284 COLUBRID, 
Ventrals distinct, but feebly enlarged, 240-285. Pale greyish 
olive, with blackish cross-bands tapering on the sides. 
Total length 560 millim.; tail 50. 
Bay of Bengal and Straits of Malacca. 
a-e. 2 (V. 283, 285) & East Indies. East India Co. [P.}]. 
yg. (V. 282, 252, 240). (Types.) 
21. Hydrophis obscurus. 
Russell, Ind. Serp. pls. vii. & viii. (1801). 
Hydrophis obscurus, Daud. Rept. vii. p. 375 (1808) ; Bouleng. Faun. 
Ind., Rept. p. 403 (1890) ; Boettg. Ber. Offend. Ver. Nat. 1892, p. 88. 
—— chloris, Daud. t.c. p. 377, pl. xe. ; 
Pelamis obscurus, Merr. Tent. p. 189 (1820). 
chloris, Merr. 1. ¢. . 
Hydrophis diadema, Giinth. Rept. Brit. Ind. p. 373, pl. xxv. fig. 8 
(1864 
—— stricticollis, Giinth. 1. c. p. 376, pl. xxv. fig. R; Anders. Proe. 
Zool. Soc. 1872, p. 397; Fayrer, Thanatoph. Ind, pl. xxviii. 
(1874) Giinth.’ Ann. & Mag. N. H. (4) ix. 1872, p. 83; Peters, 
on. Berl, Ac. 1872, p. 858. 
Head very small; body very long, extremely slender anteriorly. 
Rostral broader than deep; frontal longer than broad, as long as 
its distance from the rostral or the end of the snout ; one pree- and 
one or two postoculars ; a single anterior temporal ; seven or eight 
upper labials; second largest, third and fourth entering the eye ; 
two pairs of chin-shields, posterior smallest and usually separated 
by scales. 33 to 40 scales round the neck, 40 to 50 round the 
body; scales rhomboidal, imbricate, feebly keeled in the female, 
strongly in the male, the keels often broken up into tubercles, 
Ventrals very feebly enlarged, longer than broad under the neck, 
bicarinate in the male, 310-438. Olive or dark green above, with 
yellowish cross-bars, which form complete rings round the slender 
part of the body ; on the other two-thirds of the body these bands are 
interrupted on the back ; a yellow spot on the snout and a yellow 
streak on each side of the upper surface of the head; or pale olive, 
with dark cross-bands forming rings on the anterior part of the body. 
Total length 970 millim.; tail 105. 
Bay of Bengal; Malay Archipelago. 
a. 3 (V. 338). Sunderbunds, Bengal. Dr. P. Russell, College of 
Surgeons[F.]. (Type). 
b. 2 (CV. 382). Sunderbunds. Dr. P. Russell, College of 
Surgeons (F.}. ype 
2 (V. 870) Sandheads, Bengal sin J. Fayrer (E') 
c. . 870). an , Bengal. ir J. Fuyrer[P.). 
d~e.9(V.401,438). Bassein R. W. Theobald, Esq. hee 
jg. 3 eu” & Pegu. W. Theobald, Esq. (C.}. 
yg. (V. ). 
h. Ye. (V. 398). Bay of Bengal. East India Co, [P.]. 
(Type of H. stricticollis.) 
t. 2 (V. 810). Borneo. 
Pees (Vv. 318, ——? Haslar Col- 
515.). 
; lection, (T of 
m. He. (V. 867), ——? a ei 
' v 
