232 



the snout, shorter than the parietals, two or three times as 

 broad as a supraocular; one or two prae- and one or two 

 postoculars; one or two anterior temporals; seven or eight 

 upper labials, often the posterior divided, fourth,* third and 

 fourth or third to fifth entering the eye, second largest; both 

 pairs of chin-shields in contact, posterior largest. Body mode- 

 rate, slender anteriorly; scales juxtaposed, obtusely keeled, in 

 'i,'j — 43 rows (27 — 29 anteriorly); ventrals 235 — 267, entire, 

 with two keels in the male. 



Grey above, uniform or with 26 — 2)7 black dorsal bars, 

 sometimes confluent vertebrally, or with rhomboidal black spots. 

 Lower surface white or pink. Young specimens completely 

 banded; end of tail black. Length of head and body 820 mm.; 

 tail 100 mm. 



Habitat: Indian Ocean!; Java '); Borneo (Oya) '-). — Gulf 

 of Persia; Burma; Siam; Hongkong; Hainan. 



10. Hydrophis jerdoni (Gray). 



Kerilia jerdonii^ Gray, Cat. Sn. 1849, p. 57. 



Distira jerdonii^ Boulenger, Cat. Sn. Ill 1896, p. 299. 



Hydrophis jcrdoiiii^ Boulenger, Rept. Malay Penin. 1912, p. 186. 



Head short; snout rather pointed; eye as long as its distance 

 from the mouth. Rostral as deep as broad; nasals shorter 

 than the frontal, more than twice as long as the suture between 

 the praefrontals; frontal more long than broad, almost as long 

 as its distance from the tip of the snout; one prae- and one 

 postocular; anterior temporal large, bordering the lip; five 

 upper labials anterior to the temporal, third and fourth entering 

 the eye; one or two pair of chin-shields. Body moderate; 

 scales strongly keeled, imbricate, in 19 — 21 rows (15 — 17 

 anteriorly); ventrals 224—238, entire, with two keels. 



Olive above, with 31 — 41 black transverse bands, forming 

 rings in young specimens; a black spot between each pair of 

 rings may be present. Lower surface yellowish. Length of 

 head and body 810 mm.; tail 100 mm. 



Habitat: Borneo (Pontianak river); Indian Ocean!. — 

 Coasts of the Malay Peninsula!; Siam; Penang; Bay of Bengal. 



i) Boulenger, Cat. p. 299. 



2) Shelford, J. Straits Br. Asiat. Soc. XXXV 1901, p. 66. 



