: LIST OF SNAKES IN THE INDIAN MUSEUM. BY W. L. SCLATEE, M. A., F. Z. S., DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT OF THE INDIAN MUSEUM. CALCUTTA PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE INDIAN MUSEUM. 1891 . Issued Nm. 1891. Price : One Pxpee. 22102089672 Med K6937 * : LIST OF SNAKES IN THE INDIAN MUSEUM. BY W. L. SCLATER, M. A., F. Z. S., DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT OF THE INDIAN MUSEUM. CALCUTTA PEIOTED BY ORDER OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE INDIAN MUSEUM. 1891 . Issued Nov. 1891. Prioc : One Rupee. CALCUTTA : PRINTED AT THE BAPTIST MISSION PRESS, 41, LOWER CIRCULAR ROAD. VUJ.C iTITuTE : i Y Coif Omec Call No C?L . INTRODUCTION. the The following is a mere List of the Snakes in Indian it has not seemed necessary to give descriptions Museum ; or the synonymy of the various species, this having in the case of the Indian forms been quite recently, thoroughly of British India and done by Mr. Boulenger in his Reptiles ; in the case of the exotic forms neither are our collections large enough, nor is my knowledge sufficiently extensive for the task. I have therefore contented myself with giving in each case the Author of the specific name and a reference to the best description, not necessarily the original one, to which I have been able to get access. Tbe following table shows the number of the species and specimens of Indian and Exotic Snakes in the Museum: Numbebs. of species. of specimens. Indian 210 2615 Exotic 140 386 Total . 350 3001 The number of Snakes described by Mr. Boulenger in his recent work on the Reptiles of the Indian Empire and Ceylon amounts in all to 264, to which number from an examination of the Snakes in the Indian Museum I have been able to add thirteen, of which five are new and eight are exotic species not mentioned in Mr. Boulenger’s work,* and one species, Dipsas multifasciatus, which had formerly been confused with Dipsas ceylonensis has been discriminated. This raises the number of Snakes in the Indian Empire to 278 ; of these, as will be seen from above, the Museum possesses examples of 210 so that there are still 68 defi- ciencies wanting to make the collection of the Museum quite complete. Many of these 68 species of which a list will be found below are unique or very rare, and it will probably be * The following arc tho thirteen snakes added to the Indian Fauna : Ablabos stoliczkae, Simotes purpnrascens, Simotos woodmasoni, Zaoccys tonasseri- mensis, Tropidonotus vibakari, Tropidonotns pealii, Tropidonotus nieobarensis, Tropidonotus trianguligerns, Dipsas cynodon, Dipsas fusca, Megaerophis flavioeps, Amblycoplialus carinatus and Amblycephalus inoellendorffii. — IV INTRODUCTION. long before the Museum collection can be rendered quite complete. The number of type specimens in the Museum amounts in all to 30, of which 12 were described by Blyth, 5 by Blan- ford and myself respectively, 3 by Stoliczka and Anderson and 2 by Theobald. A complete list of the types also will be found below. The classification adopted in the following list is that of Mr. Boulenger’s in his iteptiles of British India ; this classi- fication however includes only those genera found within the limits of the Indian Empire, but I have endeavoured, as far as possible, to interpolate the exotic genera into their rightful positions. In this, however, I fear, I may have made a good many errors, still there is absolutely no modern standard work on Snakes, and I thought it better to try and adopt a new classification than to fall back on obsolete arrangements. With regard to nomenclature I have of course followed for Boulenger throughout Indian Snakes ; for North Ameri- can Snakes I have made use of a monograph by Mr. Garman published in the 8th volume of the Memoirs of the Museum of the Comparative Zoology at Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass., for the Australian Snakes I have used Krefft’s Snakes of Australia and for European forms Schreiber’s Herpetologia Europaea ; for African and South American forms I have been unable to find any more modern general work than Gunther's Catalogue of Colubrine Snakes in the British Museum, and Gray's previous Catalogue of the non-colubrine forms. The principal donors of the snakes in the Indian Museum are as follows : Col. Godwin Austen, Mr. S. E. Peal and Capt. J. Butler from Assam ; Col. Beddome from the South India, Mr. Blanford from Persia and also from many other parts of India; Mr. J. Gammie from Sikkim, other donors from various parts of India are Dr. Anderson, Mr. W. Theobald, Dr. E. Stoliczka and Sir J. Fayrer. Description of the new species and notes on the Geogra- phical distribution and other points of interest, made out during the examination of the Indian Museum collection, will be found in a paper in the 60th volume of the Journal of the Asiatic Society which is referred to throughout in the List. In conclusion I have to thank Mr. Boulenger of the British Museum for help in naming several of the roost in- teresting forms and for many hints and suggestions. LIST OF TYPE SPECIMENS IN THE INDIAN MUSEUM WITH REFERENCES TO THE ORIGINAL DESCRIPTIONS. —•#*— Typhlopa theobaldianus, Stoliczka, Zaoccys tenasserimensis, Sclater, J.A. J. A. S. B. xl, 1871, p. 429. S. B„ lx, 1891, p. 238. Typhlopa persicus, Blanford, Ann. Coluber prasinus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. Mag. N. H. (4) xiv, p. 34. xxiii, 1854, p. 291. Calamaria stahlknochti, Stoliczka, J. Pseudoxenodon macrops (Tropidono- A. S. B. xlii, 1873, p. 119. tus), Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxiii, 1854, Trachisckium fuscum ( Calamaria ), p. 296. Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxiii, 1854, p. Tropidonotus platyceps, Blyth, J. A. 288. S. B. xxiii, 1854, p. 297. Trachischium tenuiceps (Calamaria), Tropidonotus nigrocinctus, Blyth, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxiii, 1854, p. 288. J. A. S. B. xxiv, 1855, p. 717. pealii, Sclater, J. A. Blythia reticulata ( Calamaria ), Blyth, Tropidonotus J. A. S. B. xxiii, 1854, p. 287. S. B., lx, 1891, p. 241. Lycodon gammioi [Ophites), Blanford, Tropidonotus nicobarensis, Sclater, J. A. S. B. xlvii, 1878, p. 130. J. A. S. B. lx, 1891, p. 241. Hydrophobus davisonii (Clupe), Blan- Dipsas multifasciatus, Blyth, J. A. ford, J. A. S. B. xlvii, 1878, p. 129. S. B. xxix, 1860, p. 114. Paeudocyclophia bicolor ( Calamaria ), Dipsas rhinopoma, Blanford, Ann. Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxiii, 1854, p. 289. Mag. N. H. (4) xiv, p. 34. Pseudocyclopliis persicus ( Cyclophis), Hypsirhina maculata,. Blanford, J. A. Anderson, P. Z. S., 1872, p. 392. S. B. xlviii, 1879, p. 130.* Ablabos scriptus, Theobald, Journ. Distira tuberculata (Rydrophis), Linn. Soc., x, 1868, p. 42. Anderson, J. A. S. B. xl, 1871, p. 18. Ablabes stoliczkae, Sclater, J. A. S. B. Amblycephalus modestus (Parens), lx, 1891, p. 234. Theobald, Journ. Linn. Soc. x, 1868, Ablabes nicobarienaia, Stoliczka, J. A. p. 55. S. B. xxxix, 1870, p. 184. Amblycephalus tnacularins, (Parens), Simotes woodmasoni, Sclater, J. A. Theobald, Journ. Linn. Soc. x, 1868, S. B. lx, 1891, p. 235. p. 54. Zumenis ladaccensis, Anderson, J. A. - Trimerosurus cantoris ( Trigonocepha S. B. xl, 1871, p. 16. lus), Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv, 1846, p. Zaoccys nigromarginatus (Coluber), 377. Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxiii, 1864, p. 290. LIST OF THE INDIAN SNAKES NOT REPRESENTED IN THE INDIAN MUSEUM. Typhlopa leucomelas, Boul. Silybura myhendrae, Bedd. „ oateai, Boul. „ madurensis, Bedd. „ mirns, Jan „ arcticeps, Giinth. „ andamanensis, Stol. „ macrolepis, Peters. „ tentiicollis, (Peters) Psoudopleo t r urus canaricus, (Bedd.) Uropeltis grandis, Kel. Plectrums davisonii, Bedd. Rhinophia punctatus, Mull. „ guentheri, Bedd. „ planiceps, Peters „ aureus, Bedd. Silybura liura, G until. Melanophidium wynadense, (Bedd.) „ broughami, Bcdd. „ punctatum, Bedd. macrorhynchus, „ Bedd. ,, bilineatum, Bedd. „ phipsoni Mason Calamaria catcnata, Bly. * Name changed to blanfordi by Boulenger (Reptiles Brit. Ind. p. 377). SYSTEMATIC INDEX. Xylophls stenorhynchns, (Giinth.) Coluber frenatus, (Gray) Irachischium ruhri venter. (Jerd.) Dendrophis grandoculis, Aspidura copii, Gunth. Boul. Dendrophis candolineolatus, Haplocercus ceylonensis, Giinth. Giinth Tropidonotus khasiensis, Boul. Lycodon anamallensis, Giinth. » ceylonensis, Giinth. » atropurpureiis, Cant. » bellulns, Stol. » septemtrionalis, (Giinth.) » sancti-joliannis, Boul. » carinatus, (Kohl) , Stoliczkaia khasiensis, Jerd. Hydrophobus gracilis, (Giinth.) Dipsas barnesii, Giinth. Pseudocyclophis walteri, Boettg. Psammophis lougifrons, Boul. » olivacous, (Bedd.) Hydrophis schistosus, Daud. Simotes splendidus, Giinth. ,, mamillaris, Daud. » beddomii, Boul. ,, spiralis, (Shaw) torquatus, Boul. „ torquatus, Giinth. Oligodon venustus, (Jerd.) Distira stokesii, (Gray). » travancoricus, Bedd. ,, bituberculata, (Peters) » brevicauda, Giinth. „ ornata, (Gray) ,, templetonii, Gunth. Amblycephalus laevis, Boie ), ellioti, Giinth. » andersonii, (Boul.) Lytorhynchus paradoxus, (Giinth.) Azemiops feae, Boul. tor) Zamcnis gracilis, Giinth. Trimeresurus mucrosquainatus, (Can- SYSTEMATIC INDEX. (Tho names of Indian species are printed in small capitals of exotic species in ordinary type.) No. of No. of speci- © o OPHIDIA. bo speci- C3 S3 mens. a mens. FAMILY TYPIIOPIDAE. 22 Epicrates eenehria, 2 5 1 23 Typhlops braminds, ... 54 1 Boa constrictor, 2 5 2 Typhlops beddomii, ... 1 2 24 Gongylophis conicus,... 15 5 3 Typhlops jerdoni, 1 2 25 Eryx johnii, 11 6 4 26 Typhlops diardi, . 28 2 Eryx jaculus, 8 6 5 Typhlops bothriorhyn- 27 Eryx thebaicus, 1 6 chits 10 2 28 Charina bottae, 1 6 6 Ty'phlops porrectus, ... 1 2 FAMILY 7 Typhlops theobaldianus, 2 3 ILYSIIDAE. 8 Typhlops acptus, 9 3 29 Cylindrophis ruftts, ... 6 6 9 Typhlops persicus, 1 3 30 Cylindrophis maculates, 5 7 10 Typhlops syriacus, 2 3 11 Typhlops nigrescens, ... 2 3 FAMILY UROPELTIDAE. 12 Typhlina lineata, 1 3 31 Rhinophis oxyrhynchus, 6 7 13 Feylinia currori, 1 3 32 Rhinophis treyelyanus, 9 7 FAMILY GLAUCONIIDAE. 33 Rhinophis sanguineus, 1 7 34 Rhinophis blythi, 4 7 14 Glahconia blanfordi, 4 4 35 SlLYBURA MELAN0GA8TER, 5 7 FAMILY BOIDAE. 36 SlLYBURA PULNEYENSIS, 8 7 37 SlLYBURA GRANDIS, 2 8 15 Morelia spilotes, 5 4 88 SlLYBURA PETERSII, 1 8 16 Morelia variegata, ..