LATICAUDA 



229 



Luticauda laticaudata Stejneger, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. 58 (1907) 

 402; Griffin, Philip. Journ. Sci. § D 6 (1911) 265. 



Laticauda laticaudata laticaudata BARBOUR, Mem. Mus. Comp. Zool. 

 Harvard Coll. 44 (1912) 131. 



Description of species. — (P'rom No. 1834, E. H. Taylor collec- 

 tion, collected on Mindanao coast, October, 1913, by E. H. Tay- 

 lor.) Head moderate, not or scarcely distinct from neck; ros- 

 tral much higher than wide, scarcely visible above, forming its 

 broadest suture with first labial ; internasals triangular, narrowly 

 in contact with rostral, forming their longest suture with nasal ; 



Fig. 21. Laticauda laticaudata (LiniiseusJ ; after Wall; a, head, dorsal view 



view : c. chin. 



b, head. lateral 



prefrontals broader than deep, narrowly in contact laterally 

 with third labial, separating nasal and prefrontal, the suture 

 between prefrontals shorter than that between internasals ; fron- 

 tal longer than wide, four-sided, much longer than its distance 

 from end of snout, as long as parietals ; nasal narrow, elongate, 

 nostril pierced nearer its posterior end, in contact with 3 la- 

 bials; 1 preocular, higher than wide; 2 postoculars, the lower 

 lying somewhat under posterior part of eye; 1 anterior tem- 

 poral; temporal formula, 1 + 2 + 3; mental very small, not or 

 very narrowly separated from second pair of labials, not touching 

 chin shields ; lower labials nearly hidden, for the most part lying 

 horizontal on .laws, the 2 anterior touching first chin shields, 

 which are a little smaller than posterior ; tail strongly com- 

 pressed, widened at tip. 



Color in life. — Above blue with 66 black bars about body, of 

 which 7 are confined to tail; bands are 3 scales wide on back, 

 separated by interspaces of equal width but narrow on belly, 

 a broad band on head, widest medially, not reaching anterior 

 part of frontal ; head band and 2 nuchal bands interrupted 

 ventrally, but connected by a broad ventrolateral band on side 

 fif head and neck ; no light labial band ; top of snout yellow with 



