288 COLtJBBID^. 



Table showing I^umbees of Scales and Shields. 



So. neck. 



Sc. body. 



Lab. 



Ant. temp. 



major 



ornata 



godeffroyi ... 

 melanosoTna 



semperi 



suhcincta ... 



hrugmansii 



tuherculata 



grandis 



macfarlani 

 cyanocincta 

 hitvberculata 



helcheri 



pachycercus 

 lapemidi 

 viperina 

 jerdonii 



39-47 

 31-36 

 35-42 

 28-33 



27 



? 



23-25 



27-31 



38 

 27-29 

 31-35 

 27-33 

 26-27 



25 

 27-29 

 30-33 

 27-29 

 15-17 



48-57 

 36-41 

 40-50 

 38-43 



38 



38 



35 

 32-40 



? 

 41^5 

 43-45 

 39-45 

 48-49 



34 

 38-39 

 43-47 

 37-43 

 19-21 



230-267 



200-236 



210-300 



238-294 



335 



329 



342 



300-354 



321 

 372-400 

 220-256 

 281-385 

 278 

 317 

 258-260 

 300-387 

 235-267 

 224-238 



9-10 



7-8 

 7-8 



7 



7 



8 



7 



7 



? 



7 



7-8 

 7-8 



8 

 5-6 



8 



8 

 7-8 



5 



2-3 



2 

 2-3 



2 



2 



2 



2 



2 



2 

 2-3 

 1-2 



1 



1. Distira stokesii. 

 Hydius major, part., Shaw, Zool. iii. p. 558 (1802). 



stokesii, Gray, in Stokes, Discov. A ustralia, i. p. 503, p].iii.(1846) 



major, Gray, Cat. p. 58 (1849). 



Hydrophis schizopholis, Schmidt, Ahh. Naturw. Hamb. i. 1852, 



p. 166, pi. XV. ; Bum. ^ Bibr. vii. p. 1357 (1854). 



annulatus, Gray, I. c. p. 59. 



Astrotia schizopholis, Fischer, Abh. Naturw. Hamh. iii. 1856, p. 38 ; 



Jan, Icon. Gen. 39, pi. iii. (1872). 

 Hydrophis stokesii, Oiinth. Rept. Brit. Ind. p. 363 (1864) ; Peters 



Sr Doria, Ann. Mm. Geneva, xiii. 1878, p. 415. 

 ? Hydrophis guentheri, Theoh. Cat. Mept. As. Sac. Mus. 1868, p. 69. 

 ? Hydrophis granosa, Anders. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1871, p. 190. 

 Hydrophis guttata, Murray, Journ. Bomb. N. H. Soc. ii. 1887, p. 34, 

 Distira stokesii, Bouleng. Faun. Ind., Pept. p. 408 (1890). 



Head moderate ; body stout. Rostral as deep as broad ; nasals 

 shorter than the frontal, more than twice as long as the suture 

 between the praefrontals ; frontal longer than broad, as long as or 

 slightly longer than its distance from the rostral ; one prae- and 

 two postooulars ; nine or ten upper labials, fourth, fifth, and sixth 

 entering the eye, if not divided to form a series of suboculars ; two 

 or three superposed anterior temporals ; no chin-shields. 39 to 47 

 scales round the neck, 48 to 57 round the body; scales much 

 imbricate, pointed, keeled, the keels frequently broken up into two 

 tubercles. Ventrals usually distinct only quite anteriorly, then in 

 pairs and not larger than the adjoining scales, 230-267. Yellowish 

 or pale brownish, with broad black dorsal cross-bands, or with 

 complete black annuli. 



Total length 1510 millim. ; tail 200. 



From the Mekran Coast and the. Chinese Sea to the North Coast 

 of Australia. 



