274 COLUBRID, 
teeth small, anterior longest. Head small, not distinct from neck ; 
eye small, with round pupil; nostril in a single nasal; loreal small 
or absent. Body cylindrical, short; scales smooth, with apical 
pits, in 15 rows ; ventrals rounded. ‘Tail short, subcaudals in two 
rows. 
Africa. 
Fig. 19. 
Maxillary and mandible of Homalosoma lutriz. 
Synopsis of the Species. 
I. Ventrals 115-144. 
A. Nasal not in contact with preocular ; usually two postoculars ; 
frontal as long as parietals .... 1. lutriv, p. 274. 
B. Nasal in contact with preocular ; one postocular; frontal 
shorter than parietals. 
Frontal much longer than broad; suture 
between the internasals longer than 
that between the prefrontals........ 2. shiranum, p. 276. 
Frontal scarcely longer than broad; suture 
between the internasals shorter than 
that between the prefrontals ..... . 93. abyssinicum, p. 276. 
II. Ventrals 97-110; nasal not in contact with preocular; two 
postoculars ; frontal as long as parietals. 
4, variegatum, p. 276. 
t 
A 
_ 
i. Homalocoma lutrix. 
Coluber lutrix, Zinn. S. N. i. p. 875 (1766). 
duberria (Klein), Merr. Beitr. p. 7, pl. i. (1790). 
Elaps duberria, Schneid. Hist. Amph, ii. p. 297 (1801). 
Coluber tetragonus, Latr. Rept. iv. p. 97 (1802); Daud. Rept. vii. 
p- 207 (1803). 
arctiventris, Daud. t. c. p. 221; Kuhl, Beitr. p. 82 (1820). 
Duberria arctiventris, Fitzing. N. Class. Rept. p. 55 (1826). 
Calamaria arctiventris, Schleg. Phys. Serp. ii. p. 36, pl. i. figs. 24-26 
1837). 
Pena arctiventris, Smith, Ill. Zool, S. Afr., Rept., App. p. 16 
(1849). 
lutrix, Dum. §& Bibr. vii. p. 110 (1854); Giinth. Cat. p. 20 
(1858); Jan, Arch. Zool, Anat. Phys. 11, 1862, p. 33, and Icon. 
Gén. 13, pl. ili. fig. 8 (1865). 
Cyclophis catenatus, Theob. Cat. Rept. As. Soc. Mus, 1868, p. 49. 
