COLUBER SUMATRANUS. 



51 



tioned description only, maintained the name of Coluber 

 sumatranus in Erpetology. 



In the » Essay sur la Physionomie des Serpents' ' Sehlegel 

 mentions the C. sumatranus Raffles and supposes it to be 

 the same as TV. Wagleri '). 



Dumeril and Bibron in their Erpetologie générale also 

 believe Coluber sumatranus and Tr. Wagleri to be the same 

 species, but their false quotation induces me to suppose 

 they only copied Sehlegel in this regard. 



Cantor ^) gives a description of a green pitviper with 

 141 — 147 ventral shields and supposes this to be the C. 

 sumatranus Raffles as well as the Cophias Wagleri Boie. 



It was Günther 1. c. who first pointed out the great 

 difierence in the number of ventral shields in C. su- 

 matranus and B. Wagleri, but as his remark only is 

 a negative one, we may conclude, that Günther also knew 

 the C. sumatranus only by Raffles' description. 



In comparing Raffles' description with the description and 

 the plate of Trigonocephalies formosus Mull. & Schleg. ') 

 as well as with the type, still in the collection of the 

 Leyden Museum , I feel sure that Trigonocephalus formosus 

 Mull. & Schleg. is the same species as Coluber sumatranus 

 Raffles. 



Trigonocephalus formosus Mull. & Schleg. has 187 ventral 

 shields, large supraciliaria and extraordinary long and 

 strongly curved fangs. It is of a green color, with a great 

 number of cross-bands and has a reddish tail, whilst each 

 scale is edged with black. 



The number of the ventral shields alone would be a 



1) Erroneously Sehlegel quotes the Philosophical Transactions instead of the 

 Transactions of the Linnean Society, hut the numher of part and page clearly 

 proves Schlegel's acquaintance with Raffles' description. 



2) Cantor, Catalogue of Reptiles inhabiting the Malayan Peninsula and 

 Islands. 



3) Over de in den Indischen Archipel voorkomende soorten van het slangen- 

 geslacht Trïgonocephahis ^ door Sam. Muller en Herm. Sehlegel, p. 52, in: 

 Verhandelingen over de Nat. Hist, der Nederl. overzeesche bezittingen. 



>Iotes from the Leyden IMuseuiii, V^ol. VllX. 



