416 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



specimen (No. 11,531) from Mergui. It appears to be rare 

 also in the Malayan region, as Flower does not mention it. 

 It was not represented in the large collection made by 

 Annandale and Robinson from the Malay Peninsula, but 

 Boulenger says the Skeat Expedition obtained it from Singa- 

 pore. The Indian Museum has a specimen (No. 14,547) from 

 Borneo. 



Lapemis hardwickei (Gray). 



(Named in honour of General Thomas Hardwicke.) 



Hardwicke's Seasnake. 



Synonymy. — Lapemis hardwickei, L. loreatus. Hydroyhis 

 pelamicfaides, H. hardwickei, H. loreata, H. fayreriana, H. 

 abbrevialus. H. brevis. 



History. — First described by Gray in 1834 from a specimen 

 Gunther believed to be captured at Penang, and now in the 

 British Museum. Boulenger, however, gives the locality as 

 " India," 



General Characters. — A moderate -sized stout species, which 

 grows to about 3 feet. Head large, broad, moderately 

 depressed. Snout rather long, declivous, obtuse terminally. 

 Eye moderate. Neck not or hardly evident. Body short, 

 stout, compressed from shortly behind the neck. Anteriorly 

 the depth is about two -thirds the greatest depth. 



Identification.— The juxtaposed character of the costals 

 everywhere, the enlargement of the last three or four rows, 

 taken with the few ventrals (130 to 214) and entire parietals 

 will establish the species. The suture from the nostril almost 

 always passes to the 1st supralabial, a feature only to be seen 

 in Enhydrina valakadyen, and rare aberrant examples of 

 L. curtus and Chitulia ornata among Indian hydrophids. 



Colouration. — Dorsally pale dirty greenish, ventrally pale 

 yellow ; with about 27 to 43 bars across the dorsum of the 



