SYSTEMATIC ACCOUNT OF THE SPECIES. 257 



Distribution: — Abundant in all parts of Cuba, the Island of Pines, and 

 nearly every Bahama Island which has been explored. Probably more wide- 

 spread in the southern part of Florida than has been suspected. The M. C. Z. 

 has specimens from Key Largo, Big Pine Key, Upper Matacumbe Key while 

 recent exploration shows it to be really common at the Royal Palm Hammock 

 (Paradise Key). Botanically this is a West Indian Island in the Southern 

 Everglades. 



Diagnosis: — Small, having proportionally rather large strongly keeled 

 dorsals of which about seven equal distance of tip of snout to centre of eye; no 

 middorsal granular zone; several large scales immediately behind the supra- 

 nasals; longitudinal markings. 



Description: — Adult M. C. Z. 8,513. Cuba: Guantanamo, Monte Libano, 

 March, 1913. Thomas Barbour. 



Snout moderately long but not very acutely pointed; the distance from the 

 tip of the snout to the eye being slightly greater than the distance from the 

 latter to the ear; rostral moderate with a long median cleft behind; nostril 

 between rostral, first supralabial, a postnasal, or two, and a slightly enlarged 

 supranasal which is separated from its fellow on the opposite side by one, or often 

 two, small median scales, these three, or four, scales border the rostral above; 

 three large supralabials to below the centre of the eye ; head above and on sides 

 covered with fine granules, enlarged and flattened upon the snout; scales on 

 back enlarged, strongly keeled, imbricate, about seven equal to the distance from 

 the tip of snout to the centre of eye; mental moderate, about the size of the 

 rostral ; two small roughly pentagonal scales border the mental posteriorly ; two 

 (or three) large infralabials to below the centre of the eye ; gular scales minute 

 except for a few near the postmentals which are slightly enlarged ; scales of chest 

 and belly smooth, rounded, enlarged, but not quite as large as dorsals, and im- 

 bricate; tail with somewhat irregularly arranged, rounded, imbricate, smooth 

 scales, no conspicuous series of transversely enlarged scales below. 



Colour (in life) : — Very variable, often uniform brown hghter below and on 

 tail; perhaps more often with darker longitudinal stripes; sometimes a pair of 

 white dots, which may or may not be in a spectacle-like marking, is found upon 

 the shoulder-region; the head usually has a dark median band and dark bands 

 upon the sides running through the eyes and along the canthi. 



Dimensions: — Total length 49 mm. 



Tip of snout to vent 25 mm. 



Vent to tip of tail 24 mm. 



