106 LEPTOPHIS. 



Genus liEPTOPHIS, Bell. 



Gen. Char. Head conical, very mucli swollen on the temporal 

 region, separated from the body by a very small neck, and tapering 

 considerably on the snout, which is protruding. Cephalic plates 

 normal. One nasal plate. One loral. One anteorbital and two 

 postorbitals. Eyes large. Cleft of mouth deep and curved. Tail 

 slender and very long, forming more than i of the total length. 

 Scales in 17 rows, carinated, except the first and second rows, which 

 are smooth. Postabdominal scutellai bifid. Subcaudal all bifid. 

 Unicolor. 



Syn, Leptophis, Bell, in Zool. Journ. II, 1826, 328. 



1. L.eptopliis aestlTMS, Holbr. — Body reddish green above; yel- 

 lowish white beneath. Dorsal scales in 17 rows. 



Stn. Coluber sestivtcs, Linn. Syst. Nat. 1, 1766, 387.— Gm. Linn. Syst. Nat. 

 ed. xiii, I, iii, 1788, 1114.— Hael. Journ. Acad. Nat. So. Philad. V, 1827, 

 357 ; and Med. & Phys. Res. 1835, 121. 



Leptoplm scstivus, Bell, Zool. Jovirn. II, 1826, 329.— Holbr. N. Amer. 

 Herp. Ill, 1842, 17. PI. iii. 



Anguis viridis, Catesb. Nat. Hist. Carol. II, 1743, 57. PI. Ivii. 



Green Snake, Bartr. Trav. in Carol., Geo. and Flo., 1791, 16. 



Head regularly ovoidal. Vertical plate elongated, subpentagonal, 

 diminishing posteriorly, though not acute. Occipitals elongated, 

 tapering posteriorly, and subtruncated. Frontals subrounded ; pre- 

 frontals smaller than postfrontals by about one-fourth. Rostral 

 rounded, broader than high. Nostril in the middle of the nasal. 

 Loral subtrapezoidal. Anteorbital angular, much broader above 

 than below. Postorbitals subangular, lower one the smallest. Su- 

 perciliary well developed, irregularly oblong. A large pretemporal 

 shield, and three or four smaller ones. Upper labials 7 ; 6th slightly 

 the largest. Lower labials 8; 5th the largest. Posterior mental 

 scutell^ slender and elongated, extending beyond the 5th lower labial. 



