HYDBOPHIS. 



Synopsis of Indian, Ceylonese, and Burmese Species. 



A. Two superposed anterior temporals. 



a. 32 scales round neck, 47 round middle 



of body ; frontal as long as its distance 



from rostral H. schistosus, p. 399. 



b. 35-38 scales round neck, 48-50 round 



middle of body ; frontal shorter than its 



distance from rostral H. ccerulescens, p. 400. 



c. 27-29 scales round neck, 39 round middle 



of body ; scales all imbricate H. niyrorinctus, p. 400. 



d. 25-27 scales round neck, 35 ronnd middle 



of body ; scales on hinder half of body 



juxtaposed H. mamillaris, p. 401. 



B. A single anterior temporal. 

 a. All the scales imbricate. 



'. 29 to 33 scales round middle of body. 



a". 28-29 scales round neck H. spiralis, p. 401. 



b". 21 scales round neck; posterior chin- 

 shields separated by scales H. Intifasdatus, p. 401. 



c". 19-23 scales round neck ; posterior 

 chin-shields in contact with each 



other H. coronatits, p. 402. 



b'. 40 to 50 scales round middle of body. 

 a". 33-35 scales round neck; frontal 



shorter than its distance from rostral. If. torquatus, p. 402. 

 b". 34-40 scales round neck ; frontal as 



long as its distance from rostral. . . . H. . obscurus, p. 403. 

 c'. 25-31 scales round neck ; frontal as 



long as its distance from rostral . . H. fasciatus, p. 404. 

 6. Scales on posterior half of body hexagonal 



and juxtaposed. 



a'. 10-21 scales round neck, 29-33 round 

 middle of body ; rostral as deep as 



broad H. yracilis, p. 404. 



b'. 23-25 scales round neck, 41 round 

 middle of body ; rostral deeper than 

 broad H. cantoris, p. 405. 



492. Hyd.ropb.is schistosus. 



Russell, 2nd. Serp. ii, pi. x. 

 Hvdrophis schistosus, Daud. Sept. vii, p. 386. 



Hydrophis nigra, Anders. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 399 ; Fayrer, Thanatoph. 

 pi. xxv. 



Head moderate ; body moderately elongate. Rostral broader 

 tban deep ; nasals about as long as the frontal, more than twice as 

 long as the suture between the praefroutals ; frontal slightly longer 

 than broad, shorter than the parietals ; one prae- and one post- 

 ocular ; 7 upper labials, second largest, third and fourth entering 

 the eye ; two superposed anterior temporals ; two pairs of subequal 

 chin-shields, posterior separated by one scale; 32 scales round the 

 neck, 47 round the middle of the body ; scales elongate, rhom- 



