. Bulletin of the Natural History Museum Zoology. . Fig. 4 A-C A, The left maxilla of Cylindrophis maculatus (BMNH ) in lateral and dorsal views; B, The left maxilla of Melanophidium wynaudense (BMNH ) in lateral and dorsal views; C, The left maxilla of Pseudotyphlops philippinus (BMNH ) in lateral and dorsal views. laterally descending flange of the parietal. In Rhinophis sanguineus and Uropeltis, the crista trabecularis extends further anteriorly and terminates below the optic foramen that is located in the frontal. In front of the ossified crista trabecularis
. Bulletin of the Natural History Museum Zoology. . Fig. 4 A-C A, The left maxilla of Cylindrophis maculatus (BMNH ) in lateral and dorsal views; B, The left maxilla of Melanophidium wynaudense (BMNH ) in lateral and dorsal views; C, The left maxilla of Pseudotyphlops philippinus (BMNH ) in lateral and dorsal views. laterally descending flange of the parietal. In Rhinophis sanguineus and Uropeltis, the crista trabecularis extends further anteriorly and terminates below the optic foramen that is located in the frontal. In front of the ossified crista trabecularis, the cartilaginous trabecula cranii is embedded in all taxa in a deep furrow located between the lateral margin of the parasphenoid and the ventrally projecting margin of the frontal. Tiny fontanelles may persist along the line of fusion of the basisphenoid and basioccipital in Rhinophis and Uropeltis. THE OTICO-OCCIPITAL COMPLEX The otico-occipital complex is here considered to include the prootic, opisthotic-exoccipital, supraoccipital, and basioccipital. These brain- case elements show a variable degree of fusion with each other among the specimens examined (Fig. 6). All braincase elements except the opisthotic and exoccipital remain separate from one another in Melanophidium. All braincase elements are fused with one another in Plecturus, Pseudotyphlops, Rhinophis and Uropeltis, but the basioccipital remains separate from the basisphenoid in Teretrurus. The exoccipitals and basioccipital are always fused in the occipital condyle. The stalk of the occipital condyle is short in Melanophidium, Platyplecturus, and Teretrurus, but distinctly elon- gated in the other taxa investigated, such that the depression of the basioccipital housing the brainstem is exposed in dorsal view (Fig. 5). The exoccipitals define the dorsal margin of the foramen mag- num, and their posterolateral corners are either deeply notched, or perforated by a foramen. A laterosphenoid is always present in u
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