THE HERPETOLOGY OF HISPANIOLA 

 ALSOPmS MELANICHNUS Cope 



Figure 106 



351 



1862. Alsophis melanichnus Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1862, p. 

 76. — BouLENGER, Catalogue of the snakes in the British Museum, vol. 2, 

 p. 122, 1894 (part under Dromicus sanctae-crucis). — Barbour, Bull. Mus. 

 Conip. ZooL, vol. 44, art. 2, p. 335, 1914 (not of Cope); Zoologica, vol. 11, 

 No. 4, p. 112, 1930; vol. 19, No. 3, p. 136, 1935; Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 

 vol. 82, No. 2, p. 156, 1937. 



1929. Leimadophis antillensis sancticrucis Amaral, Mem. Inst. Butautan, vol. 

 4, p. 164 (not of Cope). 



Description. — Adult male; M.C.Z. No. 7836; Santiago de la Vega, 

 Dominican Republic, 1910; A. H. Verrill, collector. Rostral broader 



Figure 106. — Alsophis melanichnus: a, Top of head; b, side of head; c, chin. M.C.Z. No. 

 7836, from La Vega, Dominican RepubHc. One and one-half natural size. 



than high, narrowly visible from above ;internasal suture slightly shorter 

 than prefrontal suture; frontal much broader than supraoculars, a little 

 longer than its distance from the end of the snout, somewhat longer 

 than the parietal suture; nostril large, between two large nasals ; loreal 

 very elongate, almost wedge-shaped, two-thirds as long as diameter 

 of eye; one preocular, not in contact with frontal; two postoculars, 

 the lower very small; temporals 2+2, the upper anterior temporal 

 on each side of the head very narrow and appearing to be abnormally 

 divided off from the lower anterior temporal; supralabials eight on 



