38 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HJST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXIII. 



ZAMEXIS VENTRIMACULATUS (Gray). 

 Gray's Rat-snake. 



History. — First referred to by Gray in 1834, who figured it in 

 his Illustrations of Indian Zoology (Plate LXXX, Vol. II). The 

 type specimen collected by General Hardwicke is in the British 

 Museum, but the locality where found has been lost sight of. It 

 is one of the few shielded forms. (Ventrals 206, subcaudals 98, 

 Boulenger.) Under the name Z. chesnei Martin redescribed it in 

 1838. It has been redescribed under various other names, or 

 confused with other species by man}' other authors. 



Nomenclature — (a) Scientific. — " Ventrimaculatus " is from the 

 Latin and implies spotted belly, in allusion to the irregular series of 

 roundish spots seen at the edge of the ventrals in the forepart of 

 the bellv. 



geographical distribution of each and append maps which show that their distribu- 

 tion is almost the same. One (the few ^hieldel) extends South of the Indus whilst 

 the other has not yet been recorded so far South in India. A list is also appended 

 showing the number of specimens of each that I have examined and added to the 

 specimens in Boulenger's Catalogue and the ventral and subcaudal ranges. I think 

 from these considerations most herpetologists will hesitate to accept these forms 

 as distinct species. In this paper, therefore, I treat them all as one species under 

 the name ventrimaculatus. 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIMENS. 





