1847.] Malayan Peninsula and Islands. 1043 



toads. The neck is covered by 27, the trunk by 23 to 25 longitudinal 

 series of ovate, imbricate keeled scales. The labials, and the gular 

 scales are sharply keeled, but the keels of the former become obliterat- 

 ed with age. The tail is prehensile. Of nine examined the largest 

 individual was of the following dimensions : 



Length of the head, ft. 2 inch. 



Ditto ditto trunk, 1 6£ 



Ditto ditto tail, 6| 



2 ft. 2| inch. ■ 

 Circumference of the neck, 2f, of the trunk, 4-f , of the root of the 

 tail, If inch. 



Trigonocephaly puniceus, Reinwardt. 



Syn.— Seba, II, Tab. 64. Fig. 1. 



Klein : Tentam. Pg. 10. No 25.* 



Vipera acontia, Laurenti. 



Coluber acontia, Gmelin. 



Vipera acontias, Daudin. 



Echidna acontia, Merrem. 



Trigonocephalus puniceus, Reinwardt. 



Atropos, Wagler. 



Trigonocephalus purpureomaculatus, Gray. 111. Ind. Zool. 



Trigonocephalus puniceus, Schlegel. 



Dull reddish-brown or olive tinged with purple ; in some an indistinct 

 black line from the eye to the sides of the neck ; the scales dotted or 

 finely marbled with black, their keels pale ochre ; the posterior part of 

 the trunk and tail with irregular dark brown spots ; the interstitial 

 skin reddish brown, lighter or darker than the scales ; lips, throat, the 

 three or four lowest series of scales, and beneath pale greenish yellow ; 

 scuta and scutella with brown margins, the latter largely spotted with 

 brown. Iris greenish golden marbled with black ; pupil elliptical 

 vertically contracted by the light ; tongue light brownish grey. 



Scuta 1G2 to 171 ; Scutella 6d to 70. 



Habit. — Pinang, Malayan Peninsula. 

 Singapore, Java. 



' The malayan individuals differ slightly from the Javanese in having 

 very few dark spots and no reddish line above the black one on the 



* As several serpents have by Klein been indicated under the name of acontias, the 

 specific name of Reinwardt has been substituted. 



6 T 



