AMPHIESMA RHODOMELAS. 165 



AMPHIESMA RHODOMELAS, Dum. & Bibr. 



SPEC. CHAR. Above brick-red, with a dorsal black or brown band, 

 bifurcated upon the hind part of the neck. On the sides a series of 

 black dots. 



SYN. Tropidonotus rhodomelas, SCHLEO. Ess. Physion. Serp. I, 1837, 167; et, II, 

 1837, 310, PI. xn, figs. 10 & 11. 

 Amphiesma rhodomelas, DUM. & BIBR. Erpet. gen. VII, r, 1854, 737. 



DESCR. The head is rather short, broad across the temporal region, 

 and narrow anteriorly ; its upper surface being convex. The snout is 

 bluntly rounded, projecting over the lower jaw. The nostril is situ- 

 ated between two plates. The eyes are very large and circular, with 

 a large and circular pupil also. The mouth is deeply cleft, concave 

 posterior to the orbit, and ascending towards its angle. The occipital 

 plates are elongated, twice as broad upon their middle as they are 

 long. The vertex plate is large, obtusely six-sided, tapering poste- 

 riorly, in the general appearance of an isoceles triangle, and shorter 

 than the occipitals. The supraoculars are of the same length as the 

 vertex plate, rather narrow anteriorly, and slightly arched above the 

 eye. The postfrontals are much larger than the prefrontals, extending 

 somewhat to the sides of the head ; seen from above, they have a sub- 

 quadrangular aspect. The prefrontals are rounded exteriorly. The 

 rostral is broad and low, semicircular, convex above, concave beneath. 

 The prenasal is smaller than the postnasal ; the nostril, which is very 

 large, perforates equally both plates. The loral is subtrapezoid. We 

 observe three anteorbitals ; the uppermost is the largest, and angular 

 in shape, and does not extend to the upper surface of the head ; the 

 middle one is much smaller than the preceding ; the third or lower one 

 is exceedingly small, resting above the commissure between the third 

 and fourth labials. There are four postorbitals, the uppermost being 

 the largest, the others diminishing gradually in size ; the lower one, 

 however, is more conspicuous than its fellow at the anterior rim of the 

 orbit. Five or more temporal shields may be observed, the anterior 

 two being elongated, and much more developed than the rest. The 

 upper labials are eight in number ; the first is very small, and situ- 

 ated beneath the prenasal ; they increase in size from the second to 



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