934 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1898. 



urosteges divided ; pupil round; prefrontals in contact; labials distinct 

 from nasal. 



In this genus we have a reduction of the cephalic pholidosis in a 

 type which has its extreme representative in the burrowing genus 

 Ficimia. It stands in general features allied to some of the species of 

 Chionactis, as the C. episcopus, and Boulenger unites it with his partly 

 synonymous Contia. Chionactis has internasal plates, while they are 

 absent in Conopsis, with anomalous exceptions. In Contia there are 

 no grooved teeth. But one species of Conopsis is known. 



CONOPSIS NASUS Giinther. 



Conopsis nasus Gunther, Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus., 1858, p. 6. — Peters, Hon. Kerl. 

 Ac, 1869, p. 875.— BocoUHT, Miss. Sci. Mex.,Rept., 1883, p. 563, pi. xxxv, 

 fig. 2.— GiiNTHER, Biol. Ceutr.-Amer., Rept., 1893, p. 97, pi. xxxiv, tig. B. 



Oxyrhina {Exorhina) macnlata Jan, Arch. Zool. Auat. Pbys., II, 1862, p. 61; Icon. 

 G6u. Opbid., 1876, Pt. 48, pi. ii, figs. 2-4. 



Conopsis maculatus Bocourt, Miss. Sci. Mex., Rept., 1883, p. 564, pi. xxxv, fig. 3. 



Ficimia nasus Garman, N. Amer. Kept., 1883, p. 83. 



Ficimia maculata Garman, N. Amer. Rept., 1883, p. 84. 



Contia nasus Boulenger, Cat. Suakes Brit. Mus., II, 1894, p. 268. 



Seven subcephalic plates. No internasals. Loreal generally present. 

 Upper surface of body olivaceous, spotted toward the front with black. 



Head slightly convex in the prefrontal region. Rostral a little 

 depressed and pointed at the extremity to form an angle when viewed 

 in profile, but rounded transversely. Two well-developed prefrontals. 

 Frontal hexagonal, longer than wide, having an obtuse angle in front 

 and an acute one behind. The parietals rather wide, and relatively 

 short. Seven supralabials, the third and fourth outlining the inferior 

 border of the ocular disk. Nasal pierced in the middle and not in con- 

 tact with the preocular, where the loreal is wanting or reaching it by an 

 angle only. Loreal square. One preocular, two postoculars. Three 

 temporals, the first a little larger than the two following. Two pairs 

 of geneials, the second much shorter than the first, and separated from 

 each other by a scutella. Six inferior labials, the first four in contact 

 with the anterior geneial. Four or five pairs of gular scales, followed 

 by 110-134 gastrosteges, of which the first two or three are rather nar- 

 row. Tail a little longer in the males than in the females, having on 

 the under side 29-38 urosteges. Trunk scales convex behind, arranged 

 in 17 median longitudinal series. 



Measurements. — Total length of a male specimen, 206 mm.; length 

 from the end of muzzle to anus, 217 mm. ; length of tail, 40 mm. 



Upper surfaces of the body olive yellow, spotted with small angular 

 black marks, which are arranged in indistinct longitudinal lines. 

 Below the eye, on the fourth supralabial, there is sometimes a black- 

 ish spot. The lower surfaces are yellowish white, with gray dots at 

 the right and left of the ventrals and caudals. 



This species is subject to variations consisting of the fusion or abor- 

 tion of plates. The loreal plate is occasionally absent on one or both 



