478 



BULLETIN 58, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



The two specimens from Okinawa before me are smaller than the 

 one described above and show a more definite color pattern. The 

 lateral markings are so light as to be almost lost while the dorsal 

 blotches are shorter, with a greater tendency to combine into median 

 transverse marks across the middle line, thus forming angular cross- 

 bars deeply notched in front and behind and with a large pale spot on 

 each side of the median line. The pattern on the top of the head is 

 also very sharply defined and formed as shown in ITilgendorf's figure 

 of his type of T. nukiuanus (Plate XXVII, fig. 1 of this work) . 



Habitat. — This dangerous snake is confined to the islands of the 

 Okinawa and 0-shima subgroups of the Riu Kiii Archipelago, in some 

 of which it appears to be rather common. Amami-o-shima, and — 

 according to Doederlein, also Kome shima, are particularly notorious 

 for the occurrence of the "liabu," while both he and Fritze assert that 

 it is much less common in Okinawa shima. 



It is represented by closely allied species in the southern grouji and 

 in Formosa. 



List of S'pecimens of Trimensiirus flavor iridis . 



Museum. 



U.S.N.M.. 



Sti. Coll. 



Tokyo. 

 Imp Mus. 



Tokyo. 

 Uamburg. 



Brit. Mus. 



Do.... 



Do 



Do.... 



Do.... 



Do . . . . 



Do . . . . 

 Berlin 



Do ... . 



No. 



3181S 

 16 



1540 



Sex and 



(a) 



Female i' 

 Youngc 

 ...do... 

 ...do... 



Locality. 



Female'' 



do.<* . 



(' Maled . . 

 d I Young f' 

 c Malci .. 

 / I Young rf 

 ...do.'- . 

 97r.7 .\du!t/.. 



97(;8 ! do./ . 



"Amakarima Is- 

 land." 

 .\maml-o-shima. . 



Oshiro mura, Oki- 

 nawa shima. 

 Okinawa shima . . 



.do. 



....do 



....do 



....do 



....do 



" Loo Choo Is." .. 



....do 



do 



Nase, Amami- 

 o-shima. 

 do 



When 

 ~ col- 

 lected. 



1855. 

 April- 



1887. 

 May 10 



By whom col- 

 lected or from 

 received. 



Mr. Macomb 



Dr. II. M.Smith. 

 Tashiro 



Doctor War- 

 burg. 



Dr. J.G.Fischer. 



do 



Mr. Hoist 



do 



H. Pryer 



do 



do 



Doctor Hilgen- 

 dorf. 



do , 



80 



1 Type; specimen mutilated, the number of scale rows given is therefore probably not correct. 



hDescription, p. 47fi. 



.-Fig. 3:9. 



rf Boulenger, Cat. Ill, p. 550. 



« Boulenger, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1887, p. 149. 



f Types of T. riukimus, Hilgendorf , p. 118. The scale fonnulas as here given for each individual may 

 not be e.xactly correct, as Ililgendor's statement is not quite explicit; however, they are correct for 

 the two specimens together. 



