CROCODILIANS, LIZARDS, AND SNAKES. 



1125 



the black and rod ones will form a striking character. Tiie color of the 

 light occipital ring and of the light rings on the tail is i)robably yellow 

 or white in life. 



The characters which distingnish this species from the Elaps fidrius 

 are those of color only, as in structural characters the two are identi- 

 cal. Many of the species of the genus differ in such characters only, 

 and thej" are often very constant. The present species displays equal 

 constancy in the known individuals. 



Elaps dlstans Kt-nnicott. 



The specimen alleged by Dr. Yarrow ' to have been sent from Chi- 

 hualiua, Mexico, belongs to the E. euryxanthus. 



ELAPS EURYXANTHUS Kennicott. 



Elaps miryxanthuti Kkxxicott, Proe. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1860, p. 337.— Cope, 

 Check-list N. Ainer. Batr. Hej)t., 187."i, p. 34; Proc. V. S. Nat. Mus., XIV, 1892, 

 p. 681. 



Head very sn)al!, not wider than the neck; entiiely black as far back 

 as the angles of the uiouth. Body banded alternately with black and 

 light red, separated by narrow rings of creamy white, all the bands 

 immaculate. First broad liug be- 

 hind the occiput red instead of black 

 as in the other s))ecies. 



Body rather stout, but less so than 

 in E. fidviuH. Dorsal scales in fif- 

 teen rows, large. Plates of tlie liead 

 small, except the rostral, wliich is 

 higher than long, and extends up- 

 ward between the })refi()iitals. In- 

 ternasals elongated laterally; more 

 so than in E. /jdrixs. I'refrontals 

 small, elongated laterally: super- 

 ciliary as wide as long, truncate 

 behind. Frontal very small and 



narrow, subhexagonal, pointed anteriorly, elongated and tapering 

 posteriorly. It enters but slightly between the parietals. Parietals 

 small, wide, but longer than wide; the anterior edge square, very slightly 

 notched for the vertical. Prenasal deei)er than long; ])ostnasal with a 

 border for the ])reocular. Oculars 1-2; temporals 1-L*. Seven labials 

 above; all higher than long, the seventh very short. Tail very short, 

 one fourteenth of total length. 



Fig. 3l'4. 

 ELATS ErRYX.\NTHl'S Kenxkott. 



N 1.5. 



Fort Wliijijile, Arizona. 



Cat. .No. ^Wii, r.S.N.M. 



Check-list, p. 82. 



