1921] 



201 



VIII. SOME WATER-SNAKES NEW TO, OR RARE 

 IN, THE MALAY PENINSULA. 



By C. Boden Kloss, i .z.s. 



The following rare water-snake of the sub-family 

 Homalopsinae is new to the fauna of the Malay Peninsula : 

 it was obtained by a native collector at the mouth of the 

 Kurau River at the northern extremity of the coast of Perak 

 in January 1917. 



1. Gerardia prevostiana. 



Coluber {Homalopsis) prevostiimiis Eyd. & Gerv. in 

 Guer. Mag. Zool. cl. Ill, 1837, p. 5, pi. XV. 



Gerardia prevostiana Boulcnger, Fauna Brit. India, 

 Rept. p. 379 (1890), id.. Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus. Ill, p. 20 

 (1896). 



The single specimen obtained agrees with Boulenger's 

 descriptions {l.c.s.) except that the temporals are 2 -f 2 

 and there ai'e three i)raetrontals, the median one being 

 smaller than the others and broadest in front. 



Snout to vent 305 mm., tail 45 mm. 



Hitherto apparantly only known from Burma, India 

 and Ceylon. 



2. Fordonia leucobalia. 



Homalopsia leucobalia Schleg. Phys. Serp. II, 1837, 

 p. 345, pi. XIII, figs. 8, 9. 



Fordonia leucobalia Boulenger, Vert. Fauna Malay 

 Pen., Rept. & Batr. 1912, p. 164. 



The collector secured on the same occasion one example 

 of the variety named F. unicoloi by Gray. Snout to vent 

 350 mm. ; tail 50 mm. 



This species ranges from Bengal to Cochin-China and 

 North Australia. It has been taken at Singapore and at 

 Penang, where Cantor says it is common, but the present 

 specimen is the first we have met with. 



3. Herpeton tentaculatum. 



Erpeton tentaculalus Lacep., Bull. Sci. Soc. Philom. 

 II, 1800, p. 169 ; id., Ann. Mus. II, 1803, p. 280, pi 1 



Herpeton tentaculatum Boulenger, Cat. Snakes Brit. 

 Mus. Ill, 1896, p. 25 ; Annandale. Journ. Nat. Hist. Soc. 

 Siam II, 1916, p. 91. 



First recorded from the Malay Peninsula by Dr. 

 N. Annandale (l.c.s.) who obtained it in the Tale Sap or 

 Inland Sea, Singgora. 



