SNAKES OF CEYLON. 391 



short edentulous space posteriorly. Pterygoid : 17 ; anodo- 

 dont, feebly scaphiodont ; posterior two-fifths edentulous. 

 Mandibular : 16 to 17 ; anododont, scaphiodont. 



There is one species, viz., viperina. 



PftiESCUTATA VIPERINA (Schmidt). 



(Latin, meaning " like a viper.") 



Schmidt's Seasnake. 



Synonymy. — Thalassophis viperina, Distira viperina, D. 

 lapemidoides, D. prsescutata, Hydrophis obscurus, H. doliata 

 H. jayakari, H. plumbea, H. nigra. 



History. — Described and christened by Schmidt in 1852. 

 The type specimen is in the Hamburg Museum. 



General Characters. — A snake ot fair proportions and 

 robust habit, growing to about 3 feet. Head moderate, 

 rather broad, depressed. Snout moderate in length, gently 

 declivous, very broadly rounded. Eye small. Commissure 

 of mouth turned up posteriorly. Neck fairly apparent. 

 Body cylindrical and of moderate calibre in the anterior 

 two-fifths, where its depth is about half to three-fifths the 

 extreme depth posteriorly ; much compressed and fairly 

 robust in the posterior three-fifths. 



Identification. — A very easy species to recognize, owing to 

 the unusually broad anterior ventrals, which are about four 

 times the breadth of the last costals. The frontal shield is 

 also very distinctive, being as broad or nearly as broad as long. 

 It is also one of the few hydrophids in which the prefrontal 

 shields do not touch the 2nd supralabials. 



Colouration. — Grayish or olivaceous gray dorsally, merging 

 to pale -yellow or whitish ventrally. The body is adorned 



