BATRACIilANS AND REPTILES, CENTRAL AMERICA AND MEXICO- 47 



Blepharactiais Hallow. 



Proc. Acad. Phlla., 1860, p. 484. 



Blepharactisis speciosa Hallow., loc. cit., p. 484. 

 Nicaragua, Stimpson (teste Hallowell). 



ANELYTROPID^. 



Anelytropais Cope. 



Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc, 1885, p. 380. 

 Anelytropsis papillosus Copo, loc. cit., fig. 9. 

 Jalapa, Comkion Geogrdfica Exploradora. 



AMPHISB^NIA. 



CHIROTID^. 

 Chirotes Dum^ril. 



CniROTE8 CANALICULATUS LaC(5p. 



Capo Saint Lucas, Lo\yer California, Xantus. 



OPHIDIA. 



The families of snakes are distinguished by the following osteological characters: ' 



A. Opisthotic intercalated in the cranial walls (Angiostomata). 



* No ectopterygoid ; palatines bounding choanal posteriorly ; ethmoturbinal 

 forming part of roof of mouth ; rudiments of pelvis {Scoleco- 

 phidia). * 



I. Maxillary bone fixed to prefrontal and premaxillary ; a pubis Catodonta.^ 



II. Maxillary bone vertical and free from all others ; no pubis Epanodonta.'' 



** An ectopterygoid ; palatines not bounding choanse posteriorly. 



III. Maxillary bone free, horizontal Tortricina. 



t A corouoid bone. 



a. Rudimentary posterior extremities Tor tricidw Miillov. 



aa. No rudiments of posterior extremities Vropeltidcv Miiller. 



B. Opisthotic attached scale-like to cranial walls, and produced freely. Ectop- 



terygoid present (Euri/stomata). 



IV. Maxillary bone horizontal, in contact with the premaxillary, and furnished 



with solid teeth. No rudiments of pelvis Asinea. 



a. Rudiments of posterior extremities (Peropoda). 

 (i. Coronoid bone present. 

 Supraorbital and postorbital bones and premaxillary teeth ])Tesent..Fythonid(v Cope. 



No supraorbitals or premaxillary teeth; postorbitals present Boidw Cope. 



/3/?. No coronoid bone. 



No supraorbitals nor postorbitals nor premaxillary teeth Charinidw Cope. 



aa. No rudiments of posterior extremities {Coliibroidea). 

 0. Coronoid bone present. 



' This arrangement was first published by the writer in the Proceedings of the Philadelphia Acad- 

 emy for 1861, p. 230. The definitions of the lower primary divisions worn derived from J. Miiller. 



' The characters of this division as I originally gave them (Proceedings Academy Philadelphia, 

 1804, p. 230) were derived from J. Miiller, which have been shown to ho partially erroneous by Du- 

 m6ril and Bibron, and Peters. 



3 Includes only the family Stenottomidce. 



^ One family, the Typhlopidce. 



