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A NEW SEA-SNAKE OF THE GENUS DISTIRA, FROM 



KURRACHEE. 

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

 [With a Plate.) 

 (Read before the Bombay Natural Historv Society on 28th June, 1899.) 



DiSTIRA GiLLESPLE, Sp. IIOV. 



Head small ; body much elongated ; neck slender ; its diameter two- 

 sevenths the greatest depth of the body. Rostral slightly deeper than 

 broad ; nasals as long as the frontal, three times as long as the suture 

 between the prefrontals ; frontal once and two-thirds as long as broad, 

 as long as its distance from tlie rostral, scarcely more than half the 

 length of the parietals ; one prije-and one postocular ; a single, large, 

 anterior temporal ; six upper labials, fifth largest, third and fourth 

 entering the eye ; two pairs of chin-shields, in contact with each other, 

 23 feebly imbricate, smooth scales round the neck, 44 hexagonal, juxta- 

 posed, feebly keeled scales round the thickest part of the body. Ventra 

 feebly enlarged but distinct, 372. Greyish-olive above, yellowish below, 

 the darker colour forming very indistinct bars down the sides ; these 

 bars accompanied by deep black spots on the anterior half of the body ; 

 black spots confluent into an irregular stripe along the belly, confluent 

 with the black bars of the sides, and disappearing on the hinder 

 part of the body ; snout and upper lip yellowish, crown dark olive. 

 Total length 1,035 ; tail 120 millim. 



A single female specimen formed part of a small collection brought 

 together by Mr. F. W. Townsend with the assistance of Lieut. R. St. 

 John Gillispie, R.E., and his wife, as a compliment to the latter 1 have 

 ventured to name the species. The snake was caught on the surface of 

 the water in Kurrachee harbour in August, 1898. 



Distira gillespice is nearest allied to D. subcincta, Gray, from which 

 it difters in the deeper rostral, the single postocular, the number of 

 upper labials, and the juxtaposed scales on the body. 



The same collection contained a large female of Distira stohesii, 

 Gray, measuring 4 ft. 10 in., caught in August last floating on the 

 surface in Kurrachee harbour, and entirely covered with a thick growth 

 of green weeds referable to 2 or 3 species of Ulva and 2 or 3 species of 

 Enter omorpha^ both common genera of green Algte, as I am inform- 

 ed by Mr. Vernon H. Black man. The specimen, on being cut open 

 by Mr. Townsend, was found to contain 12 well-developed young, 

 measuring from 12 to 16 inches, in addition to two undeveloped ova 

 forming part of the same chain and situated between the fertile ova. 



