LYCODON. 315 



LYCODON. 



Lycodon, sp., Boie. 



Body and tail of moderate length, slightly compressed ; generally a slight 

 ridge along the side of the helly and tall. Head depressed, with flat, ohtnse 

 snout, distinct from neck. Number of ventrals between 150 and 250. 

 Nostril between two shields. Shields of the head regular ; loreal present ; 

 one or two prse- and two post-oculars. Scales smooth, in seventeen rows. 

 Subcaudals two-rowed ; anal entire or bifid. Pupil elliptical, erect. Maxil- 

 lary with one of the anterior teeth enlarged, there being a toothless space 

 behind it; posterior maxillary tooth enlarged, not grooved; anterior mandi- 

 bulary teeth longer than the following ; palatine teeth not enlarged. 



This genus is entirely composed of Indian species, the following occurrmg on the conti- 

 nent : — 



* One loreal, not entering the orbit. 

 The praeocular is in contact with the vertical ; posterior frontals longer than 



broad L. aulicus, p. 316. 



The prseocular is in contact with the vertical ; posterior frontals scarcely longer 



than broad. Black, with white cross bands L. laoensis, p. 317. 



The praeocular is not in contact with the vertical; ventrals ca. 170 . . . . L. striatus, p. 318. 



** Two loreals. 

 Anal entire L. anamallensis, p. 318. 



*** The loreal enters the orbit. 



Anal entire L. rufozonatus, p. 319. 



Note. — Lycodon subfuscus (Cantor, Proc. Zool. See. 1839, p. 50), from Bengal, remains an uncertain 

 species for the present. The typical specimen has been lost ; and the figure of it, preserved in the Museum 

 of the University of Oxford, does not show sufficient details to enable us to give a description of it. It 

 would appear from that figure that it has only one prje- and one post-ocular, nine upper and ten lower 

 labials. Cantor himself characterizes the species thus : — " Light brown ; yellowish white beneath. 

 Ventrals 245 ; subcaudals 78.^' 



'1 S 



