354 



COLUBEIDJE. 



a-b. $ (V. 131, 134; C. 



38, 32). 

 c. 2 (V. 136 ; 0. 30). 

 d-f.c^ (V.134;C.35)&yg. 



»(V. 128, 129; 0.34, 31). 

 ff. Skull of c. 



N.W. Australia. 



Port Lincoln. 

 S. Australia. 



Museum Godeiiroy. 



G.Kreffl,Esq. [P.]. 

 Dr. Fleming [P.]. 

 (Types of S. temporalis.) 



226. ACANTHOPHIS. 



Acanthophis, Baud. Hist. Mept. v. p. 287 (1803) ; Wagl. Syst. Amph. 



p. 172 (1830) ; Orap, Cat. Sn. p. 34 (1849) ; Bum. Sf Bihr. Brp. 



Gin. vii. p. 1388 (1854) ; Cofe, Proc. Ac. Philad. 1859, p. 343 ; 



Jan, Elenco sist. OJid. p. 120 (1863) ; Kreft, Sn. Austral, p. 79 



(1869). 

 Opliiyas, Merrem, Tent. Syst. Amph. p. 146 (1820). 

 Vipera, part., Schleg. Phys. Serp. ii. p. 573 (1837). 



Maxillary extending forwards as far as the palatine, with a pair 

 of large grooved poison-fangs followed by two or three small teeth ; 

 anterior mandibular teeth strongly enlarged, fang-like. Head dis- 

 tinct from neck ; eye small, with vertically elliptic pupil ; nostril 

 in the upper part of a single nasal ; no loreal. Body stout, cylin- 

 drical ; scales more or less distinctly keeled, without pits, in 21 or 

 23 rows ; belly rounded. Tail short, compressed at the end and 

 terminating in a long spine turned upwards ; anterior subcaudals 

 single, posterior in two rows. 



Moluccas, Papuasia, Australia. 



rig. 25. 



Skull of Acanthophis antarcticus. 



This skull is remarkable for the presence of a strong outer 

 process, directed downwards and backwards, on the ectopterygoid. 

 Such a process is present, but less developed, in some of the Hydro- 

 phinee {Hydrus, Distira), 



