250 



MAJOR F. WALL, I.M.S., C.M.Z.S. 



(including Madagascar) to the Cape. In Australians far East as New Zealand. In 

 America the Western Coast (Mexico, Ecuador, Panama). 



ASTROTIA. 



Astrotia stokesi (Gray). 



Hydrus major, Shaw, ZooL, 1802, iii, p. 558, in part. 



„■ stokesii, Gray, Stokes Discov. Austral., 1846, p. 502, pi. iii, and Cat., 1849, 

 p. 58. 

 Hydrophis annulatus, Gray, Cat., 1849, p. 59. 

 ? Astrotia schizopholis, Jan, Icon Gen., 1872, 39, pi. iii. 

 Hydrophis stokesii, Giinther, Rept. Brit. Ind., 1864, p. 363. 

 ? ,, guttata, Murray in J own. Bomb. Nat. Hist. Soc, 1887, p. 34. 



,, ocellata, Giinther, loc. cit., p. 378, and pi. xxv, fig. P. 



Distira stokesii, Boulgr. in Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Rept. and Batrach., 1890, 

 p. 408, and Cat. Brit. Must, 1896, iii, p. 288. 

 ,, ,, Wall in Spot. Zeylan., August 1907, p. 168. 



D 



Fig. 65. — Astrotia (Schizopholis) stokesi. After Jan, Icon. Gen., 1872, 39, pi. iii. 



I have examined seven examples. The species is not only very well differentiated, 

 but possesses ventrals peculiar to itself, and I cannot but think that this alone war- 

 rants its separation from the genus Distira, where Mr. Boulenger places it. These 

 shields are best considered absent ; they are replaced by scales similar to the adjacent 

 costals in that they are strongly imbricate, and serrate or dentate at the margins. 

 They are little broader than the adjacent costal rows, and rather more pointed. There 



