The dorsal coloration (fig. 1, E) varies from a black ground-color with two or four narrow white stripes to a dark brown ground-color with a series of black stripes and four white stripes. In the black specimens there are no dark stripes. The darkest specimen (NMW 16838:1) has only two white stripes; these more or less continuous stripes are on the ventral third of the 2nd row of scales and occasionally on the dorsalmost part of the first scale-row. The venter is immaculate white except for black on the tips of the ventral scales. The dorsum above the 2nd scale-row is uniform black. There are no white stripes on the head.
The palest specimen (NMW 16838:2) has four dorsal white stripes; the lateral pair of these stripes is on the ventral half of the 2nd and the dorsal third of the 1st scale-rows; the dorsolateral pair is on the dorsal two-thirds of the 6th and the ventral third of the 7th rows of scales. This latter stripe is the posterior continuation of the white stripe on the head, which originates immediately posterior to the rostral scale and passes posteriorly along the canthus rostralis and along the lateral margin of the supraocular scale to the nape. Posterior to the place of scale reduction, the dorsolateral white stripe is displaced ventrally one scale-row. Except for black flecks or spots on the lateral margins of the ventrals, the venter is immaculate white. The dorsum above the lateral white stripes is brown and black; there is a pair of dorsolateral white stripes. The dorsal half of the 2nd, most of the 3rd, 4th and 5th rows of scales are black; the dorsal margin of the 3rd, both margins of the 4th, and the ventral margin of the 5th rows are paler brown. The dorsal two-thirds of the 7th, all but the dorsal most part of the 8th, and the middle two-thirds of the 10th scale-rows are black; the areas between are a medium brown.
Only six specimens are available on which to base a description of the variation in this species. Furthermore, there are no juveniles, notes on the colors of living individuals, or photographs of this species.
[Illustration: FIG. 4. Selected locality records for _Conophis pulcher_ and _Conophis nevermanni_.]
_Remarks._--Taylor (1955:563-565) hesitantly referred a specimen (KU 35630) from 32 kilometers north of Barranca, Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica, to _Conophis lineatus nevermanni_. This specimen, a female, has 169 ventrals and ventral scale-reduction taking place opposite the 109th ventral; both of these characters are well out of the range of _C. nevermanni_. Furthermore, the ventral margins of the supralabials are brown, and the pale dorsal stripes are tan and too wide for _C. nevermanni_ (compare figs. 1, C and E). The specimen definitely is _C. lineatus dunni_, and corresponds well with another specimen from Costa Rica (ANSP 12232).