HEEPETOLOGY OF PORTO RICO. 



687 



be traced, the meshes of which anteriorly coincide with the outline of 

 the scales, but becoming more and more discordant posteriori} 7 ; rostral 

 and anterior nasal brown above, margined with whitish, underneath 

 whitish; a very abrupt whitish spot occupying the anal region and the 

 under side of the tail. 



Dimensions. 



mm. 



Tip of snout to vent 197 



Vent to tip of tail 3 



Diameter of body 5 



Variation. — The individual variation appears to be similar in char- 

 acter and extent to that indicated for Typhlops lumbricalis. Three of 

 our specimens have 18 scale rows, the fourth has 20. 



Habitat. — Thus far the only definite locality whence we have 

 received this species is Lares, in the western part of Porto Rico. In 

 this place Mr. A. B. Baker obtained three specimens. A fourth was 

 sent from Porto Rico by Mr. Charles E. Adams, but without indica- 

 tion of the exact locality where he collected it. 



Remarks. — This interesting novelt}^ resembles in color closely the 

 specimens which Boulenger has described from Dominica under the 

 name of Typhlops platycephalus. The latter differ, however, by hav- 

 ing 2-i scale rows around the body and b} r a much wider rostral which 

 is said to be one-third the width of the head. Dumeril and Bibron's 

 Typhlops platycephalus, which is said to have come from Martinique, 

 collected by Plee, must be a very different one from the Dominica 

 species. It is described as having 20 scale rows and it might conse- 

 quently be suspected to be the same as our Porto Rican species, but 

 apart from the radically different coloration, the true T. platycephahts 

 is described as having the head more depressed than T. lumbricalis and 

 the posterior supralabials much lower, while, as we have seen, two of 

 the best characters of our new T. rostellatus are the lack of depres- 

 sion in the profile of the head and the unusual height of the posterior 

 supralabials. 



Boulenger' s T. platycephalus a is apparently different from that of 

 Dumeril and Bibron and may be appropriately named Typhlops domin- 

 icana, from the island of Dominica, of which it is a native. 



TAst of specimens of Typhlops rostellatus. 



« Cat. Sn. Brit. Mus., I, 1893, p. 30. 



