1. HAPIOPEITTTEA, 439 



Facial bones slightly movable ; prsefrontal not in contact with 

 nasal ; eotopterygoid (transpalatine) present ; pterygoid short, not 

 extending to quadrate or mandible ; supratemporal rudimentary ; 

 maxiUary horizontal, parallel with or converging posteriorly towards 

 the palatine. Mandible without coronoid bone. Solid teeth in both 

 jaws. 



The hypapophyses disappear in the anterior third of the dorsal 

 vertebral column. 



These Snakes, which inhabit South-eastern Asia and Central 

 and South America, may be readily distinguished from the 

 ColuhridcB, without an examination of the skull, by the absence 

 of a mental groove, the mouth being susceptible of but slight 

 expansion, and by the free termination of the pterygoid bones, which 

 do not diverge behind, as may be seen on the back of the palate 

 when the mouth is fully open. 



Synopsis of the Genera. 



I. Body more or less compressed, 



A. Maxillary very short, with 5 or 6 teeth. 



Subcaudals single 1. Haplopeltura, p. 439. 



Subcaudals in two rows 2. Amblycephalus, p. 440. 



B. Maxillary rather short, turned inwards, with 11 to 18 teeth. 



Pterygoids toothed 3. Leptognathus, p. 446. 



Pterygoids toothless 4, Dipsas, p. 460. 



II, Body cylindrical 5. Pseudopareas, p. 462. 



1. HAPLOPELTURA. 



Dipaas, part., Schleg. Phys. Serp. ii. p. 257 (1837). 



Aplopeltura, Bum. ^ Bibr. Mem. Ac. So. xxiii. 1853, p. 463, and 



Erp. Q&n. vii. p. 444 (1854). 

 Amblycephalus, Qunth. Cat. Col. Sn. p. 184 (1858) ; Jan, Menco 



sist. Qfld. p. 100 (1863) ; Oiinth. Hept. Brit. Ind. p. 325 (1864). 



Maxillary bone very short, deep, with five subequal teeth ;. 

 maxillary and mandibular teeth decreasing in size posteriorly. 

 Head distinct from neck; eye large, with vertical pupil; nasal, 

 entire. Body strongly compressed; scales smooth, without pits, 

 oblique, in 13 rows, vertebral row strongly enlarged; ventrals 

 rounded. Tail moderate ; subcaudals single. 



Pinang, Malay Archipelago. 



1, Haplopeltura boa. 



Amblycephalus boa, Boie, Ms, 1828, p. 1034 ; GuntJi. Cat. p. 184 

 (1858), and Rept. Brit. Ind. p. 325 (1864) ; Jan, Icon. G4n. 37, 

 pi. iii. fig. 2 (1870) ; Modigliani, Ann. Mus. Geneva, (2) vii. 1889,, 

 p. 120. 



