82 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



Poison. — None are poisonous. 



Lepidosis. — Head covered with large shields of the Colu- 

 brine type. 



Loreal : Usually present. Sublinguals : Two pairs. 



Gostals : Longer than broad ; rectiform or some oblique ; 

 smooth or keeled ; with or without apical pits and facets ; 

 emarginate or not. Vertebrals enlarged or not. Ventrals : 

 Three, or more than three times the breadth of the last row ; 

 rounded, angulate laterally, or keebd. Anal : Entire or 

 divided. Subcaudals : Entire or divided. 



Dentition. — Maxilla : Aglyphous ; syncranterian or dia- 

 cranterian ; isodont or anisodont ; anododont, oinododont, 

 or dinododont ; coryphodont, kumatodont, or scaphiodont ; 

 with or without an edentulous space anteriorly. Palatine : 

 Isodont or scaphiodont, with or without edentulous spaces 

 anteriorly and posteriorly. Pterygoid : Scaphiodont, with 

 or without an edentulous space anteriorly ; an edentulous 

 space posteriorly. Mandibular : Anododont, oinododont, or 

 dinododont ; anisodont, kumatodont, or scaphiodont. 



Distribution. — Europe, Asia, Africa, America, Australia. 



Well represented in India and Ceylon. 



Genus POLYODONTOPHIS. 



(Greek "polus" many, "odous" tooth, and "ophis" snake.) 



General Characters. — The species are small snakes, rarely 

 reaching 610 mm. (2 feet) in length, with the exception of 

 collaris, which grows another half foot. The head is about 

 as broad as the body, the snout short, without canthus, and 

 broadly rounded. A neck is hardly evident. The eye is 

 rather small, and the pupil round. The body is rather long, 

 cylindrical, and smooth. The belly is rounded. The tail is 

 short, being about one -third to one -fourth the total length. 



Habits. — They are diurnal in habit, and terrestrial. 



Poison. — Non -poisonous. 



Lepidosis, — There is nothing very distinctive to make 

 the recognition of the genus easy. The head shields are 

 typical of the Family. Rostro-nasal sutures about twice the 

 rostro-labial. The suture between the internasals about 



