ON THE COMMON INDIA N SNA KES. 7 1 3 



KEY TO THE KRAITS (Bungarus). 



SCALES IN 13 ROWS IN MIDBODY flaviceps. 



SCALES IN 15 ROWS IN MIDBODY. 



A. Shields at tip of tail divided bungaroides. 



B. Shields at tip of tail entire. 



(a) Vertebrals narrow, longer than broad, not as broad 



as last row in midbody lividus. 



(b) Vertebrals as broad or broader than long in midbody. 



(a 1 ) 2nd supralabial as broad as 1st and 3rd ccvruleus. 



(b 1 ) 2nd supralabial decidedly narrower than 3rd 



and often than 1st also. 



(a 2 ) Belly banded with black. Subcaudals 23 



to 40. 



(a 3 ) Tail tapering to a point. Banded 



with black and white. Peculiar to 



Ceylon ceylonicus. 



(b 3 ) Tail blunt and fingerlike at end. 



Banded with yellow and black .. fasciatus. 



(b a ) Belly not banded. Subcaudals 40 to 57. 

 (a 3 ) 11 to 14 streaked white barids on 



body, 2 to 3 on tail magnimaculatus. 



(b 3 ) 20 to 25 pure white bands on body, 



7 to 9 on tail candidus. 



(c 3 ) 31 to 45 pure white bands on body, 



11 to 13 on tail multicinctus. 



(d 3 ) No bands. Back quite black niger. 



SCALES IN 17 OR 19 ROWS IN MIDBODY. 



A. Vertebrals longer than broad in midbody. Ventrals 218 



to 237. Peculiar to Sind sindanus. 



B. Vertebrals broader than long in midbody. Ventrals 192 



to 207. Peculiar to the Basin of the Ganges walli. 



Flaviceps (Reinhardt). — This is the only one of the group with 13 

 scale rows. It is really a Malayan snake extending into our Territory 

 only in Tenasserim, which is a part of the Malayan Sub-region. 



Bungaroides (Cantor). — This shares with flaviceps and sindanus, 

 the peculiarity of having some of the terminal subcaudals divided. 

 It differs from both in having 15 scale rows. It is a rare snake 

 known only from the Eastern Himalayas in the vicinity of Darjee- 

 lino- the Khasi Hills in Assam and North Cachar.* 



* Annandale, Jourl. As. Soc, Bengal, Vol. LXXllI.,.p. 210. 



