244 THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY 



MuRENHSOX CINEREUS. 



Murcena cinerea, Forsk. Descr. An., pp. X and 22 (according to 

 Dr. Gunther. 



Ophisurus rostratus, Quoy&Gaim. Voy. Uranie, Zool., pi. 51, fig. 1. 

 Conger oxyrhynchus, Eydoux & Soul., Voy. Bonite, pi. 9, fig, 2. 

 Murcenesox bagio, Peters ; Kaup, Apod., p. 116, pi. 14, fig. 73. 



This fish, remarkable by the strange tricuspid teeth of its 

 vomer, has very much the form of an Ophidian, but its fins, and 

 particularly its pectorals, are well developed. The specimen I 

 possess is from the Brisbane River, and is about thirty inches 

 long. 



Note. — It is singular that in his Regne Animal, Cuvier con- 

 siders this sort as belonging to the genus Ophisurus, with which 

 it has so little resemblance. 



The specimen was sent to me by Mr. Curtis. 



Ophichthts episcopus. 



This sort has its teeth large and pointed ; the pectoral small 

 but well developed ; the maxillary teeth in a double series, the 

 mandibulary ones in a single series ; lips not fringed ; snout 

 moderately produced. 



In this division of Dr. Gunther, which corresponds to the genus 

 Herpetrichthys of Kaup, two species seem nearly allied to the 

 Australian fishes regius and omatissimus, but in both the dorsal 

 is spotted and the annular body bands seem to be of a different 

 form ; the height of the fish is contained fifty-one times in its 

 total length ; head fifteen times and a quarter in the same ; the 

 pectoral is contained three and a half times in the length of the 

 head, dorsal commencing behind the end of the pectorals ; 

 general colour lilac, with twenty-three broad transverse bands of 

 a darker colour ; they do not extend to the lower part of the 

 body, which is white ; the space they cover is broader than the 

 one they have between them; the interspaces immaculate, dorsal 

 fin grey ; the head is covered with small purple spots, and there 

 is a broad longitudinal band of the same colour, but of lighter 



