1012 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1898. 



entire leugth of tbe scale; tail short and tapering to a point; abdominal 

 scuta, 138; subcaudals, 34; a single preanal. 



Brown above, with three narrow yellow dorsal vittse, the middle 

 occupying one row and a half of the adjoining row of scales; head 

 above brown; upper jaw light yellow; abdomen and under part of tail 

 yellow, with a double row of triangular spots of a bluish-black color 

 along the middle of the former and base of the latter; these spots are 

 sometimes confluent at their bases; the spots beneath the epidermis 

 are perfectly black. 



This species is especially characteristic of the western part of the 

 Mississippi Valley, occurring in the western part of the Eastern, and 

 the Texan part of the Austroriparian subregions. It is not uncommon 

 in northern Texas, the Indian Territory, and southern Kansas, extend- 

 ing north to Iowa and Ohio, inclusive. 



Tropidoclonium lineatmn Hallowell. 



Locality. 



Fort Chad bourne, Texas. 



Neosho Falls, Kansas 



"Southern States" 



Hughes, Ohio 



St. Louis, Missouri. 

 do 



-do. 



do 



Waco, Texas. 



When 

 collected. 



Apr. — , 1879 



From whom received. 



Dr. E. Swift, U. S. A . 

 B.F.Goss 



R. T. Shepherd , 



Julius Hurter. 

 do 



.do. 



.do- 



C. S. and H. H. Brimley . 



Nature of 

 specimen. 



Alcoholic, 

 do. 

 do. 

 do. 

 do. 

 do. 



do. 



do. 

 do. 



Mr. Julius Hurter, to whom I owe much information respecting the 

 reptiles of Missouri, states that this species is very abundant within 

 the city limits of St. Louis. A flood in the Mississippi at one time 

 drove them from their subterranean haunts and many were captured. 



LIODYTES Cope. 



Liodytes Cope, Proc. Amer. Pliil. Soc, 1884, p. 194; 1886, p. 495; Bull. U. S. Nat. 

 Mu8., No. 32, 1887, p. 60. 



Posterior maxillary tooth longer than those in front of it and sepa- 

 rated from them by an interspace. Cephalic plates normal, except that 

 there is but one internasal plate. Nostril sub vertical. Two nasal 

 plates and one loreal. Scales smooth, no fossa'. Anal scutum divided. 



This genus is allied to Helicops Wagler, a form found only in conti- 

 nental South America. It dift'ers from it in the smoothness of the 

 scales. 



It includes but one species, which has been found so far in Florida 

 only. 

 Scales iu 19 roAvs; labials 8; internasal wider than long. Five rows of caudal 



scales keeled. Dark brown, with two lateral brownish yellow stripes on each 



side ; below straw color L- allenii. 



