136 ON THE BATRACHIA AND REPTILIA OF COSTA RICA. 



Coluber obsoletus, Holbr., not Say). This subspecies extends from the Rio Grande 

 to Alabama. 



San Jose and Talamanca. 



91. Spilotes chrysobronchus, sp. nov. 



Scales in twenty-five series, all smooth excepting the row next the vertebral, 

 which is weakly keeled. Head flat ; orbit large, contained 1.66 times in side of 

 muzzle, and 2.25 times in space between their superior borders. Rostral plate 

 broad as high, not protuberant ; nasals large, subequal. Loreal small, longer than 

 high ; preocular 1-2, the anterior wide, not reaching the frontal. Postoculars 

 subequal, bounded by two temporals. Internasals wider than long, frontal longer 

 than wide in front, little shorter than parietals; latter rounded behind. Temporals 

 2-2-2, one long, one bounding two upper temporals below. Superior labials seven 

 (a partial division into eight on one side of one specimen); third, fourth, and 

 fifth bounding the orbit. All of them low, the sixth not triangular, the seventh 

 on both sides of two specimens, more than twice as long as any of the others. 

 Twelve inferior labials, eight in contact with the geneials ; first pair large, second 

 to sixth narrow and deep ; eleventh narrow and longitudinal. Geneials elongate 

 subequal. Gastrosteges 220 ; anal entire; urosteges 117. Scale-pores in pairs. 



Color brown, the scales dotted with lighter, head darker ; one or more borders 



of the scales black. Upper lip, throat, and anterior part of the belly, yellow 



remainder of lower surfaces passing from brown to black below the tail. The only 



markings are small black dots on the two lower rows of scales, commencing at the 



neck and extending to the end of the anterior fourth of the length. 



M. 

 Total length 1.670 



Length of tail 422 



" to canthus of mouth ....... .040 



From the coast region. 



This species is evidently near to the S. fasciatus, Peters. There are many 

 trivial differences to be found in the description of the latter, and a few of import- 

 ance. The frontal of 8. chrysobronchus cannot be said to be " very wide," and it is 

 not in contact with the preorbitals, as in $. fasciatus. The parietals are not trun- 

 cate, and the dorsal scales are not so much keeled as in the latter. In S. chryso- 

 bronchus the number of gastrosteges exceeds that of the urosteges by 103 ; in S. 

 fasciatus by only 59. The coloration is materially different, the latter having black 

 cross-bands, spots, etc. 



92. Liophis epinephelus, Cope, Proceed. Academy, Philada., 1862, Feb. 

 San Jose; Dr. Van Patten. 



