CYCLODINA AENEA. 237 



surface of head and throat speckled with black. Abdomen light 

 yellowish, imicolor. 



Syn. — Cydodiiia aenea, Grd. in Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. November, 1857. 



Descr. — The body though elongated when compared to its con- 

 geners, the general aspect of this species is rather abbreviated. This 

 must be owing to its short and small head, as well as to its short 

 tail. The latter, however, is reproduced, so that after all the entire 

 physiognomy may be of a more graceful and elongated type. 



The rostral plate is elevated, subconical, extending somewhat to 

 the upper surface of the snout, keeping the nasals widely apart by its 

 contiguity to the prefrontal. The nasals themselves are lateral. The 

 prefrontal is subrhomboid, broader than long, and contiguous late- 

 rally to the nasal and postnasal, and posteriorly to the vertex plate, 

 thus preventing the postfrontals coming into contiguity upon the 

 middle line of the head. The postfrontals themselves are small, 

 extending somewhat to the loral region. The vertex plate is large 

 and elongated, anteriorly angular, posteriorly tapering and spear- 

 shaped, slightly overlapping the parietals. The latter are well deve- 

 loped, receiving posteriorly the angular and broad extremity of the 

 middle occipital, which is shaped like the vertex plate, being taper- 

 ing and spear-shaped posteriorly. The latero-occipitals are the 

 largest of the cephalic plates, inclosing posteriorly the middle occi- 

 pital, being contiguous anteriorly to the parietals, slightly to the 

 last supraocular and two postorbitals ; laterally, it is lined by the 

 upper temporal shield, and posteriorly by the scales of the neck or a 

 pair of postoccipitals ; the latter not always distinct from the adjoining 

 scales of the neck. The supraoculars are four in number ; the ante- 

 rior one smallest ; the second and third largest. The supraciliaries 

 are proportionally well developed, subquadrangular, subequal, seven 

 in number. The nasals are subrhomboid, longer than deep, ob- 

 liquely situated upon the sides of the muzzle. The postnasal and 

 loral, both, are deeper than long, likewise obliquely inclined forwards, 

 and owing their shape to the abbreviation of the entire snout. Of the 

 three anteorbitals, the upper and lower are small and subequal, whilst 

 the middle one is larger, entering but partially into the orbit. There 

 is a complete chain of small suborbitals ; hence the labials not coming 

 into the orbit ; seven of them may be counted forming an open curve 

 from the lower anteorbital to the posterior supraciliary ; the four first 

 smallest, and truly suborbitals ; the three last being postorbitals by 



CO 



