1912.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 15 



to If eye-diameters, fin begins high at origin, and remains so till well 

 posterior, when but little lower. Dorsal ends about 1^ head-lengths 

 from tail tip, after which a smaller low dorsal still posterior, this, 

 however, only extending back about half way to tail tip. Anal 

 little lower than dorsal, moderately developed, and posteriorly ends 

 before end of dorsal. Tail end compressed, pointed, tip rather 

 slender and flexible. Pectoral small, base broad, short, length about 

 half basal width. Vent close before anal. 



Color in alcohol largely pale or very dull brownish generally. 

 Broad brownish transverse band over interorbital and down along 

 each side of mandible, not continued below. Second head band 

 about midway in head length, wider above than below. Third 

 brown band of normal and regulation pattern, includes gill-opening, 

 and continued below. This followed by 10 more on trunk and 

 12 on tail after vent, very few incomplete below. Alternating with 

 bands 1 to 5 spots or blotches of dark brown in pale interspaces. 

 Where close to vertical fins both spots and transverse bands con- 

 tinued on them. All dark blotches and bands with decidedly darker 

 brown edges than their general color, line of demarcation between 

 them slight, though greatly contrasting with pale color. Iris pale 

 gray to slaty. 



Length 27f inches. 



Type No. 1,001, A. N. S. P. Philippine Islands. 



This form approaches Chlevastes oculatus (Bleeker), 1 which has 

 the narrow dark transverse bands 3, or more than 3, times narrower 

 than the spotted or blotched interspaces. 



Murcena colubrina Boddaert 2 shows 30 dark complete rings, the 

 first including snout tip, second includes eye, and third would 

 apparently include gill-opening, which is not satisfactorily indicated. 



Murcena annulata Ahl 3 and M. fasa'ata Ahl 4 are two species the 

 original accounts of which I have been unable to consult. 



For Opkisurus altemans Quoy and Gaimard 5 figure an example 

 with 31 dark and mostly complete rings, though only a few spots 

 in a few of the interspaces. Their figure also indicates the dorsal 

 origin over the gill-opening. Ophichthys naja De Vis 6 is said to 



1 Ophisurus fasciatus var. oculata Bleeker, Atlas Ich., IV, 1864, p. 64. East 

 Indies. 



- Neu. Nord. Beytr., II, 1781, p. 56, PL 2, fig. 2. Amboyna. 



3 Mur. Oph. Thunb., 1789, p, 8, PI. 1, fig. 1. East Indies. 



4 L. c, p. 9. East Indies. 



5 Voy. Uranie, Zool, 1824, p. 243, PI. 45, fig. 2. Guam. 



6 Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales, 1883 (1884), p. 455. South Sea Islands. 



