60. COLUBER. 43 



broad, longer than its distance from the end of the snout, as long as 

 or a trifle shorter than the parietals ; loreal small, as long as deep ; 

 one pne- and two postoculars ; temporals 1-f 2 or 3; seven upper 

 labials, third and fourth entering the eye; four lower labials in 

 contact with the anterior chin-shields, which are longer than the pos- 

 terior. Scales in 23 rows. Ventrals 208-222, rounded ; anal divided : 

 subcaudals 62-74. Scarlet above, with black spots and a dorsal 

 series of large rhomboidal black spots with a yellow centre ; head 

 with black symmetrical markings as in ISimotes, viz. a cross band 

 on the end of the snout, a crescentic band across the forehead, 

 :ig through the eyes, and a /^-shaped one on the occiput ; lower 

 parts yellow, with large black transverse spots or cross bands. 



Total length 700 millim. ; tail 12u. 



Chusan. 



a. $ (V. 222 ; C. 62). Chnsan. Dr. Cantor. (Type.) 



b. Hgr. (V. 208 ; C. 74). Chusan. 



16. Coluber rufodorsatns. 



Tropidonotus rufodorsatus, Cantor, Zool. Chusan, pi. xiiL (1840), 



and Ann. $ Mag. N. If. ix. 1842. p. 483. 

 Ablabes sexlineatus, Ihim. <$ liibr. vii. p. 324 (1854). 

 Coluber rufodorsatus, Gunth. Cat., p. 89 (1858), and Sept. Brit. 



2nd. p. 238, pi. xx. fig. G (184) ; Strauck, Schl. RUBS. R. p. 79 



(1873); Jioetfff. her. fJffenb. Ver. Nat. 1888, p. 70. 

 Coronella sexlineata, Jan, Arch. Zool. Anat. Phys. ii. 1803, p. 249, 



and Icon. Gen. 14, pi. vi. tigs. 2 & 3 (18<M). 

 Simotes herzi, Boetty. Zool. Anz. 1886, p. 519. 

 Ablabes rufodorsatus, Bouleng. Ann. fy May. N. H. (6) v. 1890, 



p. 138. 



Rostral broader than deep, scarcely visible from above ; inter- 

 nasals as broad as long or a little longer than broad, as long as or a 

 Jit tie shorter than the pnefrontals ; frontal once and a half to twice 

 as long as broad, as long as its distance from the end of the snout, 

 shorter than the parietals ; loreal as long as deep or a little longer ; 

 one (rarely two) pne- and two post oculars ; temporals 2 + 3: seven 

 (rarely eight) upper labials, third and fourth (or fourth and fifth) 

 entering the eye ; four or five lower labials in contact with the 

 anterior chin-shields, which are as long as the posterior. Scales 

 smooth, in 21 rows. Ventrnls 1(>2-19<.. rounded: imul divided; 

 subcaudals 47-68. Yellowish olive above, with an orange vertebral 

 line and four series of olive, black-edged, elongate spots, which are 

 posteriorly, or throughout, confluent into longitudinal bands ; the 

 two median of these bands meet on the vertex : a /^-shaped black 

 band on the snout, extending from eye to oyo, and a black hand 

 from the eye to the angle of the mouth: belly bright yellow, 

 checkered with black ; tail with four or five black longitudinal 

 streaks. 



Total length 650 millim. ; tail 95. 



Eastern biLeria and China. 



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