FAMILY, X— MUR^NID^. 669 



mouth equals about 3f in tlie length of the head : jaws nearly equal in length anteriorly. Teeth— the maxillary, 

 anterior vomerine and anterior mandibular teeth biserial, the rest uniserial. Co?ow?-s— Head, body, and fins dark 

 greenish-olive, becoming of a greenish-yellow interiorly : silvery dots along the lateral-lmo. 



A stuffed example 32-5 in length exists in the British Museum, which is said to belong to this species : it 

 was presented by J. Reeves, Esq. (Kaup,) so probably came from China. 



McClelland assigns D. 484, A. 394, Vertebrae 211, to this species. 



Sahltat. — Bay of Bengal, Pinang. 



4. Muraena punctata, Plate CLXXIII, fig. 1. 



Gt/m.notJiorax inmctatus, Bl. Schn. p. 526. 



Murcena, Russell, Fish. Vizag. i, p. 22, and Calamaia pawn, pi. 32. 



Blurwna punctata, Richard. Voy. Erebus and Terror, Ich. p. 83; Bleeker, Bang. p. 78 ; Kaup, Apod. p. 

 64 ; Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 102. 



Length of head 3^ in the distance between the end of the snout and the vent : tail rather longer than 

 the trunk. ° Ei/es—oi mo"dcrate size, situated midway between the angle of the mouth and end of the snout : 

 anterior nasal tubes about 1/2 as long as the orbit. Length of cleft of mouth equal to half the length of the 

 head : the mouth can be completely closed. Gill-opening about twice as large as the orbit. Teeth— m a smgle 

 row, from 18 to 22 on either side of the mandible, the anterior of which are the longest. Canines of moderate 

 size. Oo?.oMr.s— purplish black, with black streaks radiating from the eye : the whole of the fish covered with 

 pure white spots having a dark edge, and which are largest posteriorly, but nowhere exceed the size of the 

 pupil of the eye. 



jETai/toi.— Coromandel Coast of India. It attains to a large size. Russell observes that it was not 

 eaten, as it was considered to be of a poisonous nature, whilst its flesh smelt very rank even when just 

 captured. 



5. Muraena Ruppellii. 



MurcBna coluhrina, Lacep. v, pp. 627, G41, 642, pi. xix, fig. 1 (not Boddaert) ; Richards. Erebus and 

 Terror, Fish. p. 88 ; Bleeker, Flores, p. 335. 



Murwna reticulata, Riipp. Atl. Fische, p. 117 (not Bloch). 



Balophis Bupellim, McClelland, Cal. Joiirn. Nat. Hist, v, p. 213. 



Thyrsoidea coluhrina, Kaup, Apod. p. 84. 



Gymnothorax reticularis, Bleeker, Atl. Ich. iv, p. 98, t. clxxvii, fig. 1, t. cLxxxi, fig. 4, and t. clxxxiu, 

 fig. 2 (not Bloch). 



Munena Buppellii, Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 104; Klunz. F. Roth. Meer. 1871, p. 615. 



Length of head 3^ to 31 in the distance between the end of the snout and the vent : tail about 1/5 

 longer than the trunk. %es— rather above 1/2 the length of the snout, and situated nearly midway between 

 angle of mouth and end of snout : anterior nasal tubes scarcely 1/2 the length of the eye. Snout slightly com- 

 pressed : extent of cleft of mouth 2| in the length of the head. Gill-opening about as wide as the eye. Teeth— 

 in a single row (the young may have one or two extra teeth forming an inner maxillary row), from 20 to 23 in 

 either mandible : canines of moderate size : the mouth can be completely closed. Co/okts— yellowish, with 

 from 18 to 20 black rings encircling the head and body : they are narrower than the ground colour : the first 

 3 are on the 1/ead, the others sometimes become less distinct as age increases. 



Habitat.— Andaim&ns and Malay Archipelago. 



6. Muraena reticularis. 

 Gymnothorax reticularis and reticulatus, Bloch, t. 416 ; Bl. Schn. p. 528. 

 MuroeiwpMs reticularis, Lacep. v, pp. 628, 642, 643. 



Murmva reticulata, Richard. Erebus and Terror, Fish. p. 82 ; Kaup, Apod. p. 60, f. 49. 



Murcena minor, Temm. and Schleg. Fauna Japon. Poiss. p. 269, t. 115, f- 2. 



Priodonophis minor, Bleeker, Verh. Bat. Gen. xxvi, p. 123 : Kner, Novara Fische, p. 382. 



Murcena reticularis, Bleeker, Beng. p. 78; Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 105. 



Length of head 3^ in the distance between the end of the snout and the vent : tail a little longer than 

 the trunk. "^ Eyes— Ammeter 2/3 of the length of the snout, situated rather nearer angle of mouth than end of 

 snout. Anterior nasal tubes very short : snout short and very slightly compressed. Extent of cleft of mouth 1/3 

 of the length of the head. Gill-opening of about the same size as the eye. Teeth— in a single row, some 

 beino- slightly serrated : about 13 in either mandible : the canines small, the mouth can be completely closed. 

 Colours— heiid and back spotted and dotted with brown : about 16 dark cross bands on the body, wider than 

 the ground colour, and most distinct in the lower half of the body and on the dorsal fin. The first well-marked 

 ventral band is behind the gill-opening. 



Habitat. — Se&s of India to China and Japan. 



7. Muraena punctatofasciata, Plato CLXIX, fig. 4. 

 Murcena catenata, Bleeker, Amboina, p. 66 (not Richard, etc.) 



