156 SNAKES OF THE PHILIPBINE ISLANDS 



ELAPHE ERYTHRURA (Dumeril and Bibron) 



Phiijiodon crythrurits Dumeril and Bibron, Erp. Gen. 7 (1854) 175; 



Peters, Mon. Berl. Ak. (1861) 684; Jan, Elenco Sist. Ofid. Milan 



(1863) 61; Icon. Gen. (1867) 21, pi. 4, fig-. 2; STEINDACH^fER, Sitzb. 



Ak. Wien. c. 1 (1891) 141. 

 Composoma melanm-um var. Dumeril and Bibrun, Erp. Gen. 7 (1S54) 



301; GUNTHER, Proc. Zool. Soc. London (1873) 169; MuLLER, III. 



Nacht. Cat. Herp. Samml. Basel Mus. (1883) 14 (var.); Fischer, 



Jahrb. \\'iss, Anst. Hamburg 2 (1885) SO and 101 var. 

 Eluphis siibradiatiis, part., Gunthee, Cat. Col. Snakes (1858) 95. 

 Spilotes melanurus, part., Gunther, Cat. Col. Snakes (1858) 97. 

 Elajihis melanunis var. vianiUensis Jan, Icon. Gen. 21 (1867) pi. 4, 



fig. 2. 

 Elaphe meknncrum var. cclebensis Jan, Icon. Gen. 21 (1867) pi. 5, 



fig. 2. 

 Composoma melavuriim var. cri/thricntm Fischer, Jahrb. wiss. Anst. 



Hamburg 2 (1885) 101; Boettger. Ber. Senck. Nat. Ges. (18861 



108 (var. erythrura) . 

 Eluphe ci-ytlinira Griffin, Philip. Journ. Sci. § D 5 (1910) 213; § D 6 



(1911) 260; Taylor, Philip. Journ. Sci. § D 12 (1917) 359. 



Description of species. — (From No. 69, E. H. Taylor collec- 

 tion; collected at Bunawan, Agusan, Mindanao, July 15, 1913, 

 by E. H. Taylor.) (Adult male.) Rostral higher than wide, 

 visible above, forming its longest suture with anterior nasal ; 

 its sutures with prefrontals and labials subequal ; suture between 

 internasals short, less than length of internasal scale, and con- 

 tained in prefrontal suture two and a half times ; internasal 

 broader than long, bordering edge of nostril ; prefrontals more 

 than twice as long as internasals, the suture formed with the 

 latter and that with frontal subequal, its shortest suture with 

 posterior nasal ; frontal longer than broad, its leng-fh equal to 

 its distance from end of snout, much wider than supraoculars ; 

 parietals narrow, longer than frontal ; 2 nasals, posterior 

 highest ; loreal diagonal, longer than high ; prefrontal very 

 large, visible from above, separated from frontal, in contact 

 with third and fourth labials ; 2 postoculars, upper largest ; 

 temporals 2 + 2; 9 upper labials, fourth, fifth, and sixth en- 

 tering eye; 11 lower labials, 5 touching anterior chin shields, 

 which are shorter and broader than posterior ; scales in 23 rows 

 about neck, 21 rows about body, all except outer row keeled; ven- 

 trals, 221 ; anal single ; subcaudals, 100. 



Color iv ?,i7r.— Anterior half of body drab to brownish olive 

 above, lighter on sides, two indistinct yellowish bands on neck 

 and a series of small indistinct spots along edge of ventrals 

 of neck ; top of head dark olive ; latter part of body dark with 

 an irregular mixture of reddish scales; tail reddish salmon. 



