270 



Genus PSEUDOPLECTRURUS. 



Eye in the ocular shield. No mental groove. No supraocular ; 

 110 temporal. Tail compressed, with the terminal scute compressed 

 and with two superposed, simple or bifid points. 



Distribution. Southern India. 



320. Pseudoplectrurus canaricus. 



Silybura canarica, Beddome, Madras Journ. Med. Sc. 1870. 

 Plectrurus canaricus, Gilnth. P. Z. 8. 1875, p. 229 ; Theob. Cat. p. 137 ; 

 Beddome, A. M. N. H. (5) xvii, 1886, p. 27. 



Snout obtuse ; rostral hardly one fourth the length of the shielded 

 part of the head, the portion visible from above shorter than its 

 distance from the frontal ; nasals in contact ; frontal longer than 

 broad. Eye not half the length of the ocular. Diameter of body 

 32 to 43 times in the total length. 15 scales round the middle of 

 the body, 19 behind the head. Yeutrals not twice as large as 

 the contiguous scales, 172-188 ; subcaudals 6-13. Upper caudal 

 scales smooth or feebly pluricarinate. Brownish violet, each scale 

 usually paler in the centre ; with or without yellow spots on the 

 back ; lips yellow ; some yellow blotches on each side of the anterior 

 part of the body ; lower surface of tail yellow, with or without a 

 black median streak. 



Total length 17 inches. 



Hob. Mountains of South Canara, 6000-6200 feet. 



Genus PLECTRURUS, 

 Dum. & Bibr. Erp. G&i. vii, p. 166, 1854. 



Eye in the ocular shield. No mental groove. A supraocular ; 

 no temporal. Tail compressed, with the terminal scute compressed 

 and with two superposed, simple, bifid or trifid points. 



Distribution. Southern India. 



Synopsis of the Species. 



A. Eye not quite half length of ocular shield ; term- 



inal caudal scute with two superposed simple 

 points. 



a. Ventrals 152-165 P. perrotdi, p. 271. 



b. Ventrals 180 P. davisonii, p. 271. 



B. Eye half length of ocular ; terminal caudal scute 



with two superposed bi- or tricuspid transverse 



ridges. 



. Ventrals not twice as broad as contiguous scales. P.yuentheri } 'p.271. 

 b. Ventrals twice as broad as contiguous scales . . P. aureus, p. 272. 



