380 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



limit of its distribution, Cantor obtained a specimen from 

 Penan g ; Annandale and Robinson several from Patani ; and 

 Wray two from Perak. 

 I have examined well over sixty specimens. 



Genus POLYPHOLOPHIS Gen. nov. 

 (Greek " polus " many, " pholis " scale, " opbis " snake.) 



General Characters.— No adult known. Body moderately 

 attenuated anteriorly, diameter about half that of the extreme 

 depth posteriorly. 



Cranial Osteological Characters. — Not known. 



Dentition. — Maxillary : Postnodal, 11 to 12 ; the counts 

 on both sides somewhat dubious. Palatine and Pterygoid : 

 Not known. Mandibular : 20. 



There is one species, viz., neglectus, which deserves inclusion 

 in a separate genus on the very numerous costal rows and 

 ventrals. 



POLYPHOLOPHIS NEGLECTUS (Wall). 



(Latin, meaning neglected.) 

 Wall's Seasnake. 



Synonymy. — Hydrophis dbscurus. 



History. — Known from a single, apparently juvenile, 

 specimen in the Indian Museum (No. 8,598), referred by 

 Sclater to dbscurus (Daudin), which is so different from any 

 other seasnake known to me that I described it as a new 

 species in 1906. 



General Characters. — In general appearance very like 

 fasciata (Schneider), but probably most closely related to 

 ,caerulescens (Shaw). Head small, not depressed. Snout 

 moderately long, declivous, slightly projecting, moderately 

 rounded terminally. Eye small. Commissure of mouth 

 turned up behind. Neck not apparent. Body slender and 

 cylindrical in the anterior two -fifths ; compressed and robust 

 in the posterior three-fifths ; the extreme depth about twice 

 that of the slender anterior part. 



Identification. — -The costals in 48 rows two heads-lengths 

 behind the head ; 56 in the thickest part ; and ventrals ex- 

 ceeding 420 will suffice to identify it. 



