OPHIDIA. 



371 



Fam. 8. Amblycephalidae. Facial bones slightly moveable, prefrontals 

 not in contact with nasals, ectopterygoid present, these characters, as 

 in Colubridae ; differ from Colubridae in fact that pterygoids do not reach 

 quadrate ; externally distinguishable from Cohibridae by absence of longi- 

 tudinal median mental groove ; they resemble in their head and neck 

 poisonous snakes, but are harmless ; S.-E. Asia, C. and S. America. Haplo- 

 peltura Blgr., Pinang, Malay Arch. ; Amblycephalus Kuhl., S.-E. As. 

 Leptognathus D. and B., C. and S. Am. ; Dipsas Laur., S. Am. ; Pseudo- 

 pareas Blgr., S. Am. 



Fam. 9. Viperidae. Facial bones moveable, prefrontal not in contact 

 with nasal, ectopterygoid present ; squamosal present, loosely attached 

 and suspending quadrate ; maxillary short, erectile perpendicularly to 

 ectopterygoid and carrying a 

 pair of large perforated fangs 

 without external groove, 

 without other teeth ; teeth 

 on palatine and pterygoid ; 

 mandible without coronoid 

 bone; hypapophyses through- 

 out vertebral column; jjoison- 

 ous ; all excepting ^4^ractospts 

 viviparous ; includes terres- 

 trial, semiaquatic, arboreal, 

 and burrowing types ; Evi- 

 rope, Asia, Africa (absent 

 from Madagascar), America. 

 Sub-fam. 1. Viperinae. 

 Without sensory pit on 

 the side of the snovit, 

 maxillary not hollowed 

 out above ; Old World, 

 except Madagascar. 

 Caiisus Wagl., trop. and 

 S. Afr. ; AzemiopsJilgv., 

 Upper Burma ; Vipera 

 Lavir., Eur., Asia, N. and 

 trop. Afr. ; V. berus L., 

 the common European 

 viper, to 28 inches, bite 

 as a rule not fatal, V. 

 russellii Shaw, the daboia, to 5 ft., India, Ceylon, Burma, Siam 

 Bitis Gr., Africa, B. arietans Wagl., pviff- adder, to 5 ft., very poisonous, 

 Afr., S. Arabia. Pseudocerastes Blgr., Persia ; Cerastes Wagl., N. Afr., 

 Arabia, Palestine, C. cornutus L., horned viper ; Echis Merr., Afr. n. 

 of equator, S. Asia. Athens Cope, trop. Afr. ; Atractaspis Smith, 

 trop. and S. Afr. 



Sub-fam. 2. Crotalinae. Pit-vipers. With a deep pit on each 

 side of the snout between the nostril and the eye ; maxillary hollowed 

 out above ; America, S. Asia ; includes rattle-snakes which are con- 

 fined to America. Without rattle are, Ancistrodon Baird, Caspian, 

 As., N. and C. Am., about 10 species ; A. piscivorus Lac, water- 

 viper, E. N.-Am. , A. conturtrix L., the copper-head, N. Am. Lachesis 

 Daud., S.-E. As., N. and S. Am., about 40 species. With rattle are, 



Fig. 201. — Elaps coralHnus (Eegne Animal). 



