TRIMERESURUS 283 



Known from eastern Mindanao, Palawan, and Balabac, in the 

 Philippines. Also known from Malay Peninsula, Java, and 

 Borneo. It appears to have been collected in the Islands for the 

 rirst time by Cuming, 1834-40. 



CROTALID^ 



Maxillary vertically erectile, perpendicular to the ectoptery- 

 goid : pterygoid reaching quadi'ate or mandible ; equipped with 

 large, curved, hollow fangs ; a deep pit in maxillary, rep- 

 resented externally by a blind sac. Poison gland confined to 

 head. Deadly poisonous. 



A single genus of this family is represented in the Philippines. 



Genus TRIMERESURUS Lacepede * 



Lachesis Daudin, Hist. Kept. (1803) 349; Wagler, Syst. Amph. 



(1830) 175; Gray, Zool. Misc. (1842) 50; Cat. Vip. Snakes (1849) 



13; DuMERiL and Bibron, Erp. Gen. 7 (1854) 1483; Peters, Mon. 



Berl. Ak. (1862) 673; Jan, Elenco Sist. Ofid. (1863) 124; Bou- 



LENGER, Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus. 3 (1896) 529. 

 Trimeresunis, part., Lacepede, Ann. Mus. 4 (1804) 209 

 Tropidolxmus Wagler, Syst. Amph. (1830) 175; Dumeril and Bibron, 



Erp. Gen. 7 (1854) 1523. 

 Trigonocephalus Oppel, Ordn. Rept. (1811) 50; PETERS, Mon. Berl. 



Ak. (1862) 672. 

 Trimeresurus Gray, Zool. Misc. (1842) 50; Cat. Vip. Snakes (1849) 



13; Peters, Mon. Berl. Ak. (1862) 672. 

 Megixra Wagler, Syst. Amph. (1830) 174; Gray, Zool. Misc. (1842) 



49; Cat. Vip. Snakes (1849) 11; Peters, Mon. Berl. Ak. (1862) 



671. 

 Pm-ias Gray, Cat. Vip. Snakes (1849) 11. 

 Bothrops Wagler, in Spix, Serp. Bras. (1824) 50. 



"Upper surface of head covered with scales or small shields. 

 Body cylindrical or compressed; scales smooth or keeled, with 

 or without apical pits. Tail moderate or short ; subcaudals single 

 or in two rows." (Boulenger.) 



Southeastern Asia, Malaysia, Central America, and South 

 America. Snakes of this genus are commonly known as pit 

 vipers. They are deadly poisonous. 



Key to the Philippine species of Trimeresurus Lacepede. 



«■'. Head scales smooth, 

 h'. Supraocular narrow. 

 c\ Uniform yellow, with dark yellow lateral streak. 



T. mcgregori Taylor (p. 284). 

 C-. Tail purplish brown, with or without small yellowish dorsal spots; 

 no lateral yellow or white stripe; tail dark, like body. 



T. halieus Griffin (p. 286). 



' The synonymy refers chiefly to designation of Philippine forms. 



