BIHANG TILL K. SV. VET.-AKAD. HANDL. BAND 27. AFD. IV. N:0 5. 19 



Geodipsas mapanjensis. Spec. nov. 



Plate II; fig. 15. 



Solid maxillary teeth 16, equal, followed, after a distinct 

 interspace, by two enlarged grooved fångs. Maiidibular teeth 

 small, abont 20, slightly decreasing in size beliind. Head 

 distinct from neck; eye small, two thirds of its distance from 

 the tip of the snout; pupil round. Rostral considerably broa- 

 der than deep, just visible from above. Two internasals, 

 broader than long, half as long as the prtef rontals, which 

 are longer than broad. Nostril lateral, between two nasals. 

 Loreal as deep as long. Frontal pentagonal, slightly longer 

 than its distance to the snout; 1^ 3 as long as broad, twice 

 as broad as the supraoculars. Two prfeoculars, the lower 

 deep and narrow, the superior broader than deep, not reaching 

 the frontal. In one of the specimens the lower prcEocular • 

 is divided into two on one side. Two postoculars; tem- 

 porals 1 + 2; parietals large, as long as their distance 

 from the tip of the snout; se ven upper labials, third and 

 fourth enteiing the eye. Eight or nine lower labials, four 

 of which are in contact with the anterior chinshields, which 

 are about as long as the posterior. Between these and the 

 iirst ventral shield there is only one pair of scales, which are 

 considerably large and may be considered as a third pair of 

 chinshields. The body cylindrical, with 19 rows of scales, 

 which are equal and distinctly keeled. In one of the speci- 

 mens (the lighter one) all the scales are keeled but in the 

 other the outer row is smooth. Ventral shields 138 — 149, 

 anal entire. The tail short, sharply pointed^; subcaudals 40 

 in two rows. 



The two specimens, there are in the Royal Museum, which 

 in my opinion must be referred to the same species, differ 

 con.siderably from each other in the colour. Although they 

 belong to different sexes, it is not truly that this variation 

 in colour may be regarded as a sexual distinction, hitherto 

 not mentioned among the snakes; more probably the two spe- 



' In the melanotic specimen the tail is obtuse and the number of sub- 

 caudals only 30 pairs; probably the tail of this specimen is mutilated. 



