DESORIPTIOK OF A iN^EW SPECIES OF SXAKE (TANTILLA 

 EISENI) FROM CALIFORNIA. 



By Leonhard Stejneger, 



Curator of the Department of Eeptiles and Batrachians. 



Among- the many valuable and interesting reptiles collected by Dr. 

 Gustav Eise'n at Fresno, California, and presented to the National 

 Museum many years ago, there are a number of small snakes belonging 

 to the opisthoglyph genus Tantilla, which have hitherto been referred to 

 Tantilla nigriceps. A recent examination of these specimens has con- 

 vinced me that they do not belong to Kennicott's species, being in fact 

 undescribed. This species I i^ropose to name in honor of the gentle- 

 man who collected them. 



TANTILLA EISENI, new species. 



Diagnosis. — Supralabials seven ; j>osterior nasal in contact with x)re- 

 ocular; temporals elongate, 1 + 1; first pair of sublabials not in con- 

 tact behind mental; ventrals, 170-181; subcaudals, 58-65; head 

 blackish, bounded behind by a white collar about three scale lengths 

 from parietals. 



Hahitat. — San Joaquin Valley, California. 



Type.— 1^0. 11766rt, U. S. N. M.; Fresno, California; Dr. G. Eisen, 

 collector. 



Description of the type. — Head very flat above, rather broad across 

 the anterior temporals; eyes small; rostral wider than high, the por- 

 tion visible from above longer than the internasal suture; internasals 

 short ; prefrontals nearly twice as large as internasals, their lower border 

 wedged in between i^osterior nasal and preocular, but not in contact 

 with supralabials; frontal rather long, six-sided, angular in front and 

 behind, the lateral borders nearly parallel; supraoculars rather small, 

 half as wide as frontal; parietals long and narrow, nearly as long as 

 their distance from tij) of snout; nasals long, the posterior in contact 

 with preocular, which is but slightly shorter; no loreal; one preocular; 

 twopostoculars; temporals long, 1+1; supralabials 7, last one largest, 

 third and fourth entering eye; sublabials 7, four in contact with first 



Proceedings of the United States National Museum, Vol. XVIII— No. 1044. 



117 



