137 



Olive-brown above, with a yellow streak along each side of 

 the body anteriorly, sometimes indistinct; sides darker. Lower 

 surface whitish, ventrals edged with black, subcaudals black, 

 edged with white. Length of head and body 436 mm.; tail 95 mm. 



Habitat: Borneo (Matang, Landak!). 



2. Hydrablabes praefrontalis (Mocq.). 



Ablabes per 'tops var. praefrontalis^ Mocquard, Le Natural. 1890, p. 154; Nouv. 



x\rch. Mus. (3) II 1890, p. 137, pi. IX, fig. I. 

 Hydrablabes praefrontalis^ Boulenger, Cat. Sn. I 1893, p. 297. 



Differing from the preceding species on the following 

 points: Praefrontals fused into a single shield; scales in 15 

 rows; ventrals 178 — 202 ; subcaudals 72. 



Olive-brown above, with a dark vertebral stripe, sometimes 

 indistinct and two black dorso-lateral lines, broken up into 

 spots posteriorly. Lower surface yellow, the outer edge of 

 each ventral dark brown; subcaudals edged with brown; a dark 

 median line along the tail. Length of head and body 346 mm.; 

 tail 90 mm. 



Type-specimen examined in the Paris Museum. 



Habitat: Borneo (Kina Balu!). 



29. Ablabes Dum. & Bibr. 



(DUMERIL & HiBRON, Erp. Gen. VII p. 304, 1854). 



Head not or scarcely distinct from neck; eye small or 

 moderate; pupil round; nasal entire or divided; loreal present 

 or absent. Maxillary teeth small, equal, 15 — 30; mandibular 

 teeth about equal. Body round, slender, covered with smooth 

 or feebly keeled scales without pits, in 13 to 17 rows; ventrals 

 rounded. Tail long; subcaudals in two rows. 



Distribution. S. E. Asia; Japan. 



Key to the Indo-Australian species. 



A. Scales in 15 vows. 



1. No loreal; nasal single \. A. tricolor p. 138. 



2. Two loreals; nasal divided z. A. liber talis p. 138. 



B. Scales in 13 rows. 



a. Subcaudals 42 — 75 3- ^- baliodirus p. 139. 



b. Subcaudals 77 — 103 i,. A. longicauda p. 140. 



