EEPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FROM LIBERIA — LOVERIDGE 119 



2 5 2 (U.S.N.M. Nos. 109297-8), Gibi 



3 S $, 2 9 9 (U.S.N.M. Nos 109585-9), Bendaja 



2 S S, 1 9 (U.S.N.M. Nos. 109636-8), Harbel 



3 $ S, 1 9 (M.C.Z. Nos. 22505-8), Paiata (G. M. Allen) 



Midbody scalerows 23-25; ventrals 138-146; anal divided; sub- 

 caudals 65-88 ; internasals 2, rarely single ; preoculars 1, rarely 2 ; post- 

 oculars 2, rarely 1, 3, or 4; suboculars 2-4; temporals 1 + 2 or 1 + 3; 

 upper labials 9, rarely 8 or 10 ; lower labials 9-12. Males may be dis- 

 tinguished readily by the presence of papillalike rugosities on the 

 sublinguals. Largest S (M.C.Z. No. 22505) measures 626 (470 + 

 156) mm.; largest 9 (M.C.Z. No. 22506) measures 629 (473 + 156) 

 mm. 



Coloration: Above, blackish or grayish, uniform or with a series 

 of transverse crossbars which may be interrupted dorsallj^, or obso- 

 lescent as a dorsal bar and vertical lateral stripes. Below, white or 

 gray, uniform or more usually with the base of each ventral shield 

 black, rarely (U.S.N.M. No. 109636) with a longitudinal series of 

 black spots. 



The stomach of one snake held a toad {Bufo regularis maculatus) 

 and remains of a frog {Rana sp.), that of another a fish {Hemi- 

 chromis fasciatus). One Bendaja reptile was heavily infested with 

 anisakine nematodes. 



The name ferox, by which this water snake has been known until 

 now, must be referred to the synonymy of anoscopus} Angel (1933, 

 p. 71), after examination of the types of Helicops gendrii Boulenger, 

 referred them to the synonymy of ferox, for he found they bore a sutural 

 scar on the posterior portion of their single internasal. This is exactly 

 the position in two of the present series (U.S.N.M. Nos. 109297, 109586) , 

 which have only single internasals. However, Boulenger (1893, p. 

 241) confused two forms under the name of ferox in his Catalogue. 

 Both of these forms, while normally possessing a pair of internasals, 

 may at times have them fused into a single shield ; they can be separated 

 structurally and geographically as follows: 



Midbody scale rows 21-25, normally 23 ; ventrals 138-148 (23 exam- 

 ples) ; range: Liberia east to Cameroons and Fernando Po a. anoscopus 



Midbody scale rows 23-27, normally 25 ; ventrals 146-159 (10 exam- 

 ples) ; range: Sierra Leone and French Guinea a. gendrii 



The possibility of retaining ferox as an insular third subspecies with 

 21 scalerows is rendered impossible by the recording of a snake with 

 21 rows from Atakpame, Togo, on the mainland. 



^ Dr. E. R. Dunn inform.s me that he reached the same conclusion, after examination of 

 Cope's type. 



