104 SYNOPSES AND DESCRIPTIONS. 
TOXICOPHIDIA. 
- Snakes with fixed grooved or movable tubular fangs, connected by ducts 
with special glands for the secretion of venom. 
Fangs grooved, erect, immovable. 
PROTEROGLYPHA. 
Tail conical CoNOCERCA. 
Tail compressed PLATYCERCA. 
Fangs tubular, reclining, erectile. 
SOLENOGLYPHA. 
No pit between the eye and nostril ABOTHROPHERA. 
A pit on the side of the face BorurRoPueERa. 
CoNOCERCA. 
ELAPIDAE. 
Body elongate; head moderate, crown flattened; muzzle short, broad, 
rounded; tail stout, short to medium. Loreal generally absent. Fangs 
erect, grooved, without or with smaller smooth teeth behind them. Eyes 
small to moderate, pupil round in most genera. Scales smooth. 
Elaps, the only genus of the family of which species are known in North 
America, is also found in South America, Africa, and the East Indies. 
ELAps. 
Schneider, 1801. 
Cylindrical, moderately to very slender; head indistinct, rounded, de- 
pressed, crown flattened, muzzle short and broad; tail short, stout. Kye 
small, pupil round. No other tooth behind the fang. Nasal in two parts. 
No loreal. Anteorbital one, sometimes fused with prefrontal. Postorbitals 
two, sometimes one. Scales smooth, in 13—15 rows. Anal entire or divided: 
The American species are distributed from the Southern United States to 
the Argentine Republic. The species mentioned in the synopsis are those 
regarded as tolerably well established. 
