59, spiLOTES. 23 



59. SPILOTES. 



Tyria, part., FMng. N. Class. Rept. p. 29 (1826). 



Spilotes, Wagler, Syst. Amph. p. 179 (1830). 



Spilotes, part., Bum. §• Bibr. Erp. Gin. vii. p. 218 (1854) ; Ount.h. 



Cat. Col. 8n. p. 96 (1858) ; Jan, Elenco sist. Ofld. p. 62 (1863) ; 



Bocourt, Miss. Sc. Mex., Rept. p. 685 (1888). 



Maxillary teeth equal, 19 to 22; anterior mandibular teeth 

 longest. Head slightly distinct from neck ; eye moderate, with 

 round pupil ; no suboculars, loreal often absent. Body elongate, 

 slightly compressed ; scales keeled, very strongly imbricate, acutely 

 pointed, with apical pits, in 14 or 1 6 rows ; ventrals rounded. 

 Tail rather long ; subeaudals in two rows. 



South America. 



1. Spilotes puUatus. 



Coluber puUatus, Linn. Mus. Ad. Frid. p. 35, pi. xx. fig. 3 (1754), 



and S. N. i. p. 388 (1766). 

 Cerastes coronatus, Laur. Syn. Rept. p. 83 (1768). 

 Coluber coronatus, Gmel. 8. N. i. p. 1088 (1788). 

 variabilis, Merr. Beitr. ii. p. 40, pi. xii. (1790) ; Wied, Beitr. 



Nat. Bras. i. p. 271 (1825), and Abbild. (1831) ; Svhleg. Phys. 



Serp. ii. p. 149, pi. vi. figs. 1 & 2 (1837). 



plutonius, Baud. Rept. vi. p. 324 (1803). 



Natrix caninana, Merr. Tent. p. 121 (1820). 



Tyria puUata, Mtz. N. Class. Rept. p. 60 (1826). 



Spilotes puUatus, Wagl. Syst. Amph. p. 179 (1830) ; Bocourt, Miss. 



Sc. Mex., Rept. pi. xliv. fig. 2 (1888). 

 variabilis, Diim. 8r Bibr. vii. p. 220 (1854) ; Wucherer, Proc. 



Zool. Soc. 1861, p. 324. 



variabilis, part., Qunth. Cat. p. 99 (1858). 



pullatus, var. anomalolepis, Bocourt, I. c. p. 685, pi. xliv. fig. 3. 



Kostral slightly broader than deep, visible from above ; inter- 

 nasals broader than long, much shorter than the prsefrontals ; frontal 

 once and one third to once and a half as long as broad, as long as 

 or a little shorter than its distance from the end of the snout, a 

 little shorter than the parietals ; loreal very small or absent, the 

 posterior nasal often in contact with the praeocular, which is 

 single ; two postoculars ; temporals 1 + 1 ; six or seven upper 

 labials, third and fourth entering the eye, fifth or sixth very large ; 

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

 are as long as or a little shorter than the posterior. Scales in 16 

 rows. Ventrals 198-232 ; anal entire ; subeaudals 90-120. Black 

 above, uniform or with yellow spots which may form cross bands ; 

 snout and sides of head yeUow, the sutures between the shields 

 black ; belly yellow, with irregular black cross bands. 



Total length 2100 millim. ; tail 490. 



South America east of the Andes. 



A. Black and yellow. 



a. $ (V. 232 ; C. 103). Berbice. 



b. 5 (V. 217 ; C. 98). Brit. Guiana. Demerai-a Museum. 



