TWO NEW SNAKES OF THE GENUS HOLARCHUS WITH 

 DESCRIPTIONS OF OTHER PHILIPPINE SPECIES 



By Edward H. Taylor 



{From the Section of Fisheries, Biological Laboratory, 

 Bureau of Science, Manila) 



TWO PLATES 



Two recognized species of the genus Holarchus ^ have been 

 described from the Philippine Islands; these are Holarchus 

 meyerlinkii Steindachner ^ and Holarchus ancorus Girard.^ In 

 this paper Holarchus maculatv^ from central eastern Mindanao 

 and Holarchus burksi from Mindoro are described as new. 



Genus HOLARCHUS Cope 



Coronella, part., Schlegel, Phys. Serp. (1837), 2, 50. 



Xenodon, part., Schlegel, op. cit., 80. 



Simotes, part., Dumeril and Bibron, Mem. Ac. Sc. (1853), 23, 472; 



and Erp. Gen. (1854), 7, 624; Gunther, Cat. Col. Sns. (1858), 23; 



Jan, Arch. Zool. Anat. Phys. (1863), 2, 232; Gunther, Kept. Brit. 



Ind. (1864), 212; Boulenger, Faun. Ind., Kept. (1890), 309; Cat. 



Sns. Brit. Mus. (1894), 2, 214. 

 Holarchus Cope, Proc. Am. Philos. See. (1886), 23, 488; Ste.jneger, 



Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. (1907), 58, 333. 

 Dicraulax Cope, Am. Nat. (1893), 480. 



'Stejneger [Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. (1907), 58, 353] states: "The generic 

 name Simotes, by which the snakes of this genus have long been designated 

 is preoccupied by Simotes of Fischer for a group of mammals as early as 

 1817. It has consequently to be replaced. Cope proposed Holarchus in 

 1887, as a term for those species of the genus which have an undivided anal. 

 It is not believed that this character alone which moreover is not always 

 constant, is sufficient ground for a division of the genus, and as Holarchus 

 is the name next in date after Simotes it must stand for the combined 

 genus." 



'Boulenger [Cat. Sns. Brit. Mus. (1894), 2, 224] has united this form 

 with the southern Asiatic species Simotes octolineatu^ Schneider. He 

 distinguishes it as Form C. Barbour [Mem,. Mus. Comp. Zool. Haw. 

 Coll. (1912), 44, 118] states: "It is very probable that/Simotes meyer- 

 linkii' which Steindachner described from the Sulu Islands, is a valid 

 species; it deserves a subspecific rank at least. The number of ventrals 

 is low, 158 in Boulenger's specimen from Tawi-Tawi, and 156-161 according 

 to Steindachner. The color is distinctive." 



' Boulenger (op. cit., 225) has placed Xenodon ancorus Girard as a 

 questioned synomym of this species. I am confident that these species are 

 identical. Consequently the name ancorus of Girard will have precedence 

 over phmnochalinus of Cope, as the former antedates the latter by three 

 years. 



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