220. MiCRoPECHis. 347 



mandibular teeth, anterior longest. Head distinct from neck ; eye 

 extremely small, with round pupil ; nostril between two nasals ; no 

 loreal. Body cylindrical; scales smooth, without pits, in 15 or 

 17 rows. Tail short; subcaudals in two rows. 

 New Guinea and Solomon Islands. 



1. Micropechis ikaheka. 



Coluber ikaheka, Lesson, Vmi. Coquille, Zool. ii. p. 54, Revt. nl. v. 

 (1830). ^ J > V , F V 



Naja elaps, 8cUeg. Phys. Serp. ii. p. 485 (1837), and Ahbild. p. 139, 



pi. xlviii. tigs. 14-16 (.1844). ' 



Trimeresurus ophiophagus, part., Bum. ^- Bibr. vii. p. 1245 (18S4). 



elaps, Jan, Rev. Sr Mag. Zool. 1859, p. 129. 



ikaheka, Jan, Menco, p. 118 (1863), and Icon. Gin. 44, pi. v. 



(1873) ; 8am>. Bull. 8oc. Philom. (7) i. 1878, p. 43. 

 Ophiophagus elaps, Meyer, Mon. Berl. Ac. 1874, p. 1.37. 



ikaheka, Peters 8( Doria, Ann. Mus. Qenova, xiii. 1878, p. 410. 



ikaheka, var. fasciatus, Fischer, Abh. Nat. Ver. Hamb. viii. 



1884, p. 10, pi. Tii. fig. 3. 

 Diemenia ikaheka, F. Mull. Verh. Nat. Oes. Basel, x. 1892, p. 207. 

 , sp., Boettg. Ber. Offenb. Ver. Nat. 1892, p. 154. 



Eye hardly half as long as its distance from the mouth. Eostral 

 much broader than deep, visible from above ; internasals one half to 

 two thirds the length of the prsefrontals ; frontal once and one fifth 

 to once and a half as long as broad, broader than the supraocular, 

 as long as its distance from the rostral or the end of the snout, 

 three fifths the length of the parietals ; posterior nasal in contact 

 with the single praeocnlar ; two postoculars ; temporals 2 + 2, 

 anterior very large, the lower wedged in between the fifth and sixth 

 upper labials ; six upper labials, third and fourth entering the eye ; 

 three or four lower labials in contact with the anterior chin-shields, 

 which are as long as or a little shorter than the posterior. Scales 

 in 15 rows. Ventrals 180-223 ; anal divided ; subcaudals 39-55. 

 Particoloured yellow and black, the two colours sometimes forming 

 irregular cross-bars ; the black scales edged with yellow ; head and 

 tail black above ; lower parts yellow, uniform or with some of the 

 shields black-edged. 



Total length 1550 millim. ; tail 180. 



New Guinea. 



«-A. 2 (V. 185; C. 43)& . . Mansin.am. M. L. Laglaize [CI. 



hgr. (V. 180 ; 0. 45). 

 c. Skull of b. 



2. Micropechis elapoides. 



Hoplocephalus elapoides, Bouleng. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1890, p. 30, pi. ii. 

 fig. 3. 



Eye hardly half as long as its distance from the mouth. 

 Rostral much broader than deep, just visible from above ; inter- 

 nasals two thirds the length of the praefrontals ; frontal small, much 



