43. TANTILLA 



Description. — Head rounded in outline, very flat above 

 rather broad across temporal region, but little distinct from 

 neck. Eyes small. Rostral rather large, broader than high, 

 and bounded behind by internasal, anterior nasal, and first 

 labial plates. Plates on top of head are a pair of small inter- 

 nasals, a pair of prefrontals which are nearly twice as large, 

 a frontal, the supraocular of each side, and a pair of long 

 parietals. Posterior nasal in contact with preocular. No 

 loreal. One preocular. Two postoculars. Temporals elong- 

 ate, 1 + 1 or 1+2. Supralabials seven, the last largest, the 

 third and fourth reaching eye. Infralabials seven or rarely 

 six, the first pair not meeting on the midline. Scales smooth, 

 in 1 5 rows. Anal plate divided. Gastrosteges varying in 

 number from 167 to 181. Urosteges in two series of from 

 53 to 68. 



The ground color is pale brownish gray or grayish brown, 

 above, the edges of the scales being lighter. The top and 

 sides of the head and the neck for a distance of about two 

 or three scale-lengths behind the parietal plates is dark 

 grayish or blackish brown. Behind this area a narrow whitish 

 transverse band or collar about one scale wide crosses the 

 nape. This may be bordered behind by a few dark dots. 

 The labials and lower surfaces of the head and neck are 

 grayish white. The rest of the lower surfaces are coral red, 

 fading to grayish white in alcohol. 



Length to anus 207 233 256 283 



Length of tail. _ 63 7+ 5 8 82 



Distribution. — Seven specimens of this little snake were 

 collected by Dr. Gustav Eisen near Fresno, Fresno County, 

 California, in 1879. It has since been taken near IVIohave, 

 Kern County, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, and Witch 

 Creek and Campo in San Diego County. Witch Creek is on 



