144 



SNAKES OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 



and stops with a blunt point on fi'ontal scale; a narrow band 

 crosses head anteriorly and includes eyes; a dark blotch on 

 temporals, which is connected with this band; small spots on 

 nasals ; chin yellow ; on edges of half of the ventrals are small 

 spots, which involve one or two of the body scales ; on each alter- 

 nate ventral are two larger rectangular spots ; throat variously 

 spotted with dark; ventral surface yellow; below tail yellowish 

 with very few spots or none. 



Measurements of Holarchus maculatus Taylor. 



Total len^h 



Snout to vent 



Tail 



Length of head 



Width of head 



mm. 

 299 

 240 



59 



14 



10.5 



Variation. — A second specimen taken at the same locality (No. 

 41, E. H. Taylor collection) is very different in the scalation of 

 the head, but it seems to be an abnormal specimen. A small 

 loreal is present on the right side of the head, and the two pre- 

 oculars are fused into one, on the left side. The first lower 

 labial on both sides is broken in two, making it appear that there 

 is a pair of minute chin shields behind the mental. The tem- 

 poral elements on the right side are not normal, the parietal is 

 broken, and there are two anterior temporals. In coloration and 

 marking it is practically identical with the type. Both this and 

 the type specimen are from Bunawan, Agusan. I collected them 

 from under piles of sod and trash. 



This form is obviously different from other Philippine species. 

 The markings are distinctive. The loreal is absent, and only a 

 single labial enters the eye; two preoculars are present. These 

 characters, together with many minor differences, separate it 

 from H. meyerinkii and H. aiicoriis. From H. biirlc.^i it is separ- 

 ated by markings and coloration and the above-mentioned char- 

 acters, save that of the single labial entering the eye, on which 

 the two forms agree. 



Table 26. — i^lcasiiremciils and scale counts of Holardnis ntacalatus Taytor. 



No. 



Locality. 



41) Bunawan, Apusan. 

 ■11 I do 



Collection. 



E. H. Taylor. 

 Do. 



