284 



COLTTBEID^. 



Ventrals distinct, but feebly enlarged, 240-285. Pale greyish 

 olive, with blackish cross-bands tapering on the sides. 



Total length 560 miilim. ; tail 50. 



Bay of Bengal and Straits of Malacca. 



a-e. $ (V. 283, 285) & East Indies. East India Co. [P.]. 



yg. (V. 282, 252, 240). (Types.) 



21. Hydrophis obscums. 



RusseU, Ind, Serp. pis. vii. & yiii. (1801). 



Hydrophis obscurus, Baud. Rept. vii. p. 375 (1803) ; Bouhng. Faun, 



Ind., Rept. p. 403 (1890) ; Boettg. Ber. Offenh. Ver. Nat.,1892, p. 88. 



chloris, Daud, t. o. p. 377, pi. xc. 



Pelamis obscurus, Merr. Tent. p. 139 (1820). 



chloris, Merr. I. c. 



Hydrophis diadema, Giinth. Rept. Brit. Ind. p. 373, pi. xxv. fig. S 



(1864). 

 stricticollis, Giinth. I c. p. 376, pi. xxv. fig. R ; Anders. Proc. 



Zool. Soc. 1872, p. 897 ; Fayrer, Thanatopk. Ind. pi. xxviii. 



(1874) ; Giinth. Ann. ^ Mag. N. 3. (4) ix. 1872, p. 33 ; Peters, 



Mon. Berl. Ac. 1872, p. 858. 



Head very small ; body very long, extremely slender anteriorly. 

 Rostral broader than deep ; frontal longer than broad, as long as 

 its distance from the rostral or the end of the snout ; one prae- and 

 one or tvro postoculars ; a single anterior temporal ; seven or eight 

 upper labials ; second largest, third and fourth entering the eye ; 

 two pairs of chin-shields, posterior smallest and usually separated 

 by scales. 33 to 40 scales round the neck, 40 to 50 round the 

 body ; scales rhomboidal, imbricate, feebly keeled in the female, 

 strongly in the male, the keels often broken up into tubercles. 

 Ventrals very feebly enlarged, longer than broad under the neck, 

 bicarinate in the male, 310-438. Olive or dark green above, with 

 yellowish cross-bars, which form complete rings round the slender 

 part of the body ; on the other two-thirds of the body these bands are 

 interrupted on the back ; a yellow spot on the snout and a yellow 

 streak on each side of the upper surface of the head ; or pale olive, 

 with dark cross-bands forming rings on the anterior part of the body. 



Total length 970 miilim. ; tail 105. 



Bay of Bengal ; Malay Archipelago. ■* 



a. S (V. 338). Sunderbimds, Bengal. Dr. P. Russell, College of 



Surgeons [E.]. (Type). 



b. $ (V. 332). Sunderbunds. Dr. P. Russell, College of 



Surgeons [E.]. (Type 

 of H. chloris). 



c. ? ("V. 370). Sandheads, Bengal. Sir J. Fayrer [P.]. 



d~e. $ (V. 401,438). Bassein E. W. Theobald, Esq. rC.l 



/, 9- 3 (V. 884) & Pegu. W. Theobald, Esq. [0.]. 



yg. (V. 342). 



h. Yg. (V. 398). Bay of Bengal. East India Co. [P.]. 



(Type oiH. stricticollis.) 



i. 2 (V. 310). Borneo. 



h-l. Hgr. (V. 318, ? Haslar Col- 1 ,t„_„ „<, 



316.). lection. \ -S^P^ s 



m. Hgr. (V. 367). ? S.diadema.) 



