246 



major F. wall, i.m.s., c.m.z.s. 



ENHYDRIS. 



Key to the species of Enhydris. 



(A) Parietals broken up ; suture from nostril to second labial 



(B) Parietals entire ; suture from nostril to first labial 



curtus. 

 hardwickii. 



Enhydris curtus (Shaw). 



Hydrus curtus, Shaw, Zool., 1802, iii, p. 562. 



Ivapemis curtus, Gray in Zool. Misc., 1842, p. 60, and Cat., 1849, p. 44. 



Hydrophis curta, Giinther , Rept. Brit. Ind., 1864, p. 379. 



,, ,, Stoliczka in Proc. As. Soc. Bengal, 1872, p. 91. 



,, ,, Fayrer, Thanatoph. Ind., 1874, pi. xxiv. 



„ propinquus, Jan., Icon. Gen., 1872, 41, pi. i, fig. 2. 



Enhydris curtus, Boulgr. in Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Rept. and Batrach., 1890, 



p. 396, and Cat., iii, 1896, p. 300. 



,, ,, Sclater, List Snakes Ind. Mus., 1891, p. 62. 



,, ,, Wall in Jour. Bomb. Nat. Hist. Soc, xvi, p. 310, and in Spot. 



Zeylan., August 1907, p. 172. 



ABC 



Fig. 61. — Enhydris curtus ( x i|). 



I have examined in detail 21 examples of this species, which is very common 

 around the Coasts of India. On the Malabar Coast it was the commonest sea snake 

 after Enliydrina valakadyn. 



It is a very easy species to recognise. It shares with E. hardwickii alone the 

 peculiar enlargement o': the lowest three or four costal rows. The completely broken 

 up condition of the parietals is only seen in the genus Acalyptus among the Hydro- 

 phiime with this one exception. 



Description. — Rostral, — touches four shields; the portion visible above is one- 

 third or less than one-third the length of the internasal suture. Prsef rontals, — 

 touch the second supralabial (the third also in one, no supralabial in one example). 

 Frontal, — entire. Parietals,— broken up ; very frequently into three, sometimes 

 more parts, which, however, taken together preserve the contour of these shields as 

 seen in other species of the family. 1 Nasals, — touch the first and second supra- 



' One exception No. 1 1 5 3 1 in Indian Museum where they are entire. 



