688 REPOKT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1902. 



Genus EPICRATES." Wagler. 



1830. Epicrates Wagler, Nat. 8yst. Amph., p. 168 (type B. cenchria). 



1844. Chilabothrun DvuERiL and Bibron, Erpet. Gen., VI, p. 562 (type Ch. inor- 



natus). 

 1849. Clifiia Gray, Cat. Sn Brit. Mus., p. 99 (type C. fusca=E. cenchria). 

 1856. Epicardus Fischer, Abh. Naturw. Ver. Hamburg, III, p. 94, (type E. 



cupreus^=E. cenchria). 

 1856. Jlomalochilus Fischer, A])h. Naturw. Ver. Hamburg, III, p. 100 (type 



H. striatus). 

 1881. Piesigaster Seoane, A1)1i. Senckenberg. Naturf. Gesellsch., XII (p. 217); 



author's separate, p. 1 (type P. boettgeri=E. inornatus). 

 1881. Chilobothrus Gundlach, Anal. Soc. Espaii. Hist. Nat., X, p. 312 {emend.) 



The snakes of this genus belong to the Boicl family, characterized, 

 among other things, by the vestiges of posterior limbs, which are often 

 visible on the sides of the vent as small, claw-like appendages. The 

 Boas, as a rule, have undivided subcaudal shields and are mostly 

 inhabitants of the New World. They are not poisonous, but kill their 

 prey by squeezing it to death. 



Two species occur within the territory covered b}' this report, one 

 in Porto B.ico proper, the other in Mona Island, both related to species 

 inhabiting other islands of the Greater Antilles and the Bahamas. 



The two species may be distinguished as follows: 



a^ Supraoculars about one-third as broad as frontal E. mornnhnf, p. 688- 



0? Supraoculars about one-half as broad as frontal E. monevsi^, p. 692 



EPICRATES INORNATUS '^ (Reinhardt). 



1843. Boa mornata Reinhardt, Danske Vidensk. Selsk. Afhandl., X, p. 253; 

 author's separate, p. 21, pi. i, figs. 21-23 (type locality, Porto Rico; types 

 in Mus., Copenhagen; Dr. Ravn, coll.). — CMlahothras inornatus Jan, 

 Icon. Ophid., livr. 6, 1864, pi. v, fig. B.— Cope, Proc. Phila. Acad., 1868, 

 p. 312 (Porto Rico).— Peters, Mon. Ber. Berlin Akad. Wiss., 1876, p. 

 708 (Porto Rico).— Stahl, Fauna Puerto-Rico, 1882, pp. 70, 126, 160 

 (Porto Rico).— Garman, N. Amer. Rept., I, Ophid., 1883, p. 132 (Porto 

 Rico); Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc, XXIV, 1887, p. 279 (Bayamon, Porto 

 Rico). — Chilobothrus i. Gundlach, Anal. Soc. Espafi. Hist. Nat., X, 

 1881, p. 312 (Porto Rico). — Epicrates inornatus Stejneger, Proc. U. S. 

 Nat. Mus., XXIII, No. 1218, 1901, p. 470 (Porto Rico). 



1881. Piesigaster hoeltgeri Seoane, Abh. Senckenberg. Naturf. Gesellsch., XII (p. 

 218); author's separate, p. 2, pi. i (type locality, Mindanao, Philippine 

 Islands ! ! ) . 



On a previous occasion '" I separated the Jamaican species which for 

 more than fifty years was considered identical with Ji". inornatus as E, 

 suhflavus. For the distinguishing- characters it must sufiice to refer 

 to the paper in question, but it may be advisable to say here that 



« ETtiKpaTr)<i, powerful. 



^ Latin — Unadorned. 



^■Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XXIII, 1901, pp. 469-47f> 



