176 BULLETIN 18 7, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



MICRURUS NUCHALIS NUCHAUS Schmidt 



Micrurus nuchalis Schmidt, Publ. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., zool. ser., vol. 20, 1933, 



pp. 35-36. 

 Micrurus nuchalis nuchalis Schmidt and Smith, Publ. Field Mus. Nat. Hist, zooL 



ser., vol. 29, 1943, p. 31. 



Type.—M.us. Comp. Zool. No. 27830. 



Type locality. — Tapanatepec, Oaxaca. 



Range. — Pacific slopes of the Isthmus of Tchuantepec, westward, 

 perhaps to Guerrero (recorded definitely only from Tapanatepec, 

 Oaxaca; records from Santa Efigenia, Cacoprieto, and Tehuantepec, 

 Oaxaca, as well as ''''Ghiapas'\ probably belong here) . 



MICRURUS NUCHALIS TAYLORI Schmidt and Smith 



Micrurus nuchalis Taylor, Univ. Kansas Sci, Bull., vol. 27, 1939 (1940), pp. 



483-484. 

 Micrurus nuchalis tai/lori Schmidt and Smith, Publ. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., zool. 



ser., vol. 29, 1943, pp. 30-31. 



Type.—E. H. Taylor-H. M. Smith Coll. No. 6085. 

 Type locality. — Acapulco, Guerrero. 



Range. — Coastal areas of central Guerrero (known only from the 

 type locality) . 



Family HYDROPHIDAE Boie 



Hj'drophidae Boie, Isis, 1827, p. 510. 

 Type. — Hydrophis Daudin. 



Genus PELAMIS Daudin 



Pelamis Daudin, Histoire naturelle . . . des reptiles, vol. 7, An. 11, 1803, pp. 

 357-362. 



Genotype. — Anguis platura Linnaeus. 



Range. — Indian Ocean and the tropical and subtropical Pacific. 



Species. — One. 



PELAMIS PLATURUS (Linnaeus) «' 



Anguis platura Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 12, 1766, p. 391. 



Felamis platurus Gray, Ann. Philos., 1825, p. 15. — Smith, Sea snakes, 1926, pp. 



41, 110.— Buet and Buet, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat, Hist., vol. 63, 1932, pp. 572- 



573, fig. 35 (head scales). 

 Hydrus platurus Ditmaks, Reptiles of the world, 1910, pi. 64 (upper fig.). 



Type. — Uncertain. 



Type locality. — Pine Island, Pacific Ocean. 



*' We believe that Malcolm Smith (Sea snakes, 1926, pp. 41, 116) is correct in retaining 

 the genus Pelamis. It is generally agreed that Hydrus Schneider, in which platurus 

 was included, is not available for this genus, since its type is caspius Schneider (Opinion 

 IS, Intern. Comm. Zool. Nomen.), a synonym of Hydrus hydrus ( = Natrix tcsscUata, fide 

 Bouleuger). The difference of opinion begins with Hydrophis Latreille (1802), which 

 Stejneger (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 38, 1010, p. Ill) interprets as nothing but a sub- 

 stitute for Hydrus. That this is not entirely correct is shown by Smith, who emphasizes 

 that Latreille'B Hydrophis contains only laUcaudus and platurus, while Schneider's Hydrus 



