griffin: ophidia from south America in carnegie museum 189 



36. Liophis melanostigma (Wagler) . 



Natrix melanostigma Wagler, in Spix, Serp. Bras., 1824, p. 17, PI. IV, fig. 2. 

 Liophis melanostigma Boulenger, Cat. Snakes, II, 1894, p. 142. 



No. 340, 9 , Xiririca, Eio Ribeira, J. D. Haseman coll., December 10, 1908. 



This is the only representative of this species in the Museum at the present 

 time. 



A black zigzag band occupies the vertebral region. The lower parts of the 

 sides are black, this lateral band being broken into large spots on the neck. A 

 light brown band separates the dorsal and lateral dark stripes. The third and 

 fourth rows of scales are marked by an indistinct series of small white spots. A 

 pair of conspicuous white spots lies on the nape just behind the occiput. 



Internasals slightly longer than broad; frontal twice as long as broad, consider- 

 ably longer than its distance from the end of the snout, shorter than the parietals. 



Counts and Measurements. 



Anal 1/1 



Scale-rows 17 



Gastrosteges 149 



Urosteges : 86/86 



Upper labials 9(4.5.6) 



8(3.4.5) 



Preoculars 1 



Postoculars 2 



Temporals 1, 2 



Total length in mm 770 



Length of tail in mm 241 



37. Liophis melanotus (Shaw). 



Coluber melanotus Shaw, Zoology, III, 1802, p. 534. 



Liophis melanotus Boulenger, Cat. Snakes, II, 1894, p. 134. 



The Carnegie Museum possesses three examples of this species, as follows: 



No. 214, 9 , Bonda, Colombia, H. H. Smith coll., June, 1901. 



No. 1863, cf , South America. (No doubt collected by H. H. Smith in Colombia.) 



No. 1864, c?, South America. (No doubt collected by H. H. Smith in Colombia.) 



Specimen 214 has a row of black spots covering the tips of the second row of 

 scales in the anterior half of the trunk. The others show traces of the same mark- 

 ings. 



