170 SNAKES OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 



eye large, its diameter less than length of snout ; rostral broader 

 than deep, the sutures formed with nasal and internasal sub- 

 equal; internasals a little wider than long, distinctly shorter 

 than prefrontals, and less than half as large ; prefrontals some- 

 what broader than long, broadly in contact with loreal ; frontal 

 about one and two-thirds times as long as broad, shorter than 

 parietals ; latter one and a half times as long as broad, touching 

 superior postocular and 3 temporals; supraoculars large, about 

 as broad as frontal, in contact with prefrontals; nasal divided, 

 internasal also bordering nostril ; loreal two to two and a half 

 times as long as high ; preocular large, visible above ; 2 post- 

 oculars, superior more than twice as large as inferior; 2 small 

 anterior temporals, both in contact wdth lower postocular; tem- 

 poral formula, 2 + 2 -|- 2 ; 9 upper labials, fifth and sixth (on 

 right side fourth, fifth, and sixth) entering eye; 10 lower labials, 

 5 touching anterior chin shields, which are broader and shorter 

 than second pair; latter in contact almost two-thirds of their 

 length; scales in 13 rows, with apical pits, median row scarcely 

 larger than adjoining rows ; ventrals, 183, strongly keeled and 

 notched; anal divided;' subcaudals, 110, keeled and notched. 



Color in alcohol. — Black above, each scale marked with a 

 longitudinal bluish green mark which leaves the ground color 

 in longitudinal lines ; a black line from eye continues back along 

 body on second and third outer scale rows, but not covering 

 entire scales ; below this stripe is a straight-edged yellow stripe, 

 covering lower part of second and upper part of first scale 

 rows ; below this yellow stripe, covering lower part of first scale 

 rows, is a black stripe beginning on side of neck and continuing 

 to tip of tail; this stripe is broader than the others on body; 

 four dorsal black stripes, the two median narrowest; these 

 four stripes continue to tail and merge into one; tail has five 

 stripes to near tip, and only three at tip; below^ on belly im- 

 maculate greenish blue ; a black median stripe on under 'side of 

 tail. 



Measurements of Dendrclaphis caudolineatus (Gray). 



mm. 



Total length X 115 



Snout to vent 805 



Tail 310 



Length of head 30 



Width of head 14 



Diamete)- of eye g 



Length of snout 75 



Variatio)/. — Color markings are fairly stable in the speci- 

 mens of this species taken in the Philippines. The ventrals 



