ABASTOR. 125 



Genus ABA8TOR, Gray. 



■ Gen. Char. Head subconical, continuous with the body. Cepha- 

 lic plates normal. Vertical plate elongated. One nasal, grooved 

 beneath the nostril. No anteorbitals. One loral together with the 

 postfrontals constituting the orbit anteriorly. Two postorbitals. 

 Eyes of medium size, circular. Scales smooth. Penultimate and 

 last abdominal scutella bifid. Subcaudal all bifid. 



Syn. Ahastor, Gray, Catal. of Snakes in Brit. Mus. 1849, 78. 



Abactor erytliro^ramniMS, Gray. — Bluish black, opalescent, 

 "with three longitudinal lines of dull yellow (red in life). Abdomen dull 

 yellow (flesh-colored in life), with a series of bluish-black spots on each 

 side. Dorsal scales in 19 rows. 



Syn. Coluber erythrogrammus, Daud. Hist. Nat. Rept. VII, 1799, 93. 

 Tab. 83, fig. 2.— HoLBK.*N. Amer. Herp. 1st ed. I, 1836, 115. PI. xxii. 



Helicops erythrogrammus, Wagl. Nat. Syst. Amph. 1830, 170. — Holbr. N. 

 Amer. Herp. 2d ed. Ill, 1842, 107. PI. xxv. 



Homalopsis erythrogrammus, Boie, Isis. 1827, 551. 



Abastor erythrogrammus, Gray, Catal. of Snakes in Brit. Mus. 1849, 78. 



Vertical plate subhexagonal, long, maintaining its width posteriorly 

 to the point where it enters between the occipitals. Occipitals long, 

 anteriorly and posteriorly angular, rounded exteriorly. Postfrontals 

 polygonal, entering into the orbit. Prefrontals proportionally small 

 and subtriangular. Rostral very broad. Nostril in the middle of 

 the nasal, with a groove beneath. Eyes very large. Loral narrow, 

 forming with the postfrontals the anterior portion of the orbit. Su- 

 perciliaries large, elongated, sides undulated. Two rounded post- 

 orbitals, lower one smallest. A very long temporal shield extending 

 backwards beyond the occipitals, and two or three smaller ones, 

 scarcely distinguishable from the scales. Mouth deeply cleft. Upper 

 labials 7, Cth larger; lower labials 7; 4th larger. Two pairs of 



