122 



Maxillary teeth 8 12, posterior strongly enlarged, compressed; 

 mandibular teeth about equal. Body round, covered with smooth 

 or feebly keeled scales with or without pits, in 13 21 rows; 

 ventrals rounded or with an obtuse lateral keel. Tail short; 

 subcaudals in two rows. 

 Distribution. S. E. Asia. 



Key to the Indo- A ustral i an species. 



A. Scales in 15 rows 1.5. annulifer p. 122. 



B. Scales in 17 rows. 



I. Two anterior temporals 2. 5. octolineatus p. 123. 



II. One anterior temporal. 



a. Fourth and fifth labials entering the eye. . 3. 5. violaceus p. 124. 



b. Third and fourth labials entering the eye. 



X Two postoculars 4. 5. forbesi p. 124. 



XX One postocular. 



1. Scales smooth 5. 5. signatus p. 125. 



2. Scales feebly keeled 6. S. subcarinatus p. 125. 



C. Scales in 19 or 21 rows 7-5. purpurascens p. 126. 



I. Simotes annulifer Boulenger. 



Situates annulifer, Boulenger, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1893, p. 524; Cat. Sn. II 1894, 

 p. 226, pi. VIII, fig. 3. 



Nasal divided; rostral large, visible from above; suture between 

 the internasals shorter than that between the praefrontals; 

 frontal longer than its distance from the tip of the snout, 

 shorter than the parietals; loreal small; one prae- and two 

 postoculars; temporals 1+2; seven upper labials, third and 

 fourth entering the eye; four lower labials in contact with the 

 anterior chin-shields; latter longer than the posterior. Scales 

 in 15 rows; ventrals 153; anal entire; subcaudals 49. 



Brown above, with 26 black annuli on the back, enclosing 

 oval, yellowish spots; sides spotted with black and with vertical 

 and oblique yellow lines; head yellowish-brown, a dark bar 

 across the forehead, passing through the eye; a large A-shaped 

 spot from the frontal to the nape; an oblique bar on the 

 temporal region; lips black-spotted. Lower surface white, with 

 a series of black spots on each side; chin and throat black- 

 spotted. Length of head and body 130 mm.; tail 30 mm. 



Habitat: N. Borneo!. 



