HEEPETOLOGY OF JAPAN. 407 



1803. Platurus fasdatus Daudin, Hist. Nat. Rept., VII, p. 226 (part), pi. lxxxv, 



fig. 1.— Jan, Icon. Ophid., livr. 40, 1872, pi. i, fig. 1 (New South Wales). 

 1847. Laiicauda scutata Cantor, Joiirn. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, XVI (p. 1046) (not of 



Laurenti). — Platurus scutatus Guenther, Rept. Brit. India, 1864, p. 356 



(Bay of Bengal to Chinese seas and New Zealand). 

 1856. Platurus fasdatus var. colubrina Fischer, Abh. Natiu-w. Ver. Haml^urg, 



III, p. 30. 

 1858. Platurus laticaudatus var. b Guenther, Cat. Col. Sn. Brit. Mus., p. 272 



(Fiji Is.; Amboina; Sulu I.; Isle of Pines; India). 

 1885. Platurus laticaudatus var. colubrina Boettger, Offenbach. Ver. Naturk. 



24-25 Ber., p. 155 (China Sea). 



Description. — Halfgrown; U.S.N.M. No. 15236; China Seas; J. G. 

 Swan, collector. — Rostral one-third higher than broad, scarcely vis- 

 ible from above ; a pair of internasals narrowly in contact with rostral; 

 three prefrontals, the median impaired shield pentagonal, entirely sep- 

 aratmg the lateral ones, broadly in contact with the internasals in 

 front and the frontal behind; frontal long, as long as parietals, much 

 longer than its distance from tip of snout, wider than supraoculars; 

 parietals short and broad, the two dimensions about equal; nostril 

 large, behind the middle of a long and narrow undivided nasal which 

 is broadly in contact behind with preocular and third supralabial; 

 one high preocular; diameter of eye equaling its distance from edge of 

 lip; two postoculars; 1 + 2 temporals, a small supernumerary shield 

 being interpolated on the left side between anterior temporal and 

 fifth and sixth supralabials; 7 supralabials, first somewhat broader 

 above than below, sixth largest, third and fourth entering eye; men- 

 tal very small and narrow; only anterior two lower labials reaching 

 chin-shields, the posterior ones being very low, scarcely more than 

 covering the labial edge; two pairs of chin-shields in contact through- 

 out, posterior pair larger than anterior; 25 rows of smooth scales 

 without apical pits; 230 ventrals, without median keel; anal divided; 

 32 pairs of subcaudals. Color (in alcohol) gray above, each scale 

 pale at tip, yellow on sides and below, with 28 solid blackish brown 

 rings around the body and 3 on tail, the rings being w^idest (about 5 

 scale rows) on middle of back, narrowest (about 1^ ventral) on belly, 

 the pale interspaces above averaging about 4 scale rows in width, 

 and 6 to 7 ventrals on underside; a broad yellow band from sides of 

 neck across occiput, two scale rows behind parietals; head in front 

 of this nearly to anterior edge of frontal blackish brown; snout, a 

 superciliary, line, entire upper lip and tip of lower lip yellow; a black 

 band narrowly surrounding eye and extending over lower postocular 

 and temporals; lower lip also blackish brown, the black of top of 

 head, postocular band, and lower labial band united by a vertical 

 black band behind angle of mouth. 



