84 ALLAN HANCOCK PACIFIC EXPEDITIONS VOL. 9 



inside the edge of the jaw; they are very small, sharp, pointed, and close 

 set, extending anteriorly to the inside edge of the posterior nostril. Vomer- 

 ine teeth somewhat larger, depressible, in a diamond-shaped patch ; no 

 teeth on shaft of vomer. No premaxillary teeth. Mandibular teeth uni- 

 serial and sim.ilar to the maxillary teeth. 



Body color light yellowish, overlaid with dark brown. This dark- 

 brown pattern varies from longitudinal rows of dark spots with the 

 lighter body color prominent, to individuals with this body color alm.ost 

 entirely obscured by the brown. In those individuals in which the brown 

 coloring is in the form of rows of spots, there are two rows above the 

 lateral line, the one at the base of the dorsal fin the larger, and three more 

 irregular and smaller rows below the lateral line. All the spots tend to 

 become more or less crowded and somewhat fused toward the end of the 

 tail. The dorsal fin is white, with a narrow, submarginal band composed 

 of irregularly defined spots. The dark spotting on the head varies from 

 light to veiy heavy; correlated with this are narrow black bands on the 

 chin and throat, which vary from two faint to six distinct bands. 



Muraenidae 



Genus UROPTERYGIUS Riippell 



Uropterygius Riippell, 1835, Neue Wirbelthiere zu der Fauna von 

 Abj'Ssinien gehorig, vol. 1, p. 83 (type Nebius concolor Riippell). 



All fins absent or only the rudiments of a dorsal and anal fin present 

 around tip of tail. Anterior nostrils tubular, posterior nostrils developed 

 variously. Cleft of mouth reaching to behind eye, the mouth capable of 

 being closed completely or nearly so. Eye small, covered by skin. Gill 

 openings small, porelike, in the center of body height or somewhat above 

 or below. 



Key to Eastern Tropical Pacific Species 



la. Tip of tail with a rudiment of a fin ; with at least a few rays present; 

 tip of tail not sharply pointed or hard. 



2a. Head and trunk longer than tail (Galapagos Islands). . . . 

 JJ. polystictus, new species. 



2b. Head and trunk shorter than tail ( Indo-Pacific, Panama and 

 Colombia) JJ. marmoratus (Lacepede). 



