132 



ON THE BATRACHIA AND REPTILIA OF COSTA RICA. 



petodryas carinatus of m. 1.970 in length, forty-two inches of the victim projecting 

 from the mouth of its captor. As is necessarily the case, in both instances the 

 captured snake had been seized by the muzzle, and so prevented from biting. 

 Where venomous snakes are abundant the introduction of this harmless Oxyrrhopus 

 would materially lessen their numbers. According to Mr. Gabb, it is a spirited 

 and irascible species, making fight when attacked by man. 



71. OXYRRHOPUS PETOLARIUS, Linn. 



Red with subequidistant black half rings; muzzle black. Preocular not 

 reaching frontal; two temporals in contact with postoculars. From Sipurio, the 

 most northern locality for this snake. 

 78. Dryiophis brevirostris, Cope, Proceed. Academy Philadelphia, 1860, p. 555. 



Similar to the type specimen, but with the scales nearly smooth. They are 

 in fifteen series, the smaller lateral graduating into the larger dorsal. Muzzle 

 rather short, nasal plate very narrow. Preocular reaching frontal. Labials six, 

 eye resting on fourth, third entering the orbital ring, Postocular one, temporals 

 1-2. Seven inferior labials, first pair with long common suture, nearly equalling 

 pregeneials, which are longer than postgeneials. Length m. .563; of tail .220. 

 Color blue, paler below; lips yellowish. Body compressed, gastrosteges rounded. 



From Gabb's collection. Typical examples from Dr. Van Patten. 



79. Dryiophis acuminattjs, Wied. 



80. Leptophis ^ruginosus, Cope, sp. nov. 



The genus Leptophis has been called AhaetuUa by Dr. Giinther, and Thrasops 

 by Dr. Hallo well. The former name was given by Dr. Gray in 1825 to the genus 

 subsequently named Dendrophis by Boie, and, as I showed in 1860, must be 

 retained for it. In Dr. Gray's list of species of AhaetuUa, not one is a member of 

 the genus Leptophis. In the same year Bell gave the name Leptophis to a mixture 

 of species of the two genera in question, commencing with an AhaetuUa (Gray). 

 Having at one time adopted the rule of accepting the first species named by an 

 author under a generic head as its type, I referred Leptophis to AhaetuUa, Gray, 

 as a synonym, and employed Thrasops, Hallow., the name next in order of date. 

 Having long since abandoned this position in favor of the more practicable one of 

 regarding as the type of an author's genus the species remaining after the subtrac 

 tion of all genera based on component species at prior or later dates, the name 

 Leptophis remains for the species included by Bell, which are not AhaetuUce. This 

 course has been adopted by Dumeril and Bibron. 



Scales in fifteen series not keeled, but finely striate. Ventral scuta with very 

 faint lateral angulations well separated from each other. Loreal present, subquad- 



