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Show 1881.] ON AMPH1SBJENIANS ETC. FROM SOCOTRA. 461 3. Descriptions of the Amphisbsenians and Ophidians collected by Prof. I. Bayley Balfour in the Island of Socotra. By Dr. A. G U N T H E R , F.Z.S. [Eeceived March 7, 1881.] (Plates XL., XLI.) The Reptiles described in the present paper are of considerable interest. W e might have expected, from the geographical position of Socotra, that the species would show a close affinity to, if not identity with, those of the nearest portion of the mainland of Africa; but in fact this affinity is overbalanced by that to the Arabian fauna, at least as far as the few species enumerated here are concerned. The most singular fact is that three out of the four species seem to be peculiar to the island, two being so much differentiated as to deserve generic distinction. 1. The Amphisbsena belongs to a distinct genus, the nearest allies of which inhabit Eastern and Western Tropical Africa. 2. The Coronelline Snake, Hitypophis, belongs to a distinct genus, apparently approaching the cii cum-Mediterranean Tachymenis vivax. 3. The Socotran species of the circum-Mediterranean or Central- Asiatic genus Zamenis is most nearly allied to the Arabian Z. ele-gantissimus. 4. Finally, the Viper of Socotra is identical with a species hitherto found in Arabia and on the shores of the Dead Sea. A. AMPHISBJENID^E. PACHYCALAMUS, g. n. Allied to Baikia and Geocalamus1. Head very short, with de- Head-shields of Pachycalamus brevis. pressed snout. Rostral large, with cutting anterior edge. Two large frontals form a suture together behind the rostral, and are succeeded by a single very large shield, which represents the vertical and occipitals. Nasal small, above the first and second labials, com- 1 Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 5, vol. vi. p. 234 (1880). |