278 BULLETIN 58, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



NATRIX TIGRINA LATERALIS « (Berthold). 



1858. Tropidonotus iigrinus Guenther, Cat. Colubr. Sn. Brit. Mus., p. 71 (part: 



Ningpo, China); Rept. Brit. India, 1864, p. 271 (part: northern China); 

 Ann. Mus. Zool. St. Petersbourg, I, 1896, p. 205 (Huihsien, prov. Kansu, 

 China).— Strauch, Mem. Acad. St. Petersbourg (7), XXI, no. 4, 1873, p. 

 176 (part: Strelok, Bay of Peter the Great, Amurland). — Giglioli and 

 Salvadori, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1887, p. 594 (Olga Bay; Gensan). — ■ 

 BouLENGER, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (6), V, Feb., 1890, p. 139 (Gensan, 

 Korea); Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus., I, 1893, p. 249 (part: Gensan; Chefu; 

 Peking; Ningpo; Kiukiang; Hainan); III, 1896, p. 607 (part: Chefu); 

 Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1899, p. 164 (Fokien). — Boettger, Ber. Senck- 

 enberg. Naturf. Ges., 1894, p. 139 (Lueshan Mts., Kiukiang, China); p. 146 

 (Delanshan, near Ningpo); p. 149 (Weihaiwei and Chefu); Kat. Schl.Mus. 

 Senckenberg., 1898, p. 25 (part: northern China). — Wall, Proc. Zool. Soc. 

 London, 1903, p. 86 (Yangtse Valley). — Werner, Abh. Bayer. Akad. 

 Wiss. (Muenchen), II Klasse, XXII, Pt. 2, 1904, p. 354 (Hankow).— Nikol- 

 SKi, Zap. Imp. Akad. Nauk, S. Peterburg (8), XVII, No. 1, 1905, p. 222 

 (part: Hongkong; Possiet Bay; etc.). — Amphiesma tigrinum8TON-E,'Proc. 

 Phila. Acad., 1899, p. 184 (Peking; northern Pechili). 



1859. Tropidonotus lateralis Berthold, Nachrichten Ges. Wiss. Goettingen, 1859, 



p. 180 (type-locality, China; type in Goettingen Mus.). — Jan, Icon. Ophid., 

 livr. 25, 1867, pi. v, fig. 1 (Bangkok, Siam). 

 1862. Tropidonotus orientalis Guenther, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1861, p. 391 

 (type-locality, Peking; types in Brit. Mus.; Swinhoe, collector); Ann. 

 Mag. Nat. Hist. (3), IX, Jan., 1862, p. 59, pi. ix, fig. 3.— Strauch, in 

 Przewalski's Mongoliya i Strana Tangutov, III, 1876, p. 48 (Ordos; 

 Peking). 



A glance at the list of specimens and their scale formulas under 

 N. tigrina (p. 276) and the present form (p. 280) is sufficient to show 

 that the latter is separable from the former by the lower number of 

 scutes covering; the underside of the body. There is not a very great 

 difference in the number of ventrals (average 160.5 ventrals in 62 

 N. tigrina, and 155.6 in 20 N. lateralis) but the subcaudals are much 

 more numerous in the Japanese form than in the Chinese. Thus in 

 54 specimens of the former they range between 66 and 85, while in 

 18 specimens of the latter between 53 and 64, thus leaving a percep- 

 tible gap between these two series. The sum of ventrals and sub- 

 caudals in doubtful cases will assist in identifying these specimens, 

 for I find that in the above series the total number of scutes in N. tigrina 

 varies between 227 and 248, and in N. lateralis between 206 and 224, 

 the difference between the extremes in the former being 21 and in the 

 latter 18. The average between thesp two series, 236.1 for N. tigrina 

 and 215.2 for N. lateralis, therefore, is probably very nearly exact. 



While there is thus a small gap in the formulas available, it can 

 hardly be doubted that larger series would bridge it, and in view of 

 the exceedingly close relationship of the two forms and their ranges 

 unc{uestionably meeting in Korea, it is thought best to use a trinomi- 

 nal appellation for one of them. According to present usage and 



a Signifying Lateral, referring to the spots on the sides. 



