HERPETOT.OGY OF JAPAN. 427 



[DISTEIRA FASCIATA" (Schneider).] 



1799. Jlydrusfascuitus Schneider, Hist. Ampli. I, p. 240 (type-locality, unknown; 



types in Berlin Mas., Nos. 2836-2837). — DisUira fasciata Fitzinger, Xeiie 



Class. Rept., 1826, p. 55 (India). — Hydro phis fasciatus Peters, Mon. Ber. 



Berlin Akad. Wiss., 1872, p. 849, pi. i, fig. 1 (types, description). — Bou- 



LENGER, Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus., Ill, 1896, p. 281 (coasts of India to China 



and New Guinea). 

 1837. Hydrophis (jradlis Schlegel, Phys. Serp., II, p. 507 (part: Padang, 



Sumatra) (not Hydras gracilis Shaw, 1802). — Jan, Icon. Ophid.,livi-. 41, 



1872, pi. IV, fig. 2 (Java). 

 1842. Aturia lindsayi Gray, Zool. Misc. (p. 61) (tyjie-locality, China; type in Brit. 



Mus.; W. Lindsay, coll.). 

 1864. Hydrophis chloris Guenther, Rept. Brit. India, p. 370 (not H. cloris Daudin, 



1803) (Madras; Pinang). 



For the characters supposed to separate this species see the "key" 

 (p. 420) and the discussion under the foregoing species (p. 421). In 

 view of the statements there made a detailed description is deemed 

 superfluous. 



Habitat. — Boettger has recorded Hydrophis fasciatus fi'om Miyako- 

 shima, but I have given my reasons elsewhere (p. 422) for referring 

 this specimen to D. melanocephala. Under these circumstances this 

 species has no standing in the Japanese fauna, but I have included 

 its synonymy here because of the uncertainty of the status of this and 

 allied forms. 



As generally understood, Z>./rts«fl/(7 has a wide distribution from the 

 coasts of India to the Philippines. 



[DISTEIRA GRACILIS 6 (Shaw).] 



1802. Hydnis gracilis Shaw, Gen. Zool., Ill, Pt. 2, p. 560 (type-locality not given). — 

 IHsteira gracilis Fitzinger, Neue Classif. Rept., 1826, p. 55 (India). — 

 Microcephalophis gracilis Lesson, in Belanger's Voy. Ind. Orient., Rept. 

 (p. 321), Atlas, Rept., 1834, pi. iii (Bay of Bengal). — Hydrophis gracilis 

 Guenther, Rept. Brit. India, 1864, p. 373 (Madras). — Boulengbr, Cat. 

 Sn. Brit. Mus., Ill, 1896, p. 280 (Persia to Malay Archipelago). — Hydro- 

 phis {Microcephalophis) gracilis Boettger, Offenbach. Ver. Naturk. 

 26-28 Ber., 1888, p. 90 (Hainan). 



1827. Hydrophis kadell-nagaviBoiE, Isis, 1827, p. 554 (based on Russell'slnd. Serp., 

 II, pi. XIIl). 



1852. Thalassophis microcephala Schmidt, Abh. Naturw. Ver. Hamburg, II, Pt. 2, 

 1852, p. 78, pi. II (type-locality, Java; types in Hamburg Mus. ). — Hydrophis 

 microcephahis Dumeril and Bibron, Erpet. Gen., VII, Pt. 2, 1854, p. 1356 

 (Pondichery). — Hydrophis microcephala Fischer, Abh. Naturw. Ver. 

 Hamburg, III, 1856, p. 52 (Java). 



1856. Hydrophis leprogaster Dumeril and Bibron, in Fischer, Abh. Naturw. Ver. 

 Hamburg, III, 1856, p. 53 (substitute for Th. microcephala; type-locality, 

 Pondichery; type in Paris Mus.). 



The differentiating characters of this species being chiefly those of 

 proportion and scale formula, a detailed description is not necessary 



a Signifying banded. 6 Signifying slender. 



