59. spiLOTES. ' 23 



59. SPILOTES. 



Tyria, part.. Fitzmg. N. Class, liept. p. 29 (1826). 



Spilotes, Waaler, '^i/sf. Amph. p. 179 (1830). 



Spilotes, part., Duin. c^- Bibr. Erp. Gen. vii. p. 218 (1854) ; Giinfh. 

 Cat. Col. Sn. p. 96 (1858) ; Ja7i, Elenco sist. OJid. p. 62 (1863) • 

 Bocourt, Miss. Sc. Me.v., Rept. p. 685 (1888). ' 



Maxillary teeth equal, 19 to 22; anterior mandibular teeth 

 longest. Head slightly distinct from neck ; eye moderate, with 

 round pupil ; no suboculars, loreal often absent. Body elongate, 

 slightly compressed ; scales keeled, very strongly imbricate, acutely 

 pointed, with apical pits, in 14 or 16 rows; ventrals rounded. 

 Tail rather long ; subcaudals in two rows. 



South America. 



1. Spilotes puUatus. 



Coluber pullatus, Linn. Mus. Ad. Frid. p. 35, pi. xx. %. 3 (17.54) 



and S. N. i. p. 388 (1766). -o v /, 

 Cerastes coronatus, Lattr. S)/n. Rept. p. 83 (1768). 

 Coluber coronatus, Gmel. S. N. i. p. 1088 (1788). 

 variabilis, Men: Beitr. ii. p. 40, pi. xii. (1790) ; Wied, Beitr. 



Nat. Bras. i. p. 271 (1825), and Abbild. (1831): Schlea. Phus 



Serp. ii. p. 149, pi. vi. figs. 1 & 2 (1837). 



plutonius, Baud. Rept. vi. p. 324 (1803). 



Natrix caninana, Merr. Tent. p. 121 (1820). 



TjTia pullata, Fitz. N. Class. Rept. p. 60 (1826). 



Spilotes pullatus, Wagl. Syst. Amph. p. 179 (1830) : Bocourt, Miss. 



Sc. Mex., Rept. pi. xliv. fig. 2 (1888). 

 variabilis, IhDn. <§• Bibr. vii. p. 220 (1854) ; Wucherer Proc 



Zool. Soc. 1861, p. 324. 



variabilis, part., Gilnth. Cat. p. 99 (1858). 



pullatus, vai-. anomalolepis, Bocourt, I. c. p. 685, pi. xliv. fio-. 3. 



Rostral slightly broader than deep, visible from above ; inter- 

 nasals broader than long, much shorter than the prsefrontals ; frontal 

 once and one third to once and a half as long as broad, as long as 

 or a little shorter than its distance from the end of the snout, a 

 little shorter than the parietals ; loreal very small or absent, the 

 posterior nasal often in contact with the prsocular, which is 

 single ; two postoculars ; temporals 1 + 1 ; six or seven upper 

 labials, third and fourth entering the eye, fifth or sixth very large ; 

 four lower labials in contact with the anterior chin-shields, which 

 are as long as or a little shorter than the posterior. Scales in 16 

 rows. Ventrals 198-232 ; anal entire ; subcaudals 90-120. Elack 

 above, uniform or with yellow spots which may form cross bands ; 

 snout and sides of head yellow, the sutures between the shields 

 black ; belly yellow, with irregular black cross bands. 



Total length 2100 millim. ; tail 490. 



South America east of the Andes. 



A. Black and yellow. 



a. 2 (V. 232 ; C. 103). Berbice. 



b. $ (V. 217 ; C. 98). Brit. Guiana. Demerai-a Museum. 



