18 



ON A NEW TYPHL0P8 PREVIOUSLY CONFOUNDED 

 WITH TYPHLOPS UNGUIROSTRIS, PETERS. 



By G. a. Boulenger, F.R.8. 



[Communicated hy Edgar R. Waite, F.L.S.) 



In preparing the first Volume of the Catalogue of Snakes, I 

 referred to Peters's Typhlops umjuii ostris, a specimen which differed 

 only from the description and figure in the number of scales 

 round the body (22 instead of 24) and in the position of the first 

 labial shield entirely in advance of the nasal cleft. The former 

 discrepancy I attributed to individual variation, the latter to 

 inaccuracy on the part of the artist — Peters, on this occasion, 

 having omitted to describe the exact position of the anterior 

 labials. The resemblances seemed to me to outweigh the differ- 

 ences and I concluded to specific identity. 



After reading a note on the subject by Mr. Edgar R. Waite 

 (Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. ix. 1894, p. 13) I feel compelled to alter 

 my view. The disagreement which Mr. Waite has observed 

 between Peters's figure and my description is due to no oversight 

 on mj part, l^ut to the fact that Peters's and my type are of 

 different species, as becomes evident now that further examples 

 of T. unguirosh-is have come to light. 



I must therefore establish a new species for the specimen which 

 I have referred to T. unguirostris, and I cannot do better than 

 to connect with it the name of the author whose remarks have 

 led to the discovery of the error in which I had fallen. The 

 specimen in the British Museum should in future stand as 

 Typhlops waifAi. 



The three closely allied species which are now suificiently 

 diagnosed may be easily distinguished as follows : — 



