40. GONIONOIOl'HIS. 323 



40. GONIONOTOPHIS. 



Gonionotus (non Gray), Mocquard, Bull. Soc. Philom. (8) i. 1889, 

 p. 146. 



Maxillary teeth. 26, anterior but slightly longer than the others ; 

 anterior mandibular teeth likewise slightly longer. Head scarcely 

 distinct from neck, much depressed ; eye small, with vertically elliptic 

 pupil ; nostril large ; praeocular present or absent. Body cylindrical ; 

 scales keeled, with apical pits, in 15 or 21 rows, those of the middle 

 row enlarged and bicarinate ; ventrals rounded or obtusely angulate 

 laterally. Tail moderate ; subcaudals in two rows. Hypapo- 

 physes developed throughout the vertebral column. 



Tropical Africa. 



Synopsis of the Species. 



Scales strongly keeled, in 21 rows ; temporals. 



2 + 2 1. hrussauxi, p. 323. 



Scales strongly keeled, in 21 rows ; temporals 



1-1-2 2. vossii, p. 323. 



Scales feebly keeled, in 15 rows ; temporals 



1-1-2 3. grantii, p. 324. 



1. GonionotopMs brussauxi. 



Gonionotus brussauxi, Mocquarci, I. c. p. 146, pi. ii. 



Ilostral twice as broad as deep, scarcely visible from above ; in- 

 temasals very short ; frontal as broad as long, as long as its distance 

 from the end of the snout, much shorter than the parietals ; supra- 

 ocular very small ; loreal more than twice as long as deep ; no 

 prseocular, the loreal and the prsefrontal entering the eye; two 

 postoculars; temporals 2 + 2 ; eight upper labials, fourth and fifth 

 entering the eye ; five lower labials in contact with the anterior 

 chin-shields, which are longer than the posterior. Scales in 21 

 rows, strongly keeled, the vertebral sharply bicarinate on the 

 posterior haK of the body. Ventrals 176 ; anal single ; subcaudals 

 73. Blackish brown abeve, dirty yellow beneath. 



Total length 440 millim. ; tail 118. 



Loudinia-Niari, Congo. 



2. GonionotopMs vossii. 



Gonionotus vossi, Boettg. Zool. Anz. 1892, p 418. 



Closely allied to the preceding, but head shorter, praefrontals not 

 longer than broad, and temporals 1+2. Scales m 21 rows the 

 vertebral sharply bicarinate throughout the body. Ventrals 175 ; 

 anal single ; subcaudals 76. 



Total length 454 millim. ; tail 110. 



Cameroons. 



T 2 



