DISTEIRA 241 



This species is closely related to D. fasciata Schneider and D. brookii 

 Boulenger. From D. fasciata it differs in being- much stouter; in the 

 narrow portion of the neck being shorter; in the lower average * number 

 of gastrosteges; in the arching of the maxilla between the fang and the first 

 tooth and the absence of an acute apex in front of the fangs; and in the 

 less acute posterior angle of the frontal plate. From D. brookii it differs 

 in the lower average number of gastrosteges; in the character of the 

 scales on the sides of the body, which are mostly regular hexagons or are 

 a trifle broader than long, where in D. brookii the upper and lower angles 

 of the scales are very acute and the laterals are t^vice the size of the scales 

 on the back. In D. brookii the snout is much broader. 



Remarks. — The type is from Manila Bay, collected in 1906 

 by Thompson. The species is not rare apparently, but is not 

 frequently taken in fishing nets, clue to its small size. It is 

 poisonous, but due to the extremely small size of the head prob- 

 ably could not be considered deadly to man. It is said to 

 feed on small eels. Known only from Manila Bay. 



DISTEIRA ORNATA (Gray) 



Aturia ornata GRAY, Zool. Misc. (1842) 61. 



Clutulia inomata Gray, Cat. Vip. Snakes (1849) 56. 



Disteira ornata, part., BouLBNGER, Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus. 3 (1896) 



290, sp. b and d. 

 Hydrophis ornatus, part., Gunthee, Kept. Brit. India (1864) 376, pi. 



25, fig. V. 

 Disteira ornata inomata Wall, Mem. As. Soc. Bengal 2 (1911) 



169-251. 

 Disteira ornata Griffin, Philip. Journ. Sci. § D 6 (1911) 265. 



Description of spades. — (From No. 784, Bureau of Science 

 collection; collected in Manila Bay, 1911, by T. Bangis.) Body 

 strongly compressed; head elongate, about one-fifth wider than 

 neck ; rostral wider than high, doubly arched below, with a slight 

 suture (anomalous) entering from above; suture with inter- 

 nasals wider than that with labials ; no internasals ; nasals 

 elongate, the nostril pierced in outer posterior part, a suture 

 issuing from lower side and continuing to second labial ; a dim 

 groove from posterior part of nostril to prefrontal; prefrontals 

 wider than deep, the suture between them one-third that between 

 nasals, in contact laterally with second labial; frontal longer 

 than its distance from rostral, more than one and a half times 

 as long as wide, much shorter than parietals, one and a hall 

 times as wide as supraoculars; parietals elongate, twice as long 



* Average in twenty specimens of D. cincimiatii is 361, while in twenty- 

 six of D. fasciata it is 417. 



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