228 



broad, as long as its distance from the tip of the snout; one 

 prae- and one or two postoculars; two superposed anterior 

 temporals; seven upper labials, third and fourth, third to fifth 

 or fourth and fifth entering the eye or some of them divided; 

 posterior chin-shields separated. Body long, slender anteriorly; 

 scales imbricate, keeled, in 39 rows (27 — 29 anteriorly); ventrals 

 310 — 331, entire. 



Olive above, yellow beneath, with 42 — 62 black annuli, 

 broader on the back; upper lip with a curved black streak; 

 head dark on the crown, with a yellow marking from the rostral 

 above the eyes to the temporal region; a short lateral black 

 band on the neck. Length of head and body 900 mm.; tail 100 mm. 



Habitat: Ternate '). — Bay of Bengal; Strait of Malacca; 

 Malay Peninsula; Siam. 



3. Hydrophis gracilis (Shaw). 



Hyd7-tis gracilis^ Shaw, Zool. Ill i8o2, p. 560. 



Hydrophis gracilis^ Boulenger, Cat. Sn. Ill 1896, p. 2S0; Repl. Malay Penin- 

 sula 1912, p. 191. 



Head very small; snout projecting; eye at least as long as 

 its distance from the mouth. Rostral as deep as broad; prae- 

 frontals usually touch the second upper labial; frontal very 

 small, more long than broad, about as long as its distance from 

 the rostral; one prae- and one or two postoculars; a large 

 anterior temporal, in contact with the fifth and sixth labials, 

 followed by another large shield; six upper labials, third and 

 fourth entering the eye; both pairs of small chin-shields in 

 contact. Body long, extremely slender anteriorly; scales with 

 two or more tubercles, which are strong in males, imbricate 

 anteriorly, juxtaposed posteriorly, in 29 — 33 rows (19 — 21 ante- 

 riorly); ventrals 225 — 298, entire anteriorly, grooved or divided 

 posteriorly. 



Black or olive above, with indistinct lighter transverse bands 

 anteriorly. Young specimens with the head and neck black, 

 neck with light bands; body with 42 — 61 rhombic bands con- 

 tinued to the belly or nearly interrupted on the sides, or black 

 with elliptical vertical white spots on the sides. Length of 

 head and body 930 mm.; tail 90 mm. 



Habitat: Java; Madura; Borneo; Indian Ocean I. — Gulf of 



i) Peters & Doria, Ann. Mus. Gcnova .XIII 1878, p. 416. 



