XENOPELTIS 73 



Cranial bones more or less solidly united; transpalatine pres- 

 ent ; pterygoid extending to quadrate ; prefrontal in contact with 

 nasal. Mandible without coronoid bone. Teeth in jaws, palate, 

 and premaxillary. 



This family contains one genus and one species. 



Genus XENOPELTIS Reinwardt 



Xenopeltis Reinwart, in Boie, Tsis (1827) 564; Dumeril and Bibron, 

 Erp. Gen. 7 (1854) 28; GtJNTHER, Rept. Brit. India (1864) 180; 

 Jan, Icon. Gen. (1865) 57; Boulengee, Fauna Brit. India, Rept. 

 (1890) 276; Cat. Rept. Brit. Mus. 1 (1893) 167, fig. 10. 



Tortrix, part., Schlegel, Phys. Serp. 2 (1837) 1. 



"Teeth small, equal, closely set, and very numerous (4 on each 

 side of the prsemaxillary, 33-38 in each maxillary, 35 or 36 in 

 each ramus of the mandible) . Dentary bone attached loosely 

 to the apex of the articular and movable on it. Head not distinct 

 from neck; eye small, with vertically elliptic pupil. Nostril be- 

 tween two small nasals; frontal in contact with a large ag[z]y- 

 gous interparietal shield, which is in the middle between four 

 parietals. A mental groove. Body cylindrical; scales smooth, 

 in 15 rows; ventrals large; tail short, subcaudals in two rows." 

 (Boulenger.) 



This genus has a single known species, Xenopeltis unicolor. 

 It attains a length of at least 1 meter. It is rare in the 

 Philippines and is probably confined to Palawan and the Sulu 

 Archipelago. Known also in southern Asia and the Malay 

 Archipelago. 



XENOPELTIS UNICOLOR Reinwardt 

 Plate 2 



Xenopeltis unicolor Reinwardt, Boie, Isis (1827) 564; Cantor, Cat. 

 Mai. Rept. (1847) 54; Dumeril and Bibron, Erp. Gen. 7 (1854) 28; 

 GtJNTHER, Rept. Brit. India (1864) 180; Jan, Icon. Gen. 57 (1865) 

 ' 1, 9, pi. 5; Theobald, Cat. Rept. Brit. India (1876) 140; Boulen- 

 ger, Fauna Brit. India, Rept. (1890) 276, fig-. 85; Cat. Snakes 

 Brit. Mus. 1 (1893) 168, fig. 10; Barbour, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool. 

 Harvard Coll. 44 (1912) 106; Grifpin, Philip, Journ. Sci. § D 

 13 (1918) 259. 



Xenopeltis concolor Reinwardt, in Boie, Isis (1827) 564. 



Xenopeltis leucocephala Reinwardt, in Boie, Isis (1827) 564. 



Tortrix xenopeltis Schlegel, Phys. Serp. 2 (1837) 20, pi. 1, figs. 

 8-10; "Abbild. (1844) pi. 35. 



Description of species. — (From No. 738, Bureau of Science 

 collection; collected at Iwahig, Palawan, Januarj'- 8, 1909, by 

 C. M. Weber.) Head much flattened, somewhat wedge-shaped, 

 not distinct from neck ; snout rounded ; scales on head imbricate ; 



