6. POLYODONTOPHIS. 181 



6. POLYODONTOPHIS. ^ 



Herpetodryas, part., Schleg. Phys. Serp. ii. p. 173 (1837). 

 Enicognatlius {non O. Gray), Bum. ^ Bihr. Erp. Gen. vii. p. 828 (1854). 

 Ablabee, part., Gunth. Cat. Col. 8n. p. 27 (1858), and Rept. Brit. 



Ind. p. 223 (1864). 

 Enicopfnathus, part., Jan, Arch. Zoo!. Anat. Phys. ii. 1863, p. 266. 

 Henicognathus, Cope, Journ. Ac. Philad. viii. 1876, p. 138. 

 Henicognathus, part., Bocourt, Miss. Sc. Mex., Pept. p. 625 (1886). 

 Polyodontophis, Bouleng. Faun. Ind., Rept. p. 301 (1890). 



Teeth very numerous and closely set, 30 to 50 in each maxillary, 

 equal in size. Dentary bone completely detached from the articular 

 posteriorly. Head short, not or but slightly distinct from neck * ; 

 eye moderate or rather small, with round pupil. Body cylindrical, 

 elongate; scales smooth, without apical pits, in 17 or 19 rows. 

 Tail moderate or long ; subeaudals in two rows. Hypapophyses 

 developed throughout the vertebral column. 



Madagascar and Comoro Islands; South-eastern Asia; Central 

 America. 



Fig. 14. 



Maxillary and mandible of Folyodontophis coUaris. 



Synopsis of the Species. 



I. 30 to 32 teeth in each maxillary ; 8 upper labials, fourth and 



fifth entering the eye ; subeaudals 65-99. 



A. Scales in 17 rows. 



Loreal deeper than long ; frontal consider- 

 ably shorter than the parietals 1. rJiodogaster,^. 182, 



Loreal as deep as long, or longer than deep ; 

 frontal bat slightly shorter than the 

 parietals 2. torquatus, p. 183. 



B. Scales in 19 rows 3. mayottensis, p. 183. 



II. 37 to 50 teeth in each maxillary. 



A. Upper border of rostral shield just visible from above. 

 1. 9 or 10 upper labials. 



* TTnless otherwise stated in the generic diagnoses, the upper head-shields 

 are understood to be normal — viz., to consist of a rostral, a pair of internasals, 

 a pair of prsefrontals, a frontal, a pair of parietals, and, on each side, a supra- 

 ocular, one or two nasals, a loreal, one or more prae- and postoculars, temporals, 

 and several labials. The presence of suboculars is usually considered as a 

 merely specific character, e. g. Tropidonotus. 



