Description of a new snake from Panama

Abstract

Among a small lot of reptiles collected l:)y Mr. Frank E. Read at Bocas del Toro there is a specimen of a little snake which appears to he imdescribed. Bocas del Toro is situated on a small island at one of the entrances to the bay of Chiriqni, on the Atlantic side and near tlie western extremity of the Repuljlic of Panama. MESOPELTIS LONGIFRENIS, new species. Diar/nos/fi.—A small unpaired postmental in contact with anterior lower labial only; median dorsal scale row not enlarged; lorcal three times as long as high, entering eye; no preocular; ventrals 1G5; sub-caudals 98; supralabials 8. Ilahitat.—Panama. Type-Hpecimoi.—Cat. No. 38750, U.S.N.M. ; Bocas del Toro, Republic of Panama; Frank E. Read, collector. Description of ti/pe-sperivirn.— Body only moderately compresed and slender; tail at vent suddenly diminishing both in height and width; eye moderate, with vertical pupil; rostral small, triangular, as high as wide, scarcely visible from above: internasals small, their suture less than one-half that between the prefrontals, descending low on the side of the face and entering the orbit broadly; frontal longer thaii wide, longer than distance fi'om tip of snout, shorter tlian the parietals l)ut longer than the suture between them, Avider than supraoculars; nasal undivided, with a horizontally oval nostril; loreal very long, three times as long as high, entering eye below pre-frontal; no preocular; two postoculars, upper largest; temporals l-(-2; supralabials 8, fourth, fifth, and sixth entering eye, sixth larg-est; mental small, followed by a small postmental sej:)arating the first pair of lower laluals and also the mental from the anterior chin-shields; 8 lower labials, first five in contact with anterior chin-shield; anterior chin-shields large, followed by one on the right side and Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. XXXVI— No. 1 681 . 457 458 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. xxxvi. two on the left ; behind these a wide phite somewhat wider than the adjacent first ventral; 15 rows of smooth scales without pores, median row not sensibly larger than the others; 165 ventrals; anal single; subcaudals 98. Color (in alcohol) brownish gray with a median series of about 42 pale brown ocelli, edged w^ith black, on the body, the last" six descending to the ventrals so as to form transverse bands, many of the ocelli, especially anteriorly, divided medially, the halves