Two Years Among New Guinea Cannibals / A Naturalist's Sojourn Among the Aborigines of Unexplored New Guinea

Rostral much broader than deep, just visible from above; internasals nearly as long as the præfrontals, which are in contact with the second upper labial and with the eye; frontal small, slightly broader than the supraocular, once and three-fourths as long as broad, as long as its distance from the end of the snout, a little shorter than the parietals; one postocular; temporals, one plus two; five upper labials, second and third entering the eye; three lower labials in contact with the anterior chin-shields, which are larger than the posterior. Scales in fifteen rows. Ventrals, 261; anal entire; subcaudals, twenty-five pairs; tail ending in a compressed, obtusely pointed scute, which is obtusely keeled above. Blackish-brown above; traces of a yellowish nuchal collar; upper lip white; two outer rows of scales white, each scale with a blackish central spot; ventrals and subcaudals white, with a black spot on each side, some of the ventrals with an interrupted blackish border.

Total length, 610 millimetres; tail, 40.

Depth of body nearly equal to length of head, five to six times in total length. Diameter of eye six or seven times in length of head, interorbital width three times; snout but very slightly longer than postocular part of head. Dorsals VII., I. 8–9; longest spine, ¾; longest soft ray ⅘ length of head. Anal I. 8–9; longest ray as long as head. Pectoral about 1½ length of head; ventral as long as head, or a little longer. Caudal feebly emarginate. Caudal peduncle 2½ as long as deep. Scales strongly ciliated, 37 to 39 in a longitudinal series on each side, 14 or 16 round caudal peduncle. Dark olive above, whitish beneath.

Total length, 225 millimetres.