30 



BULLETIN 151, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



contact with the frontal except on the right side of No. 20091, where 

 there are 2, of which the uppermost is in contact; postoculars, 2. 

 The largest snake (No. 40952) measures 516 (444 + 72) mm. 



Genus HEMIRHAGERRHIS Boettger 



HEMIRHAGERRHIS KELLERI Boetlger 



Hemirhagerrhis kelleri Boettger, 1893, Zool. Anz., vol. 16, p. 129. — Stejneger, 

 1893, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 16, p. 729.— Boulenger, 1896, Cat. Snakes, 

 Brit. Mus., vol. 3, p. 119. 



2 (U.S.N.M. 20100, 20112) Tana River, K. C. (Chanler) 1892. 



These two examples of this rare snake have been described in 

 detail by Stejneger in the citation given above. 



Whether or no EemirhagerrTiis should be united with AmplorMnus 

 is an open question. According to the descriptions given by Boulenger 

 the only points of difference are as follows: 



When compared with each other the difference in the mandibular 

 teeth seems hardly worth generic distinction. The pupil, which is 

 stated to be vertically subelliptic, is so very nearly round in both 

 Uganda and Kenya specimens before me that the difference between 

 them and the more completely circular pupils of Amplorhinus can only 

 bo appreciated by actual comparison and is of little use as a key char- 

 acter. The nasal cleft in HemirhagerrMs is not actually horizontal, 

 though it is certainly more so than in AmplorMnus. The color 

 pattern of examples of A. nototaenia in which the vertebral stripe is 

 retained shov/s a strong resemblance to that of E. Tcelleri. 



Genus AMPLORHINUS Smith 



AMPfcORHlNUS NOTOTAENIA (Gunther) 



Coronella nototaenia Gunther, 1864, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 309, pi. 26, 



fig. 1. 

 Hemirhagerrhis hildebrandtii Stejneger, 1893, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 16, 



p. 729. 

 Amplorhinus nototaenia Botjlenger, 1896, Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus., vol. 3, p. 125. 



1 (U.S.N.M. 20106) Tana River, K. C. (Chanler) 1892. 



There can be little doubt that E. hildebrandtii of Peters is a synonym 

 of A. nototaenia from Rios de Sena, Zambesi. The scale formula 

 and a detailed description of the Tana River snake has been given 

 already by Stejneger. 



