1098 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1898. 

 Coniophanes imperialis proterops Cope. 



The typical specimen in the museum of the Pliiladelphia Academy 

 of Natural Sciences is from Jalapa, from R. M. De Oca. 



CONIOPHANES IMPERIALIS IMPERIALIS Baird. 



Tceniophis imperialis Baird, U. S. and Mex. Bound. Survey, II, 1859, p. 23, pi. xix, 



fig. 1. 

 Coniophanes imperialis Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1861, p. 74. 

 Erytlirolamprus imperialia Cope, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 32, 1887, p. 77. 



Form slender, tail short. Head proportionally narrow posteriorly 

 and broad on the nose; snout rounded. Eostral gibbous, twice as 



broad as high, the apex below the 

 anterior frontals. Loreal as high 

 as long, and more than half as 

 large as the anterior frontals, 

 which are themselves about one- 

 third the size of the postfrontals. 

 The frontal is pentagonal, nar- 

 row, and elongated, scarcely 

 wider anteriorly, the acute pos- 

 terior point entering between the 

 oecipitals; one anteorbital large, 

 vertically elongated, broader 

 above; two postorbitals small, upper largest. Dorsal scales smooth, in 

 nineteen rows; central scales narrow and acute, outer rows much 

 broader, especially the first. Body above deep purplish black, with 

 two dorsal stripes of yellowish brown from head to tip of tail, and 

 separated by a narrower vertebral line of the ground color. Head 

 black above, with two narrow yellow lines from the nostrils to the 

 sides of the occiput, crossing the upper angle of the orbit. Upper 

 labials and under i)art of head yellowish, minutely mottled with black. 

 Ground color of the back extending onto the ends of the abdominal 

 scutellte. Middle of abdomen uniform light yellowish in the alcoholic 

 specimen; said to be bright red in life. 



Besides southwest Texas this species has been found near Tuxpan 

 by Lincecum and at Jicaltepec, Vera Cruz, by the Geographical Com- 

 mission of Mexico. 



Coniophanes imperialis imperialis Baird. 



Fig. 313. 



Coniophanes imperialis imperialis Baird. 



X 1.5. 



Brownsville, Texas. 



Cat. No. 2060, U.S.N. M. 



