MORPHOLOGY OF VENOMOUS SNAKES 23 



Elapognathus minor. 



Dark olive color with a black occipital spot in young specimens; belly yellow or 

 greenish-gray. Length about 1.5 feet. Southwestern parts of Australia. 



Genus RHYNCHELAPS Jan. 



Maxillary bone surpasses palatine, with a pair of poison fangs of medium dimen- 

 sion, followed by a wide interspace as far as the two small teeth at extremity of 

 bone. Anterior mandibular teeth longer than posterior. Head small and indis- 

 tinct from neck. Eyes small with vertical pupil. The short, cylindrical body 

 has 15 to 17 rows of smooth scales. Tail very short. Subcaudals in two rows. 



Rhynchelaps bertholdi. 



Yellow, with 19 to 40 ordinary black rings narrower than interspaces. The head 

 is more of a brown color and has one large black spot. 



Rhynchelaps australis. 



Color red above with irregular transverse bars consisting of black-rimmed yel- 

 low scales; belly white. Length about a foot. Queensland. 



Rhynchelaps semifasciatus. 



Color yellow above with brown crossbands; large brown speckle on head; belly 

 white. Length about a foot. Western Australia. 

 Rhynchelaps fasciolatus. 



Color red above with numerous black-brown crossbands; large brownish-black 

 speckles on head. Length about a foot. Western Australia. 



Genus FURINA Dumeril and Bibron. 



The maxillary bone surpasses the palatine, carries a pair of medium-sized poison 

 fangs and one or two small teeth near posterior end of bone. Mandibular teeth 

 almost equal in length. Head is small and indistinct from neck. Eyes very small 

 with a round pupil. Cylindrical body, covered with 15 rows of smooth scales. 

 Tail very short; subcaudals in two rows. 

 Furina calonota. 



Color yellow, with black vertebral ray; black bar crosses extremity of muzzle; 

 a large black spot covers top of head; belly white. Length about 7 inches. West- 

 ern Australia. 

 Furina bimaculata. 



Color yellow, with large black spots on nose, on middle of head, and the occiput; 

 belly white. Length about 1.25 feet. Western Australia. 

 Furina occipitalis. 



Black and white bands all over body, narrower on belly; head black with 

 wide white band on occiput and narrower white band on muzzle; nose black. 

 Length about 2 feet. Australia. 



Genus ELAPS Schneider.i (Frontispiece; Plate 7, D, E, F.) 



The maxillary bone is rather short and protrudes beyond the palatine, carrying 

 a pair of large poison fangs; only a few or no pterygoid teeth; mandibular teeth 

 of equal length. No postfrontal bone; the pref rentals unite on the median line. 

 Head small, not distinct from neck. Eyes small with vertical pupil, which is ellipti- 

 cal or semi-elliptical. Body cylindrical, with 15 rows of smooth scales. Sub- 

 caudal scales partly in one, partly in two, or throughout in two rows. The rather 

 elongate body, short tail, and small eyes render it difficult to discriminate these 

 from the calamarine snakes without examining the dentition. The scutellation 



1 This group of snakes holds family rank in Cope's classification, Elapidse. 



