16. Aspidites melanocephalus and ramsayi.
Of Aspidites melanocephalus I know only the single specimen in the British Museum. Its pattern corresponds very well with that illustrated by Krefft (44). It consists of broad blotches on the back and crossbands on the sides, of which the former are colored far darker than the latter, which is why the crossbands extending from one side of the ventral scales to the other, into which they merge with the lateral pattern, are much more strongly colored on the back than on the sides. That the broad dorsal blotches and the lateral crossbands correspond to one of the elementary spot rows in other boids is improbable; however, it is impossible to state anything reasonably certain about their composition. The upper and underside of the head and the anterior part of the neck are colored deep dark violet-brown.
The body pattern of Aspidites ramsayi also appears to be formed by blotches which are partially fused into crossbands. All I know about it is Macleay’s description.
Footnotes:
¹ Böttger’s description (15) of the most perfect representative of this pattern form that I know reads: “grass-green, with a narrow, nearly uninterrupted spinal row of small sulfur-yellow spots and whitish-yellow underside.” Illustrated (15) Plate V, Fig. 3.
² (44) “With a series of darker rings, which become indistinct near the sides.” (87): “Body brown, ringed with black.”
³ (44): “Head and neck jet-black above and below.” (87): “Head black.”
⁴ (45): “The colour is of a greyish brown variegated with indistinct darker brown bands and spots over the entire upper surface from head to the tail; the ventral plates are yellowish, the basal portion of each plate being dusky.”