358 COLUBRID. 
black cross-bars on the nape and neck, the second and third forming 
complete rings, followed by five irregular black spots; further 
back, the body darker brown with the scales black-edged; tail 
black ; belly white anteriorly, brown further back, with the shields. 
black-edged, blackish brown towards the tail. 
Total length 240 millim.; tail 85. 
Lake Tanganyika. 
229. ELAPECHIS. 
Elapsoidea *, Bocage, Jorn. Sc. Lisb. i. 1866, p. 70; Peters, Mon. 
Berl, Ac. 1880, p. 797. 
Maxillary bone extending forwards as fur as the palatine, with a 
pair of large grooved poison-fangs followed by two to four small 
teeth; mandibular teeth, anterior longest. Head not distinct from 
neck ; eye small, with round pupil; nostril between two nasals ; 
no loreal. Body cylindrical; scales oblique, smooth, without pits,” 
in 13 or 15 rows; ventrals rounded. Tail very short; subcaudals 
all or most in two rows. 
Tropical and South Africa. 
Synopsis of the Species. 
I, Scales in 13 rows. 
A. Snout broadly rounded. 
J. First lower labial in contact with its fellow behind the ° 
symphysial. 
Internasals much shorter than the pra- 
frontals ; frontal at least three fourths 
the length of the parietals............ 1. guentheri, p. 359. 
Internasals three fourths the length of the 
prefrontals ; frontal two thirds the length 
of the parietals .......0.05.. ¢simesmaean 2. niger, p. 359. 
2. Symphysial in contact with the anterior chin-shields, 
3. hessii, p. 360, 
B. Snout obtusely pointed, 
Portion of rostral visible from above nearly 
half as long as its distance from the 
POMEL De VayFs 6 LN sole cs wis one 4. decosteri, p. 360. 
Portion of rostral visible from above as 
long as its distance from the frontal.... 5. sundevallii, p. 360. 
TI. Beales in IB. TOWS. 40.0206 sccccesese 6. boulengert, p. 361, 
* The correct form would be Elapoidea, which name is preoceupied 
( Elapoides, Boie). 
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