216 SNAKES OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 



CHRYSOPELEA ORNATA (Shaw) 



Plate 11, figs. 6 to 8 



Coluber ornatus Shaw, Zool. 3 (1S02) 477. 



Tyria ornata Fitzingee, Neue Class. Rept. (1837) 60. 



Chrysopclea ornata BoiE, Isis (1827) 546; Dumeeil and BiBRON, Erp. 



Gen. 7 (1854) 1042; Jan, Icon. Gen. (1869) 33, pi. 1, fig. 1; Boett- 



GEK, Ber. Offenb. Ver. Nat. (1888) 84; Boulenger, Faunri Brit. 



India, Rept. (1890) 371; Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus. 3 (1896) 196. 

 Crysopelca ornata TAYLOR, Philip. .Journ. Sci. § D 12 (1917) 366; § D 



13 (1918) 261, typ. err. 



Description of species. — (From No. 428, E. H. Taylor collec- 

 tion ; collected at Bunawan, Agusan, Mindanao, 1912, by E. H. 

 Taylor.) Snout distinctly flattened; rostral but little broader 

 than deep, broadly visible from above, its broadest suture formed 

 vpith nasals ; internasals more than half as large as prefrontals 

 and nearly as long; prefrontals forming subequal sutures with 

 frontal, preocular, and internasal ; frontal broadest at its ex- 

 treme anterior portion, longer than wide, but little wider than 

 supraocular and about as long, equal to its distance from end of 

 snout; parietals very broad, nearly as broad as long, longer 

 than frontal, touching only superior postocular ; 2 nasals, sub- 

 equal in size; nostril rather large; loreal about twice as long 

 as high; preocular large, visible from above, touching frontal; 

 supraoculars very broad; 2 postoculars, superior largest; tem- 

 porals 2 + 2 + 2 ; 9 upper labials, fourth, fifth, and sixth enter- 

 ing eye; 11 lower labials, first 5 touching first chin shields 

 which are shorter and broader than posterior; mental trian- 

 gular; scales smooth, with apical pits, in 17 rows, no evidence 

 of keels present; ventrals 214, each with a strong keel and 

 notch, the outer parts rounding and turned up on side, the 'last 

 ventral divided; subcaudals 119, keeled and notched (extreme 

 tip of tail injured). Head distinct from neck; eye large, pupil 

 round. 



Measureraents of Chiysopelea oynutn (Shaic) . 



mm. 



Total length cjy.i 



Snout to vent YQr, 



T^>1 255 



Length of head .,- 



Width of head ^o 



Coloi- in life. — Black above with a large yellowish green spot 

 on each scale; spots larger on sides; red spots on middle line 

 of back arranged like a four-petaled flower ; a yellow band crosses 

 behind parietals, and another in front of parietals; a third line 

 crosses head in front of frontal; various black and yellow 



