40 Barbow — Notes on Rhinomuraena. 



vent; its depth is about one-half that of the dorsal tin. The posterior 

 nostrils arc on a line with the upper edge of the eye, and a little anterior 

 to it; there is no elevation of the skin around the opening to form tubes. 

 The anterior nostrils are produced into tubes slit distally and ending in 

 foliaceous appendages. On the tip of the snout are four filamentous 

 appendages, one at the apex of the upper jaw and three at the symphysis 

 of the lower jaw. The gill opening is about twice the diameter of the 

 eye. The teeth are all small pointing slightly backward, uniserial on 

 both jaws and palate, the three anterior palatine teeth are slightly en- 

 larged and lengthened; there are about 20 teeth in each of the three upper 

 series and about 15 in each of the lower. 



Color (after Garnian). — "Body, head, tail, and inside of mouth cavity 

 black ; upper half of dorsal yellow ; lower margin of anal white ; lower 

 lip white, except at ami near the symphysis." 



The specimen is about thirty-three inches long. 



Type locality, Ebon Island ( also called Boston Island and Covel Island ) . 

 Ebon Islet, 5 miles long, forms the south and southeast side of an atoll. 

 There are 21 wooded islets on this reef, of which this is the largest and 

 most important. Situation, Marshall group, 4° 4<S / N., 168° 45' W '. 

 Fide, Brigham, W. T.— Index to the Islands of the Pacific. Mem. B. P. 

 Bishop Mus. Honolulu H. T., Vol. 1, No. 2, 1900. 



R. ambonensis sp. nov. 



Head 19 in total length, 5.75 in body anterior to vent; depth 4 in head ; 

 the length of the body is contained 2.25 in tail, length of snout from the 

 posterior nostril 7.25 in head; eye a little more than 2 in snout; angle of 

 jaws 3.4 in length of head, jaws straight and may be completely closed; 

 the proportions of the fins are the same as in the preceding species. The 

 posterior nostrils are one-third the diameter of the eye situated a little 

 anterior to its upper margin. The anterior nostrils are typical of this 

 genus, and the stalk and leaf in both of these species is a little longer 

 than the distance from the tip of the snout to the posterior margin of the 

 eye. (In Garman's figure these organs are represented about one-quarter 

 too large.) The teeth of this form differ from those of R. quaesita in 

 that on the upper side the anterior three teeth of each of the three rows 

 are slightly enlarged, while on the lower jaw the teeth are minute and 

 about 28 in number. 



Color (from field uoles of fresh specimen). — Body azure blue; on the 

 tail this becomes lavender changing on the posterior part to buff with a 

 pale edge; anal fin deep slate color with a yellow edge. The colors have 

 changed slightly in alcohol, the yellow having faded to a cream color and 

 the tones generally having become duller. 



A single example 4l)V> inches long, taken in a shallow tide pool under 

 a fiat rock, Feb., 1907. 



Ambon (Amboina), one of the .Moluccas; Dutch East Indies. 



In regard to the species which has been described by Jordan and Seale 

 (The Fishes of Samoa. Bull. U. S. Bureau of Fisheries, Vol. XXV, 1905 



