292 



CAPTAIN F. WALL ON 



and in contact with 3 or 4 scales behind. Sublinguals, — two well-developed pairs, both 

 in contact. Costals, — imbricate everywhere. 



This is one of the very few sea snakes which has a complete row of marginals succeed- 

 ing the 2nd infralabial ; others are the 3 species of the genus Platur us, Distira major, 

 and some aberrant examples of Distira brugmansii. It is also one of the few snakes 

 that has 5 infralabials, as occurs in Distira brugmansii, and D. ornata, and H. mammi'i- 

 laris. 



I think there is not the least doubt that Anderson's Distira tubcrculata, the type 

 specimen of which I have examined, is nothing more nor less than this species. I have 

 detailed records in my note-book of 28 specimens of D. cyanocincta, and this type speci- 

 men perfectly accords with them. 



16. Distira viperina (Schmidt). 



Distira viperina, Blgr. Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus., Vol. Ill, p. 298. 



„ ,, Sclater, List Snakes Ind. A/us., 1891, p. 66, Nos. 8274, 8275, 8276, 



8277, 8279, 11497. 

 ,, ,, Wall in Proc Zoo/. Soc. Lond., 1903, p. 96. 



„ lapemidoides, Sclater, List Snakes Ind. Mus., 1891, p. 66, No. 8269. 



Museum 

 No. 



Habitat. 



Donor. 



8269 

 8274 



Rangoon 

 Puri ... 



... 



Col. Nuthall. 

 Sir J. Fayrer. 



827S 

 8276 



>» •• • 



... 





8277 

 8279 



1* ... 

 Persian Gulf 



... 



Sheikh Hinghoo Khan. 



"497 

 14479 

 14480 



Mergui ... 

 Puri 



yj ... 



... 



J. Anderson. 



Dr. J. L. Hendley. 



Rostral, — portion seen from above about half the suture between the nasals. Pre- 

 frontals touch no supralabial. Frontal, — parietal sutures longest, and more than twice 

 the supraoculars which are the shortest. Temporals, — two anterior, the upper large with 

 two smaller scales behind bordering the parietals. Marginals, — normally one, small 

 cuneate between the 3rd infralabials (in No. 8275 two behind the 3rd infralabial). 

 Infralabials,— suture between the first equal to or rather greater than the suture between 

 the anterior sublinguals ; 4th largest, and in contact with three behind. Sublinguals, — 

 two well-developed pairs, the posterior separated by one or more scales. Costals,— 

 imbricate anteriorly, juxtaposed posteriorly. 



One of the easiest of the sea snakes to recognise. The ventral shields narrow 

 behind and in midbody become unusually broad (three or four times the width of the 

 costals) for a limited space in the forebody, a character peculiar to this snake and H. 

 schistosus. Another feature peculiar to this species lies in the shape of the frontal shield, 



