358 coiTJBEiBa;. 



black cross-bars on the nape and neck, the second and third forming 

 complete rings, followed by five irregular black spots : further 

 back, the body darker brown with the scales black-edged; tail 

 black ; belly white anteriorly, brown further back, with the shields 

 black-edged, blackish brown towards the tail. 



Total length 240 millim. ; tail 85. 



Lake Tanganyika. 



229. ELAPECHIS. 



Elapsoidea ', Socage, Jam. Sc. Lisb. i. 1866, p. 70 ; Peters, Mm. 

 Berl. Ac. 1880, p. 797. 



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

 pair of large grooved poison-fangs followed by two to four small 

 teeth ; mandibular teeth, anterior longest. Head not distinct from 

 neck; eye small, with round pupil; nostril between two nasals; 

 no loreal. Body cylindrical ; scales oblique, smooth, without pits, 

 in 18 or 15 rows ; ventrals rounded. Tail very short ; subcaudals 

 all or most in two rows. 



Tropical and South Africa. 



Synopsis of the Species. 



I. Scales in 13 rows. 



A. Snout broadly rounded. 



1. Pirst lower labial in contact with its fellow behind the 



symphysial. 



Internasals much shorter than the prae- 



frontals ; frontal at least three fourths 



the length of the parietals 1. guentheri, p. 359. 



Internasals three fourths the length of the 



prsefrontals ; frontal two thirds the length 



of the parietals 2. niger, p. 359. 



2. Symphysial in contact with the anterior chin-shields. 



3. hessii, p. 360. 



B. Snout obtusely pointed. 



Portion of rostral visible from above nearly 



half as long as its distance from the 



frontal 4. decosteri, p. 360. 



Portion of rostral visible from above as 



long as its distance from the frontal .... 5. sundevallii, p. 360. 



II. Scales in 15 rows 6. houTengeri, p. 361. 



* The correct form would be Elapoidea, which name is preoccupied 

 (Elapoides, Boie). 



