325 

 AN ADDITION TO THE OPHIDIAN FAUNA OF INDIA. 

 (TARBOPHIS EHTNOPOMA, BLANF.) 

 By G. A. Boulenger, f. r. s. 

 {Read before the Bombay Natural History Society on 28th Jan., 1895.) 

 During a recent visit to London Mr. Phipson has submitted to me 

 a young Dipsadine snake from Sind, which differs from any hitherto 

 recorded from India. It belongs to a species discovered in Persia, at 

 Karman, by Mr. Blanford, and described by him in his " Zoology 

 of Persia" (p. 424, pi. xxviii, fig. 2) as Dipsas rhinopoma. Dr. 

 Boettger (Radde's "Faun. Flor. Casp.-Geb.," p. 72, 1886) has already 

 pointed out that this species is strictly a Tarbophis, which genus differs 

 from Dipsas in the enlarged anterior maxillary teeth and in the 

 absence of distinctly enlarged vertebral scales. The species should 

 therefore bear the name Tarbophis rhinopoma. 



The specimen which Mr. Phipson has kindly presented to the British 

 Museum measures 485 millim., in which the tail enters for 75. It has 

 nine upper labials, third, fourth, and fifth entering the eye ; 280 ven- 

 tral shields, and 82 pairs of subcaudals. 

 I append a description of the species :■ — 



Tarbophis rhinopoma. 

 Dipsas rhinopoma, Blanf. "Ann. and Mag. N. H.," xiv, 1874, p. 424, 

 and " Zool. E. Pers.," p. 424, pi. xxviii, fig. 2. Head very distinct from 

 neck ; snout broad, rounded ; eye moderate. Rostral broader than 

 deep, just visible from above ; internasals broader than long, shorter 

 than the prsefrontals ; frontal slightly longer than broad, as long as its 

 distance from the end of the snout, a little shorter than the parietals ; 

 nasal semi-divided ; loreal twice to twice and-a-half as loDg as deep, 

 entering the eye below the prseocular, which is in contact with the 

 frontal ; two postoculars ; temporals small, scale-like, 2 or 3 and 3 or 4; 

 eight to ten upper labials, third, fourth, and fifth, or fourth and fifth, 

 or fourth, fifth, and sixth entering the eye ; four or five lower labials 

 in contact with the anterior chin-shields ; posterior chin-shields very 

 small and widely separated from each other by scales. Body slightly 

 compressed. Scales in 23 rows. Ventrals 268 to 280 \ anal entire ; 

 subcaudals 76 to 82. Pale sandy-grey above, with a dorsal series of 65 

 to 85 brown square or transverse spots larger than the interspaces 

 between them, and an alternating series of smaller spots on each side ; 

 on the posterior part of the body the dorsal spots may split up into two 

 alternating series ; head with small dark spots or specks ; labials dark- 

 edged ; throat white ; ventrals dark brown. 



The type specimen from Karman, South Persia, 5,000 ft., in the 

 British Museum measures 990 millim. ; tail 155. 



