OCR Text |
Show 228 DR. A. GUNTHER ON INDIAN REPTILES. [Mar. 16, II. Scales in seventeen rows. A. Number of ventral scutes exceeding 160. a. Caudal disk flat. Ventral scutes 164 s. 166 s. 170. Snout conical; rostral of moderate extent. Brownish black, a more or less regular broad red band runs along each side of the body. Abdomen either entirely black, or with black margins on the scutes 3. S. rubrolineata (Beddome) : Anamallays, Tinnevellys. b. Caudal disk convex. Ventral scutes 169-177; subcaudals 5-7. Snout acutely pointed ; rostral shield long, but not separating the nasals; vertical small. Brown, with a narrow whitish line on the side of the neck; vent white, with scarcely a trace of a lateral band on the tail 4. S. beddomii (Giinth. Rept. Brit. Ind. p. 190) : Anamallays, 3000 to 4500 feet. Ventral scutes 167, subcaudals 10. Snout obtusely conical; rostral shield of moderate extent: vertical small. Brown, with a whitish line along each side of the neck. A very perfect white band along each side of the lower part of the tail, and crossing the vent 5. S. elliotti (Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1858, p. 262): Madras Pres. Ventral scutes 193, 201, 203. Snout pointed ; rostral short. Caudal disk rough with keels. Purplish, ornamented with transverse series of ocellated small spots . . 6. S. ocellata (Beddome, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1863, p. 226) : Western slope of Nilgherries (3500 feet), Wynad. Ventral scutes 183. Snout rather obtuse; rostral very short. Tail very convex above and without any keels. Purplish above, ornamented with transverse series of ocellated yellow small spots; abdomen (including the two outer rows of scales) yellow, with numerous irregular black cross bars; tail blackish, with some yellowish spots on each side. 7. S. liura, sp. n. Malabar. (Plate X X X I . fig. B.) B. Number of ventral scutes less than 160. a. Caudal disk flat; snout obtuse. Ventral scutes 139-148 (155 twice in 20 specimens). A sooty black is predominant on the upper, and yellowish on the lower parts; sometimes both colours are sharply confined to their respective regions (S. nilgherriensis) ; sometimes the entire animal is blackish; other specimens have the abdomen banded and spotted ; and again, in others, the back is ornamented with various yellowish patterns, and the abdomen spotted with black (S. shortii). 8. 5. ceylonica |