and Revision of the South American Elaps. 



173 



different from all the others : it comprises E. mipartitus, D. & B., 

 E. decussatus, D. & B., E. multifasciatus, Jan, together with three 

 specimens in the British Museum. The specific distinction of 

 E. multifasciatus and mipartitus is not yet clearly pointed out ; 

 and the British Museum specimens do not completely agree with 

 either, having a white band before the eyes, which peculiarity, 

 however, in my opinion, cannot constitute of itself a specific 

 character, as it is difficult to perceive why a modified extent of 

 the black coloration of the head should be considered as more 

 important than that of the trunk. 



With regard to the remainder (B. II.), comprising E. coralli- 

 nus, D. & B., E. circinalis, D.& B., E. Rusei, Jan, E. ornatissimus, 

 Jan, I consider them as one and the same species. Even if 

 further observations should point out a specific difference be- 

 tween the E. corallinus from the West Indies and the continental 

 coast nearest to those islands, and between the E. corallinus 

 from the neotropical continent, this difference is not to be found 

 in the sixth upper labial shield, as I have proved above, and the 

 name of E. Rusei must be considered as a synonym for an acci- 

 dental form of E. circinalis, D. & B. 



I can hardly give any opinion on E. alternans and E. gastro- 

 delus, D. & B., perfectly unknown to me, and not admitted in the 

 list of species by Prof. Jan. E. Langsdorfii, Wagl., is known 

 to me also only by the very short note given on it by Prof. 

 Jan. The discovery that E. calligaster, Wiegm. and E. collaris, 

 Schleg., realty are South American species, will be gratefully 

 received by every herpetologist, the character of the East Indian 

 Elaps, " corpore vittato," as given by Wagler, thus being undis- 

 turbed ; but it is rather strange that specimens belonging to 

 those species should be marked, both in the British and in the 

 Paris Museum, as coming from the Philippines. 



The list of South American species and varieties of Elaps will 

 now be as follows : — 



5. Elaps tener, Baird and Girard. 



6. Elaps bipunctiger, D. & B. 

 7 '. Elaps surinamensis, Cuv. 



8. Elaps lemniscatus, L., with the 

 varieties : 



a. E. Margravii, D. & B. 



b. E. frontalis, D. B. 



c. E. elegans, Jan. 



d. E. Tschudii, Jan. 



9. Elaps filiformis, Gthr. 



10. Elaps decor atus, Jan. 



1 1 . Elaps Dumerilii, Jan. 



12. Elaps Hemprichii, Jan. 



with 



1 . Elaps corallinus, L., with the va- 

 rieties : 



a. E. psyche, Daud. 



b. E. circinalis, D. & B. 



c. E. Rusei, Jan. 



d. E. ornatissimus, Jan. 



2. Elaps mipartitus, D. & B. 

 the varieties : 



a. E. decussatus, D. & B. 

 ? b. E. multifasciatus, Jan. 



3. Elaps Langsdorfii, Wagl. 



4. Elaps fulvius, L., with the varie- 

 ties : 



a. E. tristis, Baird and Girard. 



b. E. epistema, D. & B. 



c. E. affinis, Jan. 



