154 NEW SPECIES OF COLUBRINE SNAKE — STEJNEGER. 



Phyllorhynchus decurtatus (Cope). 



ISm.—Phhnoihyra decurtaia Cope, Proc. Phila. Acad., 1868, p. 310.— /<?., Bull. U. S. 

 Nat. Mus., No. 1, pp. 38, 92 (1875).— Yarrow, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 24, 

 pp. 15, 99. (1885). 



Salvadora decurtaia Garman, N. Am. Serp., pp. 39, 145 (1883).— /d., Bull. 

 Essex Inst., xvi, p. — ; List N. Am. Eept. Batr., p. 25 (1884).— Cope, Bull. 

 U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 32, p. 72 (1887).— Bocourt, Miss. Scientif. Mex., Kept., 

 11 livr., p. 663 (1888). 



Diagnosis. — Scales smooth throughout, in nineteen rows; 2-3 loreals; 

 labials f 5 gasterosteges 172-177, anal entire 5 urosteges 20-27, divided; 

 tail about -i\- of total length ; upper surface with about thirty " amphi- 

 ccelous" brown blotches on back and tail alternating with a more or 

 less double series of smaller spots of same color on the sides. 



Habitat. — Lower California. 



Type.— Uns. Phila. Acad. Nat. Sc; Wm. M. Gabb coll. 



Description of type specimen. — Kostral as in Pli. hroivni, but apparently 

 thicker and not produced quite so far backwards, as its posterior apex 

 only just touches the suture of the prefrontals; under side of free lat- 

 eral border of rostral very distinctly folded transversely; two pre- 

 frontals; frontal hexagonal, longer than broad; parietals as long as 

 frontal, and as long as broad; no shield behind parietals; nostril and 

 nasals as in Ph. hroivni; loreal rather large, joining the prefrontal 

 above, and meeting (on the right side) the second supralabial and a 

 rather large subloreal below, which is wedged in between third and 

 fourth supralabials, while on the left the upper portion of second supra- 

 labial is cut off so as to form a small second subloreal ; three preocu- 

 lars as in Fh. hroivni; two suboculars; three postoculars; two anterior 

 temporals, on right side upper smallest, on left lower smallest ; six su- 

 pralabials, three ijosterior largest; infralabi ils and geneials as in Ph. 

 hrowni; scales smooth, slightly decreasing in size towards the middle of 

 the back, in 19 rows; gasterosteges 177; anal entire; urosteges 26 pairs. 



Dimensions.— Total length, 350'"'"; length of tail from anus, 29"'"'; 

 proportion of tail to total length .= 1 : 12. 



Coloration {in alcohol). — Ground color whitish, with about thirtj^-two 

 "chocolate brown "* blotches on the back from neck to tip of tail ; shape 

 and size more or less irregular, but usually more or less concave in front 

 and behind, pale in the middle, the brown color being merely sprinkled 

 over the white ground ; on the sides a row of smaller brown spots, two 

 or three scales large, in a more or less double series, and, as a rule, alter- 

 nating with the dorsal blotches; on the head a broad line from above 

 each angle of the mouth running upward and forward through the 

 eyes and meeting on the prefrontals ; a few irregular spots on posterior 

 portion of frontal, on parietals and anterior portion of neck, as well as 

 on some of the supralabials; lower surface unspotted. 



*Ri(igway, Nomeucl. Colors, pi. iii, fig. 4. 



