THE PRINCIPAL SPECIES OF POISONOUS SNAKES 89 
anterior mandibular teeth greatly developed. Head fairly distinct 
from the body ; eyes small, with round or vertically elliptic pupils ; 
nasal shield entire or divided. Body cylindrical; scales smooth, in 
15—19 rows; tail moderate or short; subcaudals in a single row, 
except in one species. 
According to the British 
Museum Catalogue, the genus 
Denisonia includes twenty- 
one species, the principal 
characters of which are as 
follows :— 
(1) D. superba (The Cop- 
perhead. Fig. 52).—Scales in Fia. 52.—Denisonia superba (The Copper- 
15— 17 rows; nasal shield head). 
entire, in contact with the 
præocular ; ventral scales 145—160; subcaudals 41—50. 
Colour brownish to dark olive on the back, often yellow or 
salmon-red on the sides; belly yellowish or greyish-olive. 
Total length, 1,010 millimetres ; tail 160. 
Habitat: New South Wales, Southern Australia, Tasmania. 
(2) D. coronata.—Scales in 15 rows; 138—151 ventrals ; 38— 
51 subcaudals. 
Colour olive, with a black streak on 
each side of the head; belly yellowish 
or pale olive. 
Total length, 480 millimetres ; 
tail 95. 
Habitat: Western Australia and 
New South Wales. 
(3) D. coronoides (fig. 53).—Scales in 15 rows; 136—151 
ventrals ; 39—57 subcaudals. 
Colour brown, lips yellow ; belly salmon-red to dark olive-crey ; 
Fia. 53.— Denisonia coronoides. 
end of tail salmon-red. 
Total length, 440 millimetres ; tail 80. 
