130 COE 



verse grooves. Head commonly quite as wide as long, but shape liable 

 to the greatest variation. Proboscis pore and mouth as in related spe- 

 cies. The color and markings on body are very characteristic and 

 widely different from those of any described species of the genus. 



Size. Length of body 50 cm. or more, width 23 mm. 



Color. General color of body grades from a yellow cream or ochre 

 in anterior third of body to a sage green in intestinal region. When 

 filled with ripe ova the greater portion of dorsal surface of intestinal 

 region becomes a rosy but opaque flesh color or dull rose color. 

 On this ground color is arranged a series of remarkably sharp, deep 

 brown, transverse and longitudinal lines and bands. There are three 

 longitudinal, very distinct, dark brown or black lines throughout the 

 length of the body, except on the head. One of these lies in the dorso- 

 median line, while the other two are symmetrically placed on, or a 

 little beneath, the lateral margins (pi. xv, fig. 5). 



The color of the markings is beautiful and has a velvety luster ; in 

 some lights it appears somewhat iridescent and sometimes shows a 

 rich, dark blue reflection. Of the three longitudinal lines the median 

 dorsal line is much broader than the others. It commences on the ex- 

 treme tip of snout, where it joins a narrow transverse terminal line of 

 the same color. On the head it is broader than elsewhere and occu- 

 pies about one -fifth the diameter of head. It continues through the 

 transverse bands or rings, usually expanding a little where the rings are 

 joined. In many cases the line can be traced directly through the 

 transverse bands by a deeper color, as if the two markings had been 

 painted the one over the other. In the intestinal region the median 

 line occupies perhaps one-seventh the diameter of body. The two lat- 

 eral or marginal lines each commence at the broad neck band (the first 

 transverse band) . 



These lateral lines are scarcely more than one-third as wide as the 

 median line ; they are very sharp and clear cut in the anterior portion 

 of body, but become more irregular in outline in the intestinal region. 

 They are never wholly interrupted however. They are cut more 

 sharply ventrally than dorsally, for on their dorsal side they sometimes 

 fade out gradually into the general color of body. Like the median 

 line, the lateral lines broaden out somewhat where they join the trans- 

 verse bands, and, as is also true of the median line, they often show 

 corresponding thickenings in places where the transverse bands are not 

 formed or are very imperfect. A thickening of one line is almost al- 

 ways accompanied by a corresponding thickening of the other two, 

 showing clearly where the transverse band would lie if it were present. 



