162 



COLUBRIDJi. 



Genus HOMALOPSIS. 



Kuhl, Isis, 1822, p. 474. 



Maxillary teeth 11-13, decreasing in length posteriorly, 

 followed, after an interspace, by a pair of slightly enlarged, grooved 

 teeth ; anterior mandibular teeth much longer than the posterior. 

 Head distinct from neck ; eye small, with vertically elliptic pupil ; 

 head-shields large ; nasals in contact behind the rostral, semi- 

 divided, the cleft extending from the nostril to the first labial ; 

 internasal single or divided ; loreal present. Body cylindrical ; 

 scales distinctly striated and keeled, without pits, in 37 to 47 

 rows ; ventrals well developed, not Ivceled. Tail moderate ; sub- 

 caudals in two rows. 



A single species. 



Fig. 50. — Head of Hmnalopsis buccata. 



177. Homalopsis buccata. 



Coluber hvccatus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 377 (1766). 



Homalopsis buccata, Sclileg. Phys. Serp. ii, p. 337, pi. xiii, figs. 1-3 



(1837) ; Cantor, Jom-n. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, xvi, p. 943 (1847) ; 



Giinth. Kept. Brit. Ind. p. 285 (1804) ; Bouleng. Faun. Brit. Ind., 



Rept. p. 374 (1890) ; id. Cat. Sn. iii, p. 14 (1896) ; S. Flower, 



P. Z. S. 1899, p. 677. 



Prontal often broken up into several shields, not much broader, 

 sometimes eveii narrower than the supraocular ; parietals short 

 loreal sometimes divided into two ; 1 or 2 prae- and 2 postoculars 

 1 to 3 suboculars sometimes preseut ; temporals small, scale-like 



