PSAMMODYNASTES 209 



Remarks. — This snake is rare in the Philippines. Boulenger 

 lists a single specimen from the Philippines, in the Cuming col- 

 lection. A specimen is in the collection of the College of Agricul- 

 ture at Los Baiios, Luzon; the stomach of this one contained 

 a bird. In the Philippines it is known from Polillo, Luzon, 

 Cuhon, Mindanao, Leyte, and Palawan. Outside of the Phil- 

 ippines it is known from Burma, Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Su- 

 matra, and Nias. 



Genus PSAMMODYNASTES Giintlier 



Psammophis, part., BoiE, Isis (1827) 521; Schlegel, Phys. Serp. 2 

 (1837) 201; Dumeril and Bibeon, Erp. Gen. 7 (1854) 887; Peters, 

 Mon. Berl. Ak. (1868) 452. 



Psammodynastes Gunther, Cat. Col. Snakes (1858) 140; Jan, Elenco 

 Sist. Ofid. (1863) 90; Gunther, Rept. Brit. India (1864) 292; 

 MocQUARD, Bull. Soc. Philom. VII 11 (1887) 172; Boulenger, 

 Fauna Brit. India, Rept. (1890) 363; Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus. 3 

 (1896) 172; Boettgee, Ber. Senck. Nat. Ges. (1886) 110; Casto 

 de Eleea, Cat. Fauna Filipinas 1 (1895) 432. 



Thamnodynastes Werner, Abh. Bayer Akad. Wiss. II. Klasse 22 

 (1904) 372. 



Anisodon Rosen, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. VII 15 (1905) 176. 



Anwodontes Rosen, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. VII 16 (1905) 128. 



"Maxillary teeth 9 to 11, third or third and fourth much 

 enlarged, fang-like, followed by a short interspace, last enlarged 

 and grooved; anterior mandibular teeth strongly enlarged. 

 Head distinct from neck, with angular canthus rostralis; eye 

 rather large, with vertically elliptic or subelliptic pupil; nostril 

 in a single nasal ; frontal very narrow. Body cylindrical ; scales 

 smooth, without pits, in 17 or 19 rows; ventrals rounded. Tail 

 moderate or rather short; subcaudals in two rows." {Bou- 

 lenger.) 



The genus has two species, Psammodynastes pulvertdentiis 

 (Boie) and P. pictus Peters. Only the former has been found 

 in the Philippines. 



Snakes of this genus are probably slightly poisonous, but 

 certainly not deadly to man. They rarely exceed half a meter 

 in length. 



PSAMMODYNASTES PULVER U LENTUS (Boie) 



Psammophis pulverulenta BoiE, Isis (1827) 547; Schlegel, Phys. 



Serp. 2 (1837) 211, pi. 8, figs. 10 and 11; Abbild. (1844) pi. 43, 



figs. 1-4; Dumeril and Bibron, Erp. Gen. 7 (1854) 895. 

 Dipsas feii'ugmea Cantor, Proc. Zool. Soc. London (1839) 53; Blyth, 



.Journ. As. Soc. Bengal 23 (1854) 293; 24 (1855) 715. 

 Psammodynastes pulverulentzis, part., Gunther, Cat. Col. Snakes 



(1858) 140. 



161466 14 



