griffin: ophidia from south America in carnegie museum 



173 



13. Atractus taeniatus^ sp. nov. (Plate XXVIII, figs. 1-3.) 



Eight maxillary teeth. Symphysials separated from the chin-shields by the 

 first lower labials. Snout broad, rounded; rostral considerably broader than deep, 

 the part visible from above as long as the suture between the internasals; inter- 

 nasals very small, pentagonal, the combined width of the internasals and posterior 

 nasals (with which the internasals are in contact) being just equal to the width of 

 the prefrontals; prefrontals as broad as long, entering the orbit; frontal once and 

 a quarter as broad as long, longer than the prefrontals, as long as its distance from 

 the end of the snout, much shorter than the parietals; loreal twice as long as deep, 

 entering the orbit; two postoculars, the lower very small, both in contact with 

 the anterior end of the parietal; temporals narrow, 1, 2; six upper labials, the third 

 and fourth entering the orbit, the third to the last once and one-half to twice as 

 long as deep; four lower labials in contact with each of the single pair of chin-shields, 

 which are twice as long as broad. 



Dark brown above, with a darker vertebral stripe; a light bar across the 

 temporals and parietals; edge of upper lip light (white?); white below, chin spotted 

 with brown, and a large brown spot occupying the center of each gastrostege, form- 

 ing a midventral brown stripe; urosteges irregularly spotted with brown. 



This species resembles A. roulei Despax; the two are compared below. 



A. tmniatus. 



Rostral wider than deep, portion visible from above 

 considerable. 



Internasals pentagonal. 



Prefrontals as long as broad, shorter tlian the fron- 

 tal. 



Frontal once and a quarter as broad as long. 



Loreal twice as long as deep. 



Two postoculars. 



Pupil round. 



Four lower labials in contact with chin-shields. 



Six upper labials. 



Scales in fifteen rows. 



Light band across head. 



Urosteges lightly spotted with brown. 



Scale formula, 1-1&-152-24/24 



A. roulei. 

 Rostral as wide as deep, little visible from above. 



Internasals subtriangular. 



Prefrontals almost as wide as long, as long as the 



frontal. 

 Frontal once and a half as broad as long. 

 Loreal twice as long as deep. 

 One postocular. 

 Pupil subelliptic. 



Thi-ee lower labials in contact wth cliin-shields. 

 Six upper labials. 

 Scales in fifteen rows. 

 No hght band across head. 

 Urosteges uniformly brown. 

 Scale formula, 1-1.5-1.54-22/22 



The type, which is unique, is No. 117 of the Catalog of Reptiles in the Carnegie 



^ Tama = a fillet, or head-band. 



