130 SNAKES OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 



broad, almost triangular, the anterior edge a straight line, 

 rounded behind; an elongate loreal, longer than deep; 2 pre- 

 oculars and 2 postoculars ; 9 upper labials, fourth and fifth en- 

 tering eye; 2 long anterior temporals followed by 3 others, the 

 anterior in contact with postoculars, scales in 17 smooth rows ; 

 ventrals, 232; anal entire; subcaudals, 81 pairs. 



Color.— V-p-per side of head dark olive, lips and underside 

 dirty yellow-white ; upper part of body darker with large, broad, 

 dark flecks; below uniform dirty yellow. 



Measurements of Stegonotiis wwlleri Dvmeril and Bihron. 



mm. 



Total length 2,070 



Snout to vent 1.680 



Tail 390 



Length of head 50 



Variation. — Boulenger gives the known ventral range for the 

 species 220 to 232; that of the subcaudals, 81 to 100. As to the 

 color of the type (?) he states: "Uniform brown above; Ups and 

 lower parts dirty yellowish white." 



Remarks. — Only three or four specimens of this rare snake 

 have been found, all apparently from Samar Island. It attains 

 a length of more than 2 meters. It is harmless to man. 



STEGONOTUS DUMERILIl Boulenger 



Lycodon miilleri Dumeril and Bibron, Erp. Gen. 7 (1854) 82; 



GUNTHER, Cat. Col. Snakes (1858) 203. 

 Odontomus muelleri Gunther, Proc. Zool. Soc. London (.1879) 78; 



BoETTGER, Ber. Senck. Nat. Ges. (1886) 114; Casto de Elera, Cat. 



Fauna Filipinas 1 (1895) 437. 

 Stegonotus diimcriUi Boulenger, Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus. 1 (1893) 



368; Griffin, Philip. .lourn. Sci. § n 6 (1911) 259. 



Description of species. — (From an unnumbered specimen, 

 Santo Tomas Museum, labeled "Filipinas," collector unknown; 

 local name, taling hilao.) Head distinct from neck, rather 

 spatulate; rostral broader than deep, narrowly but distinctly 

 visible from above, pointed behind, nearly as deep as broad, its 

 smallest suture formed with first labial, its largest with inter- 

 nasal ; latter about as wide as deep, narrowed medially, the 

 suture between them being about half of that between pre- 

 frontals; latter much broader than deep, in contact with both 

 preoculars and forming their smallest suture with inferior pre- 

 ocular; frontal longer than bvoad, its sides nearly parallel, its 

 anterior edge a straight line, as long as its distance from end 

 of snout, shorter than parietals, scarcely twice as broad as 



