STEGONOTUS 129 



Genus STEGONOTUS Dumeril and Bibron 



Lycodon, part., Schlegel, Phys. Serp. 2 (1837) 104; Dumeril and 



Bibron, Erp. Gen. 7 (1854) 367; Jan, Elenco Sist. Ofld. (1863) 97. 

 Stegonotiis Dumeril and Bibron, Mem. Ac. Sci. 23 (18-53) 477; Erp. 



Gen. 7 (1854) 680; Boulenger, Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus. 1 (1893) 



364. 

 Herpetodryas, part., Jan, Elenco Sist. Ofid. (1863) 80. 

 Lielaphis Gunthee, Proc. Zool. Soc. London (1863) 59; (1877) 129. 

 Zamenophis Gunther, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. IV 9 (1872) 21. 

 Pseudolycodon Peters, Men. Berl. Ak. (1876) 534. 

 Spilotes Peters, Men. Berl. Ak. (1861) 685; Boettgee, Ber. Senck. 



Nat. Ges. (1886) 108; Casto de Elera, Cat. Fauna Filipinas 1 



(1895) 92. 

 Odontomus Boettger, Ber. Senck. Nat. Ges. (1886) 114; Casto de 



Elera, Cat. Fauna Filipinas 1 (1895) 437. 



"Maxillary teeth 15 to 20, increasing in size towards the 

 middle of the series, then decreasing in size to the two or three 

 last, which are again large ; anterior mandibular teeth enlarged. 

 Head more or less distinct from neck ; eye moderate or rather 

 small, with vertically elliptic pupil. Body elongate, cylindrical 

 or feebly compressed ; scales smooth, with apical pits, in 17 

 rows; ventrals obtusely angulate laterally. Tail modei'ate or 

 long; subcaudals in double or single row." {Boulenger.) 



There are two species known from the Philippines. 



Key to the Philippine species of Stegonotiis Dumeril and Bibron. 



a'. Ventrals, 220 to 232; subcaudals, 100 pairs; over 2 meters in length 



S. muelleri Dumeril and Bibron (p. 129). 

 a\ Ventrals, 195 to 214; subcaudals, 112 to 123; about 1 meter in length 



S. dumerilii Boulenger (p. 130). 



The genus Stegonotus is distributed over the eastern Philip- 

 pines, the Moluccas, Papuasia, and northern Australia. No 

 species has yet been discovered in Celebes or Borneo. The two 

 species found in the Philippines are endemic. Both are rare. 

 They are nonpoisonous. 



STEGONOTUS MUELLERI Dumeril and Bibron 



Stegonotus muelleri Dumeril and Bibron, Erp. Gen. 7 (1854) 682; 

 Boulenger, Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus. 1 (1893) 367; Griffin, Philip. 

 Journ. Sci. § D 6 (1911) 259. 



Spilotes samarensis Peters, Mon. Berl. Ak. (1861) 685; Boettgeb, 

 Ber. Senck. Nat. Ges. (1886) 108; Casto de Elera, Cat. Fauna Fili- 

 pinas 1 (1895) 429. 



Herpetodryas muelleri Jan, Elenco Sist. Ofid. (1863) 81. 



Descri'ption of species. — (After the type description of 

 Spilotes samarensis Peters.) Frontal not quite as long as 



