ELAPHE 159 



ELAPHE PHILIPPINA Griffin 



Elaphe philippina Griffin, Philip. Journ. Sci. § A 4 (1909) 597; § 



D 6 (1911) 260. 

 Elaphe erythrura TAYLOR, Philip. Journ. Sci. § D 13 (1918) 260. 



Description of species.''" — (From No. 291, Bureau of Science 

 collection ; collected at Iwahig, Palawan, February, 1909, by C. M. 

 Weber.) Head elongate, rather slender; rostral strongly visible 

 above; internasals a little broader than deep, bordering noslril 

 above, forming a longer suture with anterior nasal than with 

 posterior; prefrontals nearly three times the size of internasals, 

 in contact with supraoculars; frontal longer than wide, scarcely 

 as long as its distance from end of snout, as long as supraoculars, 

 distinctly shorter than parietals; parietals much longer than 

 broad, in contact with 2 temporals and both postoculars ; 2 nasals ; 

 loreal as long as high ; a single large preocular ; 2 postoculars ; 

 temporals 2 + 2, the 2 anterior in contact with sixth labial, nei- 

 ther touching superior postocular, and only upper anterior tem- 

 poral touching inferior postocular ; 9 upper labials, fourth, fifth, 

 and sixth entering orbit, seventh, eighth, and ninth largest ; 1 1 

 lower labials, 5 touching anterior chin shields, which are broader 

 but shorter than posterior pair ; latter pair barely in contact ante- 

 riorly, bordering labials their entire length; scales forming 

 straight longitudinal rows, the 8 median rows keeled on anterior 

 part of body, about 12 keeled rows on posterior part of body; 

 scales with apical pits in 23 rows around neck, and 21 on body; 

 scales on body rounded anteriorly and pointed behind; ventrals 

 obtusely keeled laterally, not notched, 236; anal undivided; sub- 

 caudals divided, 104. f 



Color in alcohol. — Above brown with the larger part of the 

 scales dimly dark edged, and light areas on skin between scales ; 

 anterior part of body and neck with black crossbars, inclosing 

 yellowish spots laterally ; these become dimmer posteriorly ; about 

 twelve can be distinguished. Head brown above ; upper labials 

 yellowish; a black spot below eye; a distinct diagonal black line 

 from eye to mouth, reaching ninth labial ; a distinct diagonal 

 stripe from posterior temporals across angle of jaws to ventrals, 

 reaching tenth ventral ; belly and underside of tail yellowish, the 

 vertical part of ventrals gray. 



was 



* Griffin had five specimens before him, no particular one of which 

 designated as the type. The specimen here described is No. 17 of the 

 type series. 



t Griffin gives 94, which is incorrect. 



