16 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



Swpralabials : Four to six ; one or two touching the eye 

 except in Ilysia. Sublinguals : Two pairs. Infralabials : 

 Three ; none touching the posterior sublinguals. 



Costals : In midbody. Broader than long, broadly rounded 

 posteriorly, rectiform, smooth. The vertebral row smallest, 

 about two-thirds the breadth of the ultimate. Ultimate and 

 one or two rows above progressively decreasing in breadth. 

 Ultimate. Breadth of scales one and a half times their length, 

 and two -thirds that of the ventrals. In 19 to 21 rows at 

 midbody. Ventrals : Enlarged but narrow. Anal : Entire 

 or divided ; nearly twice the breadth of the ventrals in Cylin- 

 drophis. Subcaudals : Entire or divided, less than 15. 



Dentition. — Preemaxillary : Teeth present in Ilysia, absent 

 in others. Maxillary : 9 to 12 ; slightly kumatodont. 

 Palatine : 6 or 7 ; isodont. Pterygoid : 6 to 9 ; scaphiodont. 

 Mandibular : 9 to 12 ; slightly kumatodont. 



Distribution. — South Asia ; Tropical South America. The 

 family comprises three genera : Ilysia, peculiar to South 

 America ; Anomalochilus, peculiar to Sumatra ; and Cylin- 

 drophis, known from Ceylon, Indo-China, and Malaysia. 



Genus CYLINDROPHIS. 

 (Greek " kulindros " a cylinder, " ophis " snake.) 



General Characters. — Small snakes growing to about 2 J feet. 

 Head broad and depressed. Snout moderately long, broadly 

 rounded, without canthus. Eye very small, with vertically 

 elliptic pupil. Nostril fcmall, situated on the outer side of the 

 nasal shield. Chin with a mental groove. Body cylindrical, 

 moderately elongate, stout. Belly rounded. Tail very 

 short and conical, ending in a subacute point. 



Identification. — Costals in 19 or 21 rows at midbody, 

 ventrals less than twice the breadth of the last costal row, 

 and the eye surrounded by five shields, taken together will 

 establish the Genus in Ceylon. 



Habits. — Very little is known of their habits, except that 

 they burrow and live mainly beneath the soil. Flower makes 

 remarks on G. rufus\ the species found in Burma, Indo-China, 

 and the Malayan Peninsula and Archipelago, which might 



