THE POISONOUS SNAKES OP INDIA. 



33 



CALLOPHIS BIBRONI-Bibron's Coral Snake. 



Identification.' 



-It 



^ 



Fig. 19.— Oallophis bibroni (x 3). 



may be told from all 

 j^^ others of this group 

 by the fact that the 

 prsefrontal shield 

 touches the 3rd sup- 

 ralabial. (Prf. and 3, 

 fig. 19 B.) 



8 upp lementary 

 char acter s. — Prce- 

 frontals touch the in- 

 ternasal, posterior 

 nasal, Srd supralabial, 

 eye, supraocular and 

 frontal. Tern por al 

 1 touching the 5th, 

 6th and 7th suprala- 

 bials (and sometimes 

 the 4th also). Supra- 

 labials 7. AnAerior 

 sublinguals touch the 

 1 st, the 3rd and the 

 4th infralabials. Post- 

 erior sublinguals touch 

 the 4th infralabial. 



Infralabials. — The 4th is the largest of the series, and touches 8 

 scales behind. Scales are 13 in the whole body. Anal entire. 8ub- 

 caudals divided throughout. 



Distribution. — A rare species recorded only from the Western 

 Ghats of India. 



Poison. — Nothing known. 



Dimensions. — Grows to 2 feet and over. 



Colour. — Boulenger says* : " Cherry-red to dark purplish brown 

 above, red beneath, with black transverse bands which are some- 

 times continuous across the belly; anterior part of head black above." 



* Cat. Snakes, Brit. Mus. Vol. Ill, p. 99. 



