38 



Nils Rosien 



Farn. Glaueoniidae. 



Glauconia alhijrons, Wagler. 



Serp. Bras., p. 68. 



Recorded from Wallings by Cope. 



Fam. Boidae. 



Epicrates chrysoq aster, (îope. 



Homaloehilis chrysogaster, Cope, Proc. Amer. Philos. 8oc. Vol. 1 1 (1870), p. 557. 



This species was described by Cope from Turk's Isl. Boulengek refers it to 



E. fordii GüNTH., but according to Stejnegek ^ it ought to be separated as a dist- 

 inct species. 



Epicrates striatus, Fischer. 



Homalochilus striatus, Fischer, Abhandl. Naturw. Ver. Hamburg III (1856) 

 p. 102. 



H. strigilatus, Cope, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Pliilad. Vol. 14 (1862), p. 71. 



This snake was first described from the Bahamas (New Providence) by Cope 

 (1862), as a new species, Homalochilus strigilatus. Boulenger referred in his Cat- 

 alogue (I, p. 96) Cope's new species to E. striatus Fischer; and this opinion is 

 shared by Stejneger (18, p. 336), who, after a careful comparision, expresses 

 himself unable to discover any tangible differences in colour or scutellation between 

 the two species, while Garman (12) and Barbour (1) accept Cope's strigilatus 

 (specimens from New Providence and Andres). I collected eight specimens at Mastic 

 Point on Andros, an examination of which shows clearly that they must be referred 

 to the same species, and that it is quite impossible to separate the Bahama specimens 

 as a species, distinct from E. striatus of Fischer. Cope, who has probably exam- 

 ined only one or two specimens, states the difference between his new species 

 strigilatus and striatus of Fischer as follows. There are two » superciliary* (= supra- 

 ocular) plates in E. striatus, but only one large such plate in E. strigilatus. In my 

 specimens this character is very variable. In three of them there are two supra- 

 ocular plates on each side (one larger and one smaller), in two there is only one on 

 each side. Two other have also only one supraocular plate on each side, but this 

 is partly divided in two. One specimen has such a plate on one side, two on 

 the other. Another difference between the two species is, according to Cope, the 

 presence of the subloreal plate in E. striatus and its absence in E. strigilatus. Even 

 this character is not constant. In some of the specimens I have found this plate, 

 in other not. The presence of a subloreal plate is due to the upper part of the 

 fifth upper labial plate being separated as a distinct plate. The third difference 

 between the two species, according to Cope, is the presence of cross bands and the 

 absence of lateral stripes in E. striatus. To judge from my specimens, the lateral 



> The herpetology of Porto Rico. Rep. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1902, p. 69i. 



