DENDROPHIS PICT A. 129 



Genus DENDROPHIS, Boib. 



Gen. Char. —Body slender, very elongated, separated from the head 

 by a quite narrow neck. Tail long and tapering. Head long, pos- 

 teriorly broad; eyes large. Cephalic plates nine in number. Nos- 

 tril situated between two plates. One loral, one anteorbital, and 

 two postorbital plates. Scales smooth, or else not carinated. Belly 

 flat; abdominal scutellae bent upwards, nearly at right angles on 

 the sides ; the preanal one either entire or subdivided. Subcaudal 

 scutellae disposed upon a double series, and similarly bent upwards. 



SYN.—Dendrophis, BoiE, Isis, XX, 1826, 620.— Wagl. Nat. Syst. Amph. 1830, 

 182.— DuM. & BiBR. Erp. gen. VII, I, 1854, 193. 



Observ. — One of the most characteristic traits of this genus consists 

 in the series of scales on the middle region of the back, which are 

 larger and differently shaped than the rest. The teeth are of uni- 

 form size or development ; none, however, being found upon the pre- 

 m axillary bones. 



1. DENDROPHIS PiCTA, Boie. 



Spec. Char. — Dorsal scales disposed upon fifteen longitudinal series. 

 Tail forming about the third of the total length. Preanal scutella 

 entire. Upper regions green, w^ith a yellowish-white lateral band 

 margined with black. Sides of head and neck black. Beneath 

 yellowish-white. 



Syi^.— Coluber pictus, Gm. Linn. Syst. Nat. Ill, 1788, 1116.— Seba, Thes. Nat. I, 

 1734. Tab. xcix. 



Di;psas sclwkari, KuHL, Beitr. 1820, 80. 



DendropMs picta, Boie, Isis, XX, 1826, 530 & 542 ; Erp. Java. PI. xxxiv. — 

 ScHL. Ess. phys. Serp. 1, 1837, 57 ; et II, 1837, 228. PL ix, figs. 5-7.— Bum. & Bibr. 

 Erp. gen. VII, I, 1854, 197. 



Leptophis pictus, Cantor, Journ. Asiat. Soc. XVI, 1847, 83. 



Descr. — The head is elongated, depressed, and flattened upon its 

 upper surface ; it is ovoid in shape, when viewed from above. The 



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