XTLOPHIS. 283 



Genus XYLOPHIS, 

 Beddome, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 576 *. 



Maxillary teeth 20 to 25, small, equal ; mandibular teeth equal. 

 Head not distinct from neck ; eye small, with round pupil ; nostril 



Fig. 90. Head of Xylophis perroteti. 



pierced between two small nasals ; a pair of small internasals ; a 

 loreal ; no praeocular. Body cylindrical ; scales smooth, without 

 apical pits, in 13 or 15 rows ; tail short, subcaudals in two rows. 

 Distribution. Two species, from the hills of Southern India. 



Synopsis of tlie Species. 



Scales in 13 rows ; supraocular larger than post- 

 ocular X. perroteti, p. 283. 



Scales in 15 rows ; supraocular not larger than [p. 284. 



postocular X. stenorhynchus^ 



334. Xylophis perroteti. 



Platypteryx perroteti, Dum. 8? Bibr. Erp. Gen. vii, p. 501 ; Jan, Icon. 

 Ophid. 12, pi. i, fig. 1. 



Rhabdosoma microcephalum, Giinth. Cat. Col. Sn. p. 12. 



Geophis microcephalus, Giinth. Kept. B. I. p. 200, pi. xviii, fig. A ; 



Theob. Cat. p. 142. 



Eostral small, deeper than broad, just visible from above ; suture 

 between the internasals one third to one half the length of that 

 between the prsef rentals ; frontal as long as broad or slightly longer 

 than broad, nearly as long as its distance from the end of the snout 

 and two thirds or three fifths the length of the parietals ; supra- 

 ocular small, but yet much larger than the single postocular ; 

 loreal much elongate and usually entering the eye ; in some 

 specimens, however, the praefrontal forms a short suture with 

 the third labial, in front of the eye ; six upper labials, third 

 and fourth entering the eye, first very small, fifth largest ; tem- 

 porals 1+2; four lower labials in contact with the chin-shields, 

 which are very large and in contact with the mental ; no posterior 

 chin-shields. Scales in 13 rows. Ventrals 1 30-147 ; anal single ; 



* The name Platypteryx, Dutn. & Bibr. (1854), is preoccupied (Laspeyres, 1803). 



