. 



