178 SNAKES OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 



b'. Frontal little broader than long; supraoculars smaller still; preocular 



usually wanting P. oxycephalum (Gunther) (p. 179). 



a-. Loreal present; no preocular; postocular distinct or fused with supra- 

 ocular P. mcnamarae Taylor (p. 180). 



The three known species of the genus are found in the Phil- 

 ippines. All are small, burrowing snakes, seldom attaining a 

 length of more than 280 millimeters. Pseudorhabdium oxyce- 

 plialum and P. mcnamarw appear to be confined to the Philip- 

 pines. The third species is widely distributed, being found in 

 Malay Peninsula and other large East Indian islands. 



PSEUDORHABDIUM LONGICEPS (Cantor) 



Calamaria longiceps Cantor, Cat. Mai. Rept. (1847) 63, pi., fig. 1. 



Rabdion torquatum Dumeril and BiBRON, Erp. Gen, 7 (1854) 119; 

 Peters, Mon. Berl. Ak. (1861) 684; Casto de Elera, Cat. Fauna 

 Filipinas 1 (1895) 426. 



Pseudoralidion torquatum Jan, Arch. Zool. Anat. Phys. 2 (1862) 

 10, and Icon. Gen. (1865) 10, pi. 3, fig. 3. 



Oxycalamiis longiceps Gunther, Rept. Brit. Ind. (1864) 199; Sto- 

 LICZKA, Journ. As. Soc. Bengal 42 (1873) 120. 



Pseudorhabdion longiceps Boulenger, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. V 

 16 (1885) 389. 



Rhabdion torquatum Boettger, Ber. Senck. Nat. Ges. (1886) 106. 



Pseudorliabdiiun longiceps Boulenger, Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus. 2 

 (1894) 329; Griffin, Philip. Journ. Sci. § D 6 (1911) 261; Bar- 

 bour, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harv. Coll. 44 (1912) 119. 



Description of species. — (From Boulenger, Catalogue.) 

 "Snout rather pointed. Rostral small, as deep as broad, well 

 visible from above ; suture between the internasals one third or 

 one fourth the length of that between the prefrontals ; frontal 

 a little longer than broad, as long as or a little shorter than 

 its distance from the end of the snout, shorter than the parietals, 

 more than twice as broad as the supraocular; pra?ocular small 

 (rarely absent) ; one postocular; five upper labials, third and 

 fourth entering the eye ; symphysial in contact with the anterior 

 chin-shields; three low^er labials in contact with the anterior 

 chin-shields, which are about twice as large as the posterior. 

 Scales in 15 rows. Ventrals 129-146; anal entire; subcaudals 

 10-28. Tail pointed. Iridescent brown or black, with or with- 

 out a yellowish collar; usually a yellowish vertical spot above 

 the angle of the mouth." 



Measurcmcnis of PscudorltahdiiDn longiceps (Cantor). 



mm. 



Total length 230 



Snout to vent I95 



Tail 35 



