592 OPHIDIA 



Classification of Ophidia. — Dumeril and Bibron ^ divided 

 Snakes according to their teeth into Opoterodonts, Aglypho- 

 donts, Solenoglypha, Proteroglypha, and Opisthoglypha. 



J. E. Gray ^ divided Snalies into two sub-orders : Viperina 

 and Colubrinia. Giinther ^ distinguished between Ophidii colu- 

 briformes, 0. colubriformes venenosi (Elapidae and Hydrophidae) 

 and 0. viperiformes. Cope * laid stress upon the modifications 

 of the squamosal, ectopterygoid, and endopterygoid bones, and 

 also upon the condition of the vestigial limbs. He divided the 

 snakes into Scoleoophidia (Typhlopidae), Catodonta, Tortricina, 

 Asinea (the harmless snakes without limb-vestiges), Protero- 

 glypha, and Solenoglypha. 



Boulenger ^ has accepted Cope's principles, and, mainly by 

 combining the Asinea with the Proteroglypha as Colubridae, has 

 produced a logically conceived system, by far the best hitherto 

 proposed. It has been followed in the present work. Boulenger's 

 phylogenetic system stands as follows : — 



9 Viperidae 

 5 Uropeltidae | 8 Amblycephalidae 



7a C. Opisthoglypha lb C. Proteroglypha I 



T, ... I 



4 Ilysiidae i Colubridae Aglypha 



I 6 Xenopeltidae I 



1 Typhlopidae 3 Boidae 2 Glauconiidae 



I. No ectopterygoid ; pterygoid not extending to quadrate or to mandible ; 

 no supratemporal (squamosal) ; prefrontal forming a suture with 

 nasal ; coronoid present ; vestiges of pelvis. 

 Maxillary vertical, loosely attached, toothed ; mandible edentulous ; a 



single pelvic bone. Typhlopidae, p. 593. 

 Maxillary bordering mouth, forming a suture with premaxillary, pre- 

 frontal, and frontal, toothless ; lower jaw toothed ; pubis and 

 ischium present, latter forming a symphysis. Glauconiidae, p. 594. 

 II. Ectopterygoid present ; both jaws toothed. 



A. Coronoid present ; prefrontal in contact with nasal. 



1. Vestiges of hind-limbs ; supratemporal (squamosal) present. 

 Squamosal large, suspending quadrate. Boidae, p. 596. 

 Squamosal small, intercalated in the.cranial wall. Ilysiidae, p. 594. 



2. No vestiges of limbs ; squamosal absent. Uropeltidae, p. 595. 



^ Erpaologie ginirale, Suites d, Buffon, vol. vii. Paris, 1852. 



2 Catalogue of Snakes, British Museum, London, 1849. 



^ Reptiles of British India, Ray Society, 1864. 



* P. Ac. Philad. 1864, p. 230. 



" Catalogue of Snakes, British Museum, London, 1893-1896. 



