320 BULLETIN 17 7, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



very similar to Zenneck's plate 3, figure 57.^^ Zenneck's three speci- 

 mens oi fordii had the interpolated scale between the posterior pre- 

 frontals, Fischer's Chilabothrus maculatus had it, and my specimen 

 and that in the Museum of Comparative Zoology have it also ; there- 

 fore it seems to be a constant character of this very rare species. 

 Epicrates fordii belongs to that group of the genus having the fewest 

 number of scale rows around the body. The reduced size of the 

 supraocular plate in relation to the frontal sets apart the two His- 

 paniolan species fordii and gracilis from the Puerto Rican inornatus. 

 A direct comparison of the two species fordii and gracilis brings the 

 conviction that they are related closely but that they are now entirely 

 distinct species. The snout of gracilis is much broader and the rostral 

 shield is correspondingly considerably wider in proportion to its 



a ' c 



Figure 91.— Epicrates inornatus fordii: a, Top of head; b, side of head; c, chin. U.S.N.M. 

 No. 59085, from Haiti. Twice natural size. 



height than in fordii. Furthermore, gracilis has but one large plate 

 in the loreal region, while fordii has 2 to 4 small ones. The occipital 

 region in gracilis is covered with larger and more irregularly shaped 

 scales than in fordii, where they are smaller and more evenly broken 

 up. Additional specimens may, of course, bring exceptions to these 

 last two points, but, even so, the shape of the rostral and the generally 

 lower scale count m fordii should easily distinguish the two species. 



Variations. — Aside from the three specimens in the U. S. National 

 Museum, only nine other specimens are known — the tliree in the 

 British Museum, the three cotypes of Chilabothrus maculatus in Ham- 

 burg, and three in the Museum of Comparative Zoology. These 12 

 specimens show a variation of 33 to 37 in number of scale rows around 

 the body, 244 to 261 in ventrals, and 70 to 81 in caudals. The num- 

 ber of upper labials is 12 to 14, and the dorsal spots are between 61 

 and 76, the count usually varying by several points on the right or 

 the left side, owing to unequal fusion of the spots. 



Specimens examined. — As listed in table 60. 



u Zeitschr. Wlss. Zool., vol. 64, 1898. 



