284 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF AUSTRALIAN FISHES, 



Teeth, uni-serial, without basal lobe ; about nineteen on each 

 side of the mandible. Canines much larger than the other 

 teeth and the jaws do not shut. Anterior nasal tubes very short. 

 Gill-opening- wider than the eye. Snout short and compressed ; 

 eye small, one-half of the length of the snout, situated above 

 the middle of the cleft of the mouth, the length of which is 

 contained twice and two-thirds in that of the head . Tail a little 

 longer than the body, the length of the head is one-third of that 

 of the trunk. Brown, body and tail with round or oval black 

 spots, generally larger than the eye, longitudinally arranged. 

 Spots on the head much the smallest. Fins with a narrow 

 white edge. 



Darnley Island. (Chevert Exp.) 



Genus Gymnomur^ena, Bleek. 



Scaleless. Teeth numerous, small, pointed. Gill-openings 

 narrow. Fins none, except a rudimentary one round the end of 

 the tail. Two pairs of nostrils on the upper surface of the 

 snout, the posterior being a small round foramen. 



Tropical Seas. 



943. Gymnomur^ena concolor, Biipp. 



Gunth., Cat. Fishes, VIIL, p. 134. 



Uniform brown. Maxillary and mandibulary teeth in a 

 double series ; no distinct canine teeth. Eye of moderate size ; 

 posterior nostrils not tubular. Tail but little longer than the 

 body. 



Cape York. (Darnel.) 



Dr. Bleeker and Dr. Gunther both include in this family a 

 very remarkable form of Fishes under the name of Lcptocephalus 

 Gronov. They are believed by some to be the larval form of a 

 Conger, but in truth little seems to be known about them. 



