Reptilia, Plate 56. TRIMERORHINUS * RHOMBEATUS.
TB.IMEB.0RH1N.U S R.H 01/1B E ATU S.
Reptilia.—Plate LVI.
T. superne pallide subaurantius, dorso lateribusque antice seriebus macularum tribus et postice teeniis
tribus notatis; maculis teeniisque nigro-griseis, maculis nigro-marginatis; infeme subflavus, maculis
lividis variegatis; labii superioris scutis octo, inferioris undecim; lori scuto quadranguli.
Coluber rhombeatus. Lin. Mus. Ad Fr. 1, p. 27, tab. 24, fig. 2.
Ccelopbltis ,rhombeatus, Wagler. Natur. Syst. ,der Amph. p. 189.
Schaap Sticker of the Cape Colonists.
Colour.—The upper surface of the head greenish-brown, or pale orange-
coloured brown; the back and sides intermediate between pale reddish-
orange and sienna-yellow,—in some specimens almost pure sienna-yellow;
the upper lip and the under parts of the body and tail intermediate between
sienna and cream-yellow; the abdominal plates variegated with small blackish
green blotches along their hinder edge, especially towards each extremity;
the subcaudal scales are also marked with like blotches, which, as individuals
advance in age, become fainter, and are at length only indistinctly visible
towards the head. On the back and sides the variegations are numerous
and strongly marked, consisting, on the first half of the body, usually of
three rows of greyish-black spots, and on the last half and tail, of three
more or less regularly defined greyish-black stripes. The spots are of considerable
size, irregular in shape, the dorsal ones the largest, each of them is
edged with a ring of liver-brown ; the spots of the middle row, especially towards
the head, frequently coalesce and form a short irregular band. The
waved line which is often observed on the back posteriorly, is commonly prolonged
for some distance on the upper surface of the tail; and the lateral
* Oh. Gin. Head quadrangular; nose pointed. Hinder tooth of maxillae long, curved backwards,
pointed, and grooved from base to apex; other teeth small. Nostrils formed by three scales. Pupil circular.
Frenal plate one; postocular plates two. Scales of body rather long, narrow, ovate, imbricate,
and arranged in oblique transverse rows. Plates of abdomen long. Body subcylindrical, below slightly
flattened. Tail cylindrical and pointed.
I have removed this snake from Ccelopeltis of Wagler, as it does not exhibit the hollow in the scales,
which is characteristic of his genus.