37. FICIMIA—3S. HYPSIGLENA 



across the line of meeting of the prefrontal, supraocular, 

 and frontal plates and is continued below the eye to the 

 margin of the mouth, embracing all of the fourth labial. 

 The four anterior infralabials have dark margins. The 

 belly is white or yellowish, without markings. 



Length to anus 117 135 165 293 



Length of tail . 28 20 23 57 



Distribution. — This snake is known only from five 

 specimens. These are the type from Fort Buchanan in 

 southeastern Arizona, a second specimen labeled merely 

 Southern Arizona, one from El Paso, Texas, one found 

 dead on the shore of Lake Walters at the White Sands, 

 west of Alamogordo, New Mexico, and one secured in 

 Montezuma Canyon, Huachuca Mountains, Cochise County 

 Arizona. 



Genus 38. Hypsiglena 



Hyfsiglena Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1860, p. 24-6 (type, 



ochrorhynchus) . 

 Pseudodifsas Peters, Mon. Bed. Acad., 1860, p. 521. 

 Comastes Jan, Elenco Sist. Ofid., 1863, p. 102. 



The body is small, with moderate, slender tail. The 

 head is distinct from the neck by reason of the swollen 

 temples, which in old individuals are greatly enlarged. The 

 snout is rounded and rather prominent. The head plates 

 are normal. The nasals rarely unite above the nostril. Two 

 (or three) preoculars and two postoculars are present, as is 

 also a loreal. Temporals are normally one followed by 

 two. The scales are smooth, in 19 or 21 rows, with apical 

 pits. The anal plate is divided. Urosteges are in two rows. 

 The eye is of moderate size or small, with vertically elliptic 

 pupil. 



