Introduction 



According to a handbook titled "Synopsis of Reptiles of China" (1977)^ 

 326 species and subspecies of reptiles are known from China. Comparison of 

 this figure to that given by Clifford H. Pope in 19352 (218 taxa) indicates 

 a great advance of herpetofaunal investigation in China, most of which 

 was carried out by their own people in the latter half of this century. A 

 series of well -organized herpetofaunal researches has resulted in many 

 published reports (and still many more seem to await publication); these 

 include new geographical records and descriptions of new forms. Most of 

 these herpetological reports appeared in journals such as ACTA ZOOLOGICA 

 SINICA and ACTA ZOOTAXONOMICA SINICA. Recently a purely herpetological 

 journal was initiated by Chengdu Institute of Biology (Acta Herpetologica 

 Sinica) which will be a stepping stone for the further advance of herpetology 

 in China. 



Many herptiles are valuable natural resources in China and their impor- 

 tance in economics (food, medicine, leather, etc.) is well documented in a 

 recently published booklet, "Economic Herptiles".^ This booklet stresses 

 the importance of further investigation of distribution and ecology of herp- 

 tiles to take necessary conservational measures including captive propagation. 

 Snakebite is another aspect of herpetology for which a well -edited handbook 

 is available. This handbook, "Chinese Poisonous Snakes and Treatment of Their 

 Bites"4 contains many interesting accounts of venomous snakes of China as well 

 as very unique herbal medication for snakebites. These two areas of para- 

 herpetology seem to have played an important role in the advancement of their 

 researches on various aspects of these animals in China. 



The following is a translation of one of these reports, mentioned above; 

 it appeared in the Acta Zoologica Sinica (24(4): 379-384 + pi., 1975). Before 

 presenting the translation, I wish to offer a few comments: 



1) The introductory part of the text as well as "types" and "diagnosis" are 

 directly transcribed from the original English summary with a minor 

 addition. 



2) Terminology used for morphological description is mainly based on 



James A. Peters' "Dictionary of Herpetology"^ except the "interoccipitals" 

 which in this paper is used to describe a group of small scales behind 

 the parietals and separating the posterior temporals. Peters mentions the 

 use of this term in saurians and in scolecophidian snakes but not in 

 colubrid snakes such as Achalinus . The Chinese name for this scale, 

 Jian zhen ban , however, seems to be seldom used and is not mentioned in 

 the section on snake lepidosis in "Synopsis of Reptiles of China". 



3) Sichuan Biological Research Institute is now called "Chengdu Institute of 

 Biology, Academia Sinica". This must be the largest center of herpetology 

 in China. 



4) The author of X^. hainanensis and D. rosozonatum , Djao, is written as Zhao 

 (Zhao Ermi) in recent papers. 



5) Xenopeltis hainanensis is now known also from Longsheng prefecture (ca. 

 25° 42'N, llO'-d'E) of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Province (=Kwangsi) and 

 Longquan area (ca. 28° 04'N, 199° 07'E) of Zhejiang Province (=Chekiang). 



