SEA SNAKES IN THE INDIAN MUSEUM. 



293 



which is two or three times as broad as the supraocular, and in which the supraocular 

 sutures are the smallest. Another unusual character is that the prefrontal does not touch 

 any supralabial. 



17. Distira jerdonii (Gray). 



Distira jerdonii, Blgr. Cat. Snakes Brit. Mus., Vol. Ill, p. 299. 



,, ,, Sc later, List Snakes Ind. Mus., 189 1, p. 68, Nos. 8237, 8280, 131! 



11486, 1 1487, 11488, 1 1489. 





Habitat. 



Donor. 



Scales. 





Museum 



Two head's-lengths 

 behind head. 



O 



■a 



tn 



to 



a 



T d 



T3 > 



Ventral s. 



8237 

 8280 



1 1486 



1 1487 



1 1488 



1 1489 

 13188 



Mergui 



Puri 



Mergui 



., ... 



jj ... »•• 



tt ... ••• 



Madras 



W. Theobald ... 

 Sir J. Fayrer 

 J. Anderson 



H ... ... 



,, ... 



„ ... ... 



F. Grieves 



r 7 

 16 



i7 



17 



17 

 17 

 i7 



19 



J 9 



x 9 

 21 



21 

 r 9 



19 

 J 9 

 T 9 

 20 



20 

 19 

 r 9 



247 



247 

 225 

 217 

 247 



2 33 

 246 



Rostra/, — portion seen from above more than half the suture between the nasals. 

 Prefrontals touch no supralabial. Temporals, — one large anterior which reaches the lateral 

 margin (except in No. 8237). Marginals, — none. Infralabial, — three only. The suture 

 between the first subequal, or rather shorter than that between the anterior sublinguals ; 

 the 3rd is the largest, and in contact with two scales behind. Sublinguals, — two pairs nor- 

 mally, the posterior larger, but often one or both of the anterior are suppressed. Both 

 when present are in contact. Costals imbricate everywhere. 



One of the easiest sea snakes to recognise. The infralabials are peculiar in two 

 ways ; only three are present, and only two of these touch the anterior sublinguals, and 

 both these characters are peculiar to this snake as also is the fact that the scales round 

 the neck number only 15 to 17. Other unusual characters are that the prefrontal 

 touches no supralabial, the anterior temporal normally borders the lip and there are no 

 marginals. 



