328 



BULLETIN 17 7, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



snakes have only a few such scales that may truly be called enlarged. 

 One snake (U.S.N.M. No. 55046) has the scales greatly enlarged from 

 the tail to the neck region, and for years this single specimen was 

 here regarded as an example of Tropidophis conjunctus Fischer. The 

 figure of the type of Tropidophis conjunctus is similar to No. 55046 in 

 all essentials, except that there is a single pair of large prefrontals in 

 the type, while in No. 55046 there are two pairs, the posterior being 

 about the size of the internasals. The same indefinite merging of the 

 last few upper labials with the scales of the neck is to be noted in 

 both. The type has 25 scale rows, 188 ventrals, 40 subcaudals, and 

 10-11 supralabials. 



My inquiry as to this specimen addressed to the museum in Ham- 

 burg brought forth the following information from Herr Georg Dunker, 



Figure 96. — Dorsal pattern and extreme enlargement of posterior vertebral scales of 

 Tropidophis maculatus haetianus. U.S.N.M. No. 55046, from Cape Samana, Dominican 

 Republic. 



curator of reptiles and amphibians, under date of June 26, 1929: 

 "For his paper of 1887, Dr. Fischer has used a collection of reptiles 

 from Haiti, which belonged to a firm of dealers in natural-history 

 objects, Linnaea — Berlin, and has returned the collection to this firm 

 after having worked it through. It is not known to whom the 

 Linnaea has sold this collection, but I am sure that it has not been 

 sold to our Museum. Therefore Tropidophis conjuncta is not repre- 

 sented in our collection." In Dresden I saw a record of an Ungalia 

 maculata (D. 928, 1507) bought from Linnaea in 1890 and identified 

 as maculata by Dr. O. Boettger. Can this specimen possibly be the 

 lost type of conjuncta? 



Specimens examined. — As listed in table 62. 



