60 



H aw aiian Fishes 



is somewhat flattened. This eel reaches a length of about two feet. It is 

 known from the Society Islands and the Hawaiian Islands. 



It was named for Henry W. Henshaw, the famous naturalist who 

 lived at Hilo, Hawaii. 



Snake Eel 

 33-7 Caecula fiavicauda (Snyder) 



The body of this eel is very long 

 and slender, and is tipped with a very 

 long, slender, sharp snout. The body 

 is uniformly pale brown in color. It 

 reaches a length of nearly fifteen 

 inches. 



This eel is known only from 



Hawaii. It was taken in a dredge Drawn from Jordan & Evermann 



between Maui and Lanai in from 21 to 66 fathoms. 



THE WHIP EEL FAMILY 



34 Family Ratabouridae (Moringuidae) 

 The whip eels are a small family of slender, almost worm-like creatures. 

 They have several unusual features about them. They have many vertebrae 

 and the fins are poorly developed. The heart is placed far behind the gills 

 and the tail is very short. The family seems to be most common in the 

 East Indies. 



Only one member of this family is known from the Hawaiian Islands. 



Java Whip Eel 



34-1 Rataboura javanicus (Kaup) 

 This white eel is reported as a 

 dull sepia color above and a pale 

 Isabella color beneath. It reaches a 

 length of about fifteen inches. It is 

 found from the East Indies to Japan, 

 in the Tuamotus, and in the Ha- 

 waiian Islands. '=''°^" ^'""^ ■'°'^°" ^ Evermann 



THE MORAY EEL OR PAINTED EEL FAMILY 



35 Family Echidnidae 

 The moray eels are easily distinguished from all other eels by the 

 small round gill openings and by the absence of the pectoral and pelvic 



