26 4 



lowish; a yellow transverse band across the praefrontals. Lower 

 surface blackish-brown, the shields edged with light grey. Young 

 specimen with the outer rows of scales blackish, edged with 

 grey. Length of head and body 398 mm.; tail 47 mm. 



Type-specimen received from the Upsala Museum, examined. 



Habitat: New Guinea! (Sattelberg 800 M.!, Lialun). 



A female specimen contained eggs of about 13 mm. 



67. Pseudelaps Dum. & Bibr. 



(DUMfeRiL & BIBRON, Mem. Ac. Sc. XXIII p. 517, 1853). 



Head slightly distinct from neck; eye small; pupil vertically 

 elliptic; nasal single or divided; loreal absent. Maxillary teeth 

 2 large, grooved fangs, separated by an interspace from 8 12 

 small, grooved teeth; anterior mandibular teeth strongly 

 enlarged. Body round, covered with smooth scales without pits, 

 in 15 or 17 rows; ventrals rounded. Tail short; subcaudals in 

 two rows. 



Distribution. Moluccas; New Guinea; Australia. 



A single species. 



i. Pseudelaps miilleri (Schlegel). 



Elaps mullerii, Schlegel, Phys. Serp. 1837, p. 452, pi. XVI fig. 16 & 17. 

 Pseudelaps muelleri, Boulenger, Cat. Sn. Ill 1896, p. 316 (s. syn.). 



Rostral twice as broad as deep, scarcely visible from above; 

 nasal divided, in contact with the praeocular; internasals shorter 

 than the praefrontals; frontal longer than its distance from 

 the tip of the snout, shorter than the parietals; one prae- and 

 two postoculars; temporals 2 + 2, lower anterior wedged in 

 between the fifth and sixth upper labials; six upper labials, 

 third and fourth entering the eye; three or four lower labials 

 in contact with the anterior chin-shields; latter as long as or 

 shorter than the posterior. Scales in 15 rows; ventrals 138 177; 

 anal divided; subcaudals 16 39. 



Brown above; sometimes a light vertebral line anteriorly; 

 head sometimes spotted with dark brown; a dark, light-edged 

 streak on each side of the head, passing through the eye and 

 sometimes continued along the neck. Lower surface yellowish 

 or coral-red, uniform or spotted with brown or black; throat 

 brown or black. Young specimens sometimes with a dark brown 

 nuchal collar. Length of head and body 556mm.; tail 72 mm. 



