30 ON THE HERPETOLOGY OF THE SOLOMON ISLANDS. [Jan. 14, 



3. Fourth Contribution to the Herpetology of the Solomon 

 Islands '. By G. A. Boulenger, F.Z.S. 



[Received December 3, 1889.] 

 (Plate II.) 



The last collection brought home by Mr. C. M. Woodford com- 

 prised a series of Reptiles and Batrachians from Florida Island, or 

 Gela, north of Guadalcanar. Together with examples of the fol- 

 lowing known species, there was one of another new Snake of the 

 genus Hoplocephalus : — 



Lizards : Corucia zebrata. Gray, Lygosoma cyanogaater. Less., L. 

 concinnatum, Blgr. 



Snakes : Enygrus carinatus, Schn., Bendrophis calligaster, Gthr., 

 Dipsas irregularis, Merr. 



Frogs : Ceratobatrachus guentheri, Blgr., Hyla macrops, Blgr. 



Hoplocephalus elapoides, sp. n. (Plate II. fig. 3.) 



Body very elongate ; head much depressed, with broad, rounded 

 snout ; eye very small, its diameter hardly half its distance from the 

 mouth. Rostral much broader than deep, just visible from above ; 

 internasals two thirds the length of the praefrontals, which are a little 

 shorter than the frontal ; latter shield small, much longer than broad, 

 hexagonal, as long as its distance from the rostral or two thirds the 

 length of the parietals, once and a half as broad as the supraocular ; 

 parietals as long as the praefrontals and frontal together ; posterior 

 nasal forming a suture with the prseocular ; two postoculars, upper 

 a little larger than lower; temporals 1-^2; seven upper labials, 

 third and fourth entering the eye ; two pairs of suhequal chin-shields, 

 anterior in contact with four labials. Scales in 17 rows. Ventrals 

 208 ; anal entire ; subcaudals 35 pairs. Cream-colour (in spirit), 

 with 22 black bands, broader than the interspaces between them, 

 interrupted on the belly, encircling the tail ; on the posterior three 

 fourths of the body series of small black spots form a lateral streak 

 along each side of the back ; end of snout and. ocular region black. 



Total length 750 millim. ; tail 75. 



A single specimen. 



This makes the fourth species of Hoplocephalus from the Solomon 

 Group. These four species may be distinguished as follows : — 



I. Subcaudals single. 



Scales in 16 rows IT. par (Faro). 



Scales in 15 or 17 rows H. melanurus 



(Guadalcanar). 



II. Subcaudals paired ; scales in 1 7 rows. 

 The diameter of the eye nearly equals its distance 



from the mouth ; frontal nearly as broad as 

 long, twice as broad as the supraocular ; ven- 

 trals 166 H. woodfordi 



(New Georgia). 

 ' Cf. P. Z. S. 1888, p. 88. 



